Borislav Sandov: The completion of the Struma highway could happen before 2030, if we urgently evaluate the alternative

Completion of the Struma Highway could happen before 2030, if we urgently evaluate the alternatives. This was commented on Nova by Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policy and Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov.

The tunnel option is very easy to assess ecologically, because the biodiversity of the rocks has nothing to assess, while the eastern bypass needs design, there are also tunnels and viaducts, which may take longer.

There will be no highway anyway, but it will be a road with acceptable speed. In order to reduce road accidents, it is important that the road is safe and this is already being done, Sandov said.

Bulgaria did not build the section between Kresna and Simitli because it abandoned its 2008 plans for a tunnel or eastern bypass. Ten years later, the GERB government is trying to circumvent the promises by deciding to build the highway with national funds.

There is currently no completed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure. And we cannot complete the procedure before there is an assessment of the alternatives, Sandov commented. The caretaker Minister Asen Lichev has requested a new EIA with an assessment of the alternatives for approval of the Transport Connectivity Program, so we agreed with the Minister Grozdan Karadzhov, stressed the Minister of Ecology.

And we almost want to give the money to a company that has already been selected and wants us to skip the procedure, we will not want European funding, to pay with state money. Borislav Sandov argued that I should also sign an unfinished procedure, violate the law and pay this company. An important time has been missed for the last 12 years and for 6 months now

The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works is failing to meet the European requirement and to take European funds to complete this section, and it must make a real assessment of the alternatives so that we have something to assess, Sandov said.

Sandov also commented on the torrential rains of the last few days. The reasons are always related to a complex of reasons, the strongest being the extreme weather events and the huge amounts of rain, he said.

Fortunately, there is only material damage. Of course, if the sewage networks were better cleaned, drains could have been avoided, Sandov commented. He reminded that one of the closed criminal proceedings against Bulgaria is in this direction and we already have preliminary plans for assessment of the risk of floods, which can better predict such critical cases. What we do not see in the news, because it did not happen is more important, but 100 liters per square meter is an extreme phenomenon in itself, he added.

At the moment, this is the only possible government, said the Deputy Prime Minister on the hot topic of the political situation in our country after the ITN left the coalition, and five deputies seceded from the party and will most likely be independent.

"Emotions erupted. For me, there is no logical explanation for the actions to leave the ITN coalition. Trifonov forced ITN ministers to leave the government. There is no "Macedonia" case. The decision depends on the parliament." This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Borislav Sandov in the program "Hello, Bulgaria".

"We as" Democratic Bulgaria "are consistent. This is the only possible government at the moment, in a very difficult situation caused by external factors, "Sandov continued. "The cabinet must show the whole picture and let the National Assembly make the right decision, according to their conscience and not according to emotional preconditions. "Our country is in a difficult situation, especially because of the external crises," the Deputy Prime Minister commented.

"I do not see any coalition within this National Assembly, except the existing one. Or reduced by one of the parties, but strengthened by deputies elected by the same party," Sandov said.

"The risk is also for the serious intrusion of the interests of someone who wants to be an emperor like Peter the Great, who we do not know if he will not allow himself to aggress on another country. The risk is very serious if in the next elections a majority is formed, which changes the direction of Bulgaria in a civilizational way and tries to push it out of the EU and NATO. I see such a risk," Sandov said.