President Rumen Radev vetoed certain provisions of the Investment Promotion Act which “threaten the constitutionally guaranteed right of Bulgarian citizens to a healthy environment”reported the press office of the head of state.
The provisions which shorten the time for the competent authorities to decide on the impacts of a given project on the environment and introduce a principle of tacit consent for its implementation.
Challenged with i limiting the possibilities of judicial controlas well as the extension of the validity of certain decisions, the term of which expires or has already expired.
The head of state disputes the creation of prerequisites for the acquisition of property owned by public enterprises, which leads to the risk of harming the public interest.
According to the president’s reasons, another discussion in the National Assembly is also necessary because these changes, introduced between the first and second reading in the procedure for adopting the law, have been voted without public consultationin the absence of a prior impact assessment as well as financial justification.
The President returns for a new discussion in the National Assembly the texts, the implementation of which would lead to a reduction in the level of responsibility of the administration for the protection of people’s lives and health during the implementation of large-scale projects.
According to the head of state, the legislation should allow fast and high-quality construction of the important sites for Bulgaria, but at the same time be consistent with the state’s obligation to protect its citizens and nature.
This principled position of the president is consistently expressed when exercising his right of veto. This is the third time, after his decrees of 2017 and 2019, that Rumen Radev has objected to measures similar to those adopted in this law.
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