President asks government for urgent measures to tackle energy crisis

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev on February 17 asked the government to take urgent measures to tackle the energy crisis. He insisted on specific steps that would lead to the independent functioning of the Bulgarian energy exchange and a reduction in the prices of electricity and gas so that business is competitive. Radev also said that he sees Bulgaria as a nuclear energy-producing country and urged not to delay any longer the decision on the future of “Belene” Nuclear Power Plant project.

According to the President, the time for analyses and good intentions has already passed. The need now is for concrete decisions.

The government must make sure that politics and geopolitics do not kill the Bulgarian economy.We cannot abandon the energy-intensive enterprises, which are the backbone of our economy, in the conditions of an acute energy crisis without timely adequate measures, without predictability in pricing policy.

Radev stressed the need for compensatory mechanisms and long-term planning in the sector, so as not to work as before with clarity only a day ahead.

You see that the cabinet appointed new people in the energy management, but where are the results? People are not feeling them and there is no time. Every day is precious. Every day increases the risk of bankruptcies, of losing markets, not to mention what happens to small and medium-sized enterprises.

On the disagreements in the governing coalition over the future of Belene nuclear power plant, the Head of State said that this project should not be delayed any longer because billions of taxpayers' money have been invested in it.

Bulgaria has a future as a nuclear energy-producing country. Definitely. We have seen that the green deal - yes, this is the future, a wonderful project, but we need to have at least decades of investment in basic capacities. Bulgaria does not have the luxury of giving up on its own this potential in which it is investing.

Today the Head of State visited a large non-ferrous metals processing plant in Plovdiv, which employs over 2,000 people.

Later, he also met with greenhouse producers from Sliven region, with whom he discussed the need for timely measures in the agricultural sector so as to prevent a possible food crisis.

The trend is extremely worrying, because you are not just facing bankruptcy; you are already going down that road. Empty greenhouses today mean an empty table tomorrow. This is part of food sovereignty, and when it is at risk, it also means a risk to national security.

From Bourgas, where he was at a machine-building plant, the President appealed to the government - to listen to the suggestions of business so that there is a quick and sustainable exit from the crisis.

Radev called on the institutions to work for the economic recovery of the country and raising the standard and quality of life of the Bulgarians.

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