In addition to electricity, heating and gas, public transport tickets in Sofia and train ticket prices in Bulgaria also increased on July 1. To compensate, the Government increased pensions by 10 per cent, with employees in the state administration receiving a salary increase of 10 per cent as well.

As decided on June 26 by the State Energy and Water Regulation Commission (SEWRC), the price of electricity for households will increase by an average of 14.1 per cent, central heating price will go up by 12.9 per cent and the gas price will rise by 5.16 per cent.

CEZ Bulgaria subscribers will start paying about 0.134 lv a kWh, an increase by 0.0157 leva. EVN Bulgaria will charge 0.0159 leva more or 0.1334 lv a kWh as of July 1, while E.ON Bulgaria subscribers will start paying the highest price of 0.1361 lv a kWh, in what is a hike of 0.0189 lv/kWh.

The biggest increase is for EON clients in north-eastern Bulgaria and local biggest Black sea city of Varna, where the household electricity price will rise by 17.36 per cent, Bulgarian-language daily Dnevnik reported. The smallest increase is for the clients of CEZ in Sofia and western Bulgaria, where the household electricity price increases by 12.8 per cent. Most expensive is the electricity of EVN economy consumers, who start paying 20 per cent more.

The National Electricity Company receives the biggest increase of prices, at which it sells electricity – a hike by 22 per cent.

SEWRC also approved an increase of the heating price, which reaches 35.228 euro a MWh. In Sofia the heating price will increase by 13.4 per cent, reaching 34.94 euro a MWh. Consumers in the second-largest Bulgarian city of Plovdiv will pay only nine per cent more.

On July 1, social support offices throughout the country started accepting applications for government aid to help cover their heating bills. Citizens can apply for such financing until October 2008, private broadcaster bTV reported. This advance will be granted only in cash and in the from of a one-off advance for the whole heating period.

As of July 1, the price of the natural gas is reaching 222.31 euro for 1000 cu m, marking an increase of 5.16 per cent. SEWRC rejected state-owned gas company Bulgargaz' request for an increase of 19.6 per cent.

Public transport ticket prices in Sofia mark the biggest hike of 43 per cent reaching one lev on July 1. Ticket for railway transport will now costs nine per cent more.

The only price that goes down as of July 1 is the bulk price of phone calls from made from fixed to mobile networks throughout Bulgaria. This is the second stage of the agreement for gradually decreasing of these prices concluded between the Communications Regulation Commission and the three local mobile operators Mobil Tel, Globul, and Vivatel.