News

One Fifth of the Investment in Bulgaria is Offshore

Za zemiata (“For the Earth”) Association

Jul 15, 2015

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European Parliament has supported tax transparency and has set high standards at the international conference in Addis Ababa

Seychelles Islands and British Virgin Islands are among the big foreign investors in Bulgaria, according to data from Bulgarian National Bank. 2.15 billion euro is the direct investment in Bulgaria from jurisdictions defined by our legislation as offshore zones (47 in number, listed in the amendments to the Corporate Income Taxation Act). Added the investments from unofficial offshore zones like Luxemburg, Cyprus, Malta and Switzerland, the offshore capital in Bulgaria squares at 7.5 billion euro. This is one fifth of the total amount of foreign investment in Bulgaria as of near the end of 2014.

Bio spice-garden is created in front of the home of the white stork in Belozem

Za zemiata (“For the Earth”) Association

Jul 08, 2015

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School “Geo Milev” in the village of Belozem transformed part of its yard into a modern spice bio-garden, where the children from the village can learn through experience the most important lessons –the lessons of the Mature. The main goal of the school is to create a mini-botanical spice garden in the coming two years. In this way besides providing a shelter the biggest population of white storks in our country, “Geo Milev” school will be able to brag about “the most delicious” garden in a school yard.

Illegal coal production: The landslide in Pernik from a bird’s eye view and Presentation of the report – Alternatives for the coal-production regions in Bulgaria

Za zemiata (“For the Earth”) Association

Jul 03, 2015

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Illegal coal production: The landslide in Pernik from a bird’s eye view

(In view of the occurrence in Pernik during the last few days we have decided to include representatives of the citizen’s organizations, who oppose the illegal coal production. The press-conference will start with their story.)

Actions with the speed of lightning , ministers’ visits for stopping of the coal mines; Disastrous situation due to the activated landslide in the vicinity of the coal production in Pernik; - All this is just the tip of the iceberg, which we see as a story in the media during the last two days. The institutions seem to be very active and quickly reacting, and the guilt for the landslide is almost charged to the residents of the quarter, who have dug tunnels below their own homes.

A project for volunteers and research of the Black sea cetaceans has started

“GREEN BALKANS' Federation

Jul 01, 2015

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Green Balkans starts a project about the development of the “civil science”, directed at collecting of information about the cetaceans by volunteers For the first time in Bulgaria. The project is called: “Citizen’s support for research of the Black sea cetaceans along the Bulgarian coastline” and is financed by Program BG03 in Bulgaria with FM of EES 2009 – 2014.

Deposit on the packages will improve the recycling in Bulgaria

Za zemiata (“For the Earth”) Association

Jul 01, 2015

2015

The deposit system is clear, just and effective

In relation to the public debate about the implementing of deposit system {1} in Bulgaria, started by the business and the organizations for reclaiming of package waste (ORPW), ecological association “For the Earth” shares the following additional data and considerations:

A debate about the illegal logging was held with the politicians

Jun 30, 2015

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On the 23rd of June, 2015, Tuesday, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm in Cultural Centre “G-8”, Association for research practices organized a debate of politicians and citizens about the problem with the illegal logging under the title “Will the changes in the law for the forests stop the illegal logging?”. 20 citizens, NGOs experts from the organizers and coalition “For the Nature” as well as politicians participated. Even though all parliamentary groups received invitations for the debate, only deputies of the governing parties (GERB, ABV, the Reformers) and the executive authority (MAF, EAF), and also of the party-expert on the subject – The Greens PP, took part in the discussion.

50 000 new sterlets swim in the river for the Day of Danube

WWF Danube - Carpathian Programme in Bulgaria

Jun 29, 2015

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Today (29.06) is the international day of the Danube and we would like to share with you some interesting facts about its most ancient inhabitants – the sturgeons. The WWF program dedicated to the conservation of these 200 million years old species reached its culmination in June, when the resettlement of 51 183 little sterlets was concluded.

And why do you like Pirin?

BALKANI Wildlife Society

Jun 29, 2015

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We are inviting you to “Alternative public discussion” of the Management plan of National Park “Pirin” on the 7th of July from 16:00 to 20:00, at hall Mati Di (above cinema Lumiere), in Sofia. Please register in advance here:

http://goo.gl/forms/0pdRfJKoGG

Photo contest “Food Vision”

“Agrolink”

Jun 25, 2015

2242

Association AGROLINK together with 20 more organizations from the European Union started a photo contest on the subject of “Food Vision”. On the specially created site www.supplychainge.org the participants can put up their pictures, which reflect their attitude towards the production and the supply of foods as a personal and publicly significant cause.

The summer eco-library for young and old sets out on its road in Veliko Tarnovo region

Za zemiata (“For the Earth”) Association

Jun 23, 2015

2324

Association “Opportunities” – Veliko Tarnovo, the town council of Ledenik village (municipality Veliko Tarnovo) and the youth club in the village will welcome Enyovden on the 24th of June with a feast of the herbs. The celebration starts at 10:30 and will take place at the village square and at the eco-park. During the event association “Opportunities” will also open their travelling summer eco-library. In the opening will participate the children from the youth clubs in the villages of Ledenik, Belyakovec, Shemshevo and Sheremetya, as well as children from club “Young ecologist” of “P.R. Slaveykov” school – Veliko Tarnovo.

The RES tour “Energy awakening” of “Green Peace”- Bulgaria will visit Radnevo and Stara Zagora

Za zemiata (“For the Earth”) Association

Jun 22, 2015

2179

As part of the world campaign for energy (R)evolution, “Green Peace” – Bulgaria organizes a three-day tour in the region of Stara Zagora. During the days between the 29th of July and the 1st of July, the team of “Green Peace” – Bulgaria, together with volunteers and activists, will be in the towns of Radnevo (the 29th of June) and Stara Zagora (the 30th of June and the 1st of July).

