Press Review
Sofia, October 30 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
Eighty hospitals are expected to be closed down in January-June 2010, "Troud" and "Dnevnik" write. The reason is that they would not have the specialists and equipment now required to be able to conclude an agreement with the National Health Insurance Fund, Health МMinister Bozhidar Nanev is quoted as saying. Next year the health care budget will be by 500 million leva less. Unlike the budget of the Physical Education and Sports Ministry, which is up by 137 per cent, "Troud" notes.
The budget of the Labour and Social Policy Ministry will be by 347 million leva less, and the money designed for sports are up by nearly 18 million leva, "Klassa" says.
The 2010 draft budget allocates 890.6 million leva for the Defence Ministry's expenditure, 10.3 per cent down from the 2009 budget allocation, "Bulgarska Armia" observes.
Only 100 million leva are budgeted for subsidies for farmers, twofold less compared with last year, "Zemya" writes on its front page. Calculations of the Association of Agricultural Producers show that farmers will get only 2.3 leva per 0.1 ha, while the new leadership of the Agriculture and Food Ministry has promised a subsidy of at least 10 leva per 0.1 ha.
"Deal with corruption and you will be strong in agriculture," Israeli Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shalom Simhon says in an interview granted to Klassa." He also says that Israel exports more than one-third of its agricultural produce and would support the introduction of new technologies in Bulgaria.
* * *
About two million Bulgarians will be infected with the swine flu A(H1H1) virus in the next few months, "Novinar" says referring to Chief Health Inspector D-r Tencho Tenev. So far over 200 swine flu cases have been registered in Bulgaria. However, experts believe that the infected are much more, at least 50,000.
* * *
Tihomir Georgiev proposes through "24 Chassa" to establish a fund for people in vigilant coma. His 20-year-old daughter is in such a state after a road accident.
* * *
Interviewed by "Dnevnik," the new director of the Cadastre Agency, Aleksander Lazarov, says that there is no money to draw up a cadastral map of highways. Now there is a cadastral map for about 15 per cent of Bulgaria's territory, which would increase to 18 per cent by the end of 2009. In his words, 25 million leva are required to complete the map of the Black Sea coast.
* * *
"Berlusconi advised us to set up a centre-right bloc," Ataka leader Volen Siderov says in an interview for "Klassa." In his words, the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms have been "stunned by the election blow but are already recovering."
FOREIGN POLICY
Commenting on a statement by Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in their highlights, "Douma," "Zemya," and "Novinar" write that Macedonia has territorial claims on Bulgaria. "Gruevski has presented Aegean and Pirin Macedonia as his own," "24 Chassa" notes quoting what Gruevski said in Australia "Here in Australia, the Macedonians have the unique opportunity to live altogether as one, the Aegean Macedonians and the Pirin Macedonians. That doesn't happen in your mother country," he said addressing the Macedonian community in Australia a few days ago calling on them not to divide on a geographical basis because "there are no Vardar, Aegean, Pirin Macedonians, but only Macedonians."
"Troud" and "Sega" write that Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov was amazed by Gruevski's position which he harshly criticized as an expression of Macedonia's territorial designs and which he described as inadmissible.
Discussing the issue, Minister without Portfolio Bojidar Dimitrov, who is in charge of expatriate Bulgarians, says in "24 Chassa" that the Macedonian political elite does not want EU and NATO membership and knowingly creates obstacles to Macedonia's accession to these organizations, including by making territorial claims on Bulgaria and Greece. "Skopje decided that these countries will vote against the admission of Macedonia to NATO and the EU. In this way the incumbents there will shake off the responsibility they have before their voters for the EU and NATO refusal to admit Macedonia," he says.
Interviewed for "24 Chassa," historian and academician Georgi Markov commends that the Bulgarian government send a note through the Foreign Ministry stating clearly that Bulgaria will not support Macedonia's bid for NATO and the EU unconditionally. In his words, the attitude of Macedonia's ordinary citizens to the citizens of Bulgaria is becoming ever better but the managers of most media are still under the influence of Belgrade. The interview with Markov is headlined "We Have Trump Card against Ankara's and Skopje's Rough Play: They Want to Join the EU."
ECONOMY
"After the German company RWE pulled out of the Belene nuclear power plant project, new investors will be invited by holding an international tender but we have not asked Russia for a loan," Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov says in an interview for "24 Chassa." Germany announced its decision to pull out. French, Italian and Russian companies will be invited to take part in the tender on an equal footing. The N-plant will be constructed if investors are found, he says. In Traikov's words, the Belene N-plant is not crucial for guaranteeing Bulgaria's energy balance.
There are three consultants on the Belene project at the moment: Deloitte, financial consultant; BNP Paribas, leading credit structuring bank; and WorleyParsons, engineering consultant. The consultants have been paid a total of almost 90 million euro so far.
* * *
Under an EU inter-bank agreement, to which 25 Bulgarian banks have acceded, Bulgarians can change banks in two days and transfer their accounts with minimum efforts, "Standart News" writes in its highlights.
INTERIOR MINISTRY, COURTS
The Interior Ministry and the special services are trying to regain control of telephone printouts and the Internet traffic which show who and when contacted whom through the Internet, "Sega" says. There is a bill amending the Electronic Communications Act to this effect which will be submitted for approval to the Council of Ministers.
* * *
"Until we go on carrying about hard copies containing classified information which can easily get lost and copied and reach a wide circle of people, there will be problems like that in SANS [State Agency for National security]," Prosecutor General Boris Velchev says in an interview granted to "Troud." He is for amending the Special Surveillance Means Act because it does not have any clauses specifying when and under what conditions the information obtained by using special surveillance means should be destroyed. In his words, there are many loopholes in the law allowing to keep such information and use it for purposes that have nothing to do with the needs of the State or the national security. He observes that the law does not provide a clear definition of the term "national security."
* * *
The names of 13 magistrates proved to be in the notebook of influence monger Krassimir "Krassyo" Georgiev from Pleven, "Monitor" says. The list of names was unveiled by SJC Professional Ethics and Corruption Prevention Commission Chairman Tsoni Tsonev at a Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) meeting on Thursday. Eight of them had applied for electable senior positions in the judiciary but were not appointed. Five were appointed.
* * *
Discussing former prime minister Sergei Stanishev's allegations that his successor Boyko Borissov is involved with a business circle know as Kotaratsite [Tomcats], "24 Chassa" assumes that the question may be about two cousins from Pernik, Ivan Asenov and Bogomil Gyorev, aka Kotaratsite, who hold seven companies, six of them construction ones.
MEDIA
"Swedes Get Control of Cable TV Market," "Pari says in a subtitle. The Swedish private equity fund EQT V has acquiring two of Bulgaria's leading cable TV operators, Eurocom and CableTel and plans to merge them creating a major player in the Bulgarian digital TV and broadband markets. According to Eurocom CEO Istvan Polony, who will be the CEO of the new company, the investments in it come up to 210 million euro.
* * *
"It is time that the agencies and newspapers which have online editions be provided with adequate protection," Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Maksim Minchev says in an interview for "Troud." "That is why we decided together with 'Troud' - and I hear that other colleagues will join us, too - to launch a campaign against piracy and for protection of copyrights," he says. The interview, granted on the eve of the international meeting of news agencies of Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea Region organized by BTA, is headlined "We Should Know What Is the Capital Used to Purchase Media."
* * *
Bulgarian journalist Lidia Pavlova will be conferred the WAZ-IFJ Prize for Courage in Journalism set up by the WAZ Media Group and the International Federation of Journalists. Pavlova is a journalist with the Strouma newspaper. Pavlova works for the local "Strouma" newspaper as a reporter. She is awarded the prize for a series of articles exposing crime and corruption in the Southwestern town of Doupnitsa and the notorious Galev brothers, a pair of dubious businessmen and local overlords.
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 – October 30, 2009
• Bulgarian Minister without portfolio in charge of Bulgarian residents abroad Bozhidar Dimitrov will present at the Council of Ministers a proposal for amendments to the Bulgarian Citizenship Act. The amendments will allow for 30 000 individuals to become Bulgarian citizens each year, Dimitrov believes. He said that currently there is a backlog of at least 50 000 applications that have piled up since 2005. These amandements are expected to ease the procedure of obtaining Bulgarian citizenship for candidates of Bulgarian origin and those who have graduated their higher education in Bulgaria. Some of the amendments envisage also clear and shorter deadlines and counter-corruption measures for the examination of applications for Bulgarian citizenships.
• Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov held talks early Friday with Australia PM Kevin Rudd in Canberra at the PM’s offices in Parliament House. Parvanov and Rudd discussed the two countries’ role in Afghanistan and the the importance of ensuring Afghanistan doesn't again become a safe haven for terrorists. NATO's ongoing role in leading the international military presence in Afghanistan was a part of the leaders' discussion too. Nuclear disarmament was also a focus of the talks, with both saying that they looked forward to working together at the upcoming conference on disarmament next year, at which Bulgaria will hold the presidency.
• There is no serious change in the spreading of the flu virus in Bulgaria, the Ministry of Healthcare announced. Up to the present moment, there is flu epidemic declared only in the municipality of Nikopol. There is high sick rate in the regions of Yambol, Stara Zagora, Gabrovo, Burgas, Pleven, Montana, Shumen and Lovech, where the sick people run to around 100-150 per ach 10,000. The sick rate in the municipality of Tryavna has started gradually decreasing. The epidemic situation in the country is dynamic and it will stay unchanged over the next couple of weeks.
fredag den 30. oktober 2009
torsdag den 29. oktober 2009
Bulgarian Press Review August 29, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, October 29 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
The topic of the missing reports drawn up by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) continues to make headline news. On Wednesday Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that nine more documents, all drawn up by SANS and addressed to former Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, are missing. "Troud" notes that thus, a total of 10 SANS documents are now missing. Among the new nine is a report on possible measures by the US Treasury Department regarding the banking system, and reports on smuggling channels, on a tender for special products, on the likelihood of Russia using Bulgaria's energy map as a political weapon.
The newspapers quote Stanishev's recommendation to carry out an investigation into what he called "Prime Minister's Borissov's circle of friends, Kotaratsite [Tomcats]" and into how public procurement contracts connected to Sofia's governance, were won. Before becoming prime minister Borissov was Sofia Mayor. "Troud" writes that Borissov's response to this was immediate: he knew about seven people with cat nicknames. Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov urged Stanishev to provide more information about this circle of friends, along with documents proving what the members of the circle did. He also asked Stanishev why he did not alert the competent authorities.
* * *
"24 Chassa" runs excerpts of an interview Wednesday for bTV of Ivan Drashkov, former deputy head of SANS. He said that SANS agents racketeered businessmen for millions of leva. Drashkov said also that SANS was managed on "auto pilot". He admits that he signed the notorious report about corrupt members of the previous cabinet (one of the currently missing documents) which was addressed to the then prime minister Stanishev, the President, the then chairman of the National Assembly and the Prosecutor General. Drashkov said that the purpose of the document was to set out circumstances, events and reasons that led to what he described as the ridiculous style and method of work which around the end of May 2008 became a practice in SANS. The former SANS official said that certain structures in SANS started to operate like street gangs: without due permits and documents, without reports but just on the strength of phone calls.
* * *
"Novinar" interviews ex-chief of the former National Security Service Atanas Atanassov who says that SANS was the political police of the previous incumbents. He directs the attention to the State Commission for Information Security (SCIC) which is a special body bearing responsibility for the system of classified information. Atanassov asks how come that no one questions SCIC's work in the past eight years so that now we are faced with a situation where documents classified as top secret are in the open. Atanassov says also that there is a unit of people in SANS involved in meddling in the political processes in the country, in protecting certain political parties and obstructing others. An entity in question is the Order, Lawfulness and Justice (OLJ) party, Atanassov says, adding that OLJ and its performance at the last general elections are to some extent associated with protection of the SANS leadership.
* * *
The Thursday newspapers report on the declaration the National Assembly passed reprimanding former Prime Minister and incumbent MP Sergei Stanishev (Coalition for Bulgaria) and Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan for their consistent absence from the sittings of Parliament. The Coalition for Bulgaria and MRF MPs quit the plenary chamber in protest of the declaration. The document was passed with 134 votes in favour.
