site.btaPresident Radev Meets with Trade Union Representatives

President Rumen Radev met Thursday with representatives of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions and the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour regarding their requests to postpone the liberalization of the electricity market and to protect those working in the energy and coal mining sectors. The meeting was held at the initiative of the trade union organizations. 

The development of Bulgarian energy should not be based on spontaneous solutions, but on a clear strategy that preserves the autonomy and independence of the energy system, said Radev at the meeting. 

"Politics and legislation should be made with concern and responsibility towards Bulgaria, and not under the pressure of protests," the President argued. He recalled that the veto imposed by him at the end of last year was precisely for what protests are being held currently. There was no impact assessment for the changes in the Energy Act, the President pointed out, adding that there were no clear mechanisms and calculations on how people would be compensated.

Radev said that the accumulation of problems in the sector is due to the lack of strategy and attempts to politicise it. He expressed regret that many of the strategic issues for the development of the energy sector in Europe remain unresolved and gave an example of the lack of clarity surrounding the Green Deal.

The representatives of the trade union organizations thanked  the President for the meeting, as well as for the consistent position of the presidential institution in defence of the autonomy of the Bulgarian energy industry. Podkrepa President Dimitar Manolov made a proposal for a broad public discussion dedicated to the future of the Bulgarian energy industry, to be held under the auspices of the presidential institution.