site.btaBulgaria's Mining Community Celebrates Professional Day

A formal event was held in Sofia on Monday to mark Miners' Day. It was opened by Dragomir Draganov, Chairman of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Chamber of Mining and Geology, and was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov, and Labour and Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov.

Dragomir Draganov said the mining industry must be appreciated, understood and supported, as there can be no stable economy or modern industry without it. "Today's celebration honours the people who build one of the strategic sectors of the economy," he said. This industry employs more than 18,000 people and generates about 5% of the country's GDP. He emphasized that mineral resources underpin the green and digital transformation.

Companies in the sector are not seeking special treatment but rely on consistent policies that enable long-term planning. The future of the industry depends on available resources and the environment in which the sector operates, Draganov said.

Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov is committed to continuing the financial support measures for the mining sector to help offset high electricity prices. Stankov recalled that the department responsible for concessions, oversight, and managing the underground resources database at the Ministry of Energy was the first one he oversaw during his time as deputy minister. At that time, a long-term strategy for the mining sector, developed jointly with the Bulgarian Chamber of Mining and Geology, was launched, setting a horizon to 2050. While it is functioning, he noted, it must continue to evolve.

“We are currently in the era of digitalization and artificial intelligence, but people remain the industry's greatest asset,” Stankov stated.

He highlighted that the sector is experiencing sustainable development, not just through increased extraction and labour productivity thanks to new technologies, but also through enhanced worker safety, higher budget revenues, and new investments in the extraction of rare metals and raw materials. “The 120,000 people directly and indirectly employed in the industry deserve to celebrate because they ensure the security and transformation of the energy sector. Without the mining of copper, zinc, gold, silver and platinum, that transformation simply isn’t possible,” he emphasized.

 Labour and Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov said workers in the mining sector deserve great respect. “I don't know if there is a more manly profession, that is why, in our ministry, we always recognize the people who work underground, underwater, and in the skies."

He stressed the importance of seriously considering the future of this profession. “A large part of the wars we witness today are fought over rare metals, raw materials, minerals and energy resources, and that is the underlying cause of much of the military conflict,” the minister noted.

Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov pledged to fight for fair pay for all miners. Zafirov, who is leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), reaffirmed BSP - United Left’s commitment to protecting the rights and incomes of miners, geologists and engineers, whose work underpins Bulgaria’s industrial development.