* * *
The analysis in "24 Chassa" is devoted to the reform in the judiciary. The author argues that it is only possible if magistrates are elected directly. Now they are appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council. The author suggests that district prosecutor and judges are elected by the people every four years. Thus, when magistrates depend directly on voters, they will be forced to work for society. Who would vote for a prosecutor who has built a holiday housing estate for themselves? Or for a judge, who regularly wines and dines in the company of the local bandit, asks the author of the analysis.
* * *
A comment in "Sega" says that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) will not govern Bulgaria but only parts of it. MRF, which used to be in power as part of various coalitions since the 1990s, is unlikely to be present at the central power any time soon, and will not govern alone for sure. However, the party is equally unlikely to be displaced from the local powers, which will become ever more independent from the central government bodies. MRF has entrenched itself in the local powers and does its best to govern alone there, says the comment.
* * *
"Troud" interviews former social policy minister Ivan Neikov who says that one of the main sources of budget revenue is the Value Added Tax which is first taken from people, and then used to pay pensions. According to Neikov, this is the biggest deformity of the social security system. The burden for ensuring funds in the pension system is borne by the entire society, instead by only employers and employees, he says.
* * *
"24 Chassa" says in a front-page headline that the Health Ministry explains the thousands of people taken down with flu as "wide circulation of the illness" and not an "epidemic". For a week, 4,553 people were taken down with flu, nearly 400 more than in the preceding seven days, "24 Chassa" writes. The proven cases of swine flu are 204. However, according to the daily, their number is at least three times higher.
The newspapers report on the second swine flu-caused death, again in Samokov, Western Bulgaria. A peak of flu incidence is expected in six regions shortly, "24 Chassa" writes.
Other dailies say that Bulgaria is on the eve of a swine flu epidemic.
Citing Kamen Plochev, head of the Military Hospital for Infectious Diseases, "Monitor" says that the peak of swine flu will be around Christmas when many Bulgarians who work abroad will come home for the holidays.
ECONOMY
The approval by the cabinet of the 2010 draft budget is one of the most commented topics in the Thursday press. "Pari" singles out the fact that next year's budget will not have the 10 per cent buffer of the current one so that all ministries will get their outlays already at the start of the year.
All of the dailies report that when presenting the 2010 draft budget on Wednesday, Finance Minister Simeon Djankov compared it to a carton containing a small-size pizza whereas the 2009 budget was an empty large pizza carton. The fiscal framework approved earlier remains unchanged: 2 per cent drop in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2010, 2.2 per cent inflation, foreign investments forecast at 5.2 per cent of the GDP, and a U.S. dollar/Bulgarian leva exchange rate of 1.45 leva/USD 1.
* * *
Front-page stories in all of the Thursday dailies report that the German company RWE is withdrawing from the Belene Nuclear Power Plant project. The news was released by the Bulgarian Energy Holding on Wednesday. The project for a second nuclear power plant in Bulgaria thus remains without an investor other than the Bulgarian State.
The newspapers quote Deputy Economy Minister Maya Hristova as saying that RWE's withdrawal should by no means be considered a project failure. She said that the cabinet thinks how to attract new investors.
"Standart News" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying that his cabinet did its best to save the project. However, the previous government of the three-party coalition did not do its work well and failed to make the necessary financial schedules.
SOCIETY
"24 Chassa" informs of the international meeting of news agencies of Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea Region organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in Sofia and Veliko Turnovo, Northern Bulgaria, from October 30 to November 2. The forum, mottoed "Strong in Information", will be opened by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
The event will be attended by the leaders of 23 news agencies. They provide round-the-clock information to more than 360 Million people in Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea Region.
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 – October 29, 2009
• Bulgaria's President, Georgi Parvanov, has declared during his Australia visit that a recent statement of Macedonian Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, was "unacceptable". During a news conference in Sydney, Parvanov referred to the words of Gruevski who recently visited Australia as well.
Gruevski’s words were that the Macedonians in Australia had a unique opportunity that they did not have in the Republic of Macedonia: to live with their compatriots from Aegean and Pirin Macedonia. (The Pirin region of the geographic area “Macedonia” is in Southwest Bulgaria, and the Aegean part is in Greece.) Gruevksi has also called upon the Macedonians in Australia not to split because “there are no Vardar Macedonians (i.e. the region of today’s Republic of Macedonia), no Aegean Macedonians, no Pirin Macedonians, there are only Macedonians”.
“I am bewildered by the position that has been expressed by the Prime Minister of neighboring Macedonia. I see it as unacceptable, as an expression of territorial claims. It is all the more unacceptable as Macedonia aspires to become a member of the EU,” the Bulgarian President declared in Australia Thursday.
• Bulgaria’s chief state health expert, Tencho Tenev, has stated that at least 2 million Bulgarians will get the A (H1N1) virus over the coming months, as the country prepares to announce a swine flu epidemic. Tenev said that according to estimates 30% of Bulgaria’s population will become sick from the virus during the winter months.
Sofia, October 29 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
The topic of the missing reports drawn up by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) continues to make headline news. On Wednesday Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that nine more documents, all drawn up by SANS and addressed to former Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, are missing. "Troud" notes that thus, a total of 10 SANS documents are now missing. Among the new nine is a report on possible measures by the US Treasury Department regarding the banking system, and reports on smuggling channels, on a tender for special products, on the likelihood of Russia using Bulgaria's energy map as a political weapon.
The newspapers quote Stanishev's recommendation to carry out an investigation into what he called "Prime Minister's Borissov's circle of friends, Kotaratsite [Tomcats]" and into how public procurement contracts connected to Sofia's governance, were won. Before becoming prime minister Borissov was Sofia Mayor. "Troud" writes that Borissov's response to this was immediate: he knew about seven people with cat nicknames. Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov urged Stanishev to provide more information about this circle of friends, along with documents proving what the members of the circle did. He also asked Stanishev why he did not alert the competent authorities.
* * *
"24 Chassa" runs excerpts of an interview Wednesday for bTV of Ivan Drashkov, former deputy head of SANS. He said that SANS agents racketeered businessmen for millions of leva. Drashkov said also that SANS was managed on "auto pilot". He admits that he signed the notorious report about corrupt members of the previous cabinet (one of the currently missing documents) which was addressed to the then prime minister Stanishev, the President, the then chairman of the National Assembly and the Prosecutor General. Drashkov said that the purpose of the document was to set out circumstances, events and reasons that led to what he described as the ridiculous style and method of work which around the end of May 2008 became a practice in SANS. The former SANS official said that certain structures in SANS started to operate like street gangs: without due permits and documents, without reports but just on the strength of phone calls.
* * *
"Novinar" interviews ex-chief of the former National Security Service Atanas Atanassov who says that SANS was the political police of the previous incumbents. He directs the attention to the State Commission for Information Security (SCIC) which is a special body bearing responsibility for the system of classified information. Atanassov asks how come that no one questions SCIC's work in the past eight years so that now we are faced with a situation where documents classified as top secret are in the open. Atanassov says also that there is a unit of people in SANS involved in meddling in the political processes in the country, in protecting certain political parties and obstructing others. An entity in question is the Order, Lawfulness and Justice (OLJ) party, Atanassov says, adding that OLJ and its performance at the last general elections are to some extent associated with protection of the SANS leadership.
* * *
The Thursday newspapers report on the declaration the National Assembly passed reprimanding former Prime Minister and incumbent MP Sergei Stanishev (Coalition for Bulgaria) and Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan for their consistent absence from the sittings of Parliament. The Coalition for Bulgaria and MRF MPs quit the plenary chamber in protest of the declaration. The document was passed with 134 votes in favour.
* * *
The analysis in "24 Chassa" is devoted to the reform in the judiciary. The author argues that it is only possible if magistrates are elected directly. Now they are appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council. The author suggests that district prosecutor and judges are elected by the people every four years. Thus, when magistrates depend directly on voters, they will be forced to work for society. Who would vote for a prosecutor who has built a holiday housing estate for themselves? Or for a judge, who regularly wines and dines in the company of the local bandit, asks the author of the analysis.
* * *
A comment in "Sega" says that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) will not govern Bulgaria but only parts of it. MRF, which used to be in power as part of various coalitions since the 1990s, is unlikely to be present at the central power any time soon, and will not govern alone for sure. However, the party is equally unlikely to be displaced from the local powers, which will become ever more independent from the central government bodies. MRF has entrenched itself in the local powers and does its best to govern alone there, says the comment.
* * *
"Troud" interviews former social policy minister Ivan Neikov who says that one of the main sources of budget revenue is the Value Added Tax which is first taken from people, and then used to pay pensions. According to Neikov, this is the biggest deformity of the social security system. The burden for ensuring funds in the pension system is borne by the entire society, instead by only employers and employees, he says.
* * *
"24 Chassa" says in a front-page headline that the Health Ministry explains the thousands of people taken down with flu as "wide circulation of the illness" and not an "epidemic". For a week, 4,553 people were taken down with flu, nearly 400 more than in the preceding seven days, "24 Chassa" writes. The proven cases of swine flu are 204. However, according to the daily, their number is at least three times higher.
The newspapers report on the second swine flu-caused death, again in Samokov, Western Bulgaria. A peak of flu incidence is expected in six regions shortly, "24 Chassa" writes.
Other dailies say that Bulgaria is on the eve of a swine flu epidemic.
Citing Kamen Plochev, head of the Military Hospital for Infectious Diseases, "Monitor" says that the peak of swine flu will be around Christmas when many Bulgarians who work abroad will come home for the holidays.
ECONOMY
The approval by the cabinet of the 2010 draft budget is one of the most commented topics in the Thursday press. "Pari" singles out the fact that next year's budget will not have the 10 per cent buffer of the current one so that all ministries will get their outlays already at the start of the year.
All of the dailies report that when presenting the 2010 draft budget on Wednesday, Finance Minister Simeon Djankov compared it to a carton containing a small-size pizza whereas the 2009 budget was an empty large pizza carton. The fiscal framework approved earlier remains unchanged: 2 per cent drop in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2010, 2.2 per cent inflation, foreign investments forecast at 5.2 per cent of the GDP, and a U.S. dollar/Bulgarian leva exchange rate of 1.45 leva/USD 1.
* * *
Front-page stories in all of the Thursday dailies report that the German company RWE is withdrawing from the Belene Nuclear Power Plant project. The news was released by the Bulgarian Energy Holding on Wednesday. The project for a second nuclear power plant in Bulgaria thus remains without an investor other than the Bulgarian State.
The newspapers quote Deputy Economy Minister Maya Hristova as saying that RWE's withdrawal should by no means be considered a project failure. She said that the cabinet thinks how to attract new investors.
"Standart News" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying that his cabinet did its best to save the project. However, the previous government of the three-party coalition did not do its work well and failed to make the necessary financial schedules.
SOCIETY
"24 Chassa" informs of the international meeting of news agencies of Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea Region organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in Sofia and Veliko Turnovo, Northern Bulgaria, from October 30 to November 2. The forum, mottoed "Strong in Information", will be opened by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
The event will be attended by the leaders of 23 news agencies. They provide round-the-clock information to more than 360 Million people in Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea Region.
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 – October 29, 2009
• Bulgaria's President, Georgi Parvanov, has declared during his Australia visit that a recent statement of Macedonian Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, was "unacceptable". During a news conference in Sydney, Parvanov referred to the words of Gruevski who recently visited Australia as well.
Gruevski’s words were that the Macedonians in Australia had a unique opportunity that they did not have in the Republic of Macedonia: to live with their compatriots from Aegean and Pirin Macedonia. (The Pirin region of the geographic area “Macedonia” is in Southwest Bulgaria, and the Aegean part is in Greece.) Gruevksi has also called upon the Macedonians in Australia not to split because “there are no Vardar Macedonians (i.e. the region of today’s Republic of Macedonia), no Aegean Macedonians, no Pirin Macedonians, there are only Macedonians”.
