Sofia Airport - is it Really a Priority for Bulgaria?

The "Reconstruction, Extension and Development of Sofia Airport" is one of the main Quick-Start infrastructure projects being implemented in Bulgaria within the framework of the Stability Pact. Situated within the city of Sofia, the airport is very close to human settlements and has serious impacts on people living nearby. NGOs, the local population and independent experts have tried several times to raise their concerns regarding the project with the responsible national and international institutions. The local people received many promises, most of which unfortunately remain unfulfilled.

In its Resolution on Environmental Impact Assessments, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters required that the public be involved in project development and implementation. In accordance with this resolution, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Sofia Airport Administration, several local municipalities' mayors and the chairman of the "Initiative Committee for the Protection of Citizens from Sofia Airport Activities" signed a memorandum listing numerous specific responsibilities of the authorities, including constant information flow, meetings, and discussions. Since being signed in May 2002, only a few of these activities have been performed.

Bulgarian environmental nongovernmental organisations have been following the project's development since the very beginning. The NGOs have tried several times to become involved and officially participate in the project's development, but have never been accepted as interested parties. Despite constant calls from NGOs for more transparency and accountability on the part of the responsible authorities, access to information is still unsatisfactory.

We call upon the responsible national and international institutions to implement the principles of the UN ECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention). Bearing in mind the objectives of the Stability Pact, we must ensure that input from civil society is an integral part of the envisioned economic development, as is respect for human rights and the environment.

The existing Sofia airport is situated in the eastern part of Sofia. It consists of a passenger terminal and a runway. The project calls for the construction of a new runway parallel to the existing one. The total cost of the project is EUR 192 million. The project is funded by the European Investment Bank with an EUR 60 million loan, by the European Union's ISPA (Instrument for Structural Policies and Accession), pre-accession fund with a EUR 50 million grant, by the Kuwait Fund for Arabic Development with a EUR 42 million loan, and by the Bulgarian government.