BULGARIA SKI DEVELOPMENT LAW SPARKS PROTEST

Bulgaria's parliament approved measures that will make it easier to build ski runs and ski lifts on state land, in an attempt to boost the ailing economy, but the decision sparked protests by environmental activists.

The amendments to the country's forest law, passed on Wednesday, will allow developers to build ski runs and lifts in the state-owned forests and protected areas that cover much of the mountains without having to buy or rent the land, or change its official use, Reuters informs.

Previously developers had to pay rent and fees and also acquire numerous permits from different agencies before they could build, a process that could take years.

Prime minister Boiko Borisov said the government was trying to improve skiing in Bulgaria to attract more tourists.

But the law change has raised concerns over damage to Bulgaria's wilderness, which shelters animals such as bears and wolves, rare or non-existent in more developed parts of the continent.

More than 1,000 activists protested against the law in the capital Sofia on Wednesday, blocking traffic at a major intersection for more than an hour, and 14 people were arrested.

"The controversial amendments...will lead to the plundering of the country's last significant natural resource," environmental group WWF said in a statement.

Activists called on President Rosen Plevneliev to veto the law to safeguard the forests and said they planned to continue protesting until the law was scrapped.

Forests Act is really lobbying, but in the benefit of skiers and snowboarders - those who love winter sports and want to go in for sports at normal conditions, Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borisov told journalists in Plovdiv, FOCUS News Agency informs.

According to Borisov more lobbyists are those interests which currently militate against this Act. The Prime Minister gave an example that in Austria 12,000 km of tracks have been made in forests. The law, which was adopted in our country, in clear text says that 30 years can make ski tracks without changing their purpose.

More than 1,500 people protested against the law in a public park close to the Eagle's Bridge in downtown Sofia on Thursday. Some of the protestors are waving flags and carrying banners which read "For clear Bulgaria without Boyko Borisov."