"The wholesale natural gas price cap of €180 per megawatt hour in exchange trading is a kind of guarantee that we won't see the shock price hikes in natural gas from August. This measure may never come into effect as the market calms down. It doesn't big conclusions have to be drawn about the effect on European gas markets".

This is what the energy expert from the Center for the Study of Democracy Martin Vladimirov told BNR. 

According to him, there is one measure that is essential - the decision of the ministers - a compromise that says that the 

price of liquefied gas that is imported into Europe cannot be 35 euros per megawatt hour higher than the average price of liquefied natural gas on the world market

:  

Dobrev: The expensive gas from Chiren will have to be paid for sooner or later

"This cap is high enough to avoid a scenario where LNG suppliers will reorient their exports to Asian or other markets where they can get better prices." 

Vladimirov pointed out that 

there should be no political interference in the trade of energy resources

:  

"The best way to manage the crisis - security of supply and price reduction - is to diversify and reduce the consumption of natural gas. In Europe, it has shrunk by about 1/4 this year. This has a serious cost in terms of - industrial and competitiveness. 

We cannot yet assess what the consequences of the high price of natural gas will be

. Perhaps the decision on the ceiling is hasty and the result of serious lobbying by heavy industry, which is most dependent on the use of natural gas. .. 

Bulgaria does not have an alternative supplier to Azerbaijan and we continue to buy quantities, leftovers on the market

," the energy expert added in the program "Above all". 

He emphasized what was said by Europe - 

Bulgaria has no right to export finished fuels produced from Russian oil to the markets of the European Union

, after for months the caretaker government explained how the derogation also covers the export of finished products produced in the refinery in Burgas:

"It is strange that until now the government was silent and explained that the Commission was mistaken. It is clear from the decision that 

we invested all the political and state resources to benefit the private interests of the Russian company Lukoil

, since there were clearly negotiations, where the state has managed to negotiate that there will be a derogation for the export of fuels to Ukraine, including transit through third countries, which opens a huge loophole in the sanctions legislation, as this transit can lead to smuggling and the placement of Russian fuel on European markets 

The aim is to help Ukraine, but it leaves a bitter aftertaste that the European Council has decided to allow a Russian company to generate a huge profit from supplying end products to Ukraine

... The European Commission is often a client of the member states and in their attempts to influence the decisions of the countries, they know that they have leverage through the European Council to influence the decisions of the EC.

Bulgaria has learned admirably, imitating other members, to parry EU pressure on strategic decisions. 

There is yet another example that the Bulgarian regulators are conquered by private interest

." 

According to Martin Vladimirov

 , there is a need for legislation according to which the state takes over the operational control of the Lukoil refinery

 in Burgas, because there are no guarantees that the Russian company will comply with the sanctions, comply with the rules for taxation on the Bulgarian territory.