Chief of the Protected Areas department in Ministry of Environment and Water Affairs (MOEW) Mihail Mihailov said on August 12 that projects planned to be carried out in Natura 2000 environmental network zones will have to pass three assessment stages.

During the first check it will be tested whether the proposed project is admissible according to the norms, which means whether there are any restrictions on certain activities in the region. Some parts of Natura 2000 zones tally with protected areas within the Bulgarian legislation. Mihailov said if there is construction ban, the project will not be approved.

In case there is no ban, the regional environmental inspectorate or the MOEW will conduct a “screening” in accordance with European Union (EU) methodology. Its purpose is to investigate whether the project is likely to have a considerable negative impact on the protected habitats and species in these zones. After that the experts can request additional information from the investors. If there is perceived to be no threat to the protected habitats and species, the project will be approved but additional conditions may be placed on it.

Further Mihailov said that if the environmental inspectorate or MOEW concludes that there is a risk of seriously harming the environment or there is a hesitation about that, there should be the third stage and a more detailed assessment made.

When a large construction project is being proposed, a highway, factory or holiday village for example, there is a greater risk of significant influence and a detailed assessment will be compulsory. Mihailov said that in such cases the institutions may allow the investors to hire experts and give them the requirements about what has to be assessed and what kind of report needs be prepared.

However, here appears another risk: if the investor hires the experts and pays them to do the job, it is possible that the experts may not give an fair and independent assessment and instead would provide the investor (and respectively the institutions) with information that would favour the project.

Mihailov further specified that for the forest habitats forest experts will be hired, for fields and pastures – botanical, for birds – ornithologists, etc. They should estimate which species would be affected by the project and to what extend they would be affected.

If up to one per cent of the protected species would be destroyed in an area, the project could be permitted but if there are further stages to the project or another project with a similar effect, the project could be turned down because the cumulative effect of all projects and the infrastructure they need – water supply, electricity, roads is taken into account.

Mihailov specified that there are cases where projects that would destroy more than the one per cent maximum could get approval, for example a highway, but all alternatives would need to be considered. In such cases the optimal solution would be chosen.

The other possibility is when the project has an overall positive environmental impact, for instance an air or water purification station.

In such cases the European Commission will be informed and compensation measures would be undertaken to replace the area that would be destroyed. This could include creating a new zone with protected habitats and species, expanding the existing zone or restoring habitats. In the worst cases, the final decision will be taken in Brussels, Bulgarian language Dnevnik reported on August 13.