Weekly Briefing, Vol. 65. No. 3 (BG) September 2023
Bulgaria was shaken by two large National Protest movements
Summary
Since the beginning of September, two large national protests of workers in the field of energy and in the field of agriculture took place in Bulgaria. They were organized by trade unions and branch organizations and covered all the country. The reason for the protest by workers in the energy sector was the fear that nearly 200,000 people are at risk of losing their jobs due to the conditions of the so-called energy transition, which are proposed by Bulgarian and European politicians, which is related with liquidation of capacities in the coal mining sector. The second national protest was of those working in the agricultural sector, with nearly 25 organizations taking part in it. It was caused by the decision of the Bulgarian National Assembly to lift the ban for the import of grain from Ukraine. Finally both protests ended with an agreement between the protesters and the government.
On January 12, the National Assembly decided to renegotiate the terms of the Recovery and Sustainability Plan in the energy sector with the European Commission. Then the political forces in the Parliament united in defense of the coal plants. The plan aimed to drop the commitment to reduce carbon emissions from electricity production by 40% by the end of 2025, taking the baseline levels of 2019. According to this decision the Council of Ministers should take action to ensure that decarburization commitments are brought into line with pan-European targets, ensuring the operation of coal-fired power plants without restriction at least until 2038.[1]
From that moment, however, neither the caretaker government nor the current regular cabinet has any results or a chance for renegotiation regarding this issue.
Thus, at the beginning of September, the two largest trade union organizations in Bulgaria – the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (KNSB) and the Confederation of Labor “Podkrepa” (KT “Podkrepa”) announced that on September 19 miners and energy workers from the entire coal mining sector in Bulgaria will organize a national protest rally-march for the preservation of coal mining and against the liquidation of capacities in the coal sector. The protest was titled “For a clear and secure energy future of Bulgaria!”.[2]
On September 19, thousands of miners and energy workers from the coal mining sector protested in front of the government with requests not to shut down the coal plants.
Miners and energy workers were completely dissatisfied with the prepared territorial plans for the so-called just transition and insisted that the country’s energy security had to be guaranteed and the interests of coal workers had to be protected.
According to the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, nearly 6,000 miners and energy workers gathered in Sofia.
The protesters declared against the government projects of territorial plans for the three main coal mining regions in the country – Stara Zagora, Pernik and Kyustendil, which envisage the closing of capacities in the coal plants.
Dissatisfied people insisted on concrete solutions to preserve energy security.
The president of KNSB Plamen Dimitrov emphasized that they expect to be signed and financed key mechanisms with which employment can be preserved. Dimitrov announced that part of the agreement is to create a state enterprise that will be financed under the territorial plans for Stara Zagora and Kyustendil, and its goal is that the miners who will lose their jobs will be reassigned from the mines in the same working conditions at this enterprise. He pointed out that this is extremely central to the agreement and is the only sure way that the government will not lie to the miners and they will have jobs until 2038 and will continue to work after that.[3]
The reason for the protest by those working in the energy sector is the fear that nearly 200,000 people are at risk of losing their jobs due to the conditions of the so-called energy transition, which are proposed by Bulgarian and European politicians, which is related to the liquidation of capacities in the coal sector.
In the early afternoon of the same day, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov met with the protesters and their trade unions preparing in advance an agreement on the territorial plans of the three coal regions, which would spell out with dates and with projects exactly how coal capacities will be shut down and how people will be retrained and in what activities they will be redirected.[4]
Bulgaria can receive billions of BGN funds under the European Just Transition Fund if it presents a plan for the long-term shutdown of its coal plants. The fund is aimed directly at those regions where coal power is the leading industry. In Bulgaria they are Stara Zagora, Pernik and Kyustendil.
A few months ago, Dr. Maria Trifonova, an energy expert from the Center for the Study of Democracy, said that the Just Transition Plans could be approved without a specific date for plant liquidation if they contain projects that reduce the use of coal power plants.[5]
The demands of the protesters are, on the one hand, to guarantee the operation of the mines, and on the other hand, the operation of the state thermal power plant “Maritsa East 2”. According to them, the energy sector in Bulgaria cannot exist without it.
In the end, the protesters and the government announced that they had agreed to sign an agreement between the government and the unions for a just transition of the coal regions by the end of September. It should include specific timetables for reducing the capacity of coal-fired power plants and the creation of a state-owned enterprise in which all those currently working in state-owned mines and thermal power plants will be reassigned. They will keep their wages and jobs on mine reclamation and site reclamation, and the enterprise will “serve as an emergency labor spillway” and guarantee jobs until 2050 for those who have not yet retired.
It is clear from the words of Plamen Dimitrov that it has been agreed that a significant part of the grants foreseen by the European Just Transition Fund for the creation of a green economy and new jobs in Stara Zagora, Kyustendil and Pernik will go to the formation of such state enterprise.[6]
Parallel to this protest, another national protest was organized in Bulgaria by agricultural workers.
