High power prices for firms: Radev announces a "clear plan" – more talks planned
Bulgaria's prime minister promises support for businesses. The energy minister has met business representatives; the most effective form of aid is still to be decided.
Archive image · Photo: Elekes Andor / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has held out the prospect of help for businesses hit by sharply higher electricity prices. Asked whether the government would support companies, he said in Tvarditsa on Tuesday that a "clear plan" had been drawn up, the BTA news agency reported. Energy Minister Iva Petrova had already met business people, he said. Further talks are to determine the most effective way to provide support. Radev gave no details on the scale or timing.
The energy crisis affects Europe as a whole, the prime minister said. He named the abandonment of efficient energy resources as one cause and described the crisis as global. He also repeated his call for an end to the war. High energy prices are also the main driver of inflation in Bulgaria: according to an analysis by the Bulgarian National Bank, harmonised inflation rose to 5.0 per cent in August, mainly because of more expensive energy products. The central bank expects inflation of 5.2 per cent at the end of the year.