The Cabinet Wants to Lift the Ban on Diesel and Kerosene Exports

The government has decided to lift the ban on exports of diesel fuel and kerosene. The restriction was imposed in late October following Washington’s decision to impose sanctions on the Russian company Lukoil, which owns several subsidiaries in Bulgaria – including the Burgas refinery, the largest producer on the Balkan Peninsula.

At the time, the ruling “Zhelyazkov” government described the ban as a preventive measure, and then-Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov stated that once the derogation was granted, the ban would be lifted. The license from the U.S. and the U.K. arrived in November, but the restriction on intra-EU deliveries and sales to third countries remained in place.

In February, with the inauguration of the Gyurov caretaker cabinet, there was renewed talk of lifting the ban on exports of diesel fuel with and without bioadditives, kerosene, industrial fuels, and medium oils derived from bituminous minerals. But shortly thereafter, the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, which sparked concerns about physical oil supplies, and the price of oil briefly skyrocketed to $120 per barrel.

To lift the ban, the cabinet will now submit its decision to the National Assembly for approval. The vote itself will not take place until after the end of the lawmakers’ summer recess, which is August 23.

Translated with DeepL.