Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
case of strong local opposition—Krumovgrad—is not yet settled. If the
project is rejected, the will of the vast majority of residents, that outcome
will owe a good deal to the mobilization and assistance of the Cyanide-
Free Bulgaria coalition, the pressure by local offi cials inside the political
party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and perhaps the attention at
the European level, heightened by proximity to Greece, by the fact that
the European Commissioner for the Environment during the crucial
period of activism was both sympathetic to the project's opponents and
Greek, and by the campaign for a Natura 2000 nature park in the area.
The door, though, may still be ajar. The new government has recognized
Dundee's proposed changes to address the problems pointed out in the
Natura 2000 Compatibility Assessment and granted the company a
Commercial Discovery Certifi cate. While these are not good signs for
opponents, the need to restart the EIA process under EU law is also a
major obstacle for the company.
Even with strong local opposition and the support of national and
external groups, timing of activism and the linking of cases to broader
issues are crucial. Had Martern been able to drill in Popintsi, the company
could have made a stronger claim to “discovering” gold and hence own-
ership. Had Cyanide-Free Bulgaria coalition members not supported
local opponents to mining in Krumovgrad at the meeting when local
leaders of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms were still undecided,
neither local residents nor the environmental movement might have
had the leverage necessary to press the Minister of Environment and
Water later to freeze the EIA process. The coalition's ties to transnational
networks and knowledge of European institutions and laws facilitated
support from Greek activists and intensifi ed the pressure on the govern-
ment from European sources. When it comes to timing, clearly earlier
input and mobilization are preferable. However, mobilizing early requires
information and a predictable procedural course around which to
mobilize.
If environmental justice is to be achieved and harmful investments put
off for good, not just temporarily, the strategy of environmental activists
has to strengthen the hand of national actors that guarantee procedures
and rights. Such a strategy may involve developing local political con-
nections to ensure the integrity of participatory processes. Arousing the
national media as a watchdog over institutional practices or as a way of
putting pressure on key political actors is usually a central strategy of
those seeking to strengthen the rule of law. And, where national institu-
tions are weak or corrupted, strategies that bring transnational pressure
