Bulgarian MPs overturn presidential veto on Black Sea Act amendments
Bulgarian Parliament voted on July 10 to overturn President Roumen Radev’s veto on amendments to the country’s Black Sea Act that ban tents, as well as vehicles including campers and caravans, from the country’s Black Sea dunes.
The motion carried with 143 MPs in favour and 66 opposed, all from opposition socialists, with no abstentions.
The bill introduced a legal possibility to create, outside areas of the sea beaches and official campsites, areas where the temporary placement of tents, campers and caravans is permitted. It also envisaged a fine of 1000 leva (about 500 euro) for putting a tent on a dune, and 3000 leva in the case of an individual, and 5000 leva in the case of a company, for a caravan.
The amendments were criticised by the opposition socialists and Bulgarian environmental groups, who said that it failed to define properly the dunes to be covered by the ban, and also fell short in legislating against construction on dunes.
Radev vetoed the bill on June 24, arguing that the restrictions put in place by the amended law were too harsh.
This was the 16th time that Radev exercised his veto power since taking office in January 2017, with Parliament overturning the veto in all but one case, when the provision in question was withdrawn.
(Bulgarian Parliament photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