“I am bewildered by the position that has been expressed by the Prime Minister of neighboring Macedonia. I see it as unacceptable, as an expression of territorial claims. It is all the more unacceptable as Macedonia aspires to become a member of the EU,” the Bulgarian President declared in Australia Thursday.
• Bulgaria’s chief state health expert, Tencho Tenev, has stated that at least 2 million Bulgarians will get the A (H1N1) virus over the coming months, as the country prepares to announce a swine flu epidemic. Tenev said that according to estimates 30% of Bulgaria’s population will become sick from the virus during the winter months.
onsdag den 28. oktober 2009
Bulgarian Press Review, October 28, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, October 28 (BTA)
SWINE FLU
A secondary school in Tryavna, named "Petko Rachev Slaveykov," has been seriously affected by the swine flu virus, “24 Chassa” reports. Over 240 school students had to stay at home for treatment and on Monday the school master contacted the Regional Inspectorate for Protection and Control of Public Health in Gabrovo. Another three schools in the town are also on flu vacation as of Tuesday. So far there have not been serious cases. Tryavna received 100 doses of tamiflu. The school of mathematics in Yambol is on the verge of a flu outbreak. For the time being, the situation in Sofia's schools is normal but those taken ill are many. A second Bulgarian died of swine flue. The man was from Samokov and died in Sofia's Sveta Ana Hospital, "Troud" says.
HOME SCENE
The Finance Ministry and the Regional development and Public Works Ministry have come to an agreement that there will be no rise in the prices of automobile vignettes, "Troud" says. However, the prices of vignettes for trucks and buses will be different, depending on the environmental standards the vehicles satisfy. The fees for driving courses will go up as a result of the requirement to install cameras in the cars, "Troud" writes.
"Big Brother watches new drivers," "Douma" says in a subtitle. Under expected amendments to the Road Traffic Act, the training and examination of candidates for a driving licence will be recorded with a camera, and automobiles displaying the "L" sign will be GPS monitored. According to Transport Minister Aleksandar Tsvetkov, the purpose is to prevent the purchase of driving licences and curb corruption among driving instructors. There is a black market of driving licences in Bulgaria and 30 per cent of them are purchased, Tsvetkov says in "Klassa."
* * *
In part of the Defence Ministry there will be 15 per cent staff cuts, Defence Minister Nikolay Mladenov says in "Sega." "In Bosnia we will be left with 20 military, and the fate of the mission in Kosovo will be clear in the middle of 2010," he says.
* * *
Ex-prime minister Sergei Stanishev will appear for examination in the Sofia City Prosecution Office on Tuesday in connection with the scandal about a classified report of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) handed over to Prime Minister Boyko Borissov by SANS former agent Aleksei Petrov, "Novinar" and "Ataka" write.
"Themis is after the Heroes in 'That' Report," "Monitor" says in the headline of its leading story.
Order, Lawfulness, Justice party leader Yani Yanev says in "24 Chassa that PM Borissov called him on Monday and they reached an understanding that whenever there are tips about corruption in the executive branch, Yanev will inform Borissov first. "He [Borissov] assured me that he will give me the necessary information about various corruption schemes," Yanev says. In his words, the warm relations between GERB and Ataka are an "odd type of hybrid that could lead Bulgaria to a stalemate and prompt reactions at the highest level in the US, the UK, the EU and Israel."
"There are already signs of a possible counter-attack by some wings in SANS alleging that there is corruption in the new government, too," Tihomir Bezlov of the Centre for the Study of Democracy says in "Dnevnik." "If Borissov keeps his word and closes SANS down, all possible lobbies will be activated and early elections may be provoked," Bezlov says.
"The SANS classified report scandal may have a boomerang effect on the incumbents,' political scientist Yuri Aslanov says in "Troud." "The tension may split the tacit ruling coalition - as early as Tuesday the parties supporting the cabinet began issuing contradictory signals and for the first time it was alleged that there was corruption among the new ministers, too," Aslanov notes. "When the state is involved in a drama based on a conflict between antagonistic groups in the special services, nobody could say what the outcome will be."
Sociologist and MBMD Director Miroslava Radeva writes in "Troud" that the government must get to work, gather evidence so that the culprits for the SANS report scandal could be condemned and then turn over this page. In her view, if no minister from the previous cabinet is condemned within three months, people will start thinking that all of it is yet another case of political smoke and mirrors.
ECONOMY
Citing statistics of the National Bank of Bulgaria (BNB), "Klassa" reports that the amount of credits granted to businesses rose by 190 million leva in September. The average-weighted interest rate on new credits was 9.66 per cent, the lowest ever compared with the four previous months.
* * *
"Ministers' statements on the energy policy are diverging and give the impression of a lack of coordination, which is bad policy,' political scientist Ivan Krustev says in "Troud." "A good policy would be to make divergent statementsЕ but in a coordinated way. Because Bulgaria is in a situation in which the best we could do is to play for time," he says. In Krustev's words, given the current economic situation, in its present version, the Belene N-plant project is a "suicidal" one, exposing the economy to very serious risk and involving a high level of corruption. "The task of the government is not only to prevent the implementation of an unprofitable project but to do it in such a way as to avoid a crisis in Bulgaria's relations with Russia," he observes.
* * *
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson will construct a huge stadium with 15 playgrounds for different sports and a parking lot in Gorna Oryahovitsa, "Standart News" reports. Negotiations on the project are underway between the municipality and British investors headed by Ferguson.
FOREIGN POLICY
Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva has taken a stand in support of Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker's possible bid for the EU presidency, "Troud" writes. "I am truly glad that he is one of the candidates, and I wish him good luck," she is quoted as saying in the lobbies during the meeting of the EU foreign ministers who discussed the application of the Treaty of Lisbon after its expected final ratification.
* * *
Bulgarian Spaska Mitrova, who lives in Gevgelija and holds both Bulgarian and Macedonian citizenship, will have to appear in court for trial again on November 3, "Troud" says. Her former husband, the court and the local social centre are pressing to make her conditional sentence effective. Mitrova was arrested by Macedonian police on July 29, tried and sentenced to six months' imprisonment for refusing to provide accommodation at her parents' home for her Serbian ex-husband to visit their daughter. She has not seen her daughter for three months.
* * *
The executives of 23 news agencies will participate in an international meeting of the news agencies of Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea region organized by BTA, "Klassa" reports. The forum will be opened by PM Borissov in Sofia on Friday and will continue in Veliko Turnovo.
* * *
Under the headline "Figures of the Transition Period Identify Themselves in Photos" "24 Chassa" tells about on two pages about the exhibition entitled "20 Years in 60 Photos", organized by BTA and the BulFoto agency under the aegis of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria and with the assistance of Sofia Municipality.
* * *
One of the 450 balls held in Vienna will be a Bulgarian one, "Troud" reports. Sofia Ball is scheduled to take place in Vienna's Lower Austria Palace on January 15, 2010. The prices are between 259 and 560 euro. Performing will be the grandchildren of Bulgarian composer Pancho Vladigerov: Ekaterina Vladigerova (piano) and the twin brothers, Aleksander (trumpet) and Konstantin (piano) Vladigerov. Bulgarian pop stars Orlin Goranov, Vesselin Marinov and Georgi Hristov will sing their hits.
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 – October 28, 2009
· The German company RWE is withdrawing from the Belene Nuclear Power Plant project, the Bulgarian Energy Holding said on Wednesday. The project for a second nuclear power plant in Bulgaria thus remains without an investor other than the Bulgarian State. The two main reasons RWE have mentioned are the financial crisis and the failure to complete two of the stages of the project: signing a final agreement with the contractor and financial structuring of the project.
· Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, voiced Wednesday further accusations about his predecessor, Sergey Stanishev, concealing nine more State Security classified files. Borisov spoke after a meeting of the Council of Ministers, saying the disappearance of the National Agency for State Security (DANS) documents was not a matter of carelessness, but an act with a definite purpose.
· The Bulgarian towns of Yambol and Tryavna have taken measures to control the spread of swine flu, including shutting schools and banning all large public meetings. Elsewhere, Bulgarian health officials confirmed on Wednesday that a 32-year-old man from the town of Samokov, Central Bulgaria, died after being infected with the H1N1 virus, the country's second swine flu-related fatality.
Sofia, October 28 (BTA)
SWINE FLU
A secondary school in Tryavna, named "Petko Rachev Slaveykov," has been seriously affected by the swine flu virus, “24 Chassa” reports. Over 240 school students had to stay at home for treatment and on Monday the school master contacted the Regional Inspectorate for Protection and Control of Public Health in Gabrovo. Another three schools in the town are also on flu vacation as of Tuesday. So far there have not been serious cases. Tryavna received 100 doses of tamiflu. The school of mathematics in Yambol is on the verge of a flu outbreak. For the time being, the situation in Sofia's schools is normal but those taken ill are many. A second Bulgarian died of swine flue. The man was from Samokov and died in Sofia's Sveta Ana Hospital, "Troud" says.
HOME SCENE
The Finance Ministry and the Regional development and Public Works Ministry have come to an agreement that there will be no rise in the prices of automobile vignettes, "Troud" says. However, the prices of vignettes for trucks and buses will be different, depending on the environmental standards the vehicles satisfy. The fees for driving courses will go up as a result of the requirement to install cameras in the cars, "Troud" writes.
"Big Brother watches new drivers," "Douma" says in a subtitle. Under expected amendments to the Road Traffic Act, the training and examination of candidates for a driving licence will be recorded with a camera, and automobiles displaying the "L" sign will be GPS monitored. According to Transport Minister Aleksandar Tsvetkov, the purpose is to prevent the purchase of driving licences and curb corruption among driving instructors. There is a black market of driving licences in Bulgaria and 30 per cent of them are purchased, Tsvetkov says in "Klassa."
* * *
In part of the Defence Ministry there will be 15 per cent staff cuts, Defence Minister Nikolay Mladenov says in "Sega." "In Bosnia we will be left with 20 military, and the fate of the mission in Kosovo will be clear in the middle of 2010," he says.
* * *
Ex-prime minister Sergei Stanishev will appear for examination in the Sofia City Prosecution Office on Tuesday in connection with the scandal about a classified report of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) handed over to Prime Minister Boyko Borissov by SANS former agent Aleksei Petrov, "Novinar" and "Ataka" write.
"Themis is after the Heroes in 'That' Report," "Monitor" says in the headline of its leading story.
Order, Lawfulness, Justice party leader Yani Yanev says in "24 Chassa that PM Borissov called him on Monday and they reached an understanding that whenever there are tips about corruption in the executive branch, Yanev will inform Borissov first. "He [Borissov] assured me that he will give me the necessary information about various corruption schemes," Yanev says. In his words, the warm relations between GERB and Ataka are an "odd type of hybrid that could lead Bulgaria to a stalemate and prompt reactions at the highest level in the US, the UK, the EU and Israel."
"There are already signs of a possible counter-attack by some wings in SANS alleging that there is corruption in the new government, too," Tihomir Bezlov of the Centre for the Study of Democracy says in "Dnevnik." "If Borissov keeps his word and closes SANS down, all possible lobbies will be activated and early elections may be provoked," Bezlov says.
"The SANS classified report scandal may have a boomerang effect on the incumbents,' political scientist Yuri Aslanov says in "Troud." "The tension may split the tacit ruling coalition - as early as Tuesday the parties supporting the cabinet began issuing contradictory signals and for the first time it was alleged that there was corruption among the new ministers, too," Aslanov notes. "When the state is involved in a drama based on a conflict between antagonistic groups in the special services, nobody could say what the outcome will be."
Sociologist and MBMD Director Miroslava Radeva writes in "Troud" that the government must get to work, gather evidence so that the culprits for the SANS report scandal could be condemned and then turn over this page. In her view, if no minister from the previous cabinet is condemned within three months, people will start thinking that all of it is yet another case of political smoke and mirrors.
ECONOMY
Citing statistics of the National Bank of Bulgaria (BNB), "Klassa" reports that the amount of credits granted to businesses rose by 190 million leva in September. The average-weighted interest rate on new credits was 9.66 per cent, the lowest ever compared with the four previous months.
