site.btaSupreme Court Reverses Order that Gave Protected Status to Black Sea Bay of Koral

The Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) has reversed an order by the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) that granted protected status to the Bay of Koral on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. That was first announced by the  Green Movement on Friday and was later confirmed by the Ministry.

The court has ordered the MoEW to pay the appellants BGN 8,000 in legal costs.

The Green Movement described the decision to scrap the protection of the Bay of Koral order as "a farce aiming to destroy protected natural areas in the name of private and corporate interests".

On June 7, 2022, Borislav Sandov, Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Change and Environment Minister at that time, declared Koral Bay a protected area. He explained that this is part of a strategy for the preservation of marine ecosystems. The proposal for the protection status came from a civic association, Let’s Preserve Coral. The ministerial order banned the entry of motorized and sailing craft in the bay, and the construction and placement of artificial underwater reefs.

On February 9, 2024, amendments to the Black Sea Coast Development Act passed on second reading. According to them, construction is not allowed within Zone A (a 500-metre-wide strip) from the eco-friendly tourism beaches of Irakli, Byala-Karadere and Koral.