Following weeks of outrage on social media and media reports showing several new construction projects launched against the law on Bulgaria’s southern Black Sea coast, the National Construction Control Directorate, DNSK, launched an inspection upon the order of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and temporary halted all of them on January 25.

Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast has turned into an overbuilt and overcrowded cheap resort destination for foreign tourists and the authorities have been accused of destroying nature in many places.

The Black Sea constructions were allowed by local mayors who claimed everything was legal. Following urgent checks, the DNSK ordered the suspension of construction at sites in the Gradina campsite near Sozopol on Bulgaria’s southern Black Sea coast, as well as at the Arapiya area, and at Alepu, reportedly the site of a plan to build holiday villas.

All three cases were revealed by users who published photos on Facebook. In early January, users showed a bulldozed sand dune in the Smokiniya campsite on the southern coast. These photos let to an investigation and arrests as the dune, although on privately-owned land, cannot be demolished under Bulgaria’s environmental protection laws.

A week after this scandal, users published photos showing construction works launched at the other sites.

This is yet another scandal in Bulgaria related to the breach of environment protection regulations. It erupted as the supreme court forced the government to cancel controversial legislation changes allowing expansion of the biggest ski resort in the country, Bansko, which is located in the Unesco designated Pirin national park.

Many people in Bulgaria are sceptical about the recent measures, and suspect the halted projects will be allowed to go ahead once the European Parliament elections in May and municipal elections in the autumn are over over. 

News outlet Dnevnik reported that Environment Protection Minister Neno Dimov, whose resignation environmentalists are demanding because of Bansko, indicated that the Pirin resort might still be allowed to expand if Bulgaria’s lawmakers decide to amend the laws that forbade it.

The supreme court banned the enlargement of the resort earlier in January, saying the legislation changes, adopted by government at the end of 2017, broke several Bulgarian laws.