The main issue is not whether people would keep their jobs, because they will find work, but whether they would remain in the region with coal plants so it continues to develop. If they leave the region, there will be a great shortage of people needed for the upcoming industrial development, Minister of Environment Julian Popov told BNT. He pointed out that claims that the EU was giving money for closing the plants were not true. The funds are aimed to deal with the consequences of stopping the plants. According to him, this is an irreversible process that has been much slower in Bulgaria.

"We cannot ask for something that cannot be fulfilled. We have no desire for confrontations. We need to work sustainably; people must have jobs and receive good remuneration", Alexander Zagorov, secretary of "Podkrepa" trade union, told BNR, commenting on the demands of protesting miners and energy workers. "This transition cannot be so intense and devastating. It should not destroy us as a society and territory," Zagorov added.