Bulgaria is being forced by the EU to sell its state-owned gas operator Bulgartransgaz to avoid a 300-million-euro fine for breaching the EU’s antitrust legislation, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told journalists after the meeting of the European Council on Wednesday.
Тhis follows a probe which the European Commission launched last year in Bulgaria’s Energy Holding, BEH, which has been suspected of hindering competitor’s access to key gas infrastructures in Bulgaria.
"They want to impose on us a procedure over the ownership of pipes and compressor stations. We cannot allow that, Borissov said after a meeting with EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.
The EU Commissioner’s spokesperson told BIRN on Thursday that the Commission's antitrust investigation is ongoing and it has not yet reached a final decision.
“As is common practice in antitrust investigations, Commissioner Vestager has met with Bulgarian counterparts to discuss the state of play of the investigation,” he added.
Bulgarian authorities refrained from more comments on the issue on Thursday.