A draft proposed amendment to Bulgaria's Environmental Act to ban the use of the controversial cyanide leaching technology in metal extraction projects in Bulgaria passed the first procedural step on July 17 during a session of the Bulgarian parliament's European Affairs Committee. Deemed to be not in contradiction with European Community legislation, the proposal received majority support from the committee members. Wider discussion of the proposal, being put forward by the independent parliamentarian Maria Kapon, at the Committee for Environment is expected in the autumn.

The coalition Cyanide-Free Bulgaria, bringing together environmental NGOs as well as several mining associations and the new Bulgarian political party “The Greens”, welcomed the cross-party support for the proposal which saw only one vote against and one abstention. The proposed amendment runs to one line: "Prohibits the treatment of metal ores and their concentrates through the application of cyanide leaching." Read more about the implications of these developments here.