A moratorium on new construction, changes in the cadastre and future real estate transactions within the naval base of the National Sports Academy Vasil Levski in Ravda was supported unanimously by all members of the Committee on Youth and Sports in the National Assembly last week. The document was submitted at the end of last month by the chairman of the committee on education in parliament Ognyan Stoichkov. The previous meeting (a week ago), when the texts had to be discussed and a decision made, an opinion was sent by the Legal Affairs Directorate of the Council of Ministers, that triggered debate and stopped the actual viewing of the text by the committee.
According to the director of the Legal Department Galina Marinska the proposed draft resolution violated proportionality between the restriction of fundamental constitutional rights of citizens and the protection of the public interest.
Mr. Stoichkov told the BANKER that such an interpretation is absurd. To illustrate his doubts, he said that perhaps the same lady had prepared the text for the previous moratorium, which was adopted by the Council of Ministers at the end of April during the protests of the students from the sports academy. Then the government voted the naval base to became an object of national importance in the region and all construction to be stopped. This decision, however, was challenged by landowners and was later repealed in court.
The BANKER wrote repeatedly about the attacks of known and unknown stakeholders who through successful maneuvers still managed to take over 50 acres out of 135 acres, on which once the base was located, and raise several hotels there. Now almost decade later, the saga around the saving the land may be over, but now we are talking about 85 acres only. Of course, if the final decision is not declared void by the court.
Despite conflicting legal opinions regarding the announced moratorium, the two ministries that are in charge here – of sports and of education, are adamant that the only maritime training camp to prepare athletes must remain intact. Bourgas Regional Governor Konstantin Grebenarov also supports the decision and believes he has the ability to compensate the owners with other properties.
The owners of the land, however, want the base to move to another place and do not intend to retreat. The municipality of Nessebar was on their side, allegedly. The chair of the legal committee in Parliament Iskra Fidosova also occupies an odd position. She believes that the moratorium intervention of parliament could be interpreted as nationalization.
The BANKER
