Bulgarian Press Review September 1, 2009

Press Review
Sofia, September 1 (BTA)


THE HOME SCENE

A front-page report in "Troud" informs how the Sergei Stanishev cabinet wasted 10 million leva for quasi-science in 2006. In an interview to the daily former deputy chairman of the Governing Board of the State Agency for Information Technologies and Communications (SAITC) Tosho Nedyalkov says that the money was provided to the SAITC under a project to cope with earthquakes which contained a translation from an Indonesian PhD thesis taken from the Internet. He says that huge amounts of money were made available to SAITC under different programmes and it is very difficult for a non-expert check to establish whether what has been done corresponds to the objectives of the projects.

* * *

The Tuesday press reports on the demand of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) for a check into what it called "record large spending" by Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev's cabinet. UDF Chairman Martin Dimitrov said Monday that the Stanishev government spent 621 million leva between July 1 and 10 alone, according to information from the Bulgarian National Bank UDF had requested. Dimitrov stressed the need to set up a parliamentary committee of inquiry into the last year of the government of the three-party coalition - an idea proposed by the coalition made up of the UDF and the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria.

* * *

"The state is totally syphoned off," Roumyana Buchvarova, head of the political office of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, says in an interview to "Troud". Buchvarova says that the gap in the budget is evidence for the spending of the previous cabinet on the last months of its term. She notes that the spending was made even though it had been clear that the country is in a crisis. Buchvarova says that each expense was increased and for example if the development of a programme cost 7,000 units, it was accounted for as 70,000 units.

* * *

In an interview to "Sega" political analyst Antonii Todorov says that when one claims that everyone has been stealing, there are no concrete culprits. He suggests that instead of daily announcements by ministers about offences perpetrated by their predecessors, a comprehensive check should be commissioned from the National Audit Office which should be followed by a document containing all proven evidence. Todorov argues that talking such as "the previous governance was a total failure and nothing but misuses were done by all ministries" is ill-advised,
incorrect and unfair.

* * *

Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev says in an interview to "24 Chassa" that the Ministry's staff has doubled but it works slower and haphazardly. He says that the first surprise when he took up office was the bureaucratic machine, the slow speed of work of the institutions, and their attitude to work. He describes the work as slow and irresponsible and gives an example of the failure to draft ordinance vis-a-vis laws that were passed long ago. "There will surely be changes," Nanev says.

* * *

"Troud" reports on the last day of work in the State Agency for National Security (SANS) of former commando and undercover counterintelligence officer Alexey Petrov. Petrov quits SANS two weeks after the new head of the Agency, Tsvetlin Yovchev, invited all members of the political office of former SANS director Petko Sertov to step down. Petrov describes his last working day at SANS as being the last day of tacit disagreement with key postulates and solutions of the incumbent prime minister and his cabinet.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said that the legal instruments to do away with the rivalry between the Interior Ministry and SANS are ready.

* * *

"Borissov Tackles Mobile Operators Masts" caps a report in "24 Chassa" which says that on Monday Borissov met with the CEO of mobile phones operator MTel, Andreas Maierhoffer, to discuss public concerns over the safety of mobile operators' stations mounted on residential buildings and lamp posts across Bulgaria. The Prime Minister said that the three mobile service providers, MTel, vivatel and Globul should meet in the next ten days to discuss the issue and consider a common communication strategy on the matter.

* * *

"Troud" comments the traditional first 100 days of a new government saying that they are divided into two parts. Part One consists of inventory-taking of the state of the country while Part Two is devoted to the development of a new strategy and programme of governance. This Part Two, the author argues, will be successful if particular attention is paid to at least three things. The first is the administrative reform which is expected to result in cheaper and more effective governance. The second is the economic programme. The cabinet would achieve a huge success if it does not simply strive to shield the country from the crisis but to find a chance in it for Bulgaria. The third group of answers in the governance programme concern issues relating to Bulgaria's relations in the EU, says the author.

