Bulgarian eco-activists supported by international NGOs staged Thursday a demonstration in Brussels against the illegal resort construction under way in the Bulgarian Rila Mountain.

The environmentalists carried slogans saying "Let's Save Rila". They tabled a petition to the European Commission asking it to help stop the illegal construction activities in the Bulgarian mountain.

The petition signed by 148 000 Bulgarians and citizens of other EU states was submitted to the office of the European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas.

It is also supported by Members of the European Parliament from the Greens/EFA group, the Bulgarian environmental coalition "For the Nature" announced.

The petition insists that the Bulgarian state stop the illegal construction at the Panichishte mountain resort on the territory of the Rila National Park and the planned protected zone "Rula-Buffer".

The Bulgarian environmentalists are warning that the current construction of a road, a lift, and three ski tracks were only the beginning of a massive construction project of a ski resort in the "Panichishte-the Lakes-Kabul" area.

A total of 27 ski tracks, 80% of which will be located on in National Park, might be constructed, the eco-activists fear.

According to the Dutch NGO A SEED Europe, the resort project in Rila is in violation of the NATURA 2000 Eco-network, and of nine Bulgarian laws.

The EC has already requested information from the Bulgarian authorities for the case.

Barbara Helferich, the Speaker of the EU Commissioner on Environment, who was present at Thursday's demonstrations in Brussels, announced that a seminar on environmental issues was going to take place in Bulgaria next month.

She said that EC representatives were going to attend the seminar, and familiarize themselves with the Rila case. After that the Commission would decide what steps to take.

According to their announcement, the environmental organizations are seeking support from Brussels because of the lack of any reaction to the issue by the Bulgarian institutions, and their unwillingness to put an end to the drastic violations taking place in the Rila Mountain.

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