The EU's new emissions trading system will add between €0.20 and €1.40 to the price of every litre of fuel, Svetoslav Benchev, head of the Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association (BPGA), told reporters.
Earlier today, energy groups from Central and Eastern Europe signed a declaration in Sofia calling for a delay to the start of the system. The document, the Sofia Declaration on Energy Security and Competitiveness in Central and Eastern Europe, was signed at the conference "Energy Alliance in CEE – Central and Eastern Europe Together for a Competitive and Secure Energy Future" at the Grand Hotel Sofia.
The new rules are due to take effect on 1 January 2028. The signatories want a two-year delay. Benchev says that time should be used for in-depth talks with the European Commission, so that fuel prices do not rise.
He said that for every tonne of diesel sold, three carbon emission allowances must be surrendered, and one allowance costs between €70 and €501. In his view, the price of the allowances goes straight into every litre of fuel, and the final consumer pays it.
Benchev says Europe is making its industry and economy less competitive, and he does not understand why. "For me, this is administrative inflation," the BPGA head said.