* * *

"Stanishev's Masochism Reloads Borissov" caps a signed comment in "Sega" whose author says that previous prime minister Sergei Stanishev is the only person in this country who dares say anything against incumbent Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, and when he does so, Borissov retaliates with a pile of expletives, which are well-deserved. The paradox is that not only Bulgaria
but Borissov himself desperately need an opposition. Borissov needs a meaningful and sustained political debate in order to channel and anticipate the critical remarks against him. This criticism is sure to increase. In the total collapse of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the permanent crisis in the right-of-centre space, the large-scale discrediting of established politicians, Borissov's only opposition is in street talk and electronic forums. In the 21st century this becomes the most fierce and unpredictable opposition as its mobilization on election day always eludes sociology, the author says.

ECONOMY

All of the Tuesday dailies report on the idea of the cabinet announced Monday by Finance Minister Simeon Djankov to close all state agencies and transform them in executive agencies under the umbrella of the respective ministries. There are eleven state agencies and all of them are based in Sofia. Part of their services will be relocated in the country. A total of 4,429 people are employed in the eleven operating agencies, "24 Chassa" writes.

"Klassa" runs some reactions after the announcement. UDF leader Martin Dimitrov said that an analysis should be performed of the effectiveness of the agencies. Leader of the Order, Lawfulness
and Justice party Yane Yanev says the idea is theirs. Socialist MP Roumen Petkov describes the solution as populist.

* * *

The Tuesday newspapers quote another statement by Djankov that 15 per cent of the subsidiary companies of the Bulgarian Energy Holding will be offered on the stock exchange. He said that the
holding is not doing its job so that it will have to be closed while stakes of the companies under its umbrella will be offered on the stock market so that their activity become transparent.

* * *

Former finance minister in the Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha cabinet Milen Velchev comments in "24 Chassa" in what direction Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's political acumen is leading the economy. Velchev argues that the unpopular proposal to freeze wages next year is fully realistic. According to Velchev, Bulgaria this year is headed for economic downturn and probably deflation. He predicts that in nominal terms the economy may fall by 10 per cent. Then, he says, the freezing of wages is a huge gesture to the benefit of working people and pensioners. Incomes should decrease if the state is to pay them problem-free, says Velchev.

* * *

"Troud" reports that the Railway Infrastructure Company announced a temporary 30 per cent wage cut valid from September 1. CEO Anton Ginev told a news conference that such a measure is allowed by the collective agreement which the company signed with the unions earlier this year. He also explained that the 30 per cent remain due and will be paid after January 1, 2010, with the statutory interest. The temporary wage cut is the first of a package of anti-crisis measures which the company has prepared in a bid to deal with a 50 million leva deficit, said Ginev. For the three months of the wage cut the company expects to save 9.3 million leva.



Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:


• http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
• http://www.novinite.com/index.php
• http://www.focus-fen.net/


Most discussed topics of the day – September 1, 2009
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• Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov arrived in the Polish Baltic Sea port of Gdansk ahead of ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. Top officials of 20 countries would present at the 70th anniversary, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Poland President Lech Kaczyński, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Sweden Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, etc.The Bulgarian Prime Minister is scheduled to hold a meeting with Vladimir Putin. Minister of Foreign Affairs Rumyana Zheleva, Bulgarian Ambassador to Poland Ivan Naydenov, foreign-political adviser Radoslav Tochev, etc., will accompanied the Prime Minister.

• Bulgaria’s former government had spent some BGN 561 million in the last ten days of its tenure, UDF leader Martin Dimitrov said yesterday, quoting official BNB reports. The central bank data revealed a 10-day spending spree just before the general elections, culminating in the daily cost of BGN 280 million on 7 July. Martin Dimitrov said the new government was preoccupied with the petty malpractices of its predecessors, failing to dig deep into the matter and trace the millions that had vanished almost overnight.

• Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Rumyana Zheleva was in Brussels yesterday. There she met EPP’s leaders Wilfried Martens and Joseph Daul, as well as the President of the European Parliamen Jerzy Buzek. Jerzy Buzek made it clear Bulgaria should be ready with its nomination for EU Commissioner in October, after the Lisbon Treaty referendum in Ireland on 2 October. Buzek added the EP would hear of the candidates in November and would move on to voting the future European Commission (EC) in December. Minister Zheleva pointed out her visit was meant as a preparation for PM Borisov’s official arrival in Brussels on 9 and 10 September. Dnevnik Daily reports.