In Bulgaria, a losing battle against EU Green Deal
BELI BRYAG, Bulgaria: The European Union’s plans to phase out coal are not going down well in Beli Bryag, a Bulgarian mining village that was sacrificed to expand an open-pit mine. Empty houses with gaping window openings and 50-odd people remain in the community, down from some 400 in 2009. That was when it was decided to tear down the village to make space for the mine.
Now it seems the facility may not have a long life either. Bulgaria has committed to exiting coal by 2040 as part of EU efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century under its Green Deal. “The situation is tragic,” said Beli Bryag mayor Ivelina Dimcheva, whose husband and brother are miners. “It’s absurd to destroy our houses to expand a mine, which risks closing afterwards,” she told AFP. Her clan is among five families who have refused to accept a compensation deal to relocate. Instead, they have taken their case to court to save their homes.
The Green Deal, unpopular in coal-dependent Bulgaria, is a major issue ahead of the European parliamentary elections on June 9 and the country’s own national election the same day. Coal workers have been offered “no prospects”, said Stanimir Georgiev, 50, a 30-year veteran of the mines who is organizing strikes and protests to defend his livelihood in the run-up to the European polls.
“The Green Deal is a charade which threatens our well-being and fuels anti-European feelings,” he said outside the Maritsa East coal-fired power plant complex, which gets its supplies from the Beli Bryag mine. Russian flags fly outside houses in this central region of Bulgaria, which is traditionally close to Russia.