site.btaEnergy Minister Suspends Concession for Obrochishte Manganese Mine

105 ECONOMY - MANGANESE MINE - CONCESSION - SUSPENDED

Energy Minister Suspends
Concession for Obrochishte
Manganese Mine


Sofia, June 5 (BTA) - Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova has suspended the concession for the Obrochishte mine owing to a failure to pay the concession royalty under the concession agreement, Petkova's Ministry said in a press release on Monday.

In 1999, Euromangan AD was awarded a 25-year concession to exploit the manganese deposit near the Village of Obrochishte (Northeastern Bulgaria), which is considered by experts to be the fourth largest in the world.

In October 2016, the Energy Ministry invited the concessionaire to comply voluntarily with its obligation. Nevertheless, the unpaid concession royalties reached nearly 205,000 leva by May 30, 2017. Euromangan AD has been given 14 days to pay. Petkova emphasizes that regardless of the suspension the concessionaire must ensure health and safety at work to its employees and to secure the mine.

Deputy Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov will serve the concession suspension order on representatives of the concessionaire.

On June 1, the Obrochishte miners declared a hunger strike yet again over unpaid wages and food vouchers for April, after their earlier protests in March with the same grievances. Seventeen of the strikers remain 300 m underground and refuse to leave the mine galleries until the State intervenes and replaces the concessionaire.

National Ombudsman Maya Manolova arrived at the mine earlier on Monday. She was instrumental in the signing of a collective agreement between the miners and Euromangan AD Executive Director David Wellings on April 23, after long and hard negotiations. The miners have now alerted the Ombudsman that none of the clauses of the agreement has been complied with. The workers insist on the urgent intervention of Manolova and the Government, on the dismissal of Marketing and Administration Manager Tereza Dankova (an authorized representative of Euromangan), and on an immediate termination of the concession. LI/LG

/СН/