Coal miners protest in central Sofia

Miners from Maritsa East energy complex in South-Central Bulgaria on October 13, 2021, took to the streets and blocked the traffic in central Sofia, demanding that the operational lifetime of the coal-fired power plants be extended.

At 12 o'clock, the march started from Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with a route along Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, Knyaz Alexander Dondukov Blvd. to the Council of Ministers.

The protesters will submit a petition of the trade unions CITUB and Podkrepa with the signatures of 110,000 people in defence of coal-fuelled energy.

The workers from the Maritza East energy complex want to know the government's plans for the transition of the coal regions to a greener economy.

Shortly before the protest, it became clear that caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev would meet with the leaders of CITUB and Podkrepa trade unions in the Council of Ministers.

The meeting will also be attended by caretaker Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Social Policies and Minister of Labour and Social Policy Galab Donev, Deputy Prime Minister for European Funds Management Atanas Pekanov and Minister of Energy Andrey Zhivkov.