State may take over Lukoil refinery if sanctions bite
Lyubomir Datsov of the Fiscal Council said Bulgaria must be ready to temporarily take over the Burgas oil refinery if U.S. sanctions on Lukoil affect its ownership structure. He noted the refinery is a Bulgarian-registered company with indirect ownership through entities in Switzerland and Austria, making the sanctions’ scope unclear. Legal experts in international law need time to assess the situation.
Datsov warned that if the refinery’s operations halt, the state should step in to secure the national fuel supply, even though reserves exist for now. Separately, he criticized the upcoming budget, saying political parties lack a mandate to raise taxes. He urged spending cuts, comparing an oversized budget to an unhealthy weight that must be reduced. He projected that next year’s budget should grow nominally by 2 to 7 percent, stressing that stability matters more than short-term popularity.
