Bulgaria has also decided to phase out coal – at the last minute in order to secure 2.2 billion euros in EU aid. There are protests against this in the coal regions. Climate protection arguments are hardly heard.
For days, demonstrators in Bulgaria have been blocking important highways, such as the Trakija route, which connects Bulgaria’s capital Sofia with the Black Sea. They are calling for the government to resign. The men and women are employed in the coal industry. And are protesting against their country’s coal phase-out in 2038, which was decided on Friday.
“We want an independent energy industry. We don’t want to be betrayed. We want those in power to come here and withdraw their plans. Nobody will leave here,” said the voices on the street.
The plans envisage gradually decommissioning the coal-fired power plants and coal mines in the Stara Zagora, Pernik and Kyustendil regions of western and central Bulgaria. The workers should be compensated or employed in a state-run temporary company. The company is supposed to convert the affected areas into industrial areas.
Money for structural change should come from the EU
Energy Minister Rumen Radev traveled to Stara Zagora on Saturday to convince the demonstrators. “We certainly all agree that jobs should not be lost,” he said – and promised: “The plans presented initiate the negotiation process with Brussels, not dictate it. The interest in jobs and the security of energy production is ours common interest.”
The money for the structural transition should come from the European Union. If the government had not sent the energy transition plans to Brussels at the last minute at the weekend, Bulgaria would probably have missed out on more than 720 million euros in funding. Brussels could have frozen another 1.5 billion euros: money from the EU’s regional development program.
Distrust of the government
The demonstrators therefore accuse the government of being greedy for money. “This energy transition will not happen as they say. People are being told lies. They want to take the money – collect all the money now and close the energy plants.” Voices like these reflect a deep distrust of the government.
Stoyan Stojanov is the union leader of the second largest Bulgarian union Podkrepa in the Maritsa East brown coal mine. He fears devastating consequences for the entire Stara Zagora region. The region would lose 15,000 jobs, as well as approximately 90,000 additional jobs indirectly related to the plant’s activities. “These families remain without a means of subsistence. If no solution is found now, these people will flee here,” says the trade unionist.
No meeting with him prime minister
The Maritsa East power plant is one of the largest CO2 emitters in Europe. However, climate protection arguments hardly play a role in the debate.
After unions canceled a meeting with the government on Sunday, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov called on unions to return to the negotiating table. At the same time, Denkov accused the unions of intervening in the ongoing local election campaign. In three weeks, voters across the country will decide on mayoral positions. An ongoing protest could harm the pro-Western government parties.