Environmentalists Lodge New Complaint In Brussels Over Natura 2000 14/03/2008
The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) announced it has alerted the European Commission about infringement on the Europe-wide network of protected sites Natura 2000, the organisation said in a statement on February 25 2008. The complaint claims that unique natural habitats in the north-eastern Kaliakra region have been destroyed in the process of building a wind farm. It has been backed by 12 other environmental and civil non-governmental organisations. The environmentalists believe that Kaliakra "is emblematic of how innovations and investment are used to mask criminal encroachment on bio-diversity". The complaint package includes documents, photos and maps showing the damage that the wind farm projects have done to nature. The past few weeks alone have seen the... more

Eu Entry Turns Bulgarias Resorts Into Hot Property Areas 12/03/2008
After Bulgaria’s EU accession the country became more than an attractive destination for holidaymakers. In addition it attracted an increasing number of foreigners keen on buying property, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reported. Holiday homes worth from 400 to 2000 euro per sq m were ‘very attractive’ for foreign purchasers, DPA said. Some apartments located near the beach or ski lifts reached prices unseen before Bulgaria’s EU accession on January 1 2007. The prices went up by nearly 30 per cent just in the year before the country’s EU entry. A number of foreigners had already purchased property in Bulgaria some years ago only to sell it and make profit, DPA said. Others bought houses with gardens planning to settle in the country. Entire English villages, where all the... more

Bulgarian Property Market May Recharge Growth Over Short Term 08/09/2008
Bulgaria's property market was treading water with holiday homes emerging as the riskiest segment, Bulgarian real estate investment fund (REIT) managers said on August 13.The ongoing fragmentation of the market will be short-lived and it should regain its brisk growth momentum within the next couple of years, according to Todor Stoyanov, second executive director at Prime Property BG, and Petar Syarov, the investor relations officer of the REIT.The holiday homes segment had been on the back foot, but demand has once again picked up over the last two months, Stoyanov said.Ski resort Bansko and sea resorts Zlatni Pyassutsi (Sunny Beach) and Sveti Vlas are the most risky property markets at the moment, the REIT's officials said. Despite the market slowdown, fears that it may cause prices... more