145, 000 European citizens call upon the European Institutions

The petition, signed by 145, 000 people, calls upon the Bulgarian state to immediately order the halt of the illegal building works above the village of Panichishte in Rila National Park and Rila Buffer [2">. The environmental organizations in Bulgaria alarm that the current road and chair-lift constructions are the first step in the development of a large-scale ski resort, planned in the emblematic Seven Lakes District. The Rila Mountains preserve a unique natural and cultural heritage, while the region has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in Europe.

The “Panichishte-Ezerata-Kabul” project envisages 27 ski pistes and facilities with a total length of 100 km, 80 % of which on the territory of the National Park of Rila. “The project violates the European Natura 2000 directives and nine Bulgarian laws. Its realization will seriously threaten the fragile ecological system and entire landscape of the Seven Lakes region,” explains Filka Sekulova from A SEED Europe, the Netherlands.

The main project developer, Rila Sport, is an off-shore company that acquired hundreds of hectares of land at below market prices in Panichishte from the local municipality, Sapareva Banya. The same municipality promotes the project with claims that the project will reduce local unemployment and boost regional growth. Unemployment in Sapareva Banya however is lower than the average for Bulgaria, and the region is not “lower-growth” by Bulgarian Ministry of Finance standards.

“No other project has mobilized so many Bulgarians to take the streets and express their determination to preserve a single nature area. From July last year, more than fifty public events for Rila, supported by thousands of people have shaken the streets of Sofia and the biggest towns in the country.” says Vera Petkantchin from “Citizens for Rila”. “The Rila campaign has expanded beyond a mere environmentalist movement. People from all ages and professions stand up against the corruption in public governance and the resulting excessive urbanization of the Bulgarian mountains and coast line”, adds Petkantchin.

Bulgarian institutions have not responded to the growing number of legal violations connected to the project in Rila. Their silence has led Bulgarian citizens and civil society organizations to seek support from European institutions to demand the enforcement of the applicable national and European laws. Two Members of the European Parliament who visited Rila in March posed written questions to the Parliament after visiting the construction sites.


For additional information:




Filka Sekulova: + 31 2 668 22 36 (office) /+ 31 617 18 29 41 (mobile) / + 32 488 58 30 23 (mobile during the action only)
Vera Petkanchin: + 359 899 385 859 (mobile)

Notes for the editors:

1. Rila National Park is IUCN Category II, a Natura 2000 site, a Pan Parks member, and a Corine site.

2. The ski resort will be also built on the territory of Rila Buffer, which was rejected from inclusion in the European network of protected areas Natura 2000 by the Bulgarian government, despite significant scientific evidence in favor of that. The Bulgarian officials explained that developers" interests were the main drive for their decision. Rila Buffer encompasses the National Park of Rila and acts as a buffer around it.

3. www.forthenature.org // www.france-rila.fr