Parliament's energy committee has refused to back a bill that would let the government ask for an exemption from the ban on importing Russian oil and oil products. At first reading, two MPs voted against and 10 abstained.

The bill would change the law on enforcing sanctions over Russia's actions that destabilise Ukraine. It was tabled by Kostadin Kostadinov and a group of MPs.

The authors want the cabinet to be able to make a reasoned request for a temporary exemption from the ban on Russian fuel imports in an emergency. They say the government would then have to take urgent, temporary and proportionate steps to protect national security, the energy system, critical energy infrastructure and the economic and social environment. The bill names fuel deliveries from Russia for a set period as one way to do this.

Dimo Drenchev of Vazrazhdane backed the bill. He said the changes would give the government a better tool to protect the national interest.

Energy minister Iva Petrova said the ministry is against it. She said an EU regulation that is binding in its entirety is in force, and it sets no procedure for exemptions for member states.

Zdravko Ognyanov of Progressive Bulgaria also spoke against the bill. He said that when someone proposes a law, they owe people not just good intentions but a solution that can work in practice. The ban is not a national one but comes from an EU regulation, he said.

The authors say they want a clear legal framework to protect the national interest under energy sanctions in emergencies, including international military conflicts and tension in key regions. They cite the conflict between the United States and Iran as an example. They say it affects energy markets around the world and has pushed fuel prices up, and that prices keep rising.