Bulgarian Parliament to Monitor Energy Regulator

The Bulgarian Parliament voted Wednesday to create a committee to monitor the activity of the state energy and water regulating agency.

The State Commission on Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR) will now be supervised by a special parliamentary committee composed of one representative of each parliamentary group.

The motion was tabled by MPs from ruling center-right GERB party and provoked criticism from the opposition as being pointless and populist.

"Per statute, DKEVR is an independent body, so a parliamentary committee can and ought not interfere with its activity," argued Bulgarian Socialist Party MP Petar Dimitrov.

GERB MPs motivated the move by saying it will ensure more transparency of the regulator's activity, which has come under public criticism regarding hikes in the prices of power, fuels and water.