advertisement
Tue, Feb 07 2012
Bulgarian Culture Minister stands by decision: metal detectors require registration
Ancient Bulgarian coins
Photo: Nadezhda Chipeva
Possession and use of a metal detector in Bulgaria requires registration with the Culture Ministry and lack of such registration was a crime, Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov said on February 10 in reply to a letter from Ilia Iliev, head of the Bulgarian National Federation of Metal-detecting.
Iliev had objected to the tip-off that Rashidov send to law enforcement agencies in January 2010, saying the that members of the federation did not possess the required registration.
The federation had been registered as a not-for-profit organisation in the Bulgarian town of Lovech on December 2 2009. Registered activity of the federation was "metal detecting," or finding metal objects with the aid of metal detectors, a Culture Ministry media statement said.
Possession and use of metal detectors for this purpose has been regulated by the Culture Heritage Act and requires each metal detector to be registered with the Culture Ministry. Members of the foundation did not file for such a registration, the ministry said.
The issue is contentious in Bulgaria, where all archaeological finds, including old coins, are considered state property and unauthorised digs are a crime. Efforts to legalise the open use of metal detectors have consistently been rebuffed by state bodies, which have treated it as attempts to legalise tomb-raiding.
Iliev had objected to the tip-off that Rashidov send to law enforcement agencies in January 2010, saying the that members of the federation did not possess the required registration.
The federation had been registered as a not-for-profit organisation in the Bulgarian town of Lovech on December 2 2009. Registered activity of the federation was "metal detecting," or finding metal objects with the aid of metal detectors, a Culture Ministry media statement said.
Possession and use of metal detectors for this purpose has been regulated by the Culture Heritage Act and requires each metal detector to be registered with the Culture Ministry. Members of the foundation did not file for such a registration, the ministry said.
The issue is contentious in Bulgaria, where all archaeological finds, including old coins, are considered state property and unauthorised digs are a crime. Efforts to legalise the open use of metal detectors have consistently been rebuffed by state bodies, which have treated it as attempts to legalise tomb-raiding.
-
Print
-
Send via email
- Translate to
-
Share:
Comments
To post comments, please, Login or Register.
Please read the The Sofia Echo forum comments policy.
More in this category
Avalanche danger in Bulgaria’s mountains amid winter weather crisis
Mountain Rescue urges skiers and snowboarders not to stray from the official pistes.
Further flooding in southern Bulgaria as another dike breaks
Huge wave headed for the village of Generalovo after Maritsa River burst its banks. Freight lorry movement banned throughout Bulgaria and people asked not to travel. Bulgaria to declare a day of mourning and could approach EU for financial help.
Floods in Bulgaria: Evacuation of district in Svilengrad
Code Red declared in Haskovo and Smolyan. Weather warning that situation will worsen. European Commission ready to help, while Bulgaria’s Cabinet is to vote help to people in Haskovo region.
Eight dead in floods after dam bursts in southern Bulgaria: Updated
People missing, houses damaged and more than 50 evacuated from the village of Bisser in southern Bulgaria as harsh weather crisis continues in the country.
Bulgarian firms fined for underperformance in clearing winter roads
Eleven companies face fines of a total of more than 400 000 leva.
© 2000-2012, Sofia Echo Media Ltd.
Web Design by RIZN
Sofia Echo Media is part of the Economedia Group.
The news and information content on this website is provided by our editorial team and is copyrighted.
Any unauthorised reproduction or use of it is strictly forbidden. Reproduction of this website's content is permitted only
with prior written permission from the Editor-in-Chief, should be propertly acredited and provide an active link back to our site.
Comments posted by the website's visitors are independent of the editorial materials and do not represent the views of sofiaecho.com.
Sofia Echo Media cannot be held responsible for the statements contained in visitor comments.
The percentаge change in the shares' prices are based on the price of the last transaction of the current session compared to the
price of the last transaction of the previous session. Bulgarian Stock Exchange data is not real-time, but updated every 15 minutes,
and should not be used as a basis for decisions about buying or selling stock options.
- Economedia Group portfolio:
- In Bulgarian:
-
Business:
Капитал,
Кариери,
Пазари,
Ho Re Mag,
Регал,
Градът.bg,
Одит,
Foton.bg,
Online shop
- News: Дневник, Европа, Foreign Policy - България
- IT: IDG.BG, Computerworld, PC World, CIO, Networkworld
- Entertainment: Бакхус
-
In English:
The Sofia Echo
So if i use a detector in Bulgaria will i be arrested?
can any one a tell me if you allowed on beaches in sunny beach
The bestway forward is to set up a non-governmental metal detecting federation that issues the licence to members who can be asked by archaeologists to assist in their searchs ,Any federation member who commits a crime eg nighthawking or detecting on listed protected sight should be banned from ever owning a metal detector again and be subject to police scrutiny from time to time ,The britsh metal detecting federations i am a member of work hand in hand with museums and if a valuable find is located the finder is given a reward for locating any artifacts ,But sadly too [...]
Read the full comment many goverments wont reward anyone for being honest and handing over the locations and the finds,thats how night hawking begins !!!! play fair and get your treasures handed over and reward the finder with the the appropriate reward as they deserve just like the uk and you will see a big change in detectorist who will get licenced and hand over the finds .....
hello Tanya did you find out where you get the paperwork?info would be great.thankyou.
-iam hasan othman introduce you my work and invite you to visit my web site
www.apwoaly.biczo.com
-these web site contain some of my art wich may provide some new idas about the reaction between man, art and its surround materials.
-i hope you admire my works,looking forward your comments
and it will be great pleasure if we cooperate together
Years ago i was told that if you own a company and have some contract with a museum you're allowed to own and use a metal detector. i think this could actually work if the right people could be found to check in the field. Too many of Bulgaria's artifacts are disappearing without any trace. Mostly sold to collectors in other countries. What a shame the so "proud" Bulgarians sell their history for peanuts.
This minister is bord behind his desk nothing to do so this is the result..... Bulgarian politics puf!!!
Are you Crazy!!! What are you talking about?? A metal detector is just a toy
In Portugal we just have the same "problem". I say problem because the licenses simply does not exists for the simple and commune metal detectorist and so all still’s the same. Unfortunately, this type of legislation and law’s doesn't solve the big problem that is the destruction of arqueologyc contexts. If they take a look at the English example, I believe they will have something to learn about metal detectorism, metal detectorists and nighthawking.
Tanya, I'm sure if you call the Culture Ministry, they'd be able to tell you. You might want to give it a try :)
...so if you have a metal detector how do you register and where? what paper work do you need?