The union organizations of the CITUB in the "Maritsa-East" complex insist on Bulgaria developing a unified national position for the revision of the European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). The appeal is addressed to President Iliana Yotova and Prime Minister Rumen Radev.
The reason for the request is also the increase in the price of carbon quotas. According to the unions, their price has reached 88.36 euros per ton of carbon dioxide, which represents an increase of about 17.2% since the beginning of the year. According to the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions (CITUB), this increase in cost is hindering the economic activity of coal-fired power plants.
“We insist on the development of a unified national position of Bulgaria for the revision of the European Union Emissions Trading System“, states the union organizations in their appeal. They want a change in the mechanism for pricing quotas, as well as special mechanisms and derogations for coal-fired power plants, which they believe are necessary for energy security.
As an argument, the unions point to the role of the complex for employment and livelihoods in the region. According to them, “Maritsa-East“ provides production capacity and the ability to respond to accidents, low production from renewable sources and crises in the energy markets. The use of local lignite coal, according to the assessment of the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions, reduces the country's dependence on imported fuels.
Unions point to a decline in the region's economy
The appeal cited Eurostat data, according to which the real gross domestic product of the Southeast region decreased by 20.5% between 2019 and 2024. Over the same period, the European Union economy grew by 5.6%. The CITUB defines the difference as an indicator of the economic consequences of the transition in regions dependent on coal energy.
The organization insists that the president support the achievement of a national consensus, and that the prime minister commission the development of a position with the participation of state institutions, energy companies, unions, employers and the expert community.
According to the CITUB, the Ministry of Energy must prepare an expert justification with quantitative estimates of the costs, risks and consequences of the different scenarios. The unions also call on Bulgaria to seek coordination with other EU countries that are interested in changes in the system.
Miners are against structural reforms
The unions insist that the pace of coal power reduction be consistent with the availability of replacement capacities that would guarantee the security of electricity supply.
In early September, the chairman of the Company Trade Union Organization “Podkrepa“ in “Mini Maritsa-iztok“ Biser Binev and the chairman of the CITUB's Corporate Trade Union Organization, Georgi Gospodinov, announced that the miners are against the structural reforms and restructuring in the sector proposed by the Ministry of Energy.
Now the trade unions are placing the issue of the European emissions trading system at the center of their demands and insisting that the state present a common position, supported by specific estimates of the impact on the energy sector and the region.
Sources: bta.bg, bnrnews.bg