Parliament's energy committee has rejected a draft resolution from Vazrazhdane that called on the government to renegotiate gold, precious metal and rare metal mining concessions at once. One MP voted against and 15 abstained.

Kostadin Kostadinov and a group of MPs from the party tabled the draft. They wanted the government to open talks on the current contracts and, if no deal was reached, end them as the law allows.

"The Council of Ministers should carry out a full review and assessment of the current concession contracts for mining gold, precious metals and rare metals," the draft's explanatory notes say.

The contracts were signed over the years, when economic conditions and world commodity prices were different, the authors say. The market has changed a lot since then and many metals have risen in price, so they argue officials should check whether the contracts still keep a fair balance between the state and the concession holders.

The authors also claim the concession holders operate with no transparency at all, and that the contracts do not clearly describe how mining is monitored. They say it is unclear on what basis the firms declare the amount they mine, and that the state does not fully use its right to inspect them. They call the current fees negligible compared with other countries that have rich deposits, Bulgaria among them.

Vazrazhdane expected renegotiation to give the state a fairer deal, including higher revenue. The party wanted tighter control over the amounts mined, how royalties are worked out and paid, whether investment pledges are met, environmental rules and land restoration. It also wanted more openness and accountability in managing natural resources, which are exclusive state property.

At the meeting, Vazrazhdane MP Angel Georgiev said Bulgaria's underground wealth is being plundered in the open. For decades precious metals have been shipped out in full view of the government, he said. The concession holders make big profits, while Bulgarians are left with low concession fees. He said Bulgaria is treated worse than a colony in Africa.

Mihail Mihaylov of Progressive Bulgaria said it is important to know what the state earns from its underground resources. He noted that a new regulation on concession payments is already in force and that the concession holders have been asked to sign additional agreements.

Zhecho Stankov of GERB-SDS said that after talks with the concession holders, fees went up three to five times and are now at the average European level.

The energy ministry has sent the committee a written opinion saying parliament does not need to adopt a resolution on the concessions.