Bulgarian Parliament Adopts Forestry Act Amendments
The Bulgarian parliament adopted on first reading on Thursday amendments to the country's Forestry Act, dropping in the process a controversial provision that would have allowed the construction of ski runs and related tourist facilities without changing the designated use of the woodland.
The controversial loophole had sparked a series of protests among environmentalists and prompted the president to veto the previous draft of the bill.
The MPs backed keeping intact the existing procedure which requires developers to first repurpose the woodland where they plan to build skiing facilities before going ahead with their plans and to also pay compensation, state-run Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported on Thursday.
The latest amendments could solve the problem of replacing outdated skiing facilities, mainly built before 1987.