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The Bulgarian parliament today adopted a proposal restricting the export of petroleum products to other European Union (EU) member states in order to guarantee the country’s energy security, following US sanctions on Russian companies.
Washington last week announced sanctions targeting Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil, including freezing all their assets in the United States and banning all American companies from doing business with them. Companies that work with Rosneft and Lukoil could be indirectly sanctioned.
The proposal adopted by Bulgarian lawmakers, presented by the ruling coalition and its allies, concerns the export of petroleum products under 22 customs codes corresponding to diesel and kerosene. It is being introduced temporarily, although the text does not specify a time limit.
The authors of the proposal cited “the need to guarantee the country’s energy security and the stability of the domestic fuel market in light of the sanctions imposed by the United States against Russian energy companies, including Lukoil,” which operates Bulgaria’s largest oil refinery.
“In the context of reduced supply predictability, a temporary ban on exports and deliveries within the EU is imposed as a proportionate and necessary measure to protect the public interest,” the authors added.
Exceptions are allowed for the refuelling of local and foreign ships and aircraft, as well as for deliveries to NATO armed forces or to the armed forces of EU member states when this is related to the common security and defence policy.
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