Today's decision enables the construction of the Eastern route to begin as soon as possible, thus allowing traffic to be diverted from the Kresna Gorge

The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention, at its 44th meeting today, maintained the file for the Struma Motorway through the Kresna Gorge as a possible file for the ninth consecutive year.

At the meeting of the Standing Committee, the Bulgarian delegation presented the progress on the implementation of the unbuilt section of the Struma Motorway in the Kresna Gorge area and expressed its position that it is extremely important to seek balance between the protection of wild flora and fauna and the guarantee of life, health and well-being for people.

The representatives of the nongovernmental organizations stated that moving traffic out of the gorge is key, but pointed out that the construction of the Eastern route of the highway, intended to take traffic from Kulata to Sofia, can be seen as an important step in reducing negative impacts on species and habitats and as a prerequisite for implementing appropriate measures to protect biodiversity.

The members of the Standing Committee welcomed the progress made by the Bulgarian authorities in implementing the project and the agreement reached in February with the European Commission (EC) on next steps necessary to complete it.

Both the EC and now the Bern Convention recognise that any future steps must, on the one hand, take into account the stability of administrative acts while ensuring that all measures are taken to protect the habitats and species concerned. This position has been upheld by Bulgarian authorities for years and with today’s decision, the construction of the Eastern route can start as soon as possible, which will allow the removal of traffic from the gorge and reduce pressure on wildlife.

At the same time, in order to ensure the participation of stakeholders in the process, the Standing Committee recommends that the dialogue with them be intensified and that they be included in the next stages of project development. This will ensure that considerations for the protection of habitats and species will be taken into account. In particular, at the request of the complainant, the Standing Committee recommends that, in parallel to the implementation of the Eastern route (from Kulata to Sofia), studies be carried out to establish the conditions under which the second route – in direction from Sofia to Kulata, can be implemented in parallel to the first with minimal impact on the habitats and species subject to protection in the protected areas. A team with the necessary environmental expertise should be involved in carrying out this study, whereby it can assist the preparation of optimal technical solutions.

As a result of applying this approach, the incomplete section of the Struma motorway should be implemented with two new routes, and the road passing through the gorge should remain as a duplicate.