site.btaOver 100 Fined for Beach Parking Violations on the Northern Black Sea Coast

More than 100 fines were imposed for illegal parking on the beach along the northern Black Sea coast, the Ministry of Environment and Water said on Tuesday.

The operation, ordered by Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov, was conducted jointly by Bulgarian and Romanian enforcement authorities on August 6 and 7 to curb violations causing environmental damage. Sanctions were imposed for improperly parked cars and caravans in violation of Bulgarian law, the Ministry said.

More than 90% of offenders were Romanian tourists, Varna Black Sea Basin Directorate (BSBD) Director Yavor Dimitrov said. The most common reasons cited were lack of information, unfamiliarity with the law and the Bulgarian language, he added. Information boards installed by the Ministry of Environment and Water are often removed, which hinders warnings to tourists.

Destruction of sand dunes in protected areas is a crime under Bulgarian law punishable by up to three years' imprisonment. No effective sentences have been imposed to date, but fines reach BGN 2,500, the Ministry said.

The joint inspections involved BSBD, the Regional Environment and Water Inspectorate in Varna, the Ministry of Environment and Water, the General Directorate National Police, the Economic Police Department, the Environmental and Wildlife Crimes Sector, the Regional Administration – Dobrich, and Shabla Municipality. Basin Directorate staff also checked establishments near the beach for unauthorised water abstraction and discharge of wastewater into the Black Sea.

Inspections will continue until the end of the summer season and, from next year, will run from May 1 to September 30, the Ministry said.

At the end of June, a team from the Regional Administration in Burgas conducted a test survey of Vromos Beach near Chernomorets. More than 30 illegal sites were found on sand dunes.