LAW ON ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PETROLEUM AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
The Law on Administrative Regulation of Economic Activities Related to Petroleum and Petroleum Products, known as the Law on Fuels, is yet to come into force.
Its provisions relate to both merchants and consumers of fuel, namely:
Art. 2. (1) For the purposes of this Law, economic activities related to oil and products of petroleum origin are:
1. wholesale of petroleum and petroleum products;
2. retail trade of petroleum and petroleum products;
3. storage of oil and petroleum products outside tax warehouses or warehouses of registered recipients within the meaning of the Excise and Tax Warehouses Act;
4. transportation of oil and products of petroleum origin;
5. filling LPG bottles outside tax warehouses;
6. distribution of LPG bottles;
7. temporary storage and/ or refueling by a farmer registered under the Farmers Support Act, of his own products of petroleum origin, outside tax warehouses or warehouses of registered recipients, within the meaning of the Excise Duties and Tax Warehouses Act for the farmer's own economic activity, not subject to resale.
Here is clarification of some of the concepts given in the Supplementary Provisions:
4. "Wholesale" means the distribution, free or not, of oil and/ or product of petroleum origin on the territory of the country acquired from imports and internal arrivals, produced, processed or obtained by the distributor, with the exception of retail trade.
5. "Retail" is:
(a) the sale of oil and petroleum products to end consumers through gas stations and/ or
b) refueling of tanks of road vehicles, off-road equipment and mechanization used for own needs through an internal site except for refueling by a farmer registered under the Agricultural Producers Support Act.
6. "Petrol Station" is a permanently attached to the real estate object, meeting the requirements of the Law on Planning of the Territory, intended for direct loading of road vehicles on site.
7. "Internal object" is a permanently attached to a real estate object intended for loading of road vehicles, off-road equipment and mechanization used for own needs, which complies with the Law on Planning of the Territory, except in the case of carrying out activity under Art. . 2, para. 1, v. 7.
Entities are subject to registration and must comply with a number of general and special requirements detailed in the law.
Art. 3. (1) Any person who carries out an activity under Art. 2, para. 1, is subject to registration under this law.
(2) The state and local authorities shall not be subject to registration under this law for all activities performed by them under Art. 2, para. 1 in their capacity as a state or local authority.
The full text of the law can be found here:
https://www.lex.bg/en/laws/ldoc/2137185952
The Ordinance to the law regulating the registration procedure can be found here:
https://dv.parliament.bg/DVWeb/showMaterialDV.jsp?idMat=139737
Currently, the deadline for registration of subjects under the law, after repeatedly postponing it, expires on January 27, 2020. At the same time, the Council of Ministers proposed amendments supplementing the Law on Fuel, and containing a number of changes to the registration requirements. It is to be considered and voted on, which would most probably lead to another postponement of the registration deadline.
Dieselor’s team remains available for further questions on the changes in the regulations concerning the sector.
