site.btaPM Denkov: Cabinet Will Not Withdraw Territorial Just Transition Plans

The government is determined not to withdraw the territorial just transition plans, which is the key demand of protesting coal miners and energy workers. "The withdrawal of the plans would be an extremely harmful action for the coal regions; the consequences will be very serious and long-lasting. The plans do not close any mines or thermal power plants and only aim to support the transition, which will happen anyway, because technologies in the energy sector are changing," Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov told the press here Monday.

The government submitted the territorial just transition plans to Brussels in late September. To push their demand for the plans' abandonment, coal miners and energy workers have been protesting for more than ten days now with roadblocks and rallies held in most coal regions.

Denkov explained that there were deadlines the government needed to observe. "We have a deadline for the adoption of the territorial plans. The plans' withdrawal means that Bulgaria voluntarily abandons the procedure in which it receives support for the transition away from coal. So, I will not withdraw the plans,” he said.

He added that he has proposed repeatedly to the coal sector workers to join a discussions on how to modify the plans because Bulgaria is at the stage where they can still be modified.

Denkov also said that he does not expect any problems for the government over the upcoming no-confidence vote "because it would be very stupid from a political point of view for someone not to support the government at this moment”.

The motion for a vote of no-confidence - the first for the Denkov Cabinet - was submitted by Vazrazhdane, BSP for Bulgaria and There Is Such a People (TISP) over the government's policy in the energy sector. The motion will be debated on October 12 and the vote will take place the next day.

"We work hard, we are working on the programme we have presented," Denkov said adding that now it is up to the parliamentary groups how the vote will end.