At a round table at the National Assembly, fishermen, environmentalists, hotel and restaurant operators called on MPs to withdraw the draft bill on energy from renewable sources in maritime spaces which has been adopted at first reading.

• Environment Minister: Offshore wind farms in the mid-2030s at the earliest

The chairman of the parliamentary energy committee Delyan Dobrev stated that until all views have been reviewed there will be no discussion of the texts by the committee at second reading.

Some of the participants in the discussion expressed concerns of lobbyism, and of the effect on tourism and a drop in real estate prices. “Wind turbines kill birds directly – they also lose their habitats and do not go near the turbines,” said Irina Mateva from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds.

As announced during the discussion, the Ministry of Tourism has presented its position on the draft bill, according to which the construction of wind turbines should only take place in priority regions, and the connection point to the power grid should be on land.