site.btaInnovation Minister Hails News of Bulgaria Exemption from Russian Oil Embargo

Innovation and Growth Minister Daniel Lorer Sunday hailed the news of the Bulgaria exemption from the Russian oil embargo. “I was happy to hear that Bulgaria received an exemption from the Russian oil embargo. This shows that the European Commission has taken our needs into account,” Lorer said, as quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio.

Earlier on Sunday, Bloomberg reported that under a revised European Commission (EC) draft for the Russian seaborne oil ban, Bulgaria would get a transition period until June or December 2024. According to the report, the EC has sent a revised proposal to national governments on Saturday that would also spare shipments of oil through the giant Druzhba pipeline, which is Hungary’s main source of crude imports.

No other official in Sofia has commented the report.

On May 13, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev told journalists in Parliament he had been assured by the European Commission that Bulgaria’s request for an exemption would be taken into account and it would be included in a list of exceptions from the EU-wide ban on Russian oil imports.