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Fri, Feb 10 2012
Vitosha Park requests an end to construction
Photo: Надежда Чипева
Vitosha Nature Park Directorate has sent a letter to Bulgaria's new Environment and Water Affairs Minister Nona Karadjova, asking her to halt the construction of a ski centre in the park.
The ski centre was being constructed with the permission of the Sofia Regional Inspectorate of Environmental and Water Affairs, Bulgarian broadcaster Mediapool said.
The decision to grant permission was taken in 2008 and based on unofficial documents, the letter said. The construction of building and lifts was in breach of the management plan for the park, which had been adopted by Government and the general structural plan of the city, as adopted by Parliament.
Environmental organisations that had protested against the decision had said that large areas of forests would be cut to make way for the new ski area.
According to the organisations, the construction could lead to criminal proceedings with the European Court and the suspension of funds from European programmes for projects in Sofia, Mediapool said.
The Vitosha Nature Park Directorate is a branch of the National Forestry Board within the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, whose tasks include management and protection of forests, lands and waters.
The ski centre was being constructed with the permission of the Sofia Regional Inspectorate of Environmental and Water Affairs, Bulgarian broadcaster Mediapool said.
The decision to grant permission was taken in 2008 and based on unofficial documents, the letter said. The construction of building and lifts was in breach of the management plan for the park, which had been adopted by Government and the general structural plan of the city, as adopted by Parliament.
Environmental organisations that had protested against the decision had said that large areas of forests would be cut to make way for the new ski area.
According to the organisations, the construction could lead to criminal proceedings with the European Court and the suspension of funds from European programmes for projects in Sofia, Mediapool said.
The Vitosha Nature Park Directorate is a branch of the National Forestry Board within the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, whose tasks include management and protection of forests, lands and waters.
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Worth noting is the fact that the company Vitosha Ski is related to a company which holds the concession for the Bansko Ski Zone in Pirin National
Park, where the ski zone has already been constructed with a huge number of legal violations. According to media reports, behind both companies is First Investment Bank, one of the largest banks in Bulgaria. A prominent shareholder of the bank is the chairperson of the Bulgarian Ski Federation.