Today, 6 March 2002, the local people from the Kresna and Simitli town, Bulgaria will discuss the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the Struma Motorway (part of Trans European Corridor N4). The EIA report, made with EU PFARE Cross Boarder Cooperation Program funds has substantial defects concerning the independence and professionalism. Thus it hardly could serve as objective assessment for the general public use.

The Struma motorway was initially planed to pass trough the Kresna gorge CORINE site of outstanding biodiversity that will be included in the EMERALD and NATURA 2000 networks. The Kresna gorge is 17 km long and very narrow, which makes it particularly vulnerable to any infrastructure development.

Thus the Bulgarian environmental NGO have demanded alternative route-beds design since the beginning of the project. The active involvement of the members of the European Parliament and Europena commission has brought about important changes in the development of the plans for the motorway. As a result the Commissioner Ms Margot Wallstrom in a letter from September 13, 2001 stated that "alternative solutions to the one that pass trough the Kresna gorge, whether as a new motorway or as an extension of the present road, have to be thoroughly and seriously studied". Thus the Italian company SPEA was paid additionally 394 000 euro for alternatives design.

Unfortunately the positive development was only a naive dream. Still the Italian company SPEA failed to develop comprehensively and into details the routes outside the CORINE site as well as the "zero alternative" that involves other modes of transport (railways). The study of two route-beds outside the Kresna CORINE consists from 2 pages description and several maps. Instead an comprehensive design of doubling of the existing road only in the Kresna gorge was made by SPEA. Latter solution itself endanger the Kresna CORINE site in substantial extent as it will lead to direct species and habitats liquidation, increased air-pollution and will create insurmountable obstacle for the daily and seasonal migration. It also deprives people leaving in the region of the local road. Proposing this solution the consultant set up an bottle-neck in contradiction of the principles of the White paper to the European Transport Policy.

In addition the EIA report instead to acknowledge the general public for the weakness of the feasibility study made suggestions the most destructive alternative to be chosen, the doubling of the existing road. Thus a project financed by the EU Phare program proposes clear violation of the provisions in the article 6 of the "Habitats" Directive 92/43/EEC. "In particular, an examination of possible alternative solutions and mitigation measures may make it possible to ascertain that, in the light of such solution or mitigation measures, the plan or project will not adversely affect the integrity of the site".

As reaction of continues lack of solution for the Kresna gorge CORINE site the 10 Bulgarian environmental NGOs sent again appeal to the EC asking for the for enforcement of EC requirements and EU legislation in this case. They particularly demanded: