Protests against ČEZ in Bulgaria

Massive street protests continued for a second weekend in Bulgaria where people are demonstrating against what they call excessive electricity prices set by the Czech power distributor ČEZ and the Austrian energy company EVN. Over 3,000 demonstrators stopped traffic in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on Sunday chanting “out with the mafia” and demanding that the country’s distribution network be nationalized. ČEZ claims that the higher electricity bills in January reflect higher consumption over the Christmas holidays and a colder-than-usual winter. ČEZ recently had its license revoked to operate Albania’s national grid after drawn-out disputes over tariffs and unpaid bills.