“The excuses of the ruling coalition that they are waiting for the promulgation of the amendments to the Act on the Administrative Regulation of Economic Activities Related to Oil and Petroleum Products they themselves voted, in order to protect public interest by appointing a special commercial administrator are untenable,” President Rumen Radev states in a comment regarding Lukoil in his official Facebook account.

• The state proposes the appointment of a special commercial administrator for Lukoil Bulgaria

The National Assembly approved emergency legislation because of the US sanctions against the Russian company and the consequences for its assets in this country which envisages the appointment of a special commercial administrator of the refinery and other Lukoil facilities.

If the real objective is to prevent an interruption in the work of the refinery, a fuels crisis or a rise in prices, the special administrator should have been appointed by now and the operational management of these activities taken over – right after the sanctions were announced on 23 October this year, President Radev states.

“In the past few weeks, fear has persistently been instilled, as well as a sense of urgency around which legislative changes, revoking the existing protective measures were pushed through at lightning speed,” says Rumen Radev further and asks whether this isn’t the real aim of the changes approved and who stands to gain.

Edited by Diana Tsankova
Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photo: EPA/BGNES and BTA