The Greens Disclaim the Big Lie for 48%?

The newspaper, Trud, writes that the group of environmental, non-governmental organizations obviously disclaim their idea that 48% of the Pirin National Park will be built up with lifts, ski slopes and hotels. The newspaper stated that, in a letter sent to the Ministers of Environment, of the member states of the European Union, the organizations allege that the decision of the Council of Ministers, dated 28 December 2017, “allows the construction of new ski slopes and facilities in the tourism area, which is 2.2%”. They would like it to be noted that the Council of Ministers adopted a decision dated 28.12.2017, making the construction of sports and technical infrastructure possible, within the tourism area in the Pirin National Park, with an area totalling ​​about 2% of the territory of the protected area. 

A number of green NGOs and non-parliamentary parties protested and requested the resignations of the Minister of Environment, Dimov, the Deputy Prime Minister, Simeonov and even of the entire government, because, according to them, 48% of the Pirin Mountain would be built up with hotels and lifts, and the decision of the Council of Ministers is in violation of the European and Bulgarian legislation. 

These statements have been subsequently and repeatedly rebutted, with Karmenu Vella, the European Commissioner for the Environment, saying twice, that the European Commission has not found any breaches of the European legislation. Former Ministers of Environmental Protection and a number of experts declared that the text of the decision is clear - sports and technical infrastructure will be built up only within the existing ski area. 

The logic behind disclaiming ‘the big lie’, concerning building up 48% of the Pirin Mountain with hotels and lifts, is probably related to the impossibility of deceiving the European Commission and the fact that the allegation is absurd! The area of ​​half of the Pirin Park exceeds that of the Pyramids of Giza and the metropolis of Thessaloniki and is several times larger than the territory of Manhattan!