Over the years, the Commission has been incorrectly indicated several times by various non-governmental organizations as a body exercising control over the activities of the EPCs, which is related to energy policy and the quality of the service - the supply of electricity, states the position of the Chairman of the Commission Maria Filipova.
"These statements do not correspond to the texts of the current legislation, which can be seen from Chapter Two of the Energy Law - "ENERGY POLICY". In order not to mislead Bulgarian consumers, the CPC informs them that although it shares the extremely serious problem, which is undoubtedly the lack of electricity, it could not, by exercising its powers, assist them in the rapid restoration of electricity. The problem is not rooted in the texts of the general conditions of the EPCs, but in the requirements for their activities (for example, business plans, licensing conditions, indicators for the degree of reliability of the electricity supply, as well as measures to cover them, etc.).
In short, these are issues that are regulated by the Energy Act and by the secondary legislation in the field of energy, over which the CPC does not have powers and is not competent to implement them.
With regard to the General Conditions, I should point out that they are approved by the EWRC, after they have previously been checked by the CPC for the presence of unfair clauses. This means that the general terms and conditions approved by the EWRC were drawn up by the Consumer Protection Commission and do not contain unfair clauses. It is significant that the general terms and conditions provide for the right to compensation for consumers for network damage not repaired within the time limit. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Consumer Protection Commission cannot determine the amount of compensation due to consumers, since this is an agreement in favor of the consumer and only the court is competent to assess whether the amount provided is sufficient to compensate the consumer for the damage.
The Consumer Protection Commission has the authority to file collective claims for the cessation or prohibition of practices that violate the collective interests of consumers. However, claims for consumer compensation may only be brought by a group of consumers or by consumer associations recognized as qualified organizations. These organizations have a legal interest in protecting consumer rights through legal actions.
I urge people who were placed in this extremely difficult situation to file complaints with the relevant electricity distribution companies. If necessary, they can also turn to consumer organizations for assistance in filing collective claims for compensation.
For problems with electricity supplies, consumers can also turn to the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission.
In fulfillment of its main mission, the Consumer Rights Commission will continue to protect consumer rights and will strictly monitor compliance with the legislation in this area," Filipova assured.