Bulgarian Press Review September 3, 2009

Press Review
Sofia, September 3 (BTA)

THE HOME SCENE

The setting up Wednesday of a parliamentary ad hoc committee of inquiry into the expenses, appointments and deals conducted in the last year of the term of the government of former prime minister Sergei Stanishev is one of the most commented topics in the Thursday press. The committee was set up on a parity basis and consists of 12 MPs. It is chaired by Stoyan Mavrodiev of GERB and has a term of operation of two months.

"Klassa" notes that during the debate on the motion to establish the committee MPs of the Coalition for Bulgaria and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms called on Parliament not to take the functions of other state bodies, but to focus on the governance programme of GERB and measures against the crisis.

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Another much comment topic in the national dailies is the recent lobbyist scandal about construction works in swapped forest lands. Earlier in the week GERB MPs said in Parliament that the future new forest bill will allow private entities described as "prudent investors" to engage in construction activities in forests. "Sega" says that Prime Minister Boyko Borissov quickly steered back on the right track GERB's policy on the matter. The Prime Minister said he is calling for explanation the MPs in question, first among whom is Parliament chair Tsetska Tsacheva. Emerging from the cabinet's Wednesday meeting, Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov was quick to explain that his party has not changed its policy and will not allow construction on
exchanged forest lands.

* * *

The first MP to quit his parliamentary group is Ventsislav Vurbanov who Wednesday left the group of the Blue Coalition, the Thursday dailies write. He becomes an independent MP, "24 Chassa" explains. Vurbanov decided to quit the Blue Coalition after the Constitutional Court was asked to issue a ruling about the elections for Parliament in Dobrich and Rousse, Northwestern Bulgaria. After the initial results were calculated for the Rousse seat, it was announced that it went to the Blue Coalition, to Mihail Mihailov. However, after the final tally and re-distribution of seats, the seat was given to the Movement for Rights and Freedoms while the Blue Coalition got a seat on Dobrich, taken by Vurbanov himself. Mihailov appealed the decision. Vurbanov accused his colleagues of breaching the coalition agreement and political disrespect, "24 Chassa" writes.

* * *

"Troud" reports on the first hearing Wednesday of State Agency for National Security (SANS) head Tsvetlin Yovchev by the parliamentary committee for control of SANS' work. Emerged from
the hearing, Chairman of the Committee Ican Kostov, said that the notorious Galeria [Gallery] investigative case - an operation involving the wiretapping of politicians and journalists which seriously undermined the prestige of SANS - was initiated by the former chief of SANS, Petko Sertov.

* * *

"Sega" writes that the prosecuting magistracy is starting checks in municipalities where the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) has poured a lot of money. The matter concerns 80 dubious agreements of the Environment and Waters Ministry about facilities concentrated in municipalities governed by MRF. There are suspicions that projects for the construction of sewerage systems and waste water treatment plants were paid twice and thrice.

Decisions for the go-ahead of another 278 projects worth 159 million leva of the Enterprise for Management of Environmental Protection Activities too have been revoked, "Sega" says.

* * *

In an interview to "Dnevnik" Deputy Interior Minister Vesselin Vouchkov says that the action plan of the Interior Ministry is the European Commission report on Bulgaria released in July. Vouchkov says that the successful formula for reforming the Ministry is an informed perusal of the European models, utilization of the good practices in Bulgaria, learning from the mistakes of the predecessors, and, above all, dialogue with the civil society.

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A front-page report in "Troud" informs how for just a few hours in single night the police in two towns managed to detain the perpetrators of a bomb explosion Tuesday in Razlog, Southwestern Bulgaria, and a killing near the Black Sea town of Primorsko, on Wednesday. Four suspects were detained in connection with the bomb blast and a gang of five drug pushers in connection with the killing.

* * *

A national representative opinion poll commissioned to Mediana by "Troud" shows that the new ministers begin with a flying start, the daily writes. There is no surprise that the prime minister tops the list of approval ratings, but the impressive thing is the percentage of people who approve of him, 75 per cent. The approval rating of Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov increased by as much as 34 per cent, from 19 per cent to 53 per cent in just four months. The third most approved member of the government is Finance Minister Simeon Djankov with 26 per cent.


FOREIGN POLICY

"Troud" devotes its main article to the meeting in Gdansk on Tuesday between the prime ministers of Bulgaria and Russia, Boyko Borissov and Vladimir Putin. The report sums up that by November Bulgaria will prepare estimates on how much the Belene nuclear power plant will cost, that this country has no objections with regard to the South Stream gas pipeline project while in respect of the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project it needs guarantees that the facility will not cause an environmental catastrophe. At the talks Putin demanded a direct answer from Borissov which energy projects Bulgaria will give up and accused this country of evading coming up with a clear stand on the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis project for seven years, "Troud" writes. After returning to Sofia Borissov blamed the delay of work on the projects to the previous cabinet led by Sergei Stanishev.

