Nearly 7,000 signatures have been collected through online and paper petitions in defense of the Maritsa Iztok Mining and Energy Complex, an initiative supported by numerous energy experts and former managers of the complex. To advance the petitioners' demands, the Committee on Direct Citizen Participation and Interaction with Civil Society is taking steps to refer the petition—originally submitted on 20.05.2026 and supplemented on 14.07.2026—to the Committee on Energy in the National Assembly.
Committee Chairman Alexander Simidchiev clarified the procedure, noting that every submitted request is accompanied by a report prepared for the relevant standing committee. The petitioners are calling for three key steps: recognizing the complex as EU critical infrastructure, exempting it from carbon emission fees, and including it in the eastern flank of the European energy corridors. They argue these measures are essential to ensuring the security of the power system across the entire Southeast Europe region.
During its work on the matter, the committee requested official opinions from the Ministry of Economy, Investments and Industry, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Energy. According to information provided by the finance ministry, negotiations with the European Commission regarding Component 4 of the Recovery and Resilience Plan have not yet been concluded.
For its part, the Ministry of Energy, as cited by Alexander Simidchiev, is preparing a business plan for a public enterprise, as well as an investment plan covering development concepts for the complex. These documents will analyze the fiscal impact, socio-economic consequences, and energy supply security. The ministry confirmed it will continue to uphold the need for a fair and phased energy transition toward a low-carbon economy, and upon completion, the documents will be submitted to the National Assembly.