Household electricity and heating prices will not rise before 1 July 2027, deputy prime minister Atanas Pekanov told reporters. He spoke at the 15th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region at the Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia.
"As prime minister Radev said last week, end users will not see higher prices for electricity or heating until 1 July next year," Pekanov said. The Energy System Security Fund keeps household prices steady.
Natural gas on European exchanges has risen 30% in a month and 80% in three. The price in Bulgaria, set the day before, is €58 per megawatt hour, against €95 on the exchanges. Pekanov said gas in Bulgaria is about 40% cheaper than in the rest of Europe, and the country is in a relatively better position thanks to the current system.
The deputy prime minister admitted the situation makes life harder for business, and said it depends on international markets. "In part there is nothing we can do, but we have made sure end users do not feel the effect," he added.
Firms that use a lot of energy can get help from two support programmes, plus a third, more general one for compensation. Business groups have already sent in proposals to improve the help. The energy ministry and company representatives will discuss them at a meeting this week. The aim is to pay compensation faster and make the programme work better.
Pekanov said the government uses this help to try to keep firms' high costs out of the prices of goods and services. That eases pressure on inflation, meaning the rising cost of things people buy every day.
The deputy prime minister also replied to the opposition, which calls on the government to intervene in decisions by the energy regulator KEVR and cap the gas price. He said this would be wrong, because KEVR is an independent regulator.
Firms in Ruse and Svishtov are struggling because the Danube is low, and some have stopped work. Pekanov said their problems also come from high electricity prices, which weigh on all of Europe. He believes this hurts the competitiveness of the European economy.
Bulgaria is taking part in talks to change EU rules that make electricity cost end users more. On the table are the ETS2 emissions trading system and the way the price of electricity is set. Prime minister Radev has joined the discussions in the European Council, and Bulgaria is seeking solutions with the Czech Republic, Austria and Poland, whose positions are close to its own.
The draft budget will be presented on Friday. Talks with the European Commission on some of its details continue. Pekanov said the real talks on the budget start after the draft is presented.