The government admitted: Almost half of the ski zone Bansko in National Park Pirin is illegal, we will legalize it

Sofia, 30 June 2011 – The NGO coalition “For the Nature” called on the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to stop all the construction in the protected territories, to annul the concession contract with “Yulen” JSC, confiscate the illegally built installations for the benefit of the state as well as re-cultivate the illegally built-up territories of National Park Pirin, a part of the European environmental network NATURA 2000 and the UNESCO World Natural Heritage. The confiscated installations are to be managed by the Bansko municipality until the granting of a new concession.
The Coalition insists that individual liability be sought according to article 282 of the Criminal Code of the ministers Nona Karadzhova, Svilen Traykov, and Traycho Traykov, as well as the director of the National Agency for Environmental Protection Mihail Mihaylov.
The Coalition thinks that the concessionaire of the ski zone Yulen JSC should be indicted under article 278v and 352 and the related texts of the Criminal Code.
The Coalition “For the Nature” organizes a protest in front of the Council of Ministers, tomorrow, 1 July at 8:30.
Yesterday, the Minister of the environment, Nona Karadzhova admitted that almost half of the ski zone Bansko situated at the heart of National Park Pirin was illegal and went beyond the concession territory granted to Yulen JSC. The Minister scandalously declared that the law would be changed in order to legalize that.

Such a government decision for the legalization of illegal parts of ski zone Bansko can only be compared to the insolent forest swaps made by the previous government, say the environmentalists.
According to the Coalition “For the Nature” (there is a list of its members below), responsibility for what happens in National Park Pirin bear the concessionaire of ski zone Bansko, as well as the following ministers and civil servants:
- The Minister of Environment and Water, Nona Karadzhova, because she has proposed such a solution for the concession in National Park Pirin. Because after she became aware of the real area of the concession in 2010, she permitted the construction of two new lifts (with an immediate execution of the order at that). Because for the 2 years she has been a Minister, she has not protected the state interest and has been accepting a reduced concession pay from Yulen JSC. Because she refused to accept the objectives of the Strategy for Bio-diversity of the European Union and her scandalous statements at the European Council of Environment Ministers, and because she asserted that the European environmental network Natura 2000 blocked the economic development of Bulgaria, whereas the only objectives of Natura 2000 are precisely to develop the economy of each member state without critical destruction of the environment and bio diversity.

- The Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Rossen Plevneliev, because he has supported that decision and has allowed his subordinate employees from the Direction of National Construction Control to tolerate the illegal construction in the park instead of imposing fines and ordering its removal.

- The Minister of Physical Education and Sports, Svilen Neykov, because he has continued the activities of the tripartite coalition of state financing of the concessionaire Yulen JSC through the connected to it Bulgarian Ski Federation with sums that surpass 10 times the amount of the concessionaire pay. Because he hid from the public the contracts for the financing of the Bulgarian Ski Federation with 2,5 million levs from the state budget and because he supports such a solution of the scandalous case.
- The Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism, Traycho Traykov, because he supported publicly the idea of Nona Karadzhova for Yulen JSC; because he participates in all public events of Yulen JSC in the Bansko ski-zone and receives presents from the Bulgarian Ski Federation.

- The Director of the National Agency for Environment Protection, Mihail Mihaylov who is the former head of department “Protected Territories” in the Ministry of the Environment and Water, who had been responsible during the whole time for the control of the concession in National Park Pirin and who has been continuously blocking the process for the creation of new protected territories in Bulgaria.
The Coalition “For the Nature” reminds that over the last 10 year tens of signals, complaints, and appeals for investigations about the permitted illegal activities around ski zone Bansko in National Park Pirin have been sent. Responsibility for what has been allowed carry the Direction of National Park Pirin, the Regional Inspection of Environment and Water Blagoevgrad, and the Ministry of Environment and Water, which represents the state in the concession contract and should monitor its implementation.