New amendments to the Forestry Act as prepared by the Government, which were clothed with the argument that they were in support of tourism, and for which the BANKER already wrote, brought environmentalists, hikers, skiers and snowboarders out in the streets to protest during the week. Environmentalists raised their voices in defence not only of the Natural Vitosha Park, but in general for the Bulgarian forests. According to Konstantin Ivanov from the World Wildlife Fund this way eco-advocates want to show the risks of these changes to lawmakers and to change their minds.
Let us recall that just before Christmas (28 December) the Government approved changes that actually greenlight the construction of ski runs and lifts on the territory – which is part of the state forestry fund, but without changing the land use. Proponents of the project argued that the land remained state property and what is done is not to benefit any particular company (Editor’s note: Vitosha Ski AD), and would benefit all the ski resorts. In spite of the excuses of lawmakers, however, the feeling remained that changes are made under pressure by the interested offshore company – Vitosha Ski AD that after their privatization, owns almost all ski facilities in the Natural Park Vitosha, built on state land.
As to the argument that the land remains state on paper, it is generally considered infantile, since the mere giving of the right to use them actually enables logging of trees and place temporary facilities and above all – without paying anything to the country.
A coalition of NGOs and civic groups To Preserve Nature in Bulgaria, also believe that the new texts facilitate the construction in forests and protected nature areas of Bulgaria.
Environmentalists were stunned by the fact that the government went back on its proposal to make monitoring on the destruction of nature and the state suddenly started speaking the language of oligarchy, which only a year ago it denied.
It turned out that what was said by GERB before the elections of how forests would be protected in Bulgaria was a mere populism, as now states changes the law and effectively facilitates the clearing of forests for ski equipment, while saving millions to investors in ski resorts state built in forests, environmentalists claim.
Participants in the protest filed a letter requesting banning of the changes the Forestry Act and requested a revision and publishing of the privatization contract with the private joint stock company Vitosha Ski. Participants in the protest have brought the matter to the attention of the European Commission and consider that EU commissioners will not approve of the initiative of Bulgarian rulers.
In fact, there is a discrepancy in the position of GERB representatives, too. A major critic of the law is former deputy minister and current chairman of the Agricultural Academy Georgi Kostov, who pointed out the changes to the act are a retreat from the principles of openness and transparency.
According to the most famous lobbyist in parliament – Vice Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry Emil Dimitrov – the new law brings order in Bulgarian forests which was inconvenient for certain people. For insiders, however, the move is convenient only for Mr. Dimitrov and people around him.
