Balgarianovinite.com The Bulgarian government is committed to the sustainable development of the energy sector, protecting workers in the industry, and preserving thermal power plants (TPPs) and coal mining as a sovereign source of baseload energy, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said during a meeting with representatives of the leadership of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, as quoted by the government’s information service.
The meeting took place at the Council of Ministers and was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov, and Energy Minister Iva Petrova.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the government is maintaining dialogue with the European Commission regarding the reforms in the sector agreed over the years, as well as the scale and pace of the green transition.
Representatives of the trade unions expressed concerns about the reforms implemented in recent years to restructure the coal power sector and related enterprises, and about the resulting layoffs of workers. Radev assured them of the government’s will to promote the sustainable and balanced development of Bulgaria’s regions and highlighted the measures taken to preserve employment in Stara Zagora and the surrounding region.
The Prime Minister also noted that the agreed postponement of the closure of the thermal power plants in the Maritsa Basin until 2038 does not resolve the issue of their economic viability during that period, given the European Union’s climate targets and the high cost of carbon emission allowances. For this reason, the Bulgarian government, together with other EU member states, is working to revise the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and to acknowledge the importance of coal-fired power generation as a sovereign source of baseload electricity, particularly in the context of the current energy crisis, according to the Council of Ministers.
The meeting also discussed measures to provide social protection for workers and preserve employment in the Maritsa Basin through land reclamation, industrial transformation, the development of new technological capacities, retraining and the acquisition of new professional skills, as well as attracting investment to the Stara Zagora region.
On Wednesday, the government adopted its government programme. In the Energy chapter, the key priorities include ensuring energy security and system adequacy, improving energy efficiency, diversifying and decentralizing energy sources, developing nuclear energy, strengthening Bulgaria’s role as a regional energy hub, and rehabilitating and modernizing the state-owned energy companies. Government Is Committed to Preserving Coal Industry, Prime Minister Says 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-13 15:56:50 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law