Bulgaria has begun inspections and tightened security at the “Lukoil” oil refinery in Burgas, preparing to take the company under state control. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said this on November 11, Reuters reports.
Last week, the country’s parliament approved changes to the law that give the government the right to temporarily take control of the plant and later sell it to a new owner. The move is aimed at protecting the company from the possible consequences of sanctions that the United States and Britain imposed last month on Russia’s largest oil companies “Lukoil” and “Rosneft”.
Rosen Zhelyazkov noted that the adopted measures are preventive in nature and are aimed at preserving the country’s critical infrastructure, in particular the oil refinery and other facilities. According to him, “these measures include inspections and the readiness of the military police”.
On November 10, the Bulgarian Council of Ministers reported that the State Security Agency, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defense had introduced additional steps to strengthen security “in the area of operations of the company “Lukoil”, whose facilities are elements of critical infrastructure on the territory of Bulgaria”.
The Ministry of Defense has relocated the anti-drone system to the Burgas region. Compliance with security plans at strategic facilities is also being checked. All vehicles entering the plant are being thoroughly checked, including for explosive devices.
According to the new law, a special administrator may be appointed to oversee the sale of the Burgas Refinery. “Lukoil”, the current owner, will not have a vote or the opportunity to appeal this decision.
At the same time, the Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, criticized the actions of the Bulgarian authorities, calling them “hasty and legally dubious”:
“We still need to see how this law will function, but as of today it looks like a law on expropriation of property. The Bulgarians are taking a very risky step. They are setting a dangerous precedent”.
