Due to the over two-decade-long sabotage by green environmental NGOs of the completion of the Struma Motorway through the Kresna Gorge, 76 people have died and over 400 have been injured in the past 16 years alone. Despite this alarming statistic, the "Association of Parks in Bulgaria," founded by Tom Belev, along with the Swiss-Bulgarian "Biodiversity Foundation," have appealed the decision of the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) allowing the construction of the Struma Motorway along the Kresna-to-Sofia route.
The Green Movement has also filed a complaint with the Prosecutor's Office against the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA), accusing it of causing fatal accidents in the Kresna Gorge. Representatives of these NGOs were co-chairs of the "Green Movement" party, which was part of the PP-DB coalition. Due to the ongoing reports by environmentalists to Brussels, the Bern Convention, and legal complaints to the Supreme Administrative Court, the construction of the motorway has been delayed for 20 years. During this time, according to the Association of Traffic Accident Victims, 74 people have died in the Gorge, and over 400 have been injured.
In their complaint to the Supreme Administrative Court, the environmentalists challenge the reported number of fatalities and injuries, claiming that the figures are lower than stated in the MOEW order. However, between 2019 and 2022—a period marked by reduced travel due to COVID-19 restrictions—official data from the Ministry of Interior, cited by the MOEW, indicates 12 fatalities in 159 accidents in the Kresna Gorge.
To the environmentalists, this number of casualties seems insufficient to justify the need for a motorway. Furthermore, they argue that completing the Struma Motorway would disrupt the movement of large predators, such as wolves and bears, in the area, putting them at risk. However, there is no evidence of large predators being struck in the Gorge. During an April meeting of the Bern Convention in Sandanski, it was revealed that even the environmentalists themselves have no scientific data confirming the presence of large predators living in or crossing the area.
Another argument raised by the environmentalists against the motorway's completion through the Gorge is the potential increase in mortality rates among species such as leopard snakes, turtles, and other amphibians. These species are neither rare nor limited to the region, as they are widespread across Europe and the Balkan Peninsula.
Despite claims by the "Association of Parks in Bulgaria" and the "Biodiversity Foundation" that they are interested parties with the right to file complaints against the MOEW order, this is not accurate. According to the Administrative Procedure Code, for preliminary enforcement of an MOEW decision to be contested, the complainants must demonstrate a personal and direct interest and be directly affected by the act.
The green organizations are not directly affected and lack a direct interest, meaning their complaints should not be admitted for consideration. Perhaps it is time for the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria to step in to protect the lives and health of citizens from this ongoing eco-extortion.
