Serbian companies subject to U.S. economic sanctions due to their ties with Russian businesses are also in the process of selling their Bulgarian operations, according to Profit.ro.
Last year, Naftna Industrija Srbije officially confirmed that it was considering withdrawing from Romania, citing the difficulties its operations face in those markets as the reason for this move. At the time, NIS spoke of the possibility of withdrawing from Romania if the problems persisted or worsened, and was considering a full or partial sale of its assets.
As a result, NIS Petrol SRL, the Romanian subsidiary of Naftna Industrija Srbije, which is controlled by the Russian state-owned giant Gazprom with a stake of more than 56%, entered into a preliminary agreement of its own volition to sell its network of Gazprom-branded gas stations that it owns in Romania.
“During the second quarter of 2026, NIS entered into an agreement to acquire shares in NIS Petrol Romania. The completion of both transactions (and the transaction with NIS Bulgaria) is subject to the fulfillment of the relevant conditions precedent, including obtaining the necessary licenses from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). As of June 30, 2026, the conditions precedent had been satisfied, and none of the transactions had been finalized,” the NIS statement said.
