site.btaEconomy Minister Stoyanov Meets Trade Union Confederations

Bulgarian Economy and Industry Minister Nikola Stoyanov, met with the management of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, his Ministry said in a press release on Friday.

The talks were initiated by the new team at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, with the aim of identifying the urgent actions necessary to be taken in the next two months.

Stoyanov spoke with Podkrepa President Dimitar Manolov at the headquarters of the confederation. The two discussed the challenges in the field of economy, which are increasingly affecting the working force - the inflation and the prices of fuels and materials. Special attention was paid to the crisis in the economy due to the problems with the supply of natural gas and the need to take urgent joint measures to overcome it. Manolov emphasized the need to stabilize the state-owned companies in the composition of the State Consolidation Company (SCC), as well as of the SCC itself, because of the reckless actions within them in recent months.

Later in the day, Stoyanov, and CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov, discussed Bulgaria's economic and industrial priorities until the parliamentary elections on October 2. They discussed possible solutions to the gas and energy crises and CITUB raised the question of the lack of clarity regarding the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

According to Dimitrov, it is impossible to reduce Bulgaria's carbon emissions by 40% by 2026, considering the current situation of crisis. Another issue Dimitrov pointed out was the liberalization of electricity prices, which he said is also not clear. He also posed the question whether the poorest country in the EU can afford exchange prices for electricity. CITUB Vice President Ognyan Atanasov pointed out that the Economy Ministry should have the leading role in the European Green Deal Advisory Council of Bulgaria. 

Stoyanov pointed out that the expertise of the trade unions is at a very high level. "We will rely on cooperation with you, on support from both the unions and the employers. You can decide what to submit to us, which goals are realistic and which actions are absolutely necessary," he said.