CEEWeb a Biológiai Sokféleségért 1021 Budapest, Széher út 40. Telefon: +36 1 398 0135 Fax: +36 1 398 0136 [email protected] www.ceeweb.org

Name/ Code of the site : SPA BG0002051 and SCI Complex Kaliakra BG0000573

Short description of the case : Majority of the territory of these IBA, SPA and SCI was transformed in wind mills and urban areas. This will destroy the wintering places of the Red breasted goose and the bottleneck site of birds migration along Via Pontica. About 33% of the IBA Kaliakra were not included in the SPA Kaliakra in order not to destroy plans for future wind mills.

Long description of the case : The two Natura 2000 sites are situated on the coast in the region of cape Kaliakra and the adjacent Black sea shores. The site is a bottleneck site of bird migration along Via Pontica. Every year more than 100 000 White Storks, 3000 Pelicans and about 10 000 raptors cross the site. Twenty percent of these birds cross the region flying under 150 metres above the ground and they are endangered by the windmills. The steppes and the agricultural lands in the sites are favorable place for rest and feeding of White Storks and Red breasted goose. The majority of the Bulgarian PontoSarmatic steppes are included in the Natura 2000 site Complex Kaliakra. The PontoSarmatic steppes are priority habitat for EU.

There are plans for hundreds of windmills, new resorts and golf courses which will destroy more than 50% of the surface of the Natura 2000 sites. Majority of these plans were approved by RIEW Varna without any appropriate assessments.

Actors, stakeholders : Main actors/stakeholders: What is their role in the case? State institutions: Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Waters – Varna, Ministry of Environment and Waters Authorities: NGOs: Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds Local governments: Municipality of Businesses: Wind mill and solar power companies, Apartment hotels, Golf companies Owners:

Main sectors involved? (underline) Agriculture Forestry Fishing, hunting Mining and extraction Urbanisation, industrialisation and similar activities Transportation and communication Leisure and tourism Pollution and other human impacts/activities Water management Natural processes

CEEWeb a Biológiai Sokféleségért 1021 Budapest, Széher út 40. Telefon: +36 1 398 0135 Fax: +36 1 398 0136 [email protected] www.ceeweb.org

What action has been taken? (legal and other actions) By whom? Bern Convention recommended to the Bulgarian State to reconsider the building of windmills in this region (Recommendation № 130 (2007). European Commission has opened two infringement procedures against . In 5 June 2008, the first warning letter was sent to Bulgaria concerning insufficient designation of SPAs (Kaliakra is one of these sites). In 27 November 2008 the EC sent Bulgaria the first warning letter concerning inadequate protection of Kaliakra IBA. Following the pressure from the EC and the Bern Convention, the Ministry of Environment and Waters banned the building of the new wind mills, solar stations and change of the land use in 29.08.2009. However, majority of the land has been already transformed with “illegal” permissions.

What actions (legal and non-legal) are planned/expected? We are waiting for the decision of the Ministry of Environment about the designation of the whole IBA as SPA or for adequate compensation measures.

What could bring a potential solution? What assistance/support would be needed to solve the conflict? (on-going cases) The Ministry of Environment and Waters has to designate the whole IBA as SPA or to take adequate compensation measures. The Ministry of Environment and Waters has to find a way to withdraw the permits of the building of windmills of all firms without any appropriate assessment.

What was the key to the solution? (solved cases) There was very slow development of this case thanks to the pressure from European Commission.

Person providing the information: (name, organisation) Stefan Avramov Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation

Links, further information: http://bspb.org/show2.php?id=1008&menu_id=96 (in Bulgarian) http://bspb.org/show/90133 http://www.bspb.org/ovm.php?id=51&menu_id=65 http://forthenature.org/cases/34

Photos, videos (upload) :

Documents, e.g. complaint letters (upload):

Date: 30.11.2010