site.btaPrime Minister Borissov Orders GERB to Propose Repealing Camping Ban

Prime Minister Borissov Orders GERB to Propose Repealing Camping Ban

Sofia, March 14 (BTA) - On orders of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, GERB MPs will submit to Parliament a proposal for repealing the ban on camping and parking in the 100-m wide strip along the Black Sea coast, Cabinet's press service reported on Monday.

Voting conclusively amendments to the Black Sea Spatial Development Act on March 1, Parliament banned camping and car parking in the 100-m wide coastal strip. This sparked protests among environmentalists and NGOs, who demand that camping along the coast be left as an option. Later, President Rosen Plevneliev referred the amendments to the Constitutional Court, arguing that although an overall policy is needed for the development of tourism and the conservation of the Black Sea coast including camping regulations, it is not camping that changes the coast but construction.

According to Cabinet's press centre, new amendments to the Black Sea Spatial Development Act will be submitted to Parliament on Wednesday. Thus, the initial bill for amending the Black Sea Spatial Development Act, which was approved by the Prime Minister and Cabinet on December 30, 2015, will be put to the vote in Parliament once again. 

"I ordered urgent actions to be taken by GERB's Parliamentary Group for repealing the controversial legislative texts, which ban the use of tents and camping. Already yesterday (Sunday), I stated that GERB is not the author of this idea," Borissov said, explaining that GERB MPs supported the amendments at the last moment out of loyalty for their coalition partners. He voiced his support for introducing rules and regulations, as well as having the term "camping" defined.

The Tourism Ministry has extended the deadline by two weeks of a bill for amending the Tourism Act, due to the increased public interest, the Ministry reported on Sunday. According to the proposed bill, camping will be restricted anywhere outside designated camping grounds.