site.btaCC-DB Will Request Parliamentary Hearing on Botas Deal on Monday - CC-DB's Mirchev

Ivaylo Mirchev, co-chairperson of Yes, Bulgaria!, one of the partners in the Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) coalition, said here on Monday that the CC-DB parliamentary group will request a hearing in Parliament regarding the gas agreement between Bulgaria’s state-owned supplier Bulgargaz and the Turkish energy company Botas. Mirchev made the statement during a visit to Ruse, where he was accompanied by CC-DB MPs Ivan Belchev and Martin Dimitrov, the press centre of Yes, Bulgaria! said.

The Botas deal was signed in 2023. Its critics argue that the agreement places a significant financial burden on Bulgaria and lacks an exit clause.

"This is an outrageous multi-billion-dollar swindle and the caretaker government of President [Rumen] Radev is behind it," Mirchev said. Commenting on the President’s plans to table a proposal for a referendum on the euro adoption in Bulgaria, Mirchev said "one of the reasons, besides launching his political project, is the fact that Radev has found out that an investigation has been launched into the Botas affair and that witnesses have testified about his involvement and the pressure he had exerted so Bulgaria can conclude a contract with Turkiye."

The CC-DB representatives demanded that the parliamentary hearing take place as soon as possible. "We will submit the request today so that the Bulgarian public can learn the full truth - about both Botas on the one hand and Radev’s arguments regarding the euro on the other," Mirchev added.

The co-chairperson of Yes, Bulgaria! added that the actions of the head of State undermine the efforts of many previous governments and jeopardize Bulgaria’s future accession to the euro area. Radev’s call for a referendum casts doubt among the European partners and risks influencing the convergence report, Mirchev said.

Mirchev noted that CC-DB would do everything in their power to defend Bulgaria’s euro area accession process, including submitting a parliamentary declaration on the issue. "We, the CC-DB, will make every effort and work with all parliamentary forces to secure [the country’s] euro area accession," he said.