* * *
"Ministers' statements on the energy policy are diverging and give the impression of a lack of coordination, which is bad policy,' political scientist Ivan Krustev says in "Troud." "A good policy would be to make divergent statementsЕ but in a coordinated way. Because Bulgaria is in a situation in which the best we could do is to play for time," he says. In Krustev's words, given the current economic situation, in its present version, the Belene N-plant project is a "suicidal" one, exposing the economy to very serious risk and involving a high level of corruption. "The task of the government is not only to prevent the implementation of an unprofitable project but to do it in such a way as to avoid a crisis in Bulgaria's relations with Russia," he observes.
* * *
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson will construct a huge stadium with 15 playgrounds for different sports and a parking lot in Gorna Oryahovitsa, "Standart News" reports. Negotiations on the project are underway between the municipality and British investors headed by Ferguson.
FOREIGN POLICY
Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva has taken a stand in support of Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker's possible bid for the EU presidency, "Troud" writes. "I am truly glad that he is one of the candidates, and I wish him good luck," she is quoted as saying in the lobbies during the meeting of the EU foreign ministers who discussed the application of the Treaty of Lisbon after its expected final ratification.
* * *
Bulgarian Spaska Mitrova, who lives in Gevgelija and holds both Bulgarian and Macedonian citizenship, will have to appear in court for trial again on November 3, "Troud" says. Her former husband, the court and the local social centre are pressing to make her conditional sentence effective. Mitrova was arrested by Macedonian police on July 29, tried and sentenced to six months' imprisonment for refusing to provide accommodation at her parents' home for her Serbian ex-husband to visit their daughter. She has not seen her daughter for three months.
* * *
The executives of 23 news agencies will participate in an international meeting of the news agencies of Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea region organized by BTA, "Klassa" reports. The forum will be opened by PM Borissov in Sofia on Friday and will continue in Veliko Turnovo.
* * *
Under the headline "Figures of the Transition Period Identify Themselves in Photos" "24 Chassa" tells about on two pages about the exhibition entitled "20 Years in 60 Photos", organized by BTA and the BulFoto agency under the aegis of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria and with the assistance of Sofia Municipality.
* * *
One of the 450 balls held in Vienna will be a Bulgarian one, "Troud" reports. Sofia Ball is scheduled to take place in Vienna's Lower Austria Palace on January 15, 2010. The prices are between 259 and 560 euro. Performing will be the grandchildren of Bulgarian composer Pancho Vladigerov: Ekaterina Vladigerova (piano) and the twin brothers, Aleksander (trumpet) and Konstantin (piano) Vladigerov. Bulgarian pop stars Orlin Goranov, Vesselin Marinov and Georgi Hristov will sing their hits.
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 – October 28, 2009
· The German company RWE is withdrawing from the Belene Nuclear Power Plant project, the Bulgarian Energy Holding said on Wednesday. The project for a second nuclear power plant in Bulgaria thus remains without an investor other than the Bulgarian State. The two main reasons RWE have mentioned are the financial crisis and the failure to complete two of the stages of the project: signing a final agreement with the contractor and financial structuring of the project.
· Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, voiced Wednesday further accusations about his predecessor, Sergey Stanishev, concealing nine more State Security classified files. Borisov spoke after a meeting of the Council of Ministers, saying the disappearance of the National Agency for State Security (DANS) documents was not a matter of carelessness, but an act with a definite purpose.
· The Bulgarian towns of Yambol and Tryavna have taken measures to control the spread of swine flu, including shutting schools and banning all large public meetings. Elsewhere, Bulgarian health officials confirmed on Wednesday that a 32-year-old man from the town of Samokov, Central Bulgaria, died after being infected with the H1N1 virus, the country's second swine flu-related fatality.
tirsdag den 27. oktober 2009
Bulgarian Press Review, October 27, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, October27 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
An investigation codenamed "Weasel" against a minister of the Sergei Stanishev Cabinet, but not of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) quota, has disappeared from the State Agency for National Security (SANS) under its previous leadership, "24 Chassa" reports. It was supposed to establish whether the minister in question has received a 100,000 euro commission for the implementation of a major project by a foreign company at several Bulgarian central-government departments. According to the daily, the SANS was alerted by a former Finance Ministry employee whose subsequent private business included the implementation of such projects but was rejected as a contractor by the minister in question because he refused to pay a commission. Instead, the project was awarded to a company of a EU country which, however, paid the 100,000 euro and the project was implemented under the auspices of the minister in several central-government departments in 2007-2008.
Former Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev will be questioned by prosecutors in a matter of days. He will be asked to give evidence in a case instituted in connection with a SANS report concerning high-level corruption that has been removed from the Council of Ministers, "Monitor" reports in its top story. The investigation is intended to detect who is responsible for the classified information leak. The questioning will be conducted by a prosecutor of the secret department, and Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov will be present at it.
"The SANS report, returned by Aleksei Petrov, is available online, with [energy lobbyist Stefan] Gamizov as a protagonist in it, surrounded by senior bureaucrats, Stanishev advisors, cops, journalists, PR, [energy moghul Hristo] Kovachki and [Serbian drug lord] Sreten Jocic," "24 Chassa" writes. "Tatyana Doncheva and Gamizov were allegedly closely linked, and Kovachki financed the energy lobbyst's televised appearances, according to the first part of the SANS report that shook the State," the paper writes.
Gamizov told the paper that two years ago he was helping then SANS Chairman Petko Sertov to counteract organized crime patronized by politicians and security services because Gamizov was close to a US corporate entity specialzed in investigating corruption and in setting up special countercorruption units in state structures. The idea was to set up a unit in the SANS to persecite organized crime and its patrons within the law. "24 Chassa" quotes Aleksei Petrov as saying that he will ask prosecutors to hold former SANS deputy chairman Ivan Drashkov criminally liable for stating untrue information in the report. Under the heading "Drashkov Report: Spy Soap Opera," "Standart News" writes that Sertov ordered a psychiatric expert analysis of Gamizov, and Doncheva brought down Interior Minister Roumen Petkov.
According to "Sega", along with the clash of two lobbies in the secret service, the report demonstrates how two lobbyists twist around their little finger all advisers of the prime minister in a bid to push their project through the Council of Ministers. "The document is actually the most eloquent proof of the effectiveness of operation of the service and provides sufficient arguments for its closure," the daily writes.
"Troud" runs an article entitled "SANS: to reorganize or to close?"."Borissov threatened to close 'Media Project' SANS," "Dnevnik" notes.
* * *
Five ministers of the Boyko Borissov Cabinet have declared that they may find themselves in a conflict of interest because persons closely linked to them participate in companies and associations connected with their portfolios, "Sega" writes in its top story. Some ministers even admitted that at the time of submission of the conflict of interest declarations there were circumstances incompatible with their position because they were managing directors or managerial agents of companies with which they will have to deal as ministers. None, however, has identified as closely linked persons any political or business partners on whom they may become dependent. Ministers Rossen Plevneliev of Regional Development and Public Works, Totyu Mladenov of Labour and Social Policy, Bozhidar Nanev of Health, Vezhdi Rashidov of Culture and Miroslav Naydenov of Agriculture and Food have declared a private interest arising from the activity of persons closely linked with them.
* * *
"Dnevnik" reports on its front page that Bourgas Appellate Court President Dora Chineva and Bourgas District Prosecutor Angel Angelov have tendered their resignations to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). They have both been implicated in telephone contacts with influence monger Krassimir "Krassyo" Georgiev, who allegedly arranged magisterial appointments for large payoffs.
"Troud" reports that Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) demands the shortening of the terms of office of the prosecutor general and the presidents of the Supreme Administrative Court and the Supreme Court of Cassation from seven to five years and for cutting the number and term of office of the SJC members (now the SJC has 22 elected and appointed members serving five-year terms, plus the presidents of the two supreme courts and the prosecutor general, who are members by right). Since such changes would require an amendment to the Constitution, the DSB has approached the GERB Parliamentary Group for the formation of a constitutional amendment committee and are awaiting their answer.
"Standart News" reports on its front page that the kidnappers of student Roumen Gouninski have texted his businessman father a 500,000 euro ransom demand, giving him three weeks to pay the money so as to get his son back alive.
"The few surviving VIS and SIC bosses have held a secret meeting at which they agreed not to stand in each other's way and to keep even their personal business interests apart," "Express" writes on its front page. The deal was prompted by the economic crisis, the changes in the market and the entry of new figures in the criminal underworld. VIS and SIC were the two major organized crime conglomerates in the 1990s.
"GERB is feeding the fat cats in City Hall," Socialist candidate for Sofia mayor Georgi Kadiev says.
"The fee for an ecclesiastical divorce in the capital city will treble if the Sofia Metropolitanate increases it from 12 to 30 leva as planned," "Troud" writes in a press release. At present, some 100 decisions on dissolution of a religious marriage are issued in Sofia annually, and they are fewer in the smaller eparchies: 39 in Varna, and just six in Vratsa last year, the paper says. "When they divorce, people forget that they must also dissolve their holy matrimony, otherwise they cannot remarry," "Troud" notes, adding that the church allows a person to remarry up to three times after the first divorce.
ECONOMY
The trade unions reject the 2010 draft budget, according to front-page reports in "Klassa", "Douma" and "Zemya" and an inside page item in "Troud." "Dnevnik" has headlined its coverage "Trade Unions: 2010 Budget Will Spark Strikes." "The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) has fundamental differences with the Government on the budget philosophy and the 2010 budget items," CITUB Vice President Plamen Dimitrov said. As he puts it, the reduced allocations for active labour market measures will push the unemployment rate up to 15-16 per cent next year, as was the case in 2003 and over 500,000 people will find themselves on the labour exchange. "The 2010 budget is restrictive and through it the Finance Ministry is trying to shift part of the burdens of the crisis onto wage earners and the poorest population strata. That is why we cannot support it," reads a position of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, quoted in "Troud." "The Bulgarian Industrial Association welcomes the idea to prepare a balanced and prudent budget, but regards as overoptimistic its estimates of a 2 per cent contraction of GDP and 3,300 million leva foreign investments," "Troud" notes. "The expected dollar exchange rate of 1.45 leva is also unrealistic and will affect the country's trade deficit. Again the business community is consulted only perfunctorily," "Pari" comments.
Unique Estate detected a 40 per cent dive in the prices of luxury real estate, according to "Troud." "The supply of luxury real estate has doubled," "Monitor" observes.
"I see no point in a single financial supervision," Financial Supervision Commission Chairman Peter Chobanov says in a "Dnevnik" interview. "One of our principal tasks is to remove administrative obstacles, regardless of the crisis and the calls to tighten regulations," he adds, noting that a distinction should be drawn beteen regulations and needless red tape.
"We will not ban gambling; something should be done to regulate electronic gambling as well," National Assembly Budget and Finance Committee Chair Menda Stoyanova told "Novinar."
"Troud" runs an open letter from poet Nedyalko Yordanov to the Prime Minister under the heading "Bourgas - Alexandroupolis: a Crime against Bulgaria."
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 – October 27, 2009
· Prime Minister Boyko Borissov believes that the prosecuting magistracy should press charges very quickly and take to court all persons involved in the developments concerning the classified report that has recently been the focus of public attention. "This should be done if we want to prevent the disintegration of the state," he told journalists Tuesday. Borissov said he would fire the administrators in the Council of Ministers' Classified Section who concealed the fact that the former Prime Minister Stanishev failed to return this report and other documents. He will also recall the former SANS Chairman Petko Sertov from Thessaloniki where he serves as Bulgarian Consul.
· Today the interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov confirmed anonymous signal that the kidnapped Rumen Gyninski Jr. has been abandoned in a villa exurb nearby Sofia was received at 166 police phone number. It appeared the house has been abandoned but the student was not found there, Tsvetanov stated. “Everything up to now is false,” he said.
· The European Commission Tuesday adopted a proposal on the extension of financial support to Bulgaria for the decommissioning of units 1 to 4 of the „Kozloduy” Nuclear Power Plant and for the mitigation of the economical consequences, the Commission said in a press release. The proposal covers a sum of 300 million euro for the period between 2010 and 2013.
