Bulgaria was the only country which joined the EU without determining list of areas to be included in European environmental network Natura 2000, a Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) statement said.

Preparing a list of areas to be protected by the network was among the conditions included in Bulgaria's EU accession treaty.

The list, however, opposed the interests of environmentalists to those of investors and local authorities. Government postponed the final Natura 2000 decision for the beginning of 2007, after Bulgaria's EU accession on January 1 2007.

BSPB said that 'economic and corporate interests' pressured the Cabinet to postpone the decision by hiding information on Natura 2000 and manipulating public opinion.

The council of the ruling tripartite coalition approved minimal possible inclusion in the environmental network on December 27 2006.

Bulgarian news agency BTA quoted BSPB as saying that the decision neglected the principles of the law-abiding state and the legal norms and judicial practices in the EU.

The council's decision could be fatal for some endangered species, which would immediately lead to restrictive measures from the EU, BSPB also said.