site.btaFormer Caretaker Government Members Slam Government for Fuel Pricing Policy, New Fee on Russian Gas Import

President’s chef de cabinet Galab Donev organized a meeting with former caretaker cabinet members regarding the processes in Bulgarian energy sector, the head of State’s press centre said on Monday. The meeting with Donev, who was Prime Minister in the President-appointed caretaker government between August 2022 and June 6 2023, was attended by former caretaker Deputy Prime Ministers Atanas Pekanov and Hristo Alexiev, former caretaker Economy Minister Nikola Stoyanov, former caretaker Innovation Minister Alexander Pulev, and former caretaker Deputy Innovation Minister Stefan Savov.

The participants slammed Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov’s government for its fuel pricing policy and the new fee that Bulgaria imposed on the import and transit of Russian gas to and via Bulgaria.

They stressed that the increase in fuel prices contributes to inflation in the country and has a negative impact on the purchasing power of citizens and this is a persistent trend after the end of caretaker government‘s term in office. The participants in the meeting also argued that there is a lack of continuity in the actions of the current government with regard to the policy of the caretaker cabinet to lower fuel prices and this is having a significant impact on a number of sectors in the economy - agriculture, transport, tourism and trade of essential commodities.

They highlighted the importance of the relocation of Lukoil Neftohim Burgas' operations to Bulgaria during the caretaker government’s term in office. The participants stated that this resulted in significant tax revenues for the country - BGN 87.7 million for the period September-December 2022 and BGN 126.5 million for the period January-June 2023.

They united around the position that the "energy payments" introduced by the Bulgarian government on the transit of Russian natural gas through Bulgaria are in contradiction with the Constitution, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and create a threat for the decapitalisation of Bulgartransgaz. “Such an approach also harms our partnership relations with a number of European countries,” the statement said.

That matches Radev's position on the issue.