The upcoming referendum on the fate of Bulgaria's Belene nuclear power plant project would be "a pointless exercise", according to the country's former EU Commissioner, Meglena Kuneva.

Kuneva, who is currently the leader of her brand new party, Bulgaria for Citizens, has stated that the ruling centrist-right GERB would benefit from the referendum, as it is determined to develop Bulgaria's nuclear energy.

In an inteview for bTV, Kuneva has noted that GERB has "very conveniently" left out the Belene project out of the referendum question, leaving its door open for the construction of a new unit in the already existing Kozloduy nuclear power plant instead.

The GERB government scrapped the Belene NPP project in March 2012, declaring it economically unfeasible. The pro-Belene Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) then launched a petition for a referendum on the Russian-Bulgarian project's fate.

The question of the petition was: "Should atomic energy be developed in Bulgaria through the building of a Nuclear Plant at the Belene site?"

The edited question, which was the proposal of the GERB Chair of the Legal Committee, Iskra Fidosova, postulates: "Should nuclear energy be developed in Bulgaria through the building of a new Nuclear Plant?"

The former EU Commissioner has declared that she will call upon her party's supporters to vote against the construction of a second nuclear power plant in Bulgaria.

Kuneva believes that GERB is in favor of the construction of Belene, its major difference with BSP being that it wants to do so with private investors.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!