Bulgarian miners protest to demand job security

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Hundreds of Bulgarian coal miners and energy workers staged a protest on Wednesday to demand government guarantees for their jobs amid bids by the European Union to close mines and reduce carbon emissions.

Buses carried protesters from across Bulgaria for the rally in downtown Sofia, where demonstrators chanted “We want jobs” as they marched to the headquarters of the government.

Bulgarian miners say the EU’s timeframe for closing coal mining and coal extraction is too short and argue it shouldn't come at the expense of the bloc’s poorest and most carbon-dependent regions.

The organizers of the protest – the two largest trade unions — said they were defending the country’s energy independence and warned that tens of thousands of jobs are at risk should the biggest coal mines and energy plants in southeastern Bulgaria close.

The protesters submitted to the government a petition with 110,000 signatures demanding that the operational lifetime of the coal-fired power plants be extended. They also warned that a possible energy crisis in the coming winter months could lead to a social crisis because of the high carbon prices in the EU.

Nearly half of the electricity in the Balkan country of 7 million is produced by coal power plants, while another 35% comes from nuclear energy facilities. The rest is covered by hydro, solar and wind generation.

The financial burden of reducing carbon emissions poses a huge challenge to Bulgaria, which has one of the lowest gross domestic product per capita rates in the EU.

Bulgaria will hold an early general election on Nov. 14. There is no operational parliament at the moment, and the caretaker government has limited powers.

After meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev, union leaders said that the...