What is wrong with the draft amendments to the Hunting Act

Jun 18, 2015

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The Coalition of non-governmental and civic groups “Let Nature Remain in Bulgaria” supports the idea of European future for hunting in Bulgaria

Second herb festival at the village of Mladen

Jun 18, 2015

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On July 4th , Saturday, for a second year in a roll, herb festival will take place a few kilometers from Sevlievo, in the village of Mladen.. Its goal is to popularize the herb wealth of our country, and to appeal to people to take care of it, through sharing ideas, knowledge, and live a life in harmony with nature.

For the first time this year, Vladimir Boshnakov, medicine man, known as dyado Vlado, will be special lector at the festival. Hundreds of people admire him for having healed himself of four serious illnesses and that with the help of herbs. Fifteen years ago dyado Vlado’s life turns all over when he is diagnosed with insufficient blood supply to the brain and with a prostate tumor. There follow months of treatment without any result, and dyado Vlado resolves to try and heal himself. He begins to study herbs, buys book after book, experiments, and in spite of the hopeless diagnose he succeeds to cope with the cancer and to find cure for other ailments, classified by medicine as incurable. Making use of the studies of scientists as Rudolf Breuss and John Armstrong and of his own experience, dyado Vlado succeeds to help hundreds of people with helth problems. His lecture and discussion will open the festival at 10:15 hrs.

The first little Griffon Vulture hatched in Stara Planina since 70 years

“GREEN BALKANS' Federation

Jun 18, 2015

1572

On June 9th, Georgi Stoyanov from the Bulgarian Birds of Prey Protection Society (BPPS) was lucky to take a glimpse of the first little griffon vulture hatched in the Vrachanski Balkan since 70 years. The proud parents are vultures set at large within the project The Vultures Return in Bulgaria LIFE08 NAT/BG/278. We know them by the yellow marks on the wings, although the nest is in such a remote niche that we have not yet managed to read the codes and to identify precisely the two birds.

Last call to the State to stop the construction of a new lift outside the concession of Pirin National Park

Jun 09, 2015

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The Coalition of non-governmental and civic group “Let Nature Remain in Bulgaria” has made in an official request to the Supreme Administrative Prosecution Office to stop the construction of a new 6-seat lift in the place of the 3-seat lift “Todorka” in Pirin National Park by the offshore firm Marengo Trading. The project was stopped back in 2011 by the previous Government of Boiko Borisov, because it violates the concession contract for Bansko ski zone and the Park’s Management Plan. In 2014 however, in the end of its term, Plamen Oresharski’s Government allowed the construction, with which the offshore company got in a unlawful way a termless right to construction within the concession of Yulen AD and on the territory of exclusive state property. The decision was taken by DPS Eco-minister Stanislav Anastasov, who is being investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office on that account at the moment.

Bicycle Lanes in Sofia look smaller as the number of bikers triples

Jun 05, 2015

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The most industrious bikers in the best bike cities and the best teams in the ranking ofwww.bike2work.be in the campaign “Riding a bike to work” were awarded on May 31 at a ceremony in Sofia and celebrated with a bike cinema in the open.
In 2015, the participants in the campaign paddled 70768 biking kilometers covered by 300 people of 24 towns and three villages in Bulgaria.

The fifth edition of donor program “Zagorka Green Fund” starts

WWF Danube - Carpathian Programme in Bulgaria

Jun 05, 2015

2435

For a fifth year in a roll, Zagorka Green Fund donor program, run by Zagorka AD, opens up. The initiative is in the format of a public competition, aimed at supporting sustainable development of Stara Zagora and its region. The main focus of this year’s edition of Zagorka Green Fund is encouraging innovative projects, entailing reduction of greenhouse emissions or the consumption of water in towns and villages. Starting this year, WWF Bulgaria nature organization joins the other partners of the program.

The State gives away its land in Bansko Ski Zone, a new lift is being constructed outside the concession in Pirin National Park

Jun 05, 2015

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The coalition of non-governmental organisations and civic groups Let Nature Remain in Bulgaria warns that at any moment in Pirin National Park logging for enlarging the cutting for the lift Shiligarnika – Todorka in Bansko Ski Zone and its replacement with a twice bigger one in violation of the laws is about to begin.

The Todorka lift is the first three-seat lift in Bansko Ski Zdone, which was installed back in the eighties. At the moment, through a scheme to which the State is turning a blind eye, the offshore Marengo trading will construct in Pirin a new lift, without concession, which in practice will be its property forever.

Odysseia-In Ltd. became the first TraveLife certified tourist enterprise in Bulgaria

Bulgarian Association of Alternative Tourism

May 27, 2015

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It should have been 25 years until the achievement of the first complete certification in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable tourism of a Bulgarian touristic business. Within the frame of the sixth edition of the Festival-exhibition Green Days, Odysseia-In Ltd. received a well-deserved recognition for their engagement with the responsible business decisions in tourism, the people in the mountains and villages, and the nature and cultural heritage of Bulgaria. Founded in the beginning of 1990, the company covers over 100 criteria, related to services and measurement of the social and environmental footprint of their activities within the framework of the European Commission’s (EC) certification scheme TraveLife.

Future Agro Challenge – possibilities for implementation of innovations by agro entrepreneurs

May 27, 2015

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Junior Achievement Bulgaria has started the second edition of Future Agro Challenge – the world championship for innovators, dreamers and leaders, who are striving to change our daily life through agriculture and food. In the second edition of the competition, participation of over 25 countries is expected. Applications deadline this year is 30 June 2015.