site.btaBulgaria Has Sufficient Fuel Reserves, Any Price Rise Would Be Due to Non-Market Behaviour, Says Caretaker PM

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov told the media before the start of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday that Bulgaria has sufficient fuel reserves in the State Reserve, and fuel station owners have also confirmed that they have adequate supplies and that the market remains calm. According to Gurov, if there is a hasty increase in prices, it should be made clear that it would not result from a physical shortage or from a real reflection of global markets, but primarily from non-market behaviour.

Gurov stressed that Bulgaria receives oil and fuels from destinations not affected by the hostilities and that deliveries to the country have not been disrupted. According to him, the refinery in Burgas has sufficient quantities of oil purchased before the start of the conflict and before prices increased on global markets.

For the price rise to affect the domestic market, new deliveries would have to be made at higher prices, which is currently unnecessary, he said. The Prime Minister added that the State Reserve has sufficient stocks and that petrol station owners have confirmed they have supplies and that the market remains stable.

He warned that fears could create an artificial crisis and assured that the State would not allow panic to turn into a tool for profit at the expense of citizens.

The Prime Minister said he expects rapid information and decisive action from the institutions.