GERB Extends Negotiation Deadline with WCC-DB; Final Decision Tomorrow
The negotiations between GERB and "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) have been extended until tomorrow at 12:00 noon, as announced by GERB.
HOT: » Assessing the Legacy of Bulgaria's "Denkov" Cabinet: Achievements, Failures, and What Comes Next
Bulgarian center-right ruling party GERB has proposed a concrete wording of the question for the referendum on the Belene nuclear power plant (NPP) project.
GERB's version of the question reads: "Should Bulgaria develop nuclear energy by building a new nuclear power plant?"
The proposal of the center-right ruling party is to be submitted Wednesday with the Parliament's Clerk Office, after which the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee will review GERB's version and the wording suggested by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).
GERB believes that the question put up by Bulgarian socialists is "extremely manipulative and contains at least two or three other questions", including "Should Bulgaria develop nuclear energy?" and "Should there be state participation in the construction of a nuclear power plant?"
"BSP's question involves a concrete project and we every reason to believe that it is unconstitutional," according to Legal Affairs Committee Chairperson Iskra Fidosova.
GERB protests the question proposed by BSP, saying that it would result in a flawed referendum.
Bulgaria's center-right ruling party says it backs the holding of a referendum on the topic as long as the question has been correctly worded because it would have important repercussions for Bulgarian society.
According to GERB, the first mistake in the question put up by BSP is that it defines nuclear energy as "atomic energy."
GERB further insists that the second part of the question is manipulative.
When asked if GERB's wording includes the scenario of a new block built at the Kozloduy NPP, Fidosova responded negatively, specifying that "a new block would entail the construction of new nuclear capacities, not a new NPP."
The GERB government scrapped the Belene NPP project in March 2012, declaring it economically unfeasible.
The pro-Belene, opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, then launched a petition for a referendum on the fate of the Russian-Bulgarian project.
The inspection of the petition yielded 543 639 valid signatures, enough to make the vote irreversible.
The question of the petition is: "Should nuclear energy be developed in Bulgaria through the construction of a Nuclear Plant on the Belene site?"
The referendum is expected to take place within the next three months.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
The Bulgarian Parliament has ratified the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Government of the United States on cooperation regarding the construction of nuclear power at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant
During a forum in Alexandroupolis, US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy, Jeffrey Payatt, highlighted the significance of a gas pipeline project through Bulgaria as the next pivotal step for energy development in the region
Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov addressed concerns over the long-term storage of nuclear waste during a parliamentary control session in Bulgaria today
Effective March 1, Bulgaria has officially halted the use and importation of Russian oil for fuel production, following a decision by the Parliament to drop the derogation
"Bulgargaz" suggests an 18% decrease in natural gas prices starting next month
In a recent report released by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) on Wednesday, it was revealed that demand for natural gas in Europe experienced a significant decline last year, dropping to its lowest level in a decade
Norwegian Inspiration: Bulgaria's Move Towards Environmentally Friendly Prisons
Nexo Is Suing Bulgaria For Over $3 Billion