On October 1, environmentalists from the coalition To Sustain the Nature in Bulgaria (SNB) and the civic group De Spasim Irakli (Let's Save Irakli) were supposed to meet Environment and Water Affairs Minister Djevdet Chakurov at the Ministry of Environment and Water Affairs building. The plan was to discuss the obligations of Bulgaria connected to the Natura 2000 environmental network, the protection of the Natura 2000 zones and the Black Sea area, as well as the construction in the Panichishte area in Rila.

According to SNB, the October 1 meeting between the environmentalists and the ministry was a “failure”. In a media statement, the coalition said that “a silent forbearance and a ‘wait and see’ attitude towards the illegal construction in Rila in has permeated the ministry”.

Instead of Chakurov, at the meeting appeared his deputies Yordan Dardov, in charge of Natura 2000, and Chavdar Georgiev, head of the National Service for Protection of Nature; neither spoke on the measures that they have to undertake against the construction in Rila. After the environmentalists appealed to them to remind Chakurov that his signature alone could save Rila and handed them the ready draft order, Dardov and Georgiev did not react.

Later, SNB said that “after the meeting, it became clear that Rila and the whole of Bulgaria's nature is in great danger and the ministry has no will for actions to be undertaken for its protection”.

Therefore, the environmentalists organised a protest in front of the Environment and Water Affairs Ministry behind Slaveikov Square in Sofia on October 2. About 100 young citizens gathered in front of the fountain, some of them painting the banners right on the square, which showed the spontaneousness of the assemblage. The people were quite tense and agitated, singing songs about nature and shouting “Rila” and “Rila is dear to us”. Then they headed to Parliament via Rakovski Street and Russki Boulevard. In front of Parliament, the police blocked the protest.

No one was arrested.

The citizens wanted to express their total disagreement to pay sanctions as taxpayers. “We are afraid that because of the illegal construction in Rila (which is a part of the Natura 2000 network), sanctions will be imposed on our country, amounting to about 300 000 euro a day. From the day of the first piece of reporting on the issue (August 20 2007) until today would amount to more than 1 200 000 euro,” Tsveta Hristova of SNB said. The citizens again called on Chakurov to save with his one signature millions of euro for Bulgaria, putting it under an order in accordance with article 19 of the Biodiversity Act, and to stop the illegal construction of roads and a ski lift in Rila National Park.

After the meeting with the environmentalists, the ministry said that by the end of 2007, they would complete the register of all investment intentions that had been stated so far for Natura 2000 zones. For the first half of 2007, such stated intentions numbered 1637, a record amount. Nikolai Nedyalkov, head of the Natura 2000 department in the Ministry of Environment and Water Affairs, said that the register would give the possibility for assessment of the cumulative effect of these investment intentions, which are also the most pressing worries of the environmentalists.

Independently of this, the citizens said the civil protests would proceed until the illegal construction in Rila has been stopped. On October 3, the environmentalists protested in front of Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Sofia together with the striking teachers under the motto “Educated Children for a Clean Environment”. On October 4, the environmentalists organised an art installation and screening in front of the Cabinet building on Nezavisimost Square. There they showed the excavators digging at Rila Mountain.

On the weekend of October 6, the environmentalists will call out to all people who want to take part in a march for saving Rila, which will take place in the region of the project Panichishte-Ezerata-Kabul, around the same dates.

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