Stara Zagora and unions demand urgent meetings of the state with the municipalities that will be affected by the closure of the coal plants

A discussion on the topic "Future for the energy complex "Maritsa East" - perspectives and challenges" was held at the initiative of the Municipality of Stara Zagora. The meeting was organized at the request of the unions to preserve the complex as a working segment of the economy in the district and not only in the region. We are worried about the fate of "Maritsa East", you know in the context of the so-called "Green Deal" has various information, and we as a local authority are extremely interested in the Territorial Plans, which we have not yet seen, specifically the one for Stara Zagora. We expect to come out of today's discussion united and to be clear with our requests to the central government, what the local community will defend as a concept," said Mayor Zhivko Todorov, the host of the discussion, during the opening, BTA reported.

"If this does not happen, a pogrom is looming in the region and it will resemble the one in Northwestern Bulgaria. We have no intention of surrendering," said Dimitar Manolov, the chairman of KT "Support" during the discussion. He defined the idea of retraining the workers in the complex as a "fig leaf". According to Manolov, "the just transition must be rethought". "For the workers, this transition is not fair, they only lose. If they lose their jobs, they should be directly financially compensated," the chairman of the KT "Podkrepa" also believes. According to him, the implementation of the decisions of the National Assembly for the renegotiation of the Sustainable Transition Plan should be insisted upon. "We will continue to monitor and participate in this process," he is emphatic.

KNSB Vice President Ognyan Atanasov pointed out three main things that must be done in the next two months. By the end of this month, a meeting must be organized with the social partners and the municipalities that are affected by this transition. During it, the revision of the Integrated Climate and Energy Plan should be discussed, Atanasov pointed out. According to him, the prepared Territorial Plans for a just transition should be tied to this Integrated Climate and Energy Plan. Atanasov defined the months of July and August as critical. According to him, the funds under the Recovery and Sustainability Plan, which must reach the Stara Zagora region, must be over 80 percent. The third major point to be resolved is whether the Recovery and Resilience Plan is currently being renegotiated. "Are such negotiations taking place and how far did they go," asked Ognyan Atanasov.

Among the participants in the discussion was the Staro Zagorje scientist Prof. Zheko Ganev, who emphasized that there is a developed technology for capturing carbon dioxide.

During the discussion, the municipal councilor in the Municipality of Stara Zagora Yanko Yankov proposed the creation of an Initiative Committee, including representatives of KT "Podkrepa", KNSB and all affected municipalities, to initiate a referendum on the future of the complex.

Representatives of the local authorities from the municipalities of Galabovo, Radnevo, Nova Zagora and Haskovo also expressed their concerns about the energy transition.