Bulgarian national interest must be protected, and fuel prices - stable.
This was said on “From the Day“ on BNT by MEP Tsvetelina Penkova in connection with the sanctions imposed by the US against "Rosneft" and "Lukoil“. In her words, these sanctions were surprising.
In her words, Bulgaria has secured alternative supplies of energy resources.
“The Ministries of Finance, Economy and Energy have committed to additional measures if necessary. There are currently alternative supplies for the Bulgarian market, i.e. Bulgarian citizens should not worry at this stage", she said.
The MEP also commented on the planned ban on the import of Russian gas into the EU.
„The European Parliament has come up with a restrictive decision, but negotiations are underway on the final package of measures... Only 12 member states approve the text in full, which shows the differences between the countries in terms of national interests“, the MEP commented.
According to Penkova, the Bulgarian national interest is expressed in the fact that the consequences of the European decisions do not affect fuel prices and the social aspect, while preserving jobs in key industries, such as the „Neftochim“ refinery.
„What we have always advocated from the BSP is that the consequences of the decision should not be transferred in any way, that they should not affect fuel prices and the final consumer“, she said.
She also emphasized the role of nuclear energy for Europe. In her words, for the first time nuclear energy has been brought up as a priority in the talks on the seven-year EU budget. She explained that there is talk of 10 billion euros for maintenance, new capacities and development of human resources.
“This is key for Bulgaria, especially in terms of the shortage of personnel in the sector. There is a serious shortage of personnel in the nuclear energy sector, not only in Bulgaria, in France, too... Investments should be directed towards creating conditions and interest in this industry.“