Sofia, October27 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
An investigation codenamed "Weasel" against a minister of the Sergei Stanishev Cabinet, but not of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) quota, has disappeared from the State Agency for National Security (SANS) under its previous leadership, "24 Chassa" reports. It was supposed to establish whether the minister in question has received a 100,000 euro commission for the implementation of a major project by a foreign company at several Bulgarian central-government departments. According to the daily, the SANS was alerted by a former Finance Ministry employee whose subsequent private business included the implementation of such projects but was rejected as a contractor by the minister in question because he refused to pay a commission. Instead, the project was awarded to a company of a EU country which, however, paid the 100,000 euro and the project was implemented under the auspices of the minister in several central-government departments in 2007-2008.
Former Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev will be questioned by prosecutors in a matter of days. He will be asked to give evidence in a case instituted in connection with a SANS report concerning high-level corruption that has been removed from the Council of Ministers, "Monitor" reports in its top story. The investigation is intended to detect who is responsible for the classified information leak. The questioning will be conducted by a prosecutor of the secret department, and Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov will be present at it.
"The SANS report, returned by Aleksei Petrov, is available online, with [energy lobbyist Stefan] Gamizov as a protagonist in it, surrounded by senior bureaucrats, Stanishev advisors, cops, journalists, PR, [energy moghul Hristo] Kovachki and [Serbian drug lord] Sreten Jocic," "24 Chassa" writes. "Tatyana Doncheva and Gamizov were allegedly closely linked, and Kovachki financed the energy lobbyst's televised appearances, according to the first part of the SANS report that shook the State," the paper writes.
Gamizov told the paper that two years ago he was helping then SANS Chairman Petko Sertov to counteract organized crime patronized by politicians and security services because Gamizov was close to a US corporate entity specialzed in investigating corruption and in setting up special countercorruption units in state structures. The idea was to set up a unit in the SANS to persecite organized crime and its patrons within the law. "24 Chassa" quotes Aleksei Petrov as saying that he will ask prosecutors to hold former SANS deputy chairman Ivan Drashkov criminally liable for stating untrue information in the report. Under the heading "Drashkov Report: Spy Soap Opera," "Standart News" writes that Sertov ordered a psychiatric expert analysis of Gamizov, and Doncheva brought down Interior Minister Roumen Petkov.
According to "Sega", along with the clash of two lobbies in the secret service, the report demonstrates how two lobbyists twist around their little finger all advisers of the prime minister in a bid to push their project through the Council of Ministers. "The document is actually the most eloquent proof of the effectiveness of operation of the service and provides sufficient arguments for its closure," the daily writes.
"Troud" runs an article entitled "SANS: to reorganize or to close?"."Borissov threatened to close 'Media Project' SANS," "Dnevnik" notes.
* * *
Five ministers of the Boyko Borissov Cabinet have declared that they may find themselves in a conflict of interest because persons closely linked to them participate in companies and associations connected with their portfolios, "Sega" writes in its top story. Some ministers even admitted that at the time of submission of the conflict of interest declarations there were circumstances incompatible with their position because they were managing directors or managerial agents of companies with which they will have to deal as ministers. None, however, has identified as closely linked persons any political or business partners on whom they may become dependent. Ministers Rossen Plevneliev of Regional Development and Public Works, Totyu Mladenov of Labour and Social Policy, Bozhidar Nanev of Health, Vezhdi Rashidov of Culture and Miroslav Naydenov of Agriculture and Food have declared a private interest arising from the activity of persons closely linked with them.
* * *
"Dnevnik" reports on its front page that Bourgas Appellate Court President Dora Chineva and Bourgas District Prosecutor Angel Angelov have tendered their resignations to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). They have both been implicated in telephone contacts with influence monger Krassimir "Krassyo" Georgiev, who allegedly arranged magisterial appointments for large payoffs.
"Troud" reports that Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) demands the shortening of the terms of office of the prosecutor general and the presidents of the Supreme Administrative Court and the Supreme Court of Cassation from seven to five years and for cutting the number and term of office of the SJC members (now the SJC has 22 elected and appointed members serving five-year terms, plus the presidents of the two supreme courts and the prosecutor general, who are members by right). Since such changes would require an amendment to the Constitution, the DSB has approached the GERB Parliamentary Group for the formation of a constitutional amendment committee and are awaiting their answer.
"Standart News" reports on its front page that the kidnappers of student Roumen Gouninski have texted his businessman father a 500,000 euro ransom demand, giving him three weeks to pay the money so as to get his son back alive.
"The few surviving VIS and SIC bosses have held a secret meeting at which they agreed not to stand in each other's way and to keep even their personal business interests apart," "Express" writes on its front page. The deal was prompted by the economic crisis, the changes in the market and the entry of new figures in the criminal underworld. VIS and SIC were the two major organized crime conglomerates in the 1990s.
"GERB is feeding the fat cats in City Hall," Socialist candidate for Sofia mayor Georgi Kadiev says.
"The fee for an ecclesiastical divorce in the capital city will treble if the Sofia Metropolitanate increases it from 12 to 30 leva as planned," "Troud" writes in a press release. At present, some 100 decisions on dissolution of a religious marriage are issued in Sofia annually, and they are fewer in the smaller eparchies: 39 in Varna, and just six in Vratsa last year, the paper says. "When they divorce, people forget that they must also dissolve their holy matrimony, otherwise they cannot remarry," "Troud" notes, adding that the church allows a person to remarry up to three times after the first divorce.
ECONOMY
The trade unions reject the 2010 draft budget, according to front-page reports in "Klassa", "Douma" and "Zemya" and an inside page item in "Troud." "Dnevnik" has headlined its coverage "Trade Unions: 2010 Budget Will Spark Strikes." "The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) has fundamental differences with the Government on the budget philosophy and the 2010 budget items," CITUB Vice President Plamen Dimitrov said. As he puts it, the reduced allocations for active labour market measures will push the unemployment rate up to 15-16 per cent next year, as was the case in 2003 and over 500,000 people will find themselves on the labour exchange. "The 2010 budget is restrictive and through it the Finance Ministry is trying to shift part of the burdens of the crisis onto wage earners and the poorest population strata. That is why we cannot support it," reads a position of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, quoted in "Troud." "The Bulgarian Industrial Association welcomes the idea to prepare a balanced and prudent budget, but regards as overoptimistic its estimates of a 2 per cent contraction of GDP and 3,300 million leva foreign investments," "Troud" notes. "The expected dollar exchange rate of 1.45 leva is also unrealistic and will affect the country's trade deficit. Again the business community is consulted only perfunctorily," "Pari" comments.
Unique Estate detected a 40 per cent dive in the prices of luxury real estate, according to "Troud." "The supply of luxury real estate has doubled," "Monitor" observes.
"I see no point in a single financial supervision," Financial Supervision Commission Chairman Peter Chobanov says in a "Dnevnik" interview. "One of our principal tasks is to remove administrative obstacles, regardless of the crisis and the calls to tighten regulations," he adds, noting that a distinction should be drawn beteen regulations and needless red tape.
"We will not ban gambling; something should be done to regulate electronic gambling as well," National Assembly Budget and Finance Committee Chair Menda Stoyanova told "Novinar."
"Troud" runs an open letter from poet Nedyalko Yordanov to the Prime Minister under the heading "Bourgas - Alexandroupolis: a Crime against Bulgaria."
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 – October 27, 2009
· Prime Minister Boyko Borissov believes that the prosecuting magistracy should press charges very quickly and take to court all persons involved in the developments concerning the classified report that has recently been the focus of public attention. "This should be done if we want to prevent the disintegration of the state," he told journalists Tuesday. Borissov said he would fire the administrators in the Council of Ministers' Classified Section who concealed the fact that the former Prime Minister Stanishev failed to return this report and other documents. He will also recall the former SANS Chairman Petko Sertov from Thessaloniki where he serves as Bulgarian Consul.
· Today the interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov confirmed anonymous signal that the kidnapped Rumen Gyninski Jr. has been abandoned in a villa exurb nearby Sofia was received at 166 police phone number. It appeared the house has been abandoned but the student was not found there, Tsvetanov stated. “Everything up to now is false,” he said.
· The European Commission Tuesday adopted a proposal on the extension of financial support to Bulgaria for the decommissioning of units 1 to 4 of the „Kozloduy” Nuclear Power Plant and for the mitigation of the economical consequences, the Commission said in a press release. The proposal covers a sum of 300 million euro for the period between 2010 and 2013.
mandag den 26. oktober 2009
Bulgarian Press Review, October 26, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, October26 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
Under the headline "Prime-Ministerial Duel" "Troud" reports that Prime Minister Boyko Borissov Saturday called for the arrest of his predecessor and Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Seergei Stanishev over a missing classified report by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) on persons and circles exercising "destructive influences" on ministries and other state departments. Stanishev is quoted as saying, "It is naпve to think that I concealed the report and give it to somebody to protect him or her". "It is in my best interests to have a serious check of the case as it will show that there was no umbrella for anybody during my political mandate," the former Prime Minister said during a meeting with BSP supporters in the northern town of Byala Slatina.
"Ataka" reports that Mp Volen Siderov intends to move for stripping Stanishev of immunity as an MP to allow an investigation.
"24 Chassa" writes in a commentary that the 30-page report could "first shut down the Bulgarian FBI and then lock up some senior civil servants". It also says that Prime Minister Borissov gave SANS Saturday an ultimatum of a month or two to start working efficiently.
***
"Douma" leads with a story saying that Prime Minister Borissov is expected to appear Monday as a witness in the trial of drug lord Srten Josic at the Belgrade District Court. He will have to say whether he, in his capacity as chief secretary of the Interior Ministry (2001-05), provided protection for Josic.
***
A front-page story in "Troud" reports that Health Ministry staffers were paid hefty honoraria - 25,000 to 50,000 leva each - for participating in the accreditation of health care establishments. The money was paid over a period of three years by hospitals and other medical establishments to the members of the Accreditation Board headed by Krassimir Gigov (former Health Ministry secretary) and the Unit for Administrative and Technical Services. The payment was done by an absolutely legal procedure, says the paper.
***
"Novinar" leads with the warnings that the country's 12 psychiatric hospitals are faced with imminent closure as they have no money to pay their bills for heating, medicines and food. The paper quotes national psychiatry consultant Prof. Vihra Milanova and the directors of some of the biggest psychiatric hospitals in Bulgaria. The medics warned that if these hospitals are shut down, patients with serious disorders and people with addictions will be left in the street, says the story.
***
Almost 80 per cent of Bulgarians are supportive of strict assessment of students' discipline in class, according to a Gallupp poll for "Klassa" daily.
"Sega" writes that nearly 86 per cent of seventh-graders spent all their free time in front of the computer. As many have Internet at home. Other options for spending their time outside school are watching TV (77.5 per cent) or be some place else (81.6 per cent), according to a study by the Centre for Education Quality Control and Assessment with the Education Ministry.
A total of 94 students from the Plovdiv Technical University are dropping out of school because the records of their studies have gone missing, "24 Chassa" reports in a front-page story.
Six of the students have even defended their degree thesis when it emerged that there is no documentary evidence to prove that they have passed all their exams. The case is being probed by prosecutors.
ECONOMY
With 11 deals for 257.87 million euro, Bulgaria is in the Top 3 of transactions for investment in share capital, "Klassa" reports. Between September 2008 and August 2009, the number of such deals in Southeastern Europe dropped to 63 from 99 and their value contracted to 3.12 billion euro from 5.76 million, the paper says quoting a ISI Deal Watch report.
***
The construction of Trakia Motorway started this coming spring with impeccable documents, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rosen Plevneliev says in a "Standard News" interview. The paper highlights the Minister's words that the annual vignette stickers that drivers are required to have to use motorways and first-grade roads, will be more expensive next year.
