With 6 votes "for", 8 "against" and two "abstentions" the Energy Committee in the National Assembly did not adopt at its extraordinary meeting today the draft decision obliging the Council of Ministers (CoM) to take action to nationalize the assets of "Lukoil" in Bulgaria. The submitters are Radostin Vassilev from the Parliamentary Group of MECH and a group of MPs.
The draft envisaged obliging the CoM to prepare and propose for voting in the National Assembly a project for investment expenditure for the acquisition of "Lukoil Neftochim Burgas" AD and "Lukoil-Bulgaria" EOOD from the Bulgarian state, as well as to start negotiations with the owners of the two companies for this purpose.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Industry (MEI), the Ministry of Finance (MF) and the Ministry of Energy (ME). The Ministry of Finance and Energy expressed reservations about the proposal and it was not supported.
The members of the committee postponed the consideration of the draft Law on the Protection of Strategic Energy Sites at today's extraordinary meeting. The proposal was made by the deputy from the Parliamentary Group (PG) of "GERB-SDF" Delyan Dobrev. It was supported by 12 of the committee members, "against" there were four, and there were no abstentions.
The bill was submitted by Kostadin Kostadinov, Chairman of the PG of "Vazrazhdane" and a group of MPs on January 22.
Deputy Delyan Dobrev made the procedural motion to postpone the debates on the texts to the next meeting, so that the members of the committee can have time to familiarize themselves with the opinions on the proposed Law. Opinions were received from the Ministry of Energy; "Mini Maritsa - East"; TPP "Maritsa East 2"; NEK, "Electricity System Operator"; BEH; NPP "Kozloduy".
The proposed text consists of four chapters: General Provisions; State Control and Powers over Strategic Energy Facilities; Management and Control; and Sanctions and Penalties. Immediately after its Final Provisions, a list of 24 energy sites considered strategic is included.
Pavela Mitova, Chairwoman of the Energy Committee, announced that she will include the item on the agenda of the next meeting of the Energy Committee.