Silvia Peycheva is a member of the Supervisory Board of the National Tourism Board and a representative of VI Hunting Ltd. She is a lawyer with many years of professional experience in the legal, financial and management sectors. She holds a master’s degree in Law from St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, as well as a degree in International Business and Management from the D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics in Svishtov. She has extensive legal practice in various areas of law and finance. In her work, she handles legal cases related to regulatory regimes, concessions, public procurement, territorial management, environmental protection and the regulatory framework of tourism, including the balance between economic development and the public interest.

In her work, she handles legal cases related to regulatory regimes, concessions, public procurement, territorial management, environmental protection and the regulatory framework of tourism, including the balance between economic development and the public interest.

She is distinguished by her principled approach, analytical thinking and high professional ethics. She believes that the sustainable development of tourism requires clear rules, effective control and responsible management.

Ms. Peycheva, in recent days the Standing Committee on Tourism at the National Assembly and the National Tourism Board have raised the issue of amendments to the Forestry Act, as well as an eased permitting regime for the repair and modernization of existing ski facilities. Will these changes put our forests at risk? Will they lead to widespread Baba Alino-type construction?

Absolutely not. The purpose of the amendments is to make Bulgaria’s forests, mountains and natural landmarks more accessible. After all, the point of having beautiful and preserved nature is to be able to enjoy it. But for that to happen, it has to be accessible. If we do not want our mountains to be full of cars that pollute and disturb tourists, then we need lifts. These lifts are used year-round and help protect nature and the mountains. Most of the existing facilities in the country were built before the 1990s. They are now not merely outdated in moral terms. Some of them are dangerous for tourists. There are many such examples in Bulgaria. The closest ones for Sofia residents are those on Vitosha. This mountain, which is an invaluable treasure for the people of the capital, is practically almost inaccessible in winter and inaccessible without a car during the rest of the seasons. The facilities there must be renovated in order to protect the mountain and make it accessible.

You are talking about Vitosha, but in recent days the case of Malyovitsa has also come to the fore. Even the regional minister issued a warning. Is there really something wrong there? Is Malyovitsa in danger?

The only danger for Malyovitsa is if the modernization of the old ski tow is stopped. The old facility has been dismantled, while the new one has not yet been installed. Needless to say, the old ski tow was outdated and dangerous, and that it could only be used by skiers and snowboarders, i.e. only in winter. A lift is a year-round facility and is accessible to everyone. If we want to develop tourism, we must be able to build and renew facilities.

Everywhere in Europe, and beyond, there are excellent modern mountain facilities that make beautiful nature accessible. There are no apocalyptic scenes there, while tourism is well developed and brings added value and revenue to those countries. Of course, the construction and modernization of facilities must be carried out lawfully. But that does not mean doing nothing. In the case of Malyovitsa, there was rather an emotional interpretation and hasty conclusions. I can confirm, as a lawyer and representative of the investor, that the modernization and reconstruction of the old ski tow there is completely legal. All necessary procedures have been followed. The investment project has been approved by Samokov Municipality. A building permit has also been issued by the chief architect of Samokov. The investor has obtained an opinion from the competent institutions, according to which the reconstruction and modernization of the existing ski tow does not constitute new construction and there is no obstacle to carrying it out. The route, the location of the foundations and the existing facility are reflected in the detailed spatial development plan. The project for the reconstruction of the existing ski tow includes its modernization into a four-seat chairlift with a capacity of 1,520 people per hour. Only the lower and upper stations will be modernized and reconstructed, while the towers, cable and transport carriers themselves will be replaced. No trees will be cut down, as the existing route of the old facility will be preserved. No new transport infrastructure will need to be built in the area. Access to the new facility will be provided via an existing third-class road and forest road. And since the designated use of the land in Malyovitsa will not be changed, we maintain that the activities being carried out there are completely legal. The will of the legislator is to prevent a change in the designated use of forests, not to stop progress and modernization or to fill forests and mountains with decaying and dangerous facilities.

Why, then, did it come to these statements?

Because fears and manipulations by so-called eco-activists have accumulated over the years. However, I would like to remind the institutions that their role is not to bend to public expectations, but to look beyond the present moment and guarantee the public interest in the long term. If we stop construction in the country completely, society may probably be satisfied temporarily. But surely we all understand that in this way we are stopping economic growth and the development of our country. All existing buildings and facilities age and must be renewed. And if we want to develop our cities and tourism, we must also build new facilities. We cannot rely only on the existing ones. That is why the National Tourism Board is calling for amendments to the Forestry Act that would facilitate repair works on existing facilities, as well as the construction of new facilities in mountain regions.

Some members of parliament and representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works have expressed readiness for legislative initiatives in this area. We at the National Tourism Board express our support for a regulatory framework that would ensure year-round access to the mountains through lifts and ski tows. The mountains should be easily and conveniently accessible to everyone. We insist that the new amendments allow the rehabilitation and construction of ski slopes, stations and towers for lifts and ski tows, including for the purposes of major repairs and reconstruction, without going through a mandatory procedure for changing the designated use of forest territories.

Over the past 20 years, there has been a deliberate delay and obstruction of the natural development of mountain regions in Bulgaria, to the benefit of competing destinations such as Italy, France, Austria and Greece. Greece has already planned projects for the development of mountain infrastructure with funding under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. It is time for us in Bulgaria, too, to start developing our infrastructure at a faster pace. Otherwise, we will increasingly ask ourselves why even Bulgarians prefer Greece, Italy or France to domestic resorts.