A big protest march is currently taking place in Sofia’s central boulevards. Miners and workers in the energy industry, organized by the Podkrepa TU, are demanding the preservation of coal mining in the Maritsa coal basin and coal-fired thermal power plants.

The protesters want the government to take a clear position on whether coal mining will be preserved, and hence – the country’s energy independence. The EU еmissions trading system is placing the country in a position of disadvantage, Podkrepa TU president Dimitar Manolov said. At this time coal-fired thermal power stations provide around 45 percent of Bulgaria’s baseload electricity.

“The government stands firmly behind the Bulgarian miners,” said on her part Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, who came down to meet the protesters as the Podkrepa TU march reached the building of the ministry.

Meanwhile the court ruled against 12 of the miners from Bobov Dol mines who went on strike over unpaid salaries in May 2017. Defendants in this case are 87 protesting miners after the mines’ management brought an action before the court against them for declaring their protest illegal.