The For Nature in Bulgaria Coalition and the Ti Reshavash (You Decide) civic association, along with the Green Movement, are organizing a protest today to demand the withdrawal of draft laws on environmental protection and spatial planning.
The eco-activists argue that the amendments proposed by GERB and MRF undermine environmental impact assessment procedures and block key mechanisms for protecting nature and citizens' health.
According to the environmentalists, the controversial texts restrict the ability of environmental organizations to appeal against approval procedures for sites of national importance. These sites include the construction of the 7th and 8th reactors of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, motorways, tunnels, bridges, railways, and other projects related to national security. Lawyer Dimitar Pavlov, chairman of You Decide, stated to BNR that the amendments also shorten the deadlines for the authorities to decide on these projects.
Protests will be held in Sofia, Plovdiv, and the village of Varvara in Pazardzhik.