State to Give BGN 250 Mln a Year to Maritsa East Mines for Technical Recultivation Activities until 2028

Dimitrina Solakova

Parliament in session, Sofia, April 25, 2024 (BTA Photo)

Sofia,

25.04.2024 14:06

(BTA)

The National Assembly Thursday voted, 168-2 with 38 abstentions, that the Council of Ministers provide from the state budget BGN 250 million a year to Maritsa East Mines EAD for technical recultivation activities in the 2024-2028 period. The activities concern affected land in the East Maritsa Coal Basin.

The debate on the resolution was attended by representatives of protesting miners and energy workers, which MPs of Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria described as a precedent and organized farce.

The draft resolution, tabled by GERB-UDF, was for the State to provide Maritsa East Mines with BGN 200 million a year until 2029, but that was amended to BGN 250 million a year until 2028 at the proposal of Yordan Tsonev MP of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Another change in the draft, adopted at the proposal of Iskra Mihaylova MP of Vazrazhdane, stipulates that the resources will be provided under the condition that Mini Maritsa East EAD will carry out the recultivation activities, and not a contractor or sub-contractor.

/DS/