Policy
 

 
This section includes
   
Black Sea
Bulgaria
Georgia
Romania
Russia
Turkey
Ukraine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) in Europe
 
Coastal Management in Bulgaria
 

This page provides a preliminary summary on the following items for Bulgaria:

  • Spatial planning
  • Environment
  • Nature Conservation
  • Sectoral Development
  • Framework for Development of ICZM
  • National Achievements in the Field of ICZM
  • Problems and Constraints for the Development of ICZM

 
 

1. Spatial planning
 

1.1 Legislation and Regulations

  • Law for Urban and Land-use Planning (for urban and territorial arrangement), (1973).
  • Law for the Administrative and Territorial Division, (1995).
  • Regulation no. 2 for the norms and rules for the land-use planning of the Black Sea, (1994).
  • Regulation no. 5 for construction norms and rules, (1995). [2]
1.2 Administrative Competencies

The central administrative power for spatial planning is the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction. This Ministry is responsible for the urban and land-use planning and the development and construction of the coast.
Two ICZM Offices, part of the Ministry, are responsible for the ICZM implementation using the legislative and technical planning tools.

1.3 Coastal Policy

At local level: Land-use plans of the Bulgarian coastal municipalities. These plans are for the management and development of the territory of the municipality. [3]
 
 

2. Environment
 

2.1 Legislation and Regulations

  • Water Law, (1961), (a new Water Law is on the way).
  • Law for Protection of the Air, Waters and Soil, (1963).
  • Law for the Environment, (1991).
  • Law for the Purity of the Atmospheric Air, (1996).
  • Law for the Solid Wastes Treatments, (1997).
  • Law for the Bulgarian Maritime Territory, (1987).
  • Regulation no. 8 for the parameters and norms for the quality of the coastal sea waters, (1987).
  • Regulation no. 2 for the sanitary safeguarding zones around the water sources and facilities for potable water supply for the population, (1989). [4]
2.2 Administrative Competencies

The main central administrative power for environmental policy is the Ministry of the Environment (and Water). This Ministry is responsible for the environmental management of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. [5] The ministries of Health and Transport also play a small role.

2.3 Environmental Policy

No information received.
 
 

3. Nature Conservation
 

3.1 Legislation and Regulations

  • Law for Plants Protection, (1960).
  • Law for the Protection of the Air, Waters and the Soil, (1963).
  • Law for the Protection of the Nature, (1967).
  • Regulation no. 4 for the buffer zones around the reserves, (1988).
  • Law for the Environment, (1991). [6]
  • Nature Protection Act, (amended and supplemented in 1998).
  • The Protected Areas Act, (1998).
  • Forestry Act, (1998). [7]
National policies:
  • The coastal zone because of its values, resources and importance has priority in National Development Policies and Strategies especially those concerning the protection and preservation of the environment.
  • The resources of the National coastal zone have to be preserved, protected, developed and where possible restored and enhanced for this and succeeding generations.
3.2 Administrative Competencies

Also in the field of nature protection, the Ministry of the Environment is the main central administrative power. [8]

3.3 System of Protected Areas

The new "Protected Areas Act" determines the following categories of protected areas in Bulgaria: Reserves, National Parks, Natural Monument, Maintained Reserve, Natural Park and Protected Localities. All the groups are legally defined in some of the environmental laws and regulations as subject to special protection. In addition there are legal provisions for the protection of valuable forests and for the protection of monuments of culture, including historic, archaeological and aesthetic heritage and in the case of the town of Nessebar, it is internationally declared by UNESCO as a moment of culture.
 
 

4. Sectoral Development
 

4.1 Coastal Defence

A programme for the protection of the high Danube banks along the entire Bulgarian stretch was prepared in 1996 and 1997. The surveys which were done identified seven active erosion zones 48 500 km in length. A National Programme for the Reinforcement of Landslides along the Black Sea Coast 1999-2003 and a National Programme against Erosion and for Reinforcement of the Danube River Banks were adopted in 1998. [9]

4.2 Recreation and Tourism

Ordinance no. 35 for the development of the tourism as priority sector of the national economy, 1990.
No more information received.

4.3 Fisheries and Aquaculture

Law for fishery, 1982.
Fisheries are not an important sector because of a relatively small catch of fish due to a number of reasons but mainly environmental pollution.
No more information received.

4.4 Transport

  • Law for the Bulgarian Marine Territory, 1987.
  • Law for the road traffic, 1969.
  • Commercial Navigation Code, 1970.
No more information received.

4.5 Harbours and Shipping

No information received.

4.6 Industry

No information received.

