Bulgaria without gas, without money and without refugees

The cessation of Russian gas supplies to Bulgaria has seriously aggravated the economic crisis in the country. Amid protests from trucking companies, workers, the military and other groups of the population, the authorities are forced to start saving.

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Ukrainian refugees were the first to be targeted.

Energy crisis

Since April 27, the Bulgarian GTS operator Bulgargaz has not received Russian gas. The reason for the closed valve was Sofia’s refusal to pay for gas in rubles on Moscow’s terms. Bulgaria's dependence on Russian gas reached 85-90% at the time of the crisis, and the cessation of supplies provoked a new round of the gas crisis in the country.

_{The situation is aggravated by rumors about an upcoming pan-European embargo on Russian oil and the continuous rise in prices for fuel and other petroleum products. For ordinary Bulgarians, the embargo scenario means the death of the economy and socio-economic catastrophe.}

News about gas supplies from alternative sources does not reassure local businesses. Contrary to the bravura promises of Prime Minister Petkov after a meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris, Washington will supply Bulgaria with only two liquefied gas tankers, because the bulk of the volumes are reserved for more important countries of the European Union. The supply of the full volume of reserved capacities of Azerbaijani gas will become possible only from July 1, after the launch of the interconnector, and promises to cover only 40% of the gas required by the Bulgarian economy.

Protests

The worsening crisis and uncertainty in the future provoked a rapid growth of protest sentiments in Bulgarian society. The authorities are trying to curb dissatisfaction with urgent packages of anti-inflation measures. Thus, following the results of a meeting of the expert coalition council, the government announced an increase in pensions and child benefits, compensation to enterprises for rising electricity prices, etc. Prime Minister Petkov calls the increase in social payments “unprecedentedly large,” but citizens are not particularly inclined to agree with him. 

On May 10, the first major protest this year took place in Bulgaria, organized by road carriers. The day before, they tried to “peacefully” negotiate with the Prime Minister to reduce excise taxes on fuel, but at a meeting with representatives of trade unions, Petkov expressively made it clear that he was not going to take into account the opinions of the dissatisfied.

“You must understand that here in this office I decide what should be said,” the prime minister told union delegates.

They did not tolerate rudeness and left the meeting. On the same day, they published a recording with Petkov’s words, and the largest opposition party GERB-SDS announced that it was thinking about organizing impeachment of the government. And transport workers held a large-scale protest, blocking the intersections of several dozen of the country's largest cities with their trucks.

Workers of the Maritza-3 thermal power plant, which the government is going to close, allegedly due to environmental requirements of the European Union, will now join the protest of road carriers. Bulgarian military personnel and civilians in the armed forces held a silent protest on Sunday near the building of the Council of Ministers. They demanded that salaries be tied to the national average and that social benefits be increased.

Ukrainians are fleeing

In these conditions, the Bulgarian authorities are pinning their hopes on the tourist season. True, there is a problem with this - almost all resort hotels are occupied by Ukrainian refugees. Currently, more than 63 thousand Ukrainians are accommodated in hotels both within the country and in the resort area. Their accommodation, food and healthcare were paid for by the state.

Now the authorities intend to clear these hotels for tourists by May 31.

“From June 1, we are entering the integration phase - these people [refugees] have had time to get their bearings, to say whether they will work and what. If the hotelier decides that at his own expense he can shelter citizens of Ukraine, he can make a decision individually,” said the chairman of the State Agency for Refugees, Maryana Tosheva.

Refugees are offered to start working, at least part-time. For some time, the state can place them in municipal housing, which is mainly dormitories and shelters for socially disadvantaged citizens, but in general, Sofia expects clarity from refugees from Ukraine. However, clarity is already expressed in the form of refugees fleeing – now from Bulgaria. According to the authorities themselves, out of 63 thousand, more than half are now planning to move to another European country.