Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov told journalists on Friday that the Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs) must be approved by the Council of Ministers at its Friday extraordinary sitting and sent to the European Commission on Saturday. Earlier on Friday, Denkov met with Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) Chair Plamen Dimitrov and Podkrepa Labour Confederation Chair Dimitar Manolov to talk about the TJTPs concerning Stara Zagora, Kyustendil and Pernik, it transpired from Facebook posts by the trade union leaders.
If the TJTPs are not adopted, Bulgaria may lose, in addition to more than BGN 1.4 billion on the plans related to Stara Zagora, Kyustendil and Pernik, another BGN 3 billion on the plans related to all other relevant regions in the country, Denkov said.
Dimitrov urged the government and the parties in the ruling coalition to take the necessary actions before the EC to postpone for the submission of the TJTPs.
Podkrepa pointed out that protesters' expectations had not been met. According to the trade union, the amendments to be considered by the government will have negligible value, and if the plans are adopted in their current state, they will make any future agreement between the prime minister and trade unions meaningless.
Denkov stressed that Friday, September 29, was the pushed deadline for submission of the plans, after postponing the June 30 deadline. The prime minister was adamant that the plans will be voted Friday and sent to the EC.
According to him, much of protesters' discontent is based on issues that have already been addressed in the TJTPs. He said that the demands to drop the 2026 deadline for the closure of Bobov Dol Coal-fired Power Plant had been met.
Denkov highlighted that there is enough time to negotiate. The sending of the documents opens the negotiations with the EC, which should be completed by the end of 2023, the Prime Minister said.
He urged all sides on the issue to opt for negotiations to avoid tension escalation. According to him, one side is not receiving the full information on the issue and misunderstanding is arising.
/YV/
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