SOFIA: Brussels recommended yesterday far-reaching reforms to Bulgaria’s troubled energy sector as well as measures like better insulation, as a solution to high electricity bills that have prompted public anger in the EU’s poorest country.
The European Commission review, requested by Sofia in the aftermath of massive street rallies that ousted the conservative government in February, criticised the “complex and non-transparent structure and functioning” of the electricity sector.
This “creates distrust among system users and raises concerns of mismanagement, abuses and widespread allegations of corruption,” it noted, adding that sector reforms that were started were “largely incomplete.”
Power bills doubled in January from December, sending thousands of people into the streets.
Slumping demand and exports also exacerbated problems, prompting authorities to curtail production capacities.
To improve the system, the Commission recommended measures to facilitate exports, market liberalisation, more transparency, and the possible decommissioning of inefficient plants as well as the independence of the price regulatory commission.
It also advised Bulgarian authorities to seek ways to make production more efficient, and improve building insulation.
In a separate assessment released Tuesday, the World Bank found that 61 percent of Bulgarian households were energy poor.
AFP
