site.btaNo New Legislation Is Envisaged Currently Over High Oil, Natural Gas Prices

At the moment no legislative revisions are considered in connection with the high prices of oil and natural gas, parliamentary energy committee chair Radoslav Ribarski told BTA on Tuesday.

Ribarski argued that prices in Bulgaria are the lowest in the region. He said that in neighbouring countries petrol is traded at nearly 4 leva per litre, whereas in Bulgaria a litre of petrol is still below 3 leva. He said that the excise duty rate in Bulgaria is the lowest possible and that no measures for reducing the VAT rate are considered.

Asked what measures can be implemented to support consumers if the price of petrol increases drastically, Ribarski said that there are other components of the price of fuel that could be looked into. He specified that this could be the eco component which is expensive and inflates the price of petrol However, Ribarski explained that these are requirements of the European Union and it should be carefully considered how such a measure can be implemented,

“There is no disruption of supplies, tankers are running on schedule and are transporting oil and there is no cause for concern at the moment,” said Ribarski, He said that natural gas supply from Russia is regular and that if supplies are suspended, alternative routes are sought. The withdrawal of gas from the Chiren storage facility has been suspended and the aim is for the winter season to go smoothly, concluded Ribarski. PP