It is true that one cannot have both at the same time. A country usually must choose. Austria has made the mistake of transforming many of its mountains into ski resorts and now suffers the inevitable consequence of erosion. But does Bulgaria wants to follow in the steps of obvious mistakes and have another "Bansko case", this time in Rila, the highest and most untouched mountain up until now?

Construction in Rila began this summer and was meant to be the beginning of a new road and a lift - the first part of the huge Panichishte-Ezerata-Kabul winter sport resort project, as previously reported by The Sofia Echo.

After complaints and protest by environmentalists and citizens, on September 20 the Ministry of Environment and Water Affairs publicly announced that it had imposed a sanction of 10 000 leva on the mayor of Sapareva Banya municipality, who had requested the road reconstruction from Pionerska Lodge to Panichishte because it was conducted without an environmental impact assessment. On September 18, Sapareva Banya mayor Sasho Ivanov said on Bulgarian National Radio that he would file an objection to the act and would appeal against it.

In response to that, the coalition To Sustain the Nature in Bulgaria (SNB) said in a media statement that even if the sanction were paid, it is "funnily low for the harming of an extremely valuable natural area".

"The sanction for the illegal construction in Rila does not make it any more legal," Tsveta Hristova of SNB said. The coalition insisted that the Minister of Environment and Water Affairs Djevdet Chakurov order cancellation of the construction in Rila and issue an order in accordance with article 19 of the Biodiversity Act because it concerned the protected area Rila.

Besides being in the territory of the national park that is protected by law, the roads and the lift affect two protected zones as per the Natura 2000 environmental network - Rila and Rila Buffer.

According to Bulgaria's constitution and the Protected Areas Act, the whole of Rila National Park is state property and is to be managed in the interest of all Bulgaria's citizens. Despite all this, now, in the same territory, private companies are building, doing so even without the necessary permits according to five Bulgarian laws: the Environmental Protection Act, the Private Property Act, the Regional Development Act, the Protected Areas Act and the Biodiversity Act, as well as in violation of the European Directive for Birds and Habitats. The construction that is happening is not even permitted in the Cabinet Plan for Rila Park Management.

Despite the violations found by the MOEW, unfortunately the construction in Rila is continuing, and it is being carried out with public money from the Sapareva Banya budget. According to SNB, so far the responsible authorities are "silently supporting this attitude of vandalism to one of Bulgaria's symbols". The coalition insists, in addition to the cancellation of the activities, that the authorities also provide the necessary financing for recultivation of the affected areas and planting of trees where the natural green belt has been destroyed.

The green-minded citizens have also started sending letters to Bulgaria's President Georgi Purvanov, Speaker of Parliament Georgi Pirinski and Bulgaria's Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev. In the letter, the citizens insist on "urgent measures" for ceasing the construction in Rila, for recultivation of the harmed areas and planting of new trees.

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