Bulgarians protest ‘mafia’ Forest Act

Bulgaria's capital has been blocked by spontaneous protests against the country's new Forest Act, which  environmentalists say will lead to the plundering of the country’s woodland resources. Dnevnik, EURACTIV’s partner publication in Bulgaria, reports.

The protests in Sofia have been led mainly by young people who denounced the “mafia’ as being behind the law, which was adopted on Wednesday by the Bulgarian Parliament.

The Forest Act is seen by environmentalists as a “licence to kill” the Bulgarian forests, which in spite of poaching and abuse, still remain an important natural asset for the country and the continent. State forests and protected areas, the last significant public resource that has not yet passed into private hands in Bulgaria, occupy about 20% of the country’s territory.

The new law enables the construction of ski slopes and lifts in previously protected areas, removing the obligation that the status of the land be changed for this purpose. Furthermore, it would allow the acquisition of building rights on public land without tender and for an indefinite period.

The law also allows riparian woodland to be no longer be classified as forests, allowing the timber business to cut them down without state approval.

The protestors, who apparently gathered on short notice thanks to Facebook messages, shouted “mafia” and “The forest is life”. Some were wearing banners reading “Sorry for the trouble, but we try to save the little that is left from Bulgaria”.

The police, some on motorcycles or on horseback, made several attempts to disperse the crowd. Twelve protesters were arrested.

'Forest Act' to benefit skiers and snowboarders

Responding to accusations that the Forest Act was a “lobbyist act” in the interest of the timber and tourism industries, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that it was indeed “lobbyist” legislation, but "to the benefit of skiers and snowboarders".

"There is no risk in this Act and no reason for alarm. It will bring more tourists to Bulgaria who will choose it as a destination instead of Germany or Austria. It will also create more jobs and better wages in winter resorts and it will attract foreign and local investors," he said.

The law was passed with only 78 votes in the 250-seat parliament, 75 of them from the ruling Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, plus three votes from independent MPs. Only 109 MPs were present during the vote.

The opposition could have blocked the law, but didn’t make an attempt. The opposition parties, which include the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the centre-right “Blue Coalition”, together have 99 MPs.

But this did not prevent opposition leaders from hijacking the protests for their own political needs. BSP and the Blue Coalition held separate press conferences and called on the country’s President Rosen Plevneliev to veto the law. Both parties accused the prime minister of having passed the law to serve “oligarchs close to him” but did not name them.

The environmental group WWF issued a strongly-worded statement, urging the Bulgarian authorities to stop the Forest Act.

Among other things, the organisation announced they were sending a signal to the European Commission, as they see the opening of the Bulgarian forests to the business as unauthorised state aid.