Thirteen Bulgarian companies have technical and HR potential to participate in the construction of the Trakia Motorway, "Troud" writes quoting the Bulgarian Roads Chamber. These companies could set up several consortiums to be able to meet the requirements for participation in the upcoming tender procedures, Chamber President Roumen Yovchev says.
The paper recalls that 116 km of the motorway that links Sofia with the Black Sea at Bourgas remain to be built. They will be split in three lots. Funding will be provided by the Operational Programme for Transport which has a total of 990 million euro for motorways. The government wants to have Trakia completed in 2012.
***
Under the headline "Pensions Go Up after June, Wages in the Freezer", "24 Chassa" writes that the 2010 draft budget has 7.2 billion leva for pensions and 1.77 billion leva for the state administration. It is clear that the minimum wage will remain 240 leva and there will be no adjustment of civil servants' wages, the paper says. The fiscal reserve is set a minimum of 6.3 billion leva. The Finance Minister needs what the paper calls "a life belt" of 500 million leva to have a balanced budget.
***
Out of 25 countries covered in a survey, Bulgarians are among the most fearful of losing their job, "24 Chassa" writes. The fear is here even after the average monthly income of households went up 100 leva over a year to 846 leva in June. Bulgarians' fear of losing their job is the 4th strongest in the survey with 47 per cent, after Indonesia (71 per cent), Argentina (59 per cent) and Turkey (49 per cent).
***
More than two in five Bulgarians (or 42.7 per cent) are dissatisfied with life, 40 per cent with their career and 58 with their living standards, "24 Chassa" writes quoting Prof. Valentina Zlatanova of the Institute of Sociology with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In all three areas Bulgarians have the highest dissatisfaction rate among 8 surveyed countries (Bulgaria, Russia, Romania, Polans, Slovenia, Spain, Germany and Belgium). One in four Bulgarians says he lives for the day. Only one in three is able to save for old age - against 69 per cent in Belgium, 64 per cent in Germany and approximately half of Spaniards and Slovenians, Prof. Zlatanova says.
***
An average of 2,317 leva will be taken away from each working person next year in the form of taxes and medical and social insurance contributions, says "Troud". With an economically active population of some 3 million, the receipts will be smaller than this year. For example, the receipts from personal income tax are set at 1.987 billion leva in next year's budget against 2 billion this year. There will be a negligible increase of revenue from medical insurance contributions only. In total 134 leva less will be taken away by the government this year from each working person due to the decreased social insurance and the increase in unemployment.
***
In a "Monitor" interview, the CEO of the Sofia heating utility, Petko Milevski, says that 1,000 of the company debtors will be taken to court every month in a bid to increase the collection of bills.
FOREIGN POLICY
Asked by "Troud" about the irregularities in Bulgarian elections in Turkey and the United States and about what she plans to do with the Ambassadors there - Luchezar Petkov and Branimir Mladenov, Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva says she will do what Bulgarian people expect of her. "Unfortunately, the violations that we established there are not unprecedented. Such things have happened in the past 20 years but nothing has been done about it. If ours is a democratic society which wants to end suspiciouns of [voting] manipulations once and for all, this is the time to do it. If we donТt do what we have to do, the suspicions will remain, as well as the possibility for the same violations to be done in the future," says Jeleva.
JUSTICE, HOME AFFAIRS
Somebody may be going to jail for a controversial deal for purchase of aircraft for the government air fleet, if a lower price is found for the same, says "24 Chassa".
Last year, the previous government purchased two Airbus A319 planes worth 44.2 million dollars each with a payment period of 5 years. The airplanes arrived in Sofia in June. The new Transport Minister, Aleksandar Tsvetkov, said that the procurement procedure was marred by irregularities and the new government decided last month to keep only one of the Airbuses and send back the second. The prosecuting magistracy has opened pretrial proceedings against culpable officials from the Transport Ministry over the purchase of the two airplanes.
The paper quotes former Transport Minister Peter Moutafchiev as saying that his "conscience is clean no matter what political campaign Boyko Borissov starts with his ministers to disgrace my name".
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 – October 26, 2009
· Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov has further criticized former PM Sergey Stanishev for his handling of a top secret intelligence report of the State National Security Agency (SANS). Borisov, speaking in an interview on BNT Monday, stated that “before one becomes a Prime Minister... he must know how to work with classified information. When a secret document is sent to one person he must keep hold of it.” He added that he expected the Chief Prosecutor to announce charges against the accused officials who have contributed to the current situation later Monday.
In another interview on Monday Boyko Borisov also said: “If it turns out that DANS has been created to generate scandals and problems, it could be closed down. If it does not function, I am either going to shut it down, or I will have to restructure it completely, which is going to take a lot of time – something that we don’t have.”
Commenting on the same issue the Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov said that there is a hypothesis that SANS has been established for party construction. He added that the major motive for using classified information from the service was to create a serious parliamentary group which to be “a standing factor of country’s government”.
Later today the Bulgarian conservative party “Order, Law, Justice” (OLJ) called on Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Stanishev to give up his immunity for the period that the investigating and judicial authorities are working on the scandalous SANS top secret report.
· The Bulgarian police have found the van with which 22-year-old student Rumen Guninski Jr., the son of a wealthy businessman from the town of Pravetz, had been kidnapped. The news about the discovery of the car was announced by Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov. According to him, the van has been burned out completely, and there were no traces left on it that could give clues to the investigators, which was a sign that the kidnappers were really professional.
· The Supreme Judicial Council announced that Angel Angelov - the district prosecutor of Burgas has filed his resignation as administrative head as a result of the latest sitting of the Council on October 22 and the appeal for magistrates who have kept in touch with the person Krasimir Georgiev form Pleven to file their resignations.
Sofia, October26 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
Under the headline "Prime-Ministerial Duel" "Troud" reports that Prime Minister Boyko Borissov Saturday called for the arrest of his predecessor and Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Seergei Stanishev over a missing classified report by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) on persons and circles exercising "destructive influences" on ministries and other state departments. Stanishev is quoted as saying, "It is naпve to think that I concealed the report and give it to somebody to protect him or her". "It is in my best interests to have a serious check of the case as it will show that there was no umbrella for anybody during my political mandate," the former Prime Minister said during a meeting with BSP supporters in the northern town of Byala Slatina.
"Ataka" reports that Mp Volen Siderov intends to move for stripping Stanishev of immunity as an MP to allow an investigation.
"24 Chassa" writes in a commentary that the 30-page report could "first shut down the Bulgarian FBI and then lock up some senior civil servants". It also says that Prime Minister Borissov gave SANS Saturday an ultimatum of a month or two to start working efficiently.
***
"Douma" leads with a story saying that Prime Minister Borissov is expected to appear Monday as a witness in the trial of drug lord Srten Josic at the Belgrade District Court. He will have to say whether he, in his capacity as chief secretary of the Interior Ministry (2001-05), provided protection for Josic.
***
A front-page story in "Troud" reports that Health Ministry staffers were paid hefty honoraria - 25,000 to 50,000 leva each - for participating in the accreditation of health care establishments. The money was paid over a period of three years by hospitals and other medical establishments to the members of the Accreditation Board headed by Krassimir Gigov (former Health Ministry secretary) and the Unit for Administrative and Technical Services. The payment was done by an absolutely legal procedure, says the paper.
***
"Novinar" leads with the warnings that the country's 12 psychiatric hospitals are faced with imminent closure as they have no money to pay their bills for heating, medicines and food. The paper quotes national psychiatry consultant Prof. Vihra Milanova and the directors of some of the biggest psychiatric hospitals in Bulgaria. The medics warned that if these hospitals are shut down, patients with serious disorders and people with addictions will be left in the street, says the story.
***
Almost 80 per cent of Bulgarians are supportive of strict assessment of students' discipline in class, according to a Gallupp poll for "Klassa" daily.
"Sega" writes that nearly 86 per cent of seventh-graders spent all their free time in front of the computer. As many have Internet at home. Other options for spending their time outside school are watching TV (77.5 per cent) or be some place else (81.6 per cent), according to a study by the Centre for Education Quality Control and Assessment with the Education Ministry.
A total of 94 students from the Plovdiv Technical University are dropping out of school because the records of their studies have gone missing, "24 Chassa" reports in a front-page story.
Six of the students have even defended their degree thesis when it emerged that there is no documentary evidence to prove that they have passed all their exams. The case is being probed by prosecutors.
ECONOMY
With 11 deals for 257.87 million euro, Bulgaria is in the Top 3 of transactions for investment in share capital, "Klassa" reports. Between September 2008 and August 2009, the number of such deals in Southeastern Europe dropped to 63 from 99 and their value contracted to 3.12 billion euro from 5.76 million, the paper says quoting a ISI Deal Watch report.
***
The construction of Trakia Motorway started this coming spring with impeccable documents, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rosen Plevneliev says in a "Standard News" interview. The paper highlights the Minister's words that the annual vignette stickers that drivers are required to have to use motorways and first-grade roads, will be more expensive next year.
Thirteen Bulgarian companies have technical and HR potential to participate in the construction of the Trakia Motorway, "Troud" writes quoting the Bulgarian Roads Chamber. These companies could set up several consortiums to be able to meet the requirements for participation in the upcoming tender procedures, Chamber President Roumen Yovchev says.
The paper recalls that 116 km of the motorway that links Sofia with the Black Sea at Bourgas remain to be built. They will be split in three lots. Funding will be provided by the Operational Programme for Transport which has a total of 990 million euro for motorways. The government wants to have Trakia completed in 2012.
***
Under the headline "Pensions Go Up after June, Wages in the Freezer", "24 Chassa" writes that the 2010 draft budget has 7.2 billion leva for pensions and 1.77 billion leva for the state administration. It is clear that the minimum wage will remain 240 leva and there will be no adjustment of civil servants' wages, the paper says. The fiscal reserve is set a minimum of 6.3 billion leva. The Finance Minister needs what the paper calls "a life belt" of 500 million leva to have a balanced budget.
***
Out of 25 countries covered in a survey, Bulgarians are among the most fearful of losing their job, "24 Chassa" writes. The fear is here even after the average monthly income of households went up 100 leva over a year to 846 leva in June. Bulgarians' fear of losing their job is the 4th strongest in the survey with 47 per cent, after Indonesia (71 per cent), Argentina (59 per cent) and Turkey (49 per cent).
***
More than two in five Bulgarians (or 42.7 per cent) are dissatisfied with life, 40 per cent with their career and 58 with their living standards, "24 Chassa" writes quoting Prof. Valentina Zlatanova of the Institute of Sociology with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In all three areas Bulgarians have the highest dissatisfaction rate among 8 surveyed countries (Bulgaria, Russia, Romania, Polans, Slovenia, Spain, Germany and Belgium). One in four Bulgarians says he lives for the day. Only one in three is able to save for old age - against 69 per cent in Belgium, 64 per cent in Germany and approximately half of Spaniards and Slovenians, Prof. Zlatanova says.
***
An average of 2,317 leva will be taken away from each working person next year in the form of taxes and medical and social insurance contributions, says "Troud". With an economically active population of some 3 million, the receipts will be smaller than this year. For example, the receipts from personal income tax are set at 1.987 billion leva in next year's budget against 2 billion this year. There will be a negligible increase of revenue from medical insurance contributions only. In total 134 leva less will be taken away by the government this year from each working person due to the decreased social insurance and the increase in unemployment.
***
In a "Monitor" interview, the CEO of the Sofia heating utility, Petko Milevski, says that 1,000 of the company debtors will be taken to court every month in a bid to increase the collection of bills.
FOREIGN POLICY
Asked by "Troud" about the irregularities in Bulgarian elections in Turkey and the United States and about what she plans to do with the Ambassadors there - Luchezar Petkov and Branimir Mladenov, Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva says she will do what Bulgarian people expect of her. "Unfortunately, the violations that we established there are not unprecedented. Such things have happened in the past 20 years but nothing has been done about it. If ours is a democratic society which wants to end suspiciouns of [voting] manipulations once and for all, this is the time to do it. If we donТt do what we have to do, the suspicions will remain, as well as the possibility for the same violations to be done in the future," says Jeleva.
