On December 6, the 44th Standing Committee of the Berne Convention in Strasbourg made a decision insisting that the Bulgarian authorities to build the “Struma" entirely outside the Kresnen gorge.
Petko Tsvetkov, chairman of the BALKANI Wildlife Association, said: “This decision is in the right direction. But in order to fulfill it, a clear political will and intensive work on the part of the Bulgarian government and the European Commission are needed."
The decision taken by the Committee was proposed jointly by the representatives of the government delegation and the non-governmental organizations - applicants. It includes:
Recognition of the need to build the eastern route of the highway outside the Kresnensky Gorge (Kulata-Sofia traffic direction) - as quickly as possible;
The requirement to urgently design and build by 2030. and the second western lane of the highway (Sofia - Kulata direction) outside the Kresnen gorge, and it should be rapidly designed to a technical project parallel and immediately adjacent to the eastern lane;
The option for the western lane to pass along the current road through the Kresnen Gorge and for this road to function only as a complementary local road to the highway should be finally dropped;
Urgently prepare a new EIA only for the alternative - the two lanes outside the Kresnen gorge;
To prepare a road map with deadlines for the implementation of all these decisions, to be completed by 2030. the highway in its entirety - the two lanes outside the Kresnenski prolom.
The Bulgarian government, with the support of the European Commission, should create political guarantees for the implementation of these decisions and issue the corresponding legally binding decisions.
Andrey Ralev, a representative of the "Bankwatch" network, said: "On the part of environmental protection organizations, we are ready to provide assistance so that the highway can be built in its entirety by 2030, but only on the condition that comply with the decisions of the Berne Convention, European and national legislation."
The decision left the case as a “potential file" under continuous monitoring in 2025 as well, with parties called upon to report as early as February 2025. In so far as the decision was proposed jointly by the Government and the applicants, it was adopted by full consensus by the Convention Committee.
The deadline is 2030. for the completion of the highway is a condition of the European regulation for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and if it is not complied with, Bulgaria risks losing and returning the previous funding from Europe for its construction.