Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov has referred Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova to the Bulgarian prosecution over various buildings at seaside resorts that he claims were illegally approved by her ministry, daily Dnevnik reported on July 3.

The conflict between the two government members is not new and has significantly escalated in the past weeks. Simeonov has accused Angelkova (of the ruling GERB party) of protecting bars and restaurants built on the south beach of the popular Sunny Beach resort that he says are illegal. 

According to Simeonov, Angelkova has approved facilities that are illegal, and he also claims the whole tourism ministry was involved in the procedure.

In June, the deputy prime minister threatened to resign if Angelkova "continues sabotaging him". The threat came amid a separate spat between the two cabinet members who had proposed two different versions of legislation defining the noise at sea resorts.

According to Simeonov’s proposal, any noise will be forbidden in Bulgaria between 11pm and 8am, as well as between 2pm and 4pm, including deliveries of supplies to tourist facilities. The proposal was approved by the parliament’s economy committee on June 13, but has yet to be voted on by MPs.

A day earlier, Angelkova proposed other legislation changes, exempting tourist resorts from the law on the allowed level of noise. Under the tourism ministry’s proposal, noise at resorts must be defined by separate legislation and the allowed levels should be determined by local authorities. Angelkova’s proposal will be voted on by the parliament in October.