2024-04-24 17:04:21
The parliament obliges the government, through the ministers of finance and energy, to do everything possible to allocate 200 million per year for the reclamation of disturbed areas
200 million BGN per year from the budget for the reclamation of disturbed areas in the “Maritsa-East” mine was voted by the energy committee in the parliament. For 6 years, this is BGN 1.2 billion. The decision obliges the Council of Ministers, through the Ministers of Finance and Energy, to take actions to secure these funds for the period 202402029.
The importers are deputies from GERB-SDS, the first signature is from the former energy minister Temenuzka Petkova. In their reasons, it is written that with these BGN 200 million per year from the national budget, the mines will be able to plan and implement measures to slow down coal mining and restore disturbed areas.
The Chairman of the Energy Commission, Delyan Dobrev, specified that these funds are allocated from the state budget, as the energy sector is quite financially drained. The mines had no funds and therefore had to be helped for the reclamation.
Dragomir Stoinev from the BSP asked if GERB is looking for alternative employment for the miners, or if there is an option for this money to go to private companies to be hired. He asked for clarification on the mechanism by which these funds will be used.
The goal is pre-election, responded the vice-chairman of the committee and MP from PP-DB Radoslav Ribarski. It is not the job of the National Assembly to decide how much money the budget will give to the mines. Until that day, we listened to how there was no money in the fiscal reserve, he said, and asked why exactly BGN 200 million per year, since he had seen much larger sums in documents. And he asked under what programs and by what mechanism the money would be given and absorbed. “Certain companies will take some money again. Quite a few such reckless decisions passed through the hall, Ribarski reacted. He recalled that these funds were not provided for in the budget.
Iskra Mihailova from “Vazrazhdane” stated that their group will support this decision and recalled that this problem was commented on at the beginning of the year by former energy minister Rumen Radev. She also believes that the amounts are much higher. With this decision, the question remained about the contradictions in the territorial plans for a fair transition of the coal regions, which fixed two types of reclamation – one for the purpose of agriculture and forest fund, and the other – for industrial needs.
Mihailova agreed that this decision was because of the election campaign, but not only, but also because of the protest of the energy workers from the Mariska basin tomorrow. She also asked for a guarantee that these reclamations will be carried out by the mines themselves and not outsourced to private companies.
Rositsa Kirova from GERB, who is also among the importers, explained that what kind of reclamation will be done depends on the technical project. According to her, it would take 10-15 years for the full restoration of the grounds, and at some point it had to start, and the activity in the mines was slowing down and revenues were decreasing. With this decision, they are given a horizon, because otherwise they would not have the funds for the reclamation of the terrains to breathe new life into.
With a majority, the deputies voted for the decision to enter the hall in the last days of the parliament.