LONDON (Reuters) - The pain of soaring oil prices provoked new protests in Europe on Wednesday, and Britain called for "global solutions" to the energy crisis.
Bulgarian truck drivers rallied, following the lead of British and French truckers and French fishermen in a wave of demonstrations and blockades by groups which say fuel costs threaten their livelihoods.
Complicating the issue for governments in a continent dependent on imported energy, many protesters blame high duties on fuel imposed by their governments as much as international oil prices.
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The Bulgarian truckers' association said excise duties and value added tax contributed to surging global oil prices and made the Balkan country's fuels too expensive. It demanded excise duty rebates.
More than 150 truck drivers and dozens of bus drivers from across Bulgaria converged in a convoy on the outskirts of the capital Sofia, saying high fuel prices meant they were operating at a loss.
Similar protests took place in the Black Sea port city of Varna, the Danube port city of Russe and other towns.
"Apparently we need to find a joint solution in the EU," Transport Minister Petar Mutafchiev told reporters. "There is a transport problem not only in Bulgaria, it's a European problem."
Fuel excise duties in Bulgaria, the poorest EU nation and already suffering double-digit inflation, are still lower than those in the rest of the bloc. This means Sofia could not justify a reduction in duties, Mutafchiev said.
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