JUSTICE, HOME AFFAIRS
Somebody may be going to jail for a controversial deal for purchase of aircraft for the government air fleet, if a lower price is found for the same, says "24 Chassa".
Last year, the previous government purchased two Airbus A319 planes worth 44.2 million dollars each with a payment period of 5 years. The airplanes arrived in Sofia in June. The new Transport Minister, Aleksandar Tsvetkov, said that the procurement procedure was marred by irregularities and the new government decided last month to keep only one of the Airbuses and send back the second. The prosecuting magistracy has opened pretrial proceedings against culpable officials from the Transport Ministry over the purchase of the two airplanes.
The paper quotes former Transport Minister Peter Moutafchiev as saying that his "conscience is clean no matter what political campaign Boyko Borissov starts with his ministers to disgrace my name".
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 – October 26, 2009
· Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov has further criticized former PM Sergey Stanishev for his handling of a top secret intelligence report of the State National Security Agency (SANS). Borisov, speaking in an interview on BNT Monday, stated that “before one becomes a Prime Minister... he must know how to work with classified information. When a secret document is sent to one person he must keep hold of it.” He added that he expected the Chief Prosecutor to announce charges against the accused officials who have contributed to the current situation later Monday.
In another interview on Monday Boyko Borisov also said: “If it turns out that DANS has been created to generate scandals and problems, it could be closed down. If it does not function, I am either going to shut it down, or I will have to restructure it completely, which is going to take a lot of time – something that we don’t have.”
Commenting on the same issue the Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov said that there is a hypothesis that SANS has been established for party construction. He added that the major motive for using classified information from the service was to create a serious parliamentary group which to be “a standing factor of country’s government”.
Later today the Bulgarian conservative party “Order, Law, Justice” (OLJ) called on Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Stanishev to give up his immunity for the period that the investigating and judicial authorities are working on the scandalous SANS top secret report.
· The Bulgarian police have found the van with which 22-year-old student Rumen Guninski Jr., the son of a wealthy businessman from the town of Pravetz, had been kidnapped. The news about the discovery of the car was announced by Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov. According to him, the van has been burned out completely, and there were no traces left on it that could give clues to the investigators, which was a sign that the kidnappers were really professional.
· The Supreme Judicial Council announced that Angel Angelov - the district prosecutor of Burgas has filed his resignation as administrative head as a result of the latest sitting of the Council on October 22 and the appeal for magistrates who have kept in touch with the person Krasimir Georgiev form Pleven to file their resignations.
fredag den 23. oktober 2009
Bulgarian Press Review, October 23, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, October23 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) decided that magistrates and SJC members who were in contact with businessman Krassimir Georgiev eroded the judiciary's reputation, "Troud" writes. The SJC voted on Thursday that having talked with Georgiev, who allegedly helped magistrates secure senior appointments for large payoffs, Council members Stoiko Stoev and Ivan Dimov cast a doubt on the judiciary's independence. The SJC indicated that the two could not belong either to the SJC or to the judiciary. However, the SJC refused to freeze the remaining about 100 senior appointments until the truth about Georgiev's contacts becomes known. Prosecutor General Boris Velchev made a proposal to this effect, linking it with the need to regain public confidence in the Council. Despite calls by the Union of Judges, the Association of Prosecutors and European Commission Spokesperson Mark Gray, none of those involved resigned on Thursday.
"Sega" says that an investigation by the SJC showed that a 27-year-old man with an unimpressive income can appoint and dismiss magistrates. The SJC members brought shame on themselves through their contacts with the young man with the gold chains, who turned out to be a broker of judicial positions. Thursday's SJC meeting is unprecedented because magistrates with dubious contacts were named for the first time. One cannot expect Stoev and Dimov to be brought to justice. This is a matter of ethics, the daily says.
"Dnevnik" comments that when a state body set up to fight corruption is itself suspected of corruption, many things can happen abroad, including dismissals, criminal proceedings, sentences and ethical sanctions, but nothing happens in Bulgaria. Given the contacts revealed at the top of the judiciary, one wonders about the contacts and payoffs of ordinary judges, prosecutors and investigators. This obviously calls for a crash course in international anti-corruption legislation, which has been ratified by Bulgaria and takes precedence over national law.
***
Businesses are concerned about the leakage of information from the Interior Ministry, "Sega" writes on its front page. Business representatives raised the issue with Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, who assured them that the Ministry and the government had taken steps to enhance the security of citizens and business representatives against kidnappings. However, he refused to take advice from security firms, stating that the Interior Ministry would not help those firms lure new clients.
***
"Troud" reports that the National Assembly closed the National Bureau for Control of Special Surveillance Means on Thursday through an amendment supported by GERB and Ataka. From now on the use of special surveillance means will be controlled by a subcommittee comprising representatives of all political forces. It will be set up with the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
***
"24 Chassa" reports that the majority in Parliament rejected a report of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination despite an earlier draft resolution that it would be approved for information purposes. A clear signal was sent that the Committee Chairman, Kemal Eyup, is about to be replaced. MPs from GERB went even further by saying that the whole committee is superfluous. "You cannot wait to appoint people close to you, but if you replace the chairman on ethnic grounds, this will be discrimination and will be cynical," said Maya Manolova from the Bulgarian Socialist Party.
***
In a "Troud" interview former justice minister Miglena Tacheva says that when she took that position, the Ministry was 350 million leva in the red. She explains that two years ago, when the procedure for two contracts for construction of court buildings in Varna and Sofia was launched, no one expected a financial crisis. "The planned budget for capital expenditures at the end of 2007 was 26 million leva and I asked for a further 30 million leva, which made it possible to buy the building of the Inspectorate and the Administrative Court of Sofia City," Tacheva says. The new justice minister should make an effort and get the necessary budget in the next two years because building two palaces of justice is different from building a dog house, Tacheva says.
***
Yordanka Fandakova, GERB's candidate for the November 15 mayoral by-election in Sofia, says in "Monitor" that she will quicken the pace set by former mayor Boyko Borissov. She adds that if she is elected, teams of experts will be set up to make proposals on any matter, while in her capacity as mayor Fandakova will refer the proposals to various institutions and will defend them.
***
Roumen Ovcharov, leader of the Sofia branch of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), says in a "Troud" interview that the party leader, former Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, is acting out someone else's scenario. "That someone does not want to quit his post and is ready to sacrifice his party is something that will pass. The congress sent a serious signal to Stanishev as 40 per cent of the delegates did not back him. Eleven months ago nearly 100 per cent supported him. This victory is not a triumph, it is a warning," Ovcharov says. He adds that Stanishev is a pawn in someone else's scenario.
THE ECONOMY
"Troud" reports that the construction of Lot 2 of the Trakia Motorway (between Stara Zagora and Nova Zagora) has been greenlighted as announced by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. He gave a news conference on Thursday in the presence of European Commissioner for Regional Policy Pawel Samecki. Borissov said that he asked for construction to start in advance and that the Bulgarian side managed to convince the Commissioner that all procedures would be properly completed. Samecki said that 6,400 million euro has been allocated for infrastructure modernization in Bulgaria.
"Troud" says that the South Stream gas pipeline is certain to cross Bulgaria, as confirmed by Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov on Thursday. He met in Moscow with Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko and with Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Sobyanin, co-chairman of the Bulgarian-Russian intergovernmental commission. Talks are in progress on the other two energy projects - the Bourgas-Alexandropoulis oil pipeline and the Belene nuclear power plant.
"Sega" reports that all cash registers will be linked up with the tax authorities from July 2011, according to a decision of the Parliamentary Budget Committee.
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 – October 23, 2009
• Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov has proposed that the punishment for should be 30 years in prison. Borisov stated that “these people should not be left to return to the streets again”. He added that if the victims are injured or killed a life sentence for the kidnappers is the only option. Borisov said that the new Kidnapping Act is now ready. It has been prepared by the Interior Ministry and will be presented next week.
• The police in the northern Bulgarian municipality of Pleven found a baby who has been sold from its own grandparents, District Police Directorate – Pleven announced. On June 19 the mother took the baby from a social care institution until the court terminates the girl’s stay in a children’s social institution. Then the grandmother (33) and grandfather (40), who was convicted several times, decided to sell the child for BGN 1,350.
• An 11-year-old girl gave birth to a healthy baby girl in the southeast Bulgarian city of Sliven Thursday night. The news has been confirmed by the head of the maternity ward in the Sliven Hospital, who also said the youngest mothers the ward had seen earlier were aged 12.
Sofia, October23 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) decided that magistrates and SJC members who were in contact with businessman Krassimir Georgiev eroded the judiciary's reputation, "Troud" writes. The SJC voted on Thursday that having talked with Georgiev, who allegedly helped magistrates secure senior appointments for large payoffs, Council members Stoiko Stoev and Ivan Dimov cast a doubt on the judiciary's independence. The SJC indicated that the two could not belong either to the SJC or to the judiciary. However, the SJC refused to freeze the remaining about 100 senior appointments until the truth about Georgiev's contacts becomes known. Prosecutor General Boris Velchev made a proposal to this effect, linking it with the need to regain public confidence in the Council. Despite calls by the Union of Judges, the Association of Prosecutors and European Commission Spokesperson Mark Gray, none of those involved resigned on Thursday.
"Sega" says that an investigation by the SJC showed that a 27-year-old man with an unimpressive income can appoint and dismiss magistrates. The SJC members brought shame on themselves through their contacts with the young man with the gold chains, who turned out to be a broker of judicial positions. Thursday's SJC meeting is unprecedented because magistrates with dubious contacts were named for the first time. One cannot expect Stoev and Dimov to be brought to justice. This is a matter of ethics, the daily says.
"Dnevnik" comments that when a state body set up to fight corruption is itself suspected of corruption, many things can happen abroad, including dismissals, criminal proceedings, sentences and ethical sanctions, but nothing happens in Bulgaria. Given the contacts revealed at the top of the judiciary, one wonders about the contacts and payoffs of ordinary judges, prosecutors and investigators. This obviously calls for a crash course in international anti-corruption legislation, which has been ratified by Bulgaria and takes precedence over national law.
***
Businesses are concerned about the leakage of information from the Interior Ministry, "Sega" writes on its front page. Business representatives raised the issue with Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, who assured them that the Ministry and the government had taken steps to enhance the security of citizens and business representatives against kidnappings. However, he refused to take advice from security firms, stating that the Interior Ministry would not help those firms lure new clients.
***
"Troud" reports that the National Assembly closed the National Bureau for Control of Special Surveillance Means on Thursday through an amendment supported by GERB and Ataka. From now on the use of special surveillance means will be controlled by a subcommittee comprising representatives of all political forces. It will be set up with the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
***
"24 Chassa" reports that the majority in Parliament rejected a report of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination despite an earlier draft resolution that it would be approved for information purposes. A clear signal was sent that the Committee Chairman, Kemal Eyup, is about to be replaced. MPs from GERB went even further by saying that the whole committee is superfluous. "You cannot wait to appoint people close to you, but if you replace the chairman on ethnic grounds, this will be discrimination and will be cynical," said Maya Manolova from the Bulgarian Socialist Party.
***
In a "Troud" interview former justice minister Miglena Tacheva says that when she took that position, the Ministry was 350 million leva in the red. She explains that two years ago, when the procedure for two contracts for construction of court buildings in Varna and Sofia was launched, no one expected a financial crisis. "The planned budget for capital expenditures at the end of 2007 was 26 million leva and I asked for a further 30 million leva, which made it possible to buy the building of the Inspectorate and the Administrative Court of Sofia City," Tacheva says. The new justice minister should make an effort and get the necessary budget in the next two years because building two palaces of justice is different from building a dog house, Tacheva says.
***
Yordanka Fandakova, GERB's candidate for the November 15 mayoral by-election in Sofia, says in "Monitor" that she will quicken the pace set by former mayor Boyko Borissov. She adds that if she is elected, teams of experts will be set up to make proposals on any matter, while in her capacity as mayor Fandakova will refer the proposals to various institutions and will defend them.
