Mining News — Bulgarian Coal Miners Stage A Roadblock Protest Against Decision To Close Stara Zagora Mines

Is it “just” to close down coal mines?

Coal miners in Bulgaria’s Stara Zagora are adamant that the European Commission’s Just Transition plan is not a suitable framework for Bulgaria’s coal mining regions. Thus, they have staged a roadblock to protest the plan.

Since 1 October it has been reported that the protestors, representing coal miners from the Stara Zagora coal mining operations, have blocked roads, including transit routes to Bulgaria’s key cities Sofia and Bourgas.

The European Commission recieved a “territorial just transition plan” for the coal mining regions of Bulgaria, for which they had been expecting from the Bulgarian government. The EC also released a statement about the plan:

“We will assess to what extent the plans contain everything that is needed, the objectives outlined and the ways that are envisaged to support the regions concerned moving towards a cleaner economy. On that basis we will decide whether to approve the plans. I can’t say what amounts are foreseen for the individual activities set out in the plan.”

They are expected to make a final decision about the plan by the end of 2023.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian unions are growing more powerful on the side of coal miners in Stara Zagora. Here’s what they said about the protest movement:

“We insist on an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers, to be held today and to include one point in it; namely, the withdrawal of the submitted territorial plans for a just transition. The deadline for submission to the EC has been met, but now we want them to be corrected and our demands to be made.”

Politico wrote a detailed piece about “Bulgaria’s miners face dark future with millions of EU funds in jeopardy” in June, which anyone should read who wants to know the full story behind the coal miner’s protest movement in Bulgaria.

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