APPEAL

TO: Environment Directorate-General European Commission
TO: European Investment Bank
TO: European delegation to Bulgaria
TO: The President of Bulgaria
TO: The President of the National Assembly
TO: The Prime Minister of Bulgaria
TO: The Minister of Environment and Water
TO: The Governor of Stara Zagora District
TO: The Governor of Sliven District
TO: The Mayor of Radnevo

Dear Sirs,

We, the initiative committees of the villages of Kovachevo, Novoselec, Pet Mogili, Mlekarevo, Radetzki and Polski Gradec, affected by the project to construct the National Hazardous Waste Centre, appeal to you with the hope that on this occasion our protests, concerns and arguments will be heard.

We have been repeatedly expressing the arguments of the inhabitants of our villages against the proposed project in front of all Bulgarian institutions. We have collected 2750 (two thousand seven hundred and fifty) signatures against the project.

We have the complete support of the regional trade-unions' structures of CITUB (Confederation of independent trade unions) and the Confederation of labour "Podkrepa" which has been stated in many declarations and in every protest we have organised. These organisations protect the right to safer working conditions for more than 15 000 (fifteen thousand) workers in the Maritza East complex.

On January 15, 2004 a Resolution of the Radnevo town Municipal Council was adopted which expresses outright disagreement with the construction of the National Hazardous Waste Centre on the territory of the Ranevo municipality.

In spite of everything that has been said against this project, some parties interested in this project continue to push for its construction. One presents what are not project supporting arguments which have been rejected by numerous significant persons in the area of environmental protection from Bulgaria and the rest of the world in an appeal signed by Bulgarian and international NGOs and submitted to the ISPA program in 2001. The appeal drew attention to violations of the project development and also to the fact that inhabitants and workers in the region were not asked for their approval of the project at any stage of the project.

We, as representatives of the inhabitants, are expressing their protests against the construction of this Centre because:

• We live in the region contaminated by the Maritsa East power complex. The Maritsa East 1,2,3 thermal power plants are sources of emissions which are significantly detrimental to public health. The construction of de-sulphurisation installations has just started. Open coal mines are planned as disposal sites for the solid waste generated from the technological processes of the power plants.
• These factors are sufficient to adversely affect our environment. We cannot therefore approve the construction of another polluter - the National Hazardous Waste Centre. We also wish to live in a cleaner environment. We want our children to live in better conditions, to breathe cleaner air, to grow and consume uncontaminated produce. We will not allow the construction of something that will increase the mortality rate in the region, already one of the highest in the country.

We address you, therefore, with the sincere hope that we will be heard and understood. We, the citizens and workers from the region, do not want to reach the situation where more radical forms of protest against the proposed project will have to be used.

We hope that our request will be heard and that all plans for this potentially harmful plant will be terminated once and for all.

Respectfully yours,

United Initiative Committee of the affected villages

President
dr Valev

27.07.2004
Radnevo municipality, Kovachevo village