4.7 Agriculture

  • Law for the property and use of the agricultural lands, 1991.
  • Law for the protection of the agricultural lands, 1995.
  • Law for the promotion of agricultural products, 1996
  • Law for the renting of agricultural lands, 1996.
Agricultural lands represent the main part of the coastal zone and this sector is very important for the economy.
 
 

5. Framework for Development of ICZM
 

A number of documents that relate to the implementation of ICZM, have been signed by Bulgaria and were adopted at international and regional level. The leading documents in the process of the definition and implementation of ICZM related activities are the Rio de Janeiro Declaration on Environment and Development with its ‘Agenda 21’(1992), The Bucharest Convention (1992) and the Odessa Ministerial Declaration (1993). The basic decision to introduce the ICZM process in the Black Sea coastal zones has been adopted by the Odessa Declaration. This decision has been further elaborated in the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan, (1996), and the comprehensive Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA). These two plans are the basis for further development of actions in the field of ICZM, as well national as international. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, MARPOL, the ECE Convention, the Danube Convention and the Ramsar Convention have all been signed and ratified as well.
 
 

6. National Achievements in the Field of ICZM
 

  • A public ICZM information campaign was organised and carried out including public hearings, seminars, and discussions with different levels of government and with all the stakeholders at the coast.
  • The first legal steps towards the development of an ICZM programme were the approval of the Regulation no.3/1995 for the management of the Black Sea Coast and the Regulation no.2/1995 for Land-use Norms and Rules for the Black Sea Coast. The boundaries of the coastal zone were also established by these regulations.
  • The establishment of an ICZM Network in the country on the national, regional and local level and horizontally among all the stakeholders in the coastal zone.
  • The establishment of a prototype of an Auxiliary Commission with representatives of state agencies, regional governors’ administration, municipalities, NGO’s, scientific and professional communities.
  • Three pilot projects were prepared and one remained for the local ICZM plan of the area of Asparouhovo-Galata.
  • A national ICZM Report was prepared in 1995; the report was presented to the coastal and national authorities and approved by the Ministry of the Environment.
  • The development of a GIS and database was initiated, but the database has to be extended to include all the necessary information for the decision-making process on the municipal level. The new land-use plans of all the coastal municipalities have also been included in the GIS database. [10]
  • The Black Sea Coastal Law is prepared and planned in the legislative program of the government for the spring of 2000. This Law introduces some of the principles of ICZM but mainly covers the problems of coastal planning.
  • The ICZM implementation plan was prepared based on the document ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies’, and it was included in the Bulgarian National Strategic Action Plan prepared under BSEP. [11]
  • A National Waste Management Programme was approved by the Council of Ministers in March 1999. The National Programme comprises an Action Plan and an Investment Programme for the period up to year 2002. It sets out specific institutional and investment measures that are to be initiated in the next four years. [12]

7. Problems and Constraints for the Development of ICZM
 

  • The results of the existing legal and administrative system of coastal management are negative because of the lack of co-ordination and ongoing negative behaviour towards the environment.
  • An insufficient and ineffective definition of the responsibilities of the state agencies and other subjects of authority for different sectors and activities at the coasts, i.e. coastal beach strip, beaches and dunes, coastal lakes, fisheries and some tourism establishments.
  • A need for improvement of the implementation and enforcement of the existing and well defined environmental legislation for the area.
  • A strong need for new laws or amendments of existing laws, including a need of strengthening of local governments.
  • Insufficient real instruments for public participation in the decision-making process for development projects of the coast.
  • A need for an adequate planning and development of the environmental and technical infrastructure in the region.
  • A need for a structural economical reform in all sectors.
  • A need for new tools and procedures for the co-ordination of conflicting sectoral interests and the conflicting interests of all the parties involved in the coastal development and preservation.
  • Increased pollution or damage of natural resources.

 

References
 

2 GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies: Bulgaria’, 1997.
3 ‘Report of the meeting of ICZM  co-ordinators’, Gelendzhik, Russia, 1999.
4 GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies: Bulgaria’, 1997.
5 ‘Report of the meeting of ICZM  co-ordinators’, Gelendzhik, Russia, 1999.
6 GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies: Bulgaria’, 1997.
7 http://www.moew.govrn.bg/indexengl.htm 
8 GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies: Bulgaria’, 1997.
9 http://www.moew.govrn.bg/indexengl.htm
10 GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies: Bulgaria’, 1997.
11 ‘Report of the meeting of ICZM  co-ordinators’, Gelendzhik, Russia, 1999
12 http://www.moew.govrn.bg/indexengl.htm.
13 GEF BSEP: ‘National ICZM Policies and Strategies: Bulgaria’, 1997.

 
 
 

 


 

Prepared by Martijn Onderstal at EUCC International Secretariat

© EUCC, 2000