2025-11-13 16:57
publication
2025-11-13 16:57
On Thursday, the Bulgarian Parliament rejected President Rumen Radev's veto of a bill under which the government in Sofia could take control of the refinery in Burgas, owned by the Russian company Lukoil, the Bulgarian news agency BTA reported.
Last week, the unicameral National Assembly granted the government the right to appoint a manager whose task would be to manage the Bulgarian assets of the Lukoil concern after November 21, when US sanctions imposed on this company and Rosneft are to come into force. Under the bill, decisions of a government-appointed manager would not be subject to judicial or administrative review. Once appointed, all shareholders would lose all rights.
On Wednesday, the act was vetoed by the president, who warned that in its current form its provisions did not provide security against possible future financial claims from the Russian entity. He also found that it was contrary to the Bulgarian constitution and constituted a threat to the country's public finances. The parliament in Sofia rejected the veto by a vote of 128 to 59.
Even before Thursday's vote, Boyko Borissov – former prime minister and currently leader of the GERB group, which heads the ruling coalition – announced that the authorities in Sofia will negotiate with the United States an exemption from American sanctions imposed on the Russian oil industry.
Lukoil is the majority shareholder of the Neftochim refinery in Burgas, which is the largest enterprise of this type in the Balkans; it also has several hundred gas stations and fuel warehouses throughout the country.
Citing three sources close to the matter, Reuters reported that on Wednesday the Russian company asked the US authorities to postpone the restrictions. Last month, the United States and Great Britain imposed sanctions on the two largest Russian oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, in order to put pressure on the Russian authorities to end the war in Ukraine. (PAP)
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