Two of the new deputy ministers are directly related to the overconstruction of the Black Sea coast and protected areas

Environmentalists also insist on the liquidation of the Ministry of
Investment Planning, which is a strong source of corruption.

Coalition “Let the NATURE remain in Bulgaria” strongly opposes on the
adoption of the first reading of the Temporary Law Commission draft
proposal for a moratorium on the orders for removal and prohibition of the
use of illegal construction sites, because such moratorium would increase
the offenses of the law against the construction in national environmental
networks, and also creates the impression that the violations would later
be legalized and set aside.

Environmentalists point out that the new Deputy Minister of Environment and
Water Chavdar Georgiev has already held this post in the three-party
Coalition government and had significant contribution for one of the penal
proceedings against Bulgaria, initiated by the European Commission, for the
adoption of the Master plan of the municipality of Tsarevo. The procedure
was terminated by the European Commission after the next Environmental
Minister Nona Karadjova withdrew the statement on the environmental
assessment of the plan.

In 2008, Chavdar Georgiev, in his capacity of Deputy Environmental
Minister, approved the Master plan of Tzarevo, prepared by Kalin Tiholov,
who was few weeks ago nominated by Oresharsky as the Minister of Investment
Planning. The development plan, which is subject to lengthy litigation,
would permit the construction of a new 150,000 beds in Strandja Nature Park.

Chavdar Georgiev, who is a lawyer, made a series of attempts to cement the
plan by giving untruthful explanations to the public. All these actions led
to the decision of the UN Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee to enact
that Bulgaria had violated its commitments under this Treaty and should
bring the Territory Planning Act in accordance with the standards adopted
by the European Union.

Chavdar Georgiev is also known as a lobbyist for the development of golf
field projects, often in protected areas; explain from the coalition “Let
the NATURE remain in Bulgaria”.

Another controversial figure is the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Abazov
Burhan , who held the same position back at the time when Ministers were
Mehmed Dikme and Nihat Kabil. In 2004-2005 Burhan Abazov was responsible
for the sale of hundreds of decares of public land in Strandja Nature Park
for construction, recall environmentalists.

Coalition “Let the NATURE remain in Bulgaria” once again insists for the
immediate cessation of the harmful misunderstanding called Ministry of
Investment Planning.

Environmentalists understand the importance and needs for reforms in the
cadastre as an important premise for the conservation and better management
of the natural resources in Bulgaria. But the real actions taken by the
government and the parliamentary supporting parties proved just for a few
days that the newly formed Ministry has a hidden agenda, which obviously
does not aim to contribute to the effective problem solving.

Quite the contrary, the appointment of discredited characters, directly
connected to the biggest scandals by the Black Sea, also the unmotivated
and not fully clarified moratorium on the forced removal of illegal
constructions, gives us good reasons to believe that the declared
intentions of solving the problems by the Black Sea and the creation of a
new natural or National Park, are nothing more than populist PR, conclude
from “Let the NATURE remain in Bulgaria”.

Environmentalists also recall that the Minister of Culture Petar Stojanovic
has long supported the expansion of the Bansko ski resort in the Pirin
National Park. He participated in the protests for a second gondola and new
tracks, which was organized by the Mayor of Bansko and whose protests were
supported a few months ago by ministers of GERB and the National Assembly
President Tzetzka Tzacheva. The expansion of the Bansko ski zone would
violate the Protected Areas Act, the Environmental Protection Act and the
Management Plan of the Pirin National Park.

The Coalition of NGOs and civic groups “Let the NATURE remain in Bulgaria”
continues to verify the new faces in the government of Prime Minister
Plamen Oresharski.