Fri, Feb 10 2012
Representatives of the Environment Directorate- General of the European Commission will come to Bulgaria in connection to the introduction of the Natura 2000 environment preservation network.
Projects to be carried out in the potentially included areas will undergo environmental evaluation first, Environment and Water Affairs Ministry said.
EC representatives said that Natura 2000 does not aim to ban investment plans in the protected regions. Projects, however, have to receive environmental assessment.
Representatives of the Environment and Water Affairs Ministry, the EC and NGOs already visited national park Pirin. There, they discussed management of protected areas and the establishment of an ecological network in Bulgaria.
Earlier this month ecologists said that Bulgaria could face sanctions if it continued delaying the decision on Natura 2000 introduction. The EC could impose fines and limit the country's access to union funds, investor.bg reported.
Average market prices of homes in Sofia fell by one per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the same period of 2010, according to the Raiffeisen Real Estate Index, as quoted by Klasa daily.
Proportionately, the number of transactions in leva increased as people reacted to speculation that the euro would disappear.
Nearly all banks are ready to finance between 80 per cent and 90 per cent of the price of a home, provided it is a good building in a large city, Bulgarian daily says.
Property prices in Bulgaria were five to 10 per cent lower in 2011 than in 2010, while initial estimates for this year are that they will remain largely unchanged, with transactions remaining at ‘crisis levels’.
Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia ranks 17th, report says, quoting Global Property Guide.