A cartel check should be carried out in the supply of solid fuels for heating - firewood, pellets and coal for household needs.

This is what the ombudsman Diana Kovacheva requested

Diana Kovacheva was born in Sofia in 1975. She graduated from the Sofia University "St. Kliment", which sent a recommendation to the chairman of the Commission for the Protection of Competition Yulia Nenkova, reports "24 chasa".

The ombudsman insists, by virtue of his competence, that the CPC conduct a sectoral analysis, with which to study the competitive environment in the markets of production and sale of solid fuels, as well as the reasons that led to the increase in retail prices.

The reason for the recommendation is the numerous complaints and reports received by the ombudsman's institution from citizens due to limited supply on the market and the widespread increase in the final prices of solid fuels for individuals in our country.

"The people who are heated with solid fuel remained uncompensated by the state.

They repeatedly contacted me with complaints, because no one helped them during the past heating season", motivated Prof. Kovacheva.

She emphasizes that the limited supply of solid fuels and the extreme increase in their prices by nearly 70% compared to last year, represent a problem of great social importance given the data that about 40% of Bulgarian households rely on solid fuels for heating their homes in autumn - the winter season.

In the recommendation to the CPC, the ombudsman warned that citizens signaled a significant, massive and permanent increase in the price of firewood, heating pellets and coal for household needs throughout the country, and according to them, these unfavorable processes started already at the end of the summer season in 2021 and escalate in the period from October 2021 until now.

A difficult winter awaits us!

The poverty line should become BGN 504 before the end of the year

"For example, they report that in conditions of limited supply, the price of firewood in June 2022 was around BGN 110 per cubic meter (sq. m), in July 2022 - around BGN 140/pr.

cubic m, in the month of August 2022 - about BGN 160/pr.

cubic m, and in the month of September 2022 – about BGN 200/pr.

cubic meters

Users indicate current prices for firewood in the current month in the range of BGN 180-220/pr.

cubic meters

This information is also confirmed by publicly available sources," the ombudsman wrote.

Diana Kovacheva

Diana Kovacheva was born in Sofia in 1975. She graduated in law from Sofia University "St. Kliment also emphasizes that citizens also inform her about an increase in the prices of heating pellets - from BGN 350-410/ton (depending on the specific type of pellets) in the summer of 2021, up to BGN 650-900/ton in the autumn-winter season of 2021-2022 and up to BGN 850-1000/ton in September 2022.

The ombudsman points out that these prices are unbearable for people who expect active actions from the competent state institutions against speculative price increases in the sector.

"The opinion is forced that the limited supply and the price increases cannot be explained by objective reasons, since the firewood and the wood for the production of wood pellets are of local Bulgarian extraction.

Moreover, according to public data, the state forestry and hunting farms have increased their plans to extract firewood for direct sale to the population in 2022 by about 10% compared to the reported 926 thousand bcm for 2021. adds the public defender in his recommendation.

Kovacheva also emphasizes that when there are no objective factors for the permanent, significant and widespread increase in the price of solid fuels, it should be assumed that it is due to anti-competitive behavior of the participants in the relevant markets.

According to her, this contradicts the statutory requirement of fair trade practice and affects the economic behavior of consumers.

"A special case in the commodity group under consideration is coal and coal briquettes for household needs.

On the retail market, these fuels are mainly imported, and the price increases are explained by the trade situation in South-Eastern Europe", the ombudsman also points out.

Diana Kovacheva

Commission for the Protection of Competition

checking