The newspaper also runs a comment about the meeting, capped "Crisis: Excellent Tome for Reload with Russia". The author notes the calm atmosphere of the talks between Borissov and Putin. He argues that the crisis has a good side too: it gives time out to politicians and experts who can think things over, study mothballed agreements, weigh up different models for market development and come up with sustained forecasts for power consumption. In the current downturn Russia is in no hurry either, says the author. The country would wait for the recession to pass before throwing money into feasibility studies or expensive pipelines. This situation is good for Bulgaria too, above all by showing clearly which part of the problems with joint projects is totally on account of Bulgaria, writes the author.

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The comment in "Standard News" too is devoted to the meeting between Borissov and Putin. The author says that the most important thing now for the Bulgarian cabinet is not to rely on piecemeal solutions but to develop a comprehensive energy strategy for the next 30-40 years. Borissov demanded time to think things over until November but there is not much to think about. The potential Bulgaria has reduces the choice it has to one single thing, namely, to have its own power generation facilities and sell to neighbours, to transit gas to Europe and collect transit fees. The author argues that bearing in mind the resources and efforts input so far into the energy project, giving up on them will border on the suicidal. Thus, the best course of action will be for the cabinet to see how best to cash in the benefits.


ECONOMY

"What Gap? We Increased Reserves!" caps an interview in "Troud" with former finance minister and incumbent MP of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Plamen Oresharski who cites figures and says that in the term of office of the previous government from 2005 to 2009 the fiscal reserve was increased from 4,500 million leva to about 8,000 million leva. Oresharski stresses that this fiscal reserve guarantees security and that thanks to it Bulgaria was spared from joining the queue in front of the official creditors. According to him, the very fact that the new cabinet fails to appreciate what it means to double the fiscal reserve in the span of one term of office, is a cause of
concern.

* * *

"Monitor" interviews Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rosen Plevneliev who says that 500 million leva alone are needed annually for roads maintenance whereas the allocated annual amount is five times lower. Plevneliev says that given the current crisis, money for the badly needed road repairs will hardly be available and the situation will remain problematic. He says also that the Ministry's current debt could lead to bankruptcies of some companies.

* * *

"Troud" says that the government renews the Upper Arda hydropower project which was halted in 2003. On Wednesday the cabinet approved a letter in support of the investment. A total of 500 million euros are expected to be invested in the facility. Shareholders in the undertaking will be the National Electricity Company and EVN and Alpine Bau from Austria. The Austrian companies will receive the stake the Turkish Ceylan Holding held in the project.

* * *

Former commando and undercover counterintelligence officer Alexey Petrov, who holds a PhD in economy, urges in "Troud" Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to reduce interest rates. If he were prime minister, Petrov would reduce interest rates to the level they have elsewhere in Europe. According to him, the moment the rates are reduced, the Bulgarian economy will perk up.



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 3, 2009

• Parliament voted to impose a moratorium on the removal of forests and land from the public forest stock after their acquisition by individuals or legal entities through a swap deal and even after their purpose has been changed. It means is that no new development will be possible on swapped land. The moratorium will be effective for as long as it takes to set in place new legislation in this area.

• Bulgaria, like other eastern European countries, has already been hit by the global crisis, but the finance minister says the hardest blow will come in the autumn. "Bulgaria will be worst-hit by the financial and economic turmoil in the autumn and expectations are that it will hit rock-bottom in November," Finance Minister Simeon Djankov told journalists as he took part in the EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels. Bulgaria's economy may show the first signs of recovery at the beginning of 2010 and is likely to start a rebound in the spring next year, Djankov added.

• Ambition of Stanishev Committee is not to give sentences. It work is to pass in review all suspicious deals and things in public importance, that aroused high interest. The Committee has two months for its activity. This is what chairman of Stanishev Committee Soyan Mavrodiev said for BNT. He explained that the Committee will start its work with investigation of serious things such as spending of the budgetary surplus by the end 2008, etc. Mavrodiev said that results of Stanishev Committee work will be presented to the National Assembly. The Prosecutor’s Office will receive all conclusions for offences against the law. The work of Stanishev Committee will not cover only ministers. It will have sweeping activity including deals of municipal councilors, institutions, agencies etc. the MP from Citizens or European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB) specified further.