Firefighting Efforts in Bulgaria: Sakar Blaze Contained, New Threats Emerge
The fire near Sakar, close to Svilengrad region, has been contained on all fronts and is currently under the control of the Bulgarian fire department
Bulgaria's PM has vowed to either confiscate, or destroy a wholly illegally luxury villa complex on the banks of the Ivaylovgrad water reservoir.
Prime Minister Borisov was in the Black Sea city of Burgas Saturday for the inauguration of new coast guard patrol ships.
He commented that the illegal resort of 45 high-class luxury villas, which is not even on the map, and was built completely illegally, could be confiscated to the benefit of the state.
The luxury mansion properties belong to people from Sofia and the southeastern border town of Svilengrad, who are mostly senior civil servants such as customs agents and traffic controllers as well as businessmen.
"There is no option of legalizing this illegal construction. These palaces have existed for so many years on state-owned land. There is only one explanation for that. They belong to the people who gathered money and gave it to the political parties. That is I have instructed my staff to find me a legal provisions that will allow the government to either confiscate to the benefit of the state, or to tear down these properties," Borisov said.
He slammed anybody who suggests that the owners of the illegal buildings should pay the government in order to legalize them, and promised to have a final decision about the luxury villa resort by Monday.
An report of Nova TV has shown that the Ivaylovgrad reservoir, one of the largest in Bulgaria, is owned by the state, and is managed by the National Electric Company NEK but is used as a private lake. There is hardly any way to reach the reservoir as it is fenced off with large mansions guarded by private security companies.
The owners of the properties include the deputy director of the "Road Fees and Permits" in the Svilengrad Customs Office, Tencho Vasilev, and the director of the Svilengrad Customs Stefan Marashev.
Even though the luxury properties are illegal, they are connected to the public electricity and water supply network.
The southeastern border town of Svilengrad is known as the Bulgarian town with the largest per capita number of millionaires thanks to the fact that it is the home of most customs officers from the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing point, which is the major land route of Turkish goods and passengers into the EU.
The cost of housing in Bulgaria has surged dramatically in recent years
Rents in Sofia, Varna, and Burgas are seeing significant growth, but they remain among the most affordable in Europe
If Bulgaria adopts the euro in July 2025, property prices are expected to rise further
In the third quarter of 2024, housing prices in Bulgaria saw a notable rise of 16.5% compared to the same period last year
The real estate market in Sofia remains robust as the year draws to a close
Housing affordability in Sofia has improved since the pandemic, making it one of the few capitals in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to experience this positive trend
Bulgaria's Perperikon: A European Counterpart to Peru's Machu Picchu
Bulgarians Among EU's Least Frequent Vacationers, Struggling with Affordability