The reason for the protest was the decision of the National Assembly on September 14 to lift the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain into Bulgaria. A day earlier, Prime Minister Denkov said that lifting the ban on imports from Ukraine would be desirable because it would reduce the prices of basic food products. Thus, the Bulgarian parliament took a decision, which once again allowed the import of wheat, corn, sunflower and colza into Bulgaria.
This caused the sharp reaction of the Bulgarian grain producers, who announced that they are starting the national protest of the agricultural sector, in which nearly 25 organizations will participate.
Initially, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov invited the grain producers to negotiate, but they did not respond. This was followed by a comment by Denkov in the media, accussing the grain producers of behaving like “terrorists” and declared, “I do not negotiate with terrorists” with the explanation that the large grain producers issue ultimatums using false arguments.
This increased the tension and hardened the positions of the protesters.[7]
On September 17, Denkov appeared at a special briefing to clarify that he did not want to attack the entire sector, but those “who receive the multibillion-dollar share of the aid. With it they bought yachts, built villas, and now they are in the heart of this protest”. He also indicated that he had spoken with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, who promised to impose restrictions on certain goods in order not to oversaturate the Bulgarian market. After that, Denkov invited the branch organizations to decide what these goods should be for Bulgaria, but they did not respond to the invitation.
Thus, on September 18, agricultural producers across the country went out in protest, gathering in twenty-one places in Bulgaria. They threaten that they are ready to completely block the country – border points and key roads, with demands to extend the ban on the import of goods from Ukraine.
In addition, it became clear that not only grain producers are ready to protest, but also fruit and vegetable producers, beekeepers, and animal breeders.
The protesters, formulated the following five main requests: to continue the ban on the import of agricultural goods from Ukraine, extending it with a veto to fruits, vegetables, meat, milk and honey It is demanded that the farmers be paid the full amount of compensation for the losses due to the war in Ukraine by September 30, that the state aid for the areas destroyed by natural disasters be paid immediately. The protestors also want additional funds for state aid and easing of conditions under the interventions of the Strategic Plan.[8]
In the end, the Government and agricultural organizations, who protested for three days, reached a compromise solution regarding the import of agricultural products from Ukraine by signing a memorandum. According to it there will be no sunflower imports from Ukraine until a quota is agreed upon. A license regime is introduced for the import of wheat, corn and rapeseed. Deadlines for payment of agricultural subsidies will be shortened and measures will be taken to ease the administrative burden on farmers.
Conclusion
The national protests that broke out in the field of energy, as well as in the agrarian sector, are a clear indication that workers in various economic spheres have reached the limit of their patience with regard to certain actions of the government that threaten their interests. In this regard the Prime Minister said that the conversations with the representatives of the energy sector and with the farmers showed that the tension is a reflection of a huge accumulated distrust of the political class, because these people have been lied to many times over the years.[9] It remains to be seen whether the government will keep its promises this time or whether there will be new protests.
[1] https://www.parliament.bg/bills/49/49-354-02-40_PR_zadalzhavane_MS_izgotvyane_doklad_za_izpalnenie_reshenie_NS.pdf
[2] https://knsb-bg.org/index.php/2023/09/05/minori-i-energeticzi-izlizat-na-protest-na-19-septemvri/
[3] https://www.bta.bg/bg/news/economy/525628-minyori-i-energetitsi-s-devet-iskaniya-na-protesta-za-yasno-i-sigurno-energiyno
[4] https://www.svobodnaevropa.bg/a/vaglishtari-protest-sofiya/32599395.html
[5] https://www.svobodnaevropa.bg/a/vaglishtari-protest-sofiya/32599395.html
[6] https://www.mediapool.bg/minyorite-i-kabinetat-se-razbraha-da-ima-grafik-za-vaglishtniya-prehod-news351535.html
https://www.gov.bg/bg/prestsentar/novini/premierat-akad-denkov-imame-saglasie-sas-sindikatite-shte-podpishem-sporazumenie-za-spravedliv-prehod-na-vaglishtnite-regioni
[7] https://www.dnevnik.bg/politika/2023/09/16/4529192_s_teroristi_ne_pregovariam_spored_premiera/?_gl=1*1iehj1f*_ga*MTY3MjU0MjE1NS4xNjY1NjI0MTE1*_ga_T1H9YLR9SR*MTY5NTQxNTAxNi44LjAuMTY5NTQxNTAxNi4wLjAuMA
[8] https://news.bg/politics/zemedeltsi-na-natsionalen-protest.html
[9] https://www.gov.bg/bg/prestsentar/novini/premierat-akad-denkov-dogovorenite-vchera-resheniya-v-oblastta-na-zemedelieto-i-energetikata-saotvetstvat-na-tselite-i-prioritetite-na-pravitelstvoto