Outgoing Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov told BNT's morning programme on February 11 that representatives of the NGO “National Agency for the Control of Protected Areas” had entered the Ministry of Environment armed in 2022.
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Genov described the organisation as “a complete paradox,” criticising the agreement signed with it as being “entirely contrary to the rules.” He explained that the memorandum had been concluded without any initiating letter or legal opinion from the ministry’s legal directorate. “Someone simply decided to conclude an agreement,” he said, adding that claims the NGO was a member of Europarc at the time were incorrect. Registration with Europarc occurred six months after the agreement was signed, meaning the organisation was not affiliated at the time the deal was made. Genov emphasised that the use of the term “National” in the organisation’s name was “extremely misleading.”
"I want to emphasise that it was concluded without a single initiating letter and without any opinion from the ministry’s legal directorate. Absolutely, someone simply decided to draft and sign the agreement. I listened to my colleague [former Environment Minister Borislav Sandov] who said they were members of Europarc. No, they were not. I took the trouble to check their registration with Europarc—it occurred six months after this agreement was signed. So, let us not confuse the dates and sequence of events.
This agreement assigns control functions to this non-governmental organisation. Another issue is that it carries the term ‘National’ in its name, which is extremely misleading. I do not believe Europarc would have been misled when they applied for membership there, as registration took place only six months later. Here is the exact registration of this agency that I found on their website.”
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Genov explained that in Bulgaria, the Central Balkan Nature Park has long been a member of Europarc, and that membership in the organisation could potentially have allowed applications for funding from European projects.
“The purpose of this organisation is precisely that. To date, we have no information indicating that this ‘National Agency for the Control of Protected Areas’ has used any such funds from the ministry’s operational programme—they have not. Apparently, the individuals involved had certain hopes or expectations regarding the implementation of such future projects, which ultimately did not materialise.”
Manol Genov noted that several environment ministers had attempted to terminate the agreement with the NGO linked to the “Petrohan” case.
“All subsequent ministers—starting with the then caretaker minister Rositsa Karamfilova, who at the time took steps to terminate the agreement. Notarial notices were sent. What was most concerning to my colleagues was that the agreement remained published on the NGO’s website. They only learned about it from there; they had no prior knowledge of the agreement. It was then that Minister Karamfilova began taking action. Regarding inspections and attempts to deliver the notarial notice, I believe that in some districts of Sofia the notice could not be served, with the official protocol noting that the person in question did not reside at the given address.”
When asked why it had been so difficult to terminate the agreement, Manol Genov explained:
“Because these people could not be located, or they simply refused. There were even reports within the ministry corridors that, when invited, on on the visit, they unexpectedly entered the ministry armed. This occurred in the summer of 2022, during the tenure of the then Deputy Minister of Environment. I have been told by eyewitnesses. I believe Ivaylo Ivanov was involved, along with others. All the ministers have made attempts to terminate the agreement."
The agreement was ultimately terminated following an inspection in April 2025.
“It was served and acted upon, leading to its unilateral termination. At the end of 2022, the same Ms Karamfilova, then serving as minister, sent the same letter to the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor’s Office and the police directorate. There had been a preliminary investigation, which was transferred from the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor’s Office to the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, but this was based on complaints and various reports.”
Genov emphasised: “It is purely speculative that they have submitted any reports of violations of environmental legislation. In our records, there is not a single report filed by this non-governmental organisation as at yesterday. So far, there have been no attempts at illegitimate agreements aside from this one. We have no way of knowing whether similar NGOs are engaging in such activities elsewhere. No checks on this organisation have found that they have engaged in this type of activity."
Regarding the speculations about a so-called “timber mafia,” Genov commented:
“Logging control is not within our remit. In this area, the terrain is so inaccessible that nature essentially protects itself. As I was informed back in 2022, no logging permits have been issued there. Operations are extremely complex, economically unviable, and inefficient. Colleagues from the Ministry of Forestry have confirmed that there have been no reports of illegal logging in the area.”
The Environment Minister also shared some positive news.
“The condition of all significant water bodies and reservoirs under our supervision is excellent, with approximately 15–18% more reserves than usual. With the current rainfall and the anticipated snowmelt, I expect a calmer year ahead next summer, which will benefit farmers, the energy sector, and all water users,” he said.
Asked whether the Ministry of Environment and Waters has the resources to carry out its work without delegating powers to NGOs, Genov replied:
“On Monday, we have an event where, with around €2.5 million from the Operational Programme, we will provide off-road vehicles to regional environmental inspections, natural parks, and basin directorates. These high-mobility vehicles will also be equipped with drones and personal computers. The Ministry has always had resources for such work, although they were limited, and such activities have always been funded through operational programmes. Last year alone, over €80 million was spent on firefighting equipment for the protection of Bulgaria’s forests, which cover 4.5 million hectares.”
He added: “Thirty-five percent of Bulgaria’s territory is part of the Natura 2000 network, so it is naive to think that this area can be fully monitored. We work in partnership with NGOs, we fund them, and we implement joint activities and projects, especially in biodiversity conservation—for example, the restoration of populations of the griffon vulture, the black vulture, and other species.”
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