The Ministry of Environment and Water published Decision No 5-PR/2024 of the Minister of Environment and Water on the assessment of the necessity to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the investment proposal "Modification of the investment proposal ‘Improvement of the route of Lot 3.2 of the Struma Motorway on the eastern variant G10.50’ with contracting authority Road Infrastructure Agency’".

An EIA for Lot 3.2 of the Struma Motorway was completed in 2017, and the EIA decision was challenged in court by two individuals and one NGO. With its decision of 23.05.2018 the Supreme Administrative Court dismissed the appeals as unfounded. In 2023, the Road Infrastructure Agency notified the Ministry of Environment of amendments to its investment proposal for Lot 3.2 of the Struma Motorway. The amendment came as a result of the more detailed design phase, which took into account the conditions and measures of the EIA Decision of 2017. The amendment to the investment proposal concerns the left lane of Lot 3.2, which will provide the one-way traffic from Kulata to Sofia and the bypass road of the town of Kresna. The amendment to the investment proposal does not address the right lane passing through the Kresna Gorge and the rehabilitation of the existing road E-79.

The ruling of 11 June concerns an amendment to the already approved investment proposal. For the amendment, the competent environmental authority has determined a procedure under Chapter Six of the Environmental Protection Act, namely the EIA procedure. The procedure was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the environmental legislation and was concluded by Decision No 5-PR/2024, which decided not to carry out an EIA for the proposed amendment. The conclusions of the procedure are that the modification of the investment proposal is not likely to have a significant negative impact on the environment and on the protected areas of the Natura 2000 ecological network.

The decision is available on the website of the Ministry of the Environment at the following link: https://www.moew.government.bg/bg/reshenie-5-pr-2024-g-za-investicionno-predlojenie-izmenenie-na-investicionno-predlojenie-podobryavane-na-traseto-na-lot-3-2-na-avtomagistrala-am-struma-po-iztochen-variant-g-10-50-s-vuzlojitel-agenciya-putna-infrastruktu-17269/