site.btaPernik Miners, Energy Workers, Public Figures Issue Declaration on Territorial Recovery and Resilience Plans

Miners, energy sector workers, NGOs and public figures from Pernik have issued a joint declaration about the recovery and resilience territorial plans. The position, consisting of six points, was distributed to the media by the Toplofikatsiya Pernik heating utility on Thursday.

It states that the territorial plans are in absolute contradiction with the decision of the National Assembly in January 2023 to renegotiate the Recovery and Resilience Plan and decommission coal-fired power plants after 2038.

The declaration states that the plan does not take into account the difference in income between Bulgaria and other EU countries. It is pointed out that the average European income is EUR 33,000 (annual), while in Bulgaria it amounts to EUR 10,300. For the Pernik region, it stands below EUR 8,550, the document states.

The declaration also raises the question about what would be the heating alternative for 20,000 households if the local heating utility were to cease its operations, and how sustainable the energy system would be if it became the main replacement for district heating utilities.

The signatories to the declaration believe that the recovery and resilience territorial plans would be fair if they provided sustainable employment opportunities and led to an increase in people's living standards, rather than condemning them to hardship and an uncertain future, the position said.

The statement has been handed over to Energy Minister Rumen Radev. On Tuesday, he attended an information meeting in Pernik regarding the just transition and the future of mining regions.