Bulgarians to ban Russian oil. The revolution just started
9:19 AM EDT, October 22, 2023, updated: 3:09 AM EDT, October 23, 2023
The Bulgarian parties belonging to the ruling coalition have proposed a ban on the supply of Russian oil to LUKOIL plants - reports Kommersant.ru. The parliament may decide on this in the coming weeks.
The Bulgarians want to hit the Russian company Lukoil again. Already in July, the Bulgarian parliament urgently adopted a law to deprive the Russian oil company of the concession to use the terminal on the Black Sea. However, the politicians of the ruling coalition are now planning another blow.
End of Russian oil deliveries in Bulgaria?
The Bulgarian party GERB, which is part of the ruling coalition, has officially requested for the third time a ban on Russian oil supplies to LUKOIL plants. This initiative was also supported by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms — also a party of the ruling coalition.
According to Bulgarian media, parliament might address this issue as soon as in November. If the deputies support the proposal, Lukoil will be forced to abandon processing Russian oil at its refinery.
The parliamentary majority had already planned to impose an embargo on Russian oil before. At that time, the Russian company indicated that implementing the decision in such a short time would lead to a sharp increase in domestic fuel costs — recalls Kommersant.ru.
However, in September, the Bulgarian parliament endorsed limiting the use of Russian oil in the Lukoil refinery to 80%, and the Russian conglomerate should completely phase out Russian raw materials by 2024 due to sanctions and a decision by the European Commission — Kommersant.ru adds.
The Bulgarians struck at Lukoil
In July, the Bulgarians passed a law depriving the Russian oil company of a concession to use the terminal on the Black Sea. The case concerned the Rosenets oil terminal. The Bulgarian government granted the concession to use the infrastructure in 2011. According to the agreement, it was to expire in 2045.
"Revoking the license for the terminal is a considerable blow for the Russian corporation. Through Rosenec, oil from Russia and the Middle East is transported to the Lukoil Neftochim petrochemical plant. Let it be added - the largest in the Balkans. The reason for the Bulgarian government's decision was the demand of Brussels".
