The complaints and cases related to the construction of the Struma Motorway through the Kresna Gorge have been withdrawn and terminated

11 Jun, 2025 | 12:36

The complaints and the relevant court proceedings, which challenged the legality of the construction of the last unfinished section of the Struma Motorway through the Kresna Gorge, have been withdrawn and terminated respectively. Considering both the importance of completing the remaining part of the motorway and the significance of the gorge for the protection of European wild flora, fauna and natural habitats with exceptional biodiversity, environmental organizations and the Bulgarian government reached an agreement regarding the implementation of the Struma Motorway outside the Kresna Gorge.

This result was reached after an active and fruitful dialogue and the signing of agreements between the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA), the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW), the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water – Blagoevgrad, and the complainants in the initiated cases - members of the Coalition "Let's Save the Kresna Gorge". The agreement was reached thanks to the joint efforts, constructive cooperation and commitment of the negotiating teams of the RIA, the Ministry of Environment and Water, and nongovernmental organizations. The agreement also stipulates the specific commitments for each party, thus achieving real progress in the implementation of the project for the construction of the section of the Struma Motorway in the gorge area. The goal is to permanently and completely remove transit traffic from the Kresna Gorge and to have the I-1 (E79) road through the gorge as a local road.

In the Kresna Gorge area, there are two areas of the protected European network NATURA 2000. The species and habitats protected in the area are vulnerable to the impact of infrastructure projects and the rapid completion of the Struma Motorway with the removal of transit traffic from the gorge plays an important role in their preservation.

The construction of the Struma Motorway in the section through the Kresna Gorge has been under the attention of the Council of Europe Convention on the Conservation of European Wild Flora and Fauna and their Natural Habitats (Bern Convention), whereby the Standing Committee of the Convention annually examines the case of the motorway. At the 44th meeting of the Standing Committee, with the support of the Secretariat of the Bern Convention, a convergence of the positions of the Bulgarian authorities and the complainants was achieved on cases related to the environmental aspects of the implementation of Lot 3.2 of the Struma Motorway. Within the framework of its powers, the Committee made a recommendation to the Bulgarian authorities to focus on finding technically feasible solutions for the construction of the Western lane of the Struma Motorway – in the section from Sofia to the Kulata border crossing point – along a route that passes outside the territory of the Kresna Gorge.

In implementation of the decision by the Standing Committee with Decision No. 62/12.02.2025 of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers, a roadmap for the completion of the Struma Motorway was adopted. In implementation of the same, documentation is being prepared for the announcement of a public procurement procedure under the Public Procurement Act for the selection of a contractor for a study to determine a route outside the Kresna Gorge, providing the Sofia - Kulata direction in the section between Simitli and Kresna. The procedure will include a condition that the proposed section must be in accordance with the environmental impact standards and not significantly damage the species and habitats subject to protection in the “Kresna” and “Kresna Ilindentsi” protected areas.

Currently, under the concluded engineering contracts, the Kresna town bypass is being implemented with priority, and its construction should begin by September 2025. In the bypass section, there is an approved and effective DDP-PP and expropriation procedures are underway. A technical project has been prepared and accepted by the Contracting Authority. The remaining sections are also being designed, and at the moment the update of the DDP-PP for the left lane of the Struma Motorway in the Kulata - Sofia direction has been fully completed. The technical project is in the process of preparation.