The forecast that at the end of 2026 the price of a liter of gasoline will jump by 50-80 cents comes from the fact that then the scheme for trading with EU emissions affecting buildings and transport. This is what Svetoslav Benchev from the Bulgarian Oil and Gas Association said in "Your Day" on NOVA NEWS.
"From January 1, 2025, Bulgaria will start calculating quotas without paying them. But that doesn't mean there won't be another administrative fuel hike. Bulgaria has new obligations for energy efficiency, we expect new requirements for biofuels. This will again make the products more expensive. Before 2027, administratively imposed increases may happen," Benchev said.
"We sent a manifesto to the candidates for MEPs to discuss a general strategy on how to transpose these measures, which ones we can implement and which ones should be changed," said the expert.
Benchev pointed out that if the state does not have a clear strategy regarding transport, there will always be uncertainty about fuel prices. He stated that if a state policy regarding energy efficiency is not implemented this year, such as the creation of a fund, it will have to be implemented in a much more expensive way.
According to the owner of a gas station in Ruse, Ventsislav Pengezov, fuel prices usually rise in the summer due to higher consumption.
"My prediction is that there will be a hold around the current value. Levels have returned to around $83 a barrel. US inflation data is due, as is the OPEC consumption report. I do not expect surprises and a reflection on the price of oil. An escalation of the war in Ukraine or the conflict in the Middle East could have a serious impact on fuel prices. The presidential race in the US also affects investors," he pointed out.