Bulgarian coal miners demand job security, fear changes

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Hundreds of Bulgarian coal miners and energy workers are protesting to demand government guarantees for their jobs amid bids by the European Union to close mines and reduce carbon emissions. Buses carried protesters from across Bulgaria for the rally Wednesday in downtown Sofia. Demonstrators chanted “We want jobs!” as they marched to the government headquarters.  Bulgarian miners say the EU’s time frame for closing coal mining and coal extraction is too short and argue it shouldn’t come at the expense of the bloc’s poorest and most carbon-dependent regions. Nearly half of the electricity in the Balkan country of 7 million is produced by coal power plants