The Monitoring Committee of "Struma" motorway aims to provide full transparency of the project

The Public Monitoring Committee of “Struma” motorway will focus on the ecological aspects of the preparation, planning and implementation of the autobahn. In addition, it will provide full transparency on the site’s realization in compliance with the ecological requirements. Those were the words of the Minister of regional Development and Public Works (MRDPW) Rosen Plevneliev. He specified that the Committeeis to be in session once a month and report on the development of the motorway’s project. The Commettee includes members of MRDPW, the ministry of Transport, Finance and Environment and Waters, the Road Infrastructure Agency, which is a representative of the Central Coordination Unit to the Council of Ministers and eco-organizations.

The realization of Struma motorway is a number one priority. It is one of the most complicated and major infrastructure projects in the environmental field, said Nikolina Nikolova, who is a member of the Managing Authority to the Road Infrastructure Agency. There is a tunnel of 13, 3 km included in the project passing through “Iskarskoto defile”, which is a completely protected zone under NATURA 2000, she added. The completion of such tunnel works is extremely complicated.  We will count on the support of the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Environment and Waters and the Coordination unit to the Council of Ministers, especially with the matters, related to the eco-organizations. Thus we aim to protect the flora and the fauna in the region.

Minister Plveneliev pointed that the Monitoring Committee of Struma motorway is very important, because it is the foundation of the forthcoming building of the motorways “Cherno more” and “Hemus”, which are also extremely complicated from an ecological point of view.” The model that we are launching now aims at helping to make the right choice of the routes of the two motorways that are about to follow, added Minister Plevneliev. According to his words from an ecological point of view or a lack of transparency, there a real chance for every project to be stopped or deprived from funding by the EU Commission.

Answering to a journalist’s question Minister Plevneliev pointed that the construction of the infrastructure works is estimated to less than 1, 1 billion euro. He explained that the unit for consultant help “Jaspers” has made a cost analysis, which shows that even a most expensive version for the construction of Struma motorway is not going to cost more than the sum mentioned above. “The EC does not provide financing of projects, which have no economic logic. The European money is not aimed at usage at any cost. The question is whether the EC will agree at all ecologic aspects. Otherwise, we are ready. Regarding the construction of the 13, 3 km tunnel we have to be able to address and show our solution for the preservation of the environment, added the Minister. “The application form of Lot3 shall not be approved if we do not show that we are capable to build  the tunnel while preserving the environment. We will do our best to do that”. We also expect application form for Lot 1, Lot 2 and Lot 4 will reach the managing authority by the end of this month, and regarding Lot 3 by the end of the year”, added the Minister.