PROTEST AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ON THE BULGARIAN BLACK SEA COASTLINE

The reason for dissatisfaction of both protesters and counter-protesters is the possible building-up of the protected area of Karadere.

Protests against construction in Karadere took place in the cities of Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas and Russe on 30^th March. Environmentalists insists on urgent adoption of amendments to the Black Sea Coast Spatial Development Act in order to to ban construction activities in areas protected by Natura 2000, which is an EU wide network of nature protection areas.

The protesters’ demands are for cancelling the decision of the Council of Ministers to grant a “Class A” investor certificate to the company “Madara Europe”, which intends to build a holiday resort complex in Karadere area.

In Sofia, a group of people initiated a petition demanding for a ban of construction projects in the Black Sea coastal areas of Irakli, Strandzha, Kamchiya Sands and the Dunes at Nessebar. They insist on declaring the Coral camp for a protected site.

Protesters from Russe – a town located in the North East of Bulgaria on the bank of the river Danube, also collected signatures to support changes to the legislation on the management of the BulgarianBlack SeaCoast aiming to ban construction activities in Natura 2000 areas.

A small number of protesters gathered in Plovdiv, but they said that although being a small group they strongly supported the ban of construction.

In Burgas, a city on the south Black Sea coast and closest to the sites subject to the disputes, the group of protesters also wasn’t very large. The hard core of the environmentalists there called for the government to fulfill their promise for creation of a national park called “BulgarianBlack SeaCoast” and insisted Karadere area and other wild nature sites to be included in the park to ensure their protection.