From 30th April until now more than 14 000 decares of forests, property of the state, located mostly at the seaside of the Black Sea and surrounding mountain resorts in Rhodopa, Rila and Pirin mountains, were exchanged for lands spread in various parts of the country. Although the state received through the exchange deals 50 000 decares of forests that were private property, due to variances in the prices of the exchanged lands, the state suffered losses for over 2 billions BGN. In addition once the exchange deal concluded, the state forest lands soon stop being forest lands; they “enter into regulation” and the trees are cut down so that the lands are used for construction of private resort complexes and apartment hotels...

This is one of the scandals of the year and under the pressure of the society, the governing majority submitted two bills for annulment of the exchange deals.

Unfortunately these two bills:

1. Do not propose any limitation on the possibility to change the character of the exchanged forests and agriculture lands and all forests exchanged until now and in the future are still subject to cutting down and the forest lands – developed with buildings.
2. Plan all initiated exchange deals to be completed until 28.02.2009 – this in practice means that the prohibition for exchange deals will enter in effect for the next government. The current government will be at liberty to continue with the exchange deals at full speed for another three months.
3. There is a number of exceptions provided allowing for exchange deals – for instance for the needs of the municipalities. The bills also plan to allow for forests which are public state property, to be subject to sale, which is in contradiction with the Law on the state property.
4. Plan to not change the purpose of the lands used for ski facilities. This way their owners will be exempt of taxes in the amount of hundreds of millions of BGN. The cutting down of forests for ski facilities will be covered up, since the lands with tow- lifts and cable-cars will officially be called forestJ



In practice the exchange deals will continue, combined with sale-out of forests (including public state property) and exemption of taxes for the ski complexes.

We ask for all those who care for the future of the Bulgarian forests and lands, to support our petitions for full interdiction of the exchange deals and to not allow the sale-out of the Bulgarian forests!

Do something!

Go

To the attention of:

The President of Republic of Bulgaria

The Premier Minister of Republic of Bulgaria

The Chairman of the National Assembly

The Chairman of the State Forestry Agency

The Commission for agriculture and forests at the National Assembly

The member of Bulgarian Parliament

European commission: General Directorate Competition

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

I am seriously concerned that the proposed bills for interdiction of the exchange deal* will not resolve at all the problems with the protection of the Bulgarian Forest. The exchange deals will be stopped but not before the end of the mandate of the current government, while all already initiated deals are planned to be completed, and they amount to more than 300 at the current moment.

Even more, in order to continue the process of transferring state lands into private ownership, a legal procedure is planned to allow the sale the remaining state forests, including the forests which are public state property.

The proposed bills do not present solutions, but create problems!

Because of this I resolutely insist for the following:

1. The parliament must immediately decree a moratorium on all exchange deals with state or municipal forests and lands.
2. The exchange of state and municipal lands, forests and other property must be eliminated without exception in the Act on the forests, the Act on the ownership and use of agriculture lands, Law on the state property and the Law on the municipal property.
3. The proposed in the Act on the forests option for sale of state forests which are private state property to be rejected.
4. The proposed option for sale of state and municipal forests and lands, which are public state property to be rejected.
5. The completed by 01.01.2007 exchange deals of forests and lands to be annulled and the change of the purpose of the exchanged lands and forest to be prohibited for a term of 20 years.
6. The proposition for the terrains for ski facilities to not be excluded from the forest fund to be rejected.



Sincerely:



* Bill on amendment and supplement to the Law on the ownership and the use of agriculture lands (submitted on 11.11.2008 on behalf of the Council of ministers, signature 802-01-87;

Bill on amendment and supplement of the Law on forests, submitted on 06.11.2008 on behalf of Vasil Kalinov /Parliamentary Group of Coalition for Bulgaria /, Boyko Velikov, /Parliamentary Group of Coalition for Bulgaria /, Angel Tyurkedzhiev /Parliamentary Group of NDSV/, signature 854-01-13