Kiril Petkov: The decision to increase natural gas by 30% was a big surprise

The Prime Minister Kiril Petkov commented to Nova TV on the announced increase in the price of natural gas from January 1, which he described as surprising. According to him, by the end of January all EWRC members with expired mandates will be replaced.

"The decision of January 1 showed that the EWRC is not doing its job. Its goal is to protect the public interest, protect the market and devise the best way to protect it. The decision was not discussed, it was taken in closed session and was definitely surprise. An even bigger surprise was that the increase would be 30%, "he added.

The National Assembly will have the commitment to replace the expired members of the Commission. Among them will be EWRC Chairman Ivan Ivanov, the Prime Minister added.

"I hope that the new members will exercise more control and check what these high prices require," Petkov added.

In connection with the statements of the Minister of Defense about the deployment of additional NATO forces on Bulgarian territory, the Prime Minister commented that such decisions are made by the Council of Ministers.

"No minister has his own opinion on comprehensive issues concerning the Bulgarian people. This is decided by the Council of Ministers," he added.

The prime minister said the state would launch a sharp campaign against counterfeit certificates. "For everyone who dies with COVID-19, who has been vaccinated or has been vaccinated, an inspection will be carried out by the Ministry of Interior. I hope to stop the spread of fake certificates, "Petkov explained.

According to him, at the moment the hospital beds have the necessary capacity, but this can change quickly.

"Whether new, stricter measures will be imposed depends on that. The beds will not be filled if we as a society observe the anti-epidemic measures," he added.