“Europe must protect its energy independence and the interest of the people. Stara Zagora is one of the areas most affected by the new climate policies and that is why the Maritsa basin must be preserved. This does not mean abandoning the European Union’s climate targets, but taking account of reality, the economy and the interests of the country. Bulgaria needs the Maritsa basin, these capacities and a reasonable energy mix in which renewable sources, nuclear energy and thermal power plants are in a balanced ratio.” He declared his support for the leader of the BSP – OL list in Stara Zagora constituency Ivan Krastev. Present were Galina Gospodinova, Chairperson of the Regional Council of the BSP in Stara Zagora, Velina Atanasova, Chairperson of the Municipal Council of the BSP in Stara Zagora, and Krasimir Kurtev, Deputy Mayor of Radnevo Municipality and Chairman of the Municipal Council of the BSP in Radnevo and Stanislav Gabrovski, Mayor of the village of. Obruchishte and Chairman of the Municipal Council of the BSP in Galabovo.

The MEP made a direct link between the issue of energy security and the military strikes against Iran. He recalled that both the BSP and the Party of European Socialists had expressed strong opposition to the military operation and insisted on an immediate cessation of hostilities and diplomatic solutions. He said it was worrying that the right-wing was turning a blind eye to what was happening, while the consequences were already visible in the rising prices of energy carriers, which would inevitably affect the prices of electricity, fuel and essential goods.

“When we talk about the high prices and the dependence of Europe and Bulgaria on imports of raw materials and energy carriers, we see here in the Maritsa basin a resource that is ours, that makes us independent and that can really help in critical situations,” Vigenin stressed.

For his part, Ivan Krastev emphasized that since the beginning of the year tens of thousands of households have received inexplicably high electricity bills, and more and more production enterprises are closing their doors precisely because of the high price of electricity. Krastev pointed out that the base capacities are alternativeless for many industries and that Bulgaria cannot afford to decommission thermal power plants before the construction of new capacities with the same capacity is guaranteed. “The future of the Maritsa basin is a matter of national security and jobs,” he said, stressing that Bulgarian thermal power plants ensure the uninterrupted supply of electricity not only to Bulgaria, but also to the Republic of North Macedonia and a large part of Northern Greece.

Ivan Krastev formulated the demands that BSP – OL puts forward: revision of the Green Deal in its part for large energy capacities, provision of a necessary deferral for the construction of new base capacities, restrictions and compensations for emission prices above 50 euros per ton, as well as a more active role of the state, including as an owner in private thermal power plants.

Kristian Vigenin said that a few days ago BSP chairman Krum Zarkov had held meetings in Brussels with European Commission vice-president Teresa Ribera and two important issues were raised – the high electricity prices in Bulgaria and the implementation of the Emissions Trading Scheme. The conversation pointed out that the lack of sufficient connectivity of energy networks leads to the paradoxical situation the poorest countries in Europe pay the most expensive electricity. In Vigenin’s words, the European Commission is already working on expanding the region’s energy connectivity to allow electricity to be transmitted to and from Central, Western and Northern Europe.

The participants in the press conference agreed that the protection of the Maritsa basin, of jobs, of affordable electricity and of Bulgaria’s energy independence requires coordinated action at local, national and European level.