The stabilization of theenergy sectorwill
not happen without legislative changes, according tocaretakerEconomy
and Energy Minister,Asen Vasilev.
Vasilev spoke in theParliamentas
the 42nd BulgarianGeneral Assembly, which convened one day ago, was
holding its first work sitting, with theenergy sectortopping the agenda.
He was summoned along withcaretakerPrime
Minister,Marin Raykov, for a hearing in the matter.
ThecaretakerMinister further told
the MPs that all breaches established during his term have been referred to the
Prosecutor's Office, adding the priority of his Ministry was to find the worst
problems and to attempt to solve them one by one.
"There was an opportunity to ask the State
Commission for Energy and Water Regulation,DKEVR, to postpone the nextpriceforming
period from July to September and let the new government deal with it. It would
have been the easy way out. We found theenergy sectorin shambles
and the only right decision was to begin working with all people in the system,
regardless of them liking us or not. If and when we manage to eliminate the
inefficiencies and align the decrees of my Ministry andDKEVRwith
the changes, then we will begin making the most difficult decisions - when
there is over-production, some power plants will be allowed to work only if
they have markets outside the country, otherwise they will be mandated to stop
theirproduction," said Vasilev.
He explained the next step to regain command on
theenergy sectorwas to approach key figures there to find ways to
make the system stable and resilient, without citizens being forced to pay theprice.
"Whoever my successor is, I would like to
spend several days with him to hand over the duties properly," Vasilev
concluded.
The MP from the left-wing Bulgarian Socialist
Party, BSP, Yanaki Stoilov, asked Vasilev to propose three measures toDKEVR–
to replace the proportional energy transport tax with a fixed one; two
different prices ofelectric poweraligned with income, and to
examine the grounds for having companies usingelectricitydeduct the
Value Added Tax (VAT) while individual consumers pay the 20% tax.
The Minister replied he and his team have
thought of all three and agree with them, but some details must be ironed-out
further such as finding out ways to reimburse the treasury if the 20% tax was
to be eliminated.
"Whoever my successor is, I would like to
spend several days with them to hand over the duties properly," Vasilev
concluded.