site.btaUPDATED Work on New Vitosha Nature Park Management Plan Expected to Begin in 2027

A meeting on Monday at the Regional Development and Public Works Ministry discussed the proposed legislative amendments related to the future development of Vitosha Nature Park. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Environment and Water Minister Rositsa Karamfilova expressed the political ambition of launching substantive work on drafting a new management plan for Vitosha Nature Park at the beginning of 2027.

"Our political formation's ambition is for work on the draft of the new Vitosha Nature Park Management Plan to begin in early 2027," Karamfilova said. "A great deal of work lies ahead before that, with the first stage being the preparation of the planning brief."

She recalled that the administrative procedure for the 2015–2024 Management Plan was terminated at the end of April, while the park is currently governed under the 2005 Management Plan.

Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov expressed hope that concrete steps in the process would begin within the next few months, allowing a clearer timeline for subsequent stages to be established.

"As of today, we are effectively launching what could be called the mission to save Vitosha," Shishkov said. "We need to identify and document all the issues that have accumulated over time. As we begin preparing the planning brief and legislative amendments, we must have a full understanding of these long-standing challenges."

He added that once the process is underway, a much clearer schedule for implementation should emerge. "I, personally, hope that real action will begin within the next few months," he said.

Shishkov noted that the lack of functioning ski lifts has forced visitors to rely on private vehicles to access the mountain, causing significant environmental damage. The objective, he said, is to transform Vitosha into a modern and accessible mountain destination through the restoration of environmentally sustainable cable transport infrastructure.

Karamfilova stressed that the issues surrounding Vitosha are not purely environmental or infrastructure-related but are fundamentally a matter of governance. According to her, the long-term vision for the mountain should be built on three equally important principles: nature conservation, public access and quality of life, and economic sustainability supported by modern infrastructure.

She emphasized that the management plan is not an investment plan. Rather than regulating infrastructure projects or investment proposals, the document establishes which activities are permissible within the park and defines management regimes through the zoning of its territory.

Karamfilova also pledged that the new planning process would include public consultation on the planning brief and the establishment of an advisory council representing all interested stakeholders.

"The entire process, from preparing the planning brief and commissioning the plan to its public review and adoption, will be transparent, open, governed by clear rules, and conducted through active dialogue with all stakeholders and citizens," she said. She assured the public that ineffective approaches from the past would not be repeated.

Later Monday, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev, quoted by the municipality's press office, said that the future development of Vitosha Nature Park cannot be discussed or decided without the participation of Sofia Municipality.

Terziev noted that the municipality had not been invited to take part in the discussion, but stressed that he would not speculate on the reasons for its exclusion and that the issue of Vitosha should not become a matter of political confrontation. According to him, the government's positions on key issues concerning the mountain largely coincide with those advocated by Sofia Municipality over the past two years through its Vision for Vitosha initiative. Terziev said that the next step should be the signing of a memorandum among all stakeholders to formalize commitments and establish a clear timeline for implementing the necessary measures.

"The most important decisions concerning Vitosha cannot be taken by a single institution," Terziev said, adding that effective coordination, consistency, and a clear division of responsibilities are essential. He assured that Sofia Municipality would continue to be a constructive partner of the state and would keep advocating for concrete solutions in the public interest.