***
Roumen Ovcharov, leader of the Sofia branch of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), says in a "Troud" interview that the party leader, former Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, is acting out someone else's scenario. "That someone does not want to quit his post and is ready to sacrifice his party is something that will pass. The congress sent a serious signal to Stanishev as 40 per cent of the delegates did not back him. Eleven months ago nearly 100 per cent supported him. This victory is not a triumph, it is a warning," Ovcharov says. He adds that Stanishev is a pawn in someone else's scenario.
THE ECONOMY
"Troud" reports that the construction of Lot 2 of the Trakia Motorway (between Stara Zagora and Nova Zagora) has been greenlighted as announced by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. He gave a news conference on Thursday in the presence of European Commissioner for Regional Policy Pawel Samecki. Borissov said that he asked for construction to start in advance and that the Bulgarian side managed to convince the Commissioner that all procedures would be properly completed. Samecki said that 6,400 million euro has been allocated for infrastructure modernization in Bulgaria.
"Troud" says that the South Stream gas pipeline is certain to cross Bulgaria, as confirmed by Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov on Thursday. He met in Moscow with Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko and with Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Sobyanin, co-chairman of the Bulgarian-Russian intergovernmental commission. Talks are in progress on the other two energy projects - the Bourgas-Alexandropoulis oil pipeline and the Belene nuclear power plant.
"Sega" reports that all cash registers will be linked up with the tax authorities from July 2011, according to a decision of the Parliamentary Budget Committee.
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 – October 23, 2009
• Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov has proposed that the punishment for should be 30 years in prison. Borisov stated that “these people should not be left to return to the streets again”. He added that if the victims are injured or killed a life sentence for the kidnappers is the only option. Borisov said that the new Kidnapping Act is now ready. It has been prepared by the Interior Ministry and will be presented next week.
• The police in the northern Bulgarian municipality of Pleven found a baby who has been sold from its own grandparents, District Police Directorate – Pleven announced. On June 19 the mother took the baby from a social care institution until the court terminates the girl’s stay in a children’s social institution. Then the grandmother (33) and grandfather (40), who was convicted several times, decided to sell the child for BGN 1,350.
• An 11-year-old girl gave birth to a healthy baby girl in the southeast Bulgarian city of Sliven Thursday night. The news has been confirmed by the head of the maternity ward in the Sliven Hospital, who also said the youngest mothers the ward had seen earlier were aged 12.
torsdag den 22. oktober 2009
Bulgarian Press Review, October 22, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, October22 (BTA)
INTERIOR MINISTRY, JUDICIARY
Under the headline "Justice Facing Bankruptcy", "Troud" quotes Justice Minister Margarita Popova reporting on the findings of an internal audit that the her ministry may go bankrupt after it inherited debts to the worth of nearly 350 million leva [roughly 125 million euro]. Payments under 37 construction contracts total 359,352,780 leva, of which only 16,687,818 leva have been paid out. "I will wait out the 100-day grace period for the government and then will go face-to-face with my successor to explain what the situation is," former justice minister Meglena Tacheva said for "Troud". In her words, a minister's job is to look for funds and not to take count of money. The Black Sea town of Varna has not had its own court building in 70 years and the regional court and the prosecution in Sofia have been placed in cramped conditions for 40 years. Tacheva added that a minister job is to take care of that. Popova said that only the debts of this small ministry are enough to bankrupt the state. Some 333,664,062 million leva have not been secured for the 2009-2011 period. The 2009 budget is set at about 170 million leva and the contracts for the construction of the court houses in Sofia and Varna alone are worth 302 million leva, said Popova. The construction of the court building in Sofia costs nearly 185 million leva. The audit has found that instead of the usual 10 per cent, advance payments reached 30 per cent.
***
"Monitor", "Telegraf" and "Express" frontpage that Pravets-based businessman Roumen Gouninski have been contacted by the kidnappers of his son. They signalled that the boy is ok, but did not set a ransom yet, writes "Monitor", citing an undisclosed source. "Standart News" cites close family relations that a one million euro ransom had been asked on the condition that the information is not confirmed. In the same paper, Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov says that kidnapping gangs have made over 10 million euro.
"Troud" reports that there are no suspects for the kidnapping. However, twenty people are being checked after their comfortable lifestyle raised suspicions of involvement in criminal activities. Two members of the elite anti-terrorist squad in Vrana, near Sofia, are among them.
***
The Commission for Personal Data Protection will crack down on the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and its leader Sergei Stanishev. Ekaterina Boncheva of the committee for disclosing affiliation with the communist-era intelligence filed a complaint against the BSP for invading her personal space. On June 6, Boncheva's answering machine recorded a message, which made her a victim of the notorious telephone canvassing on behalf of BSP leader Sergei Stanishev. In a pre-recorded message he called on Boncheva to vote left. In her complaint Boncheva argues that the campaign used her telephone number, which is personal data and constitutes a violation.
HOME SCENE
"Pari" writes that Bulgaria's fiscal reserve will stay with the Bulgarian National Bank. "Zemya" headlines "Borissov Snubs Djankov on Fiscal Reserve".
***
The Bulgarian government is not going to extend state guarantees towards a loan for the construction of the Belene N-plant in 2010, writes "Sega", citing a list of state-guaranteed loans adopted by the government, which does not include the Belene project
***
Under the 2010 draft budget, over 7,000 million leva will be provided for pensions, "Standart News" reports. Although social payments make up the biggest public expenditure, an increase of pensions has not been budgeted in 2010.
***
In an interview for "Dnevnik", Deputy Labour Minister Krassimir Popov says that the government is trying to hold unemployment rate this year at 10 per cent.
***
"Klassa" writes that in 2010 the Road Infrastructure Agency will receive some 100 million leva for capital expenditures, which is five time less than the amount it requested. The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works will receive 50 million leva for capital expenditures. Another 148 million leva have been budgeted in for the ministry and the agency, according to Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev.
***
In an interview for "Troud", Deputy Environment Minister Evdokia Maneva says that the business suffers damages every year, worth 600 million euro, due to the lack of a scheme for the trade off of greenhouse gas emissions. Maneva said, the her ministry drafted a plan, which should be considered by European Commission within a week and subsequently adopted. By mid-2009
Bulgaria should have built 56 waste water treatment plants and such plants should have been in place by the end of 2010 in all settlements with over 10,000 population. In her words, Bulgaria is facing infringement procedures under two EU directives as 23 of the waste water treatment plants are not ready and out of 127 population centres, 70 have no waste processing facilities. According to her, a scheme has benefited close circles. Maneva says that transiting projects yield best to theft, because after pipes get buried, it is hard to run any checks.
ECONOMY
"24 Chassa" cites a report by the European Commission that some 75 per cent of online purchases placed by Bulgarians fail. Two out of three Bulgarians and Romanians who shop online, are turned down, as online shops do not deliver to these two countries or their bank cards are not accepted. After having checked over 4,000 electronic shops across the EU, the Commission has found that the majority of goods are cheaper abroad. Bulgarians, Romanians, Latvians, Belgians and the Maltese find it most difficult to shop online cross-border. Across the EU, 61 per cent of online purchases are turned down.
***
Bozhidar Danev, President of the Bulgarian Industrial Association calls on the banks to stop putting pressure on the business. Danev says the pressure is rising because of the vicious practice of nearly all banks in Bulgaria to update interest rates. Danev says that both individual and corporate clients are suffering. According to Danev, the option which allows banks to change one-sidedly conditions on contracts should be scrapped.
FOREIGN POLICY
"Troud" dedicates a two-page spread to the audits which are underway in the Foreign Ministry. The former head of the agency which manages domestic diplomatic properties [DDPA] Assen Makedonov self-assigned him on 48 business trips abroad during his three and a half year tenure. He claimed expenses to the amount of 121,000 leva, indicated an audit on the DDPA activities between January 1 2006 and August 16 2009, commissioned by Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva.A file case has been opened by the prosecution authorities. Former foreign minister Ivailo Kalfin, who was agency's principal, described the check as "outrageous" and media reports as "lies".
Makedonov was declined a meeting with Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva as well as access to the report on the audit findings. In n telephone interview from Strasbourg, Kalfin, who sits in the European Parliament, said that this was an outrageous approach, most likely concealing personal interests.
***
Interviewed by "24 Chassa", Deputy Foreign Minister Marin Raikov said that measures should be taken to rein in hate slurs against neighbouring countries in Macedonia. The interview, prompted by Macedonia's and Kosovo agreement on the final demarcation of the border between the two countries, is headlined "Skopje to Be Set EU Date After Resolving Neighbourly Disputes". Raikov said that the rights of those Macedonian citizens, who have a different perception of their origin from the official doctrine should be ensured, having in mind Macedonian Bulgarians. "What united us in the past, should not stand between us today," he notes.
***
Under the headline "Bulgaria Enters Anti-Missile Umbrella", "Troud" runs an interview with US Assistant Defense Secretary Alexander Vershbow.
***
Bulgarians have the third shortest life expectancy of EU citizens, after Lithuanians and Romanians, found a survey on the quality of life in the 27 EU member states. With a life expectancy of 84, French women live on average eight years longer than Bulgarian women. Bulgarians smoke too much, but are moderate drinkers compared with other nations.
***
In a congratulatory address on the 44th birthday of CSKA's fan club president Dimiter "Doucheto" Angelov, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov says that CSKA is the best Bulgarian football club at the moment, front-pages "24 Chassa". The prime minister is a die-hard Levski fan. In order to be able to watch a game, Borissov once took to a football match former prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who is known to hate football.
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 – October 22, 2009
· Special police units busted a pregnant women trafficking channel and detained the organizers of the crime. A 38-year-old man and his wife from Nova Zagora are now being questioned, after being officially accused of trafficking pregnant women for the sale of their babies. The investigation identified three specific cases in which women sold their newborn babies. The organizers of the trade of pregnant women, from Yambol, Haskovo, Plovdiv, Kazanlak and Dimitrovgrad were paid between EUR 5000 and 10 000 in Greece for the babies.
· To avoid losing several months Bulgaria has requested to launch Lot 2 of Trakia motorway in advance and in abidance by absolutely all procedures required by legislation, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said at a news conference after his meeting with European Commissioner for Regional Policy Pawel Samecki.
· The member of Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council, (VSS), Ivan Dimov, retracted Thursday his week-old decision to resign from his post. He is one of the three VSS members, whose names were announced by Chief Prosecutor, Boris Velchev, as people, who had the phone number of “Krasio from Pleven” on their phone logs. The latter is the person who, allegedly, offered magistrates to secure their appointment to high ranking positions through the vote of the VSS in exchange for EUR 200 000 in cash.
Sofia, October22 (BTA)
INTERIOR MINISTRY, JUDICIARY
Under the headline "Justice Facing Bankruptcy", "Troud" quotes Justice Minister Margarita Popova reporting on the findings of an internal audit that the her ministry may go bankrupt after it inherited debts to the worth of nearly 350 million leva [roughly 125 million euro]. Payments under 37 construction contracts total 359,352,780 leva, of which only 16,687,818 leva have been paid out. "I will wait out the 100-day grace period for the government and then will go face-to-face with my successor to explain what the situation is," former justice minister Meglena Tacheva said for "Troud". In her words, a minister's job is to look for funds and not to take count of money. The Black Sea town of Varna has not had its own court building in 70 years and the regional court and the prosecution in Sofia have been placed in cramped conditions for 40 years. Tacheva added that a minister job is to take care of that. Popova said that only the debts of this small ministry are enough to bankrupt the state. Some 333,664,062 million leva have not been secured for the 2009-2011 period. The 2009 budget is set at about 170 million leva and the contracts for the construction of the court houses in Sofia and Varna alone are worth 302 million leva, said Popova. The construction of the court building in Sofia costs nearly 185 million leva. The audit has found that instead of the usual 10 per cent, advance payments reached 30 per cent.
***
"Monitor", "Telegraf" and "Express" frontpage that Pravets-based businessman Roumen Gouninski have been contacted by the kidnappers of his son. They signalled that the boy is ok, but did not set a ransom yet, writes "Monitor", citing an undisclosed source. "Standart News" cites close family relations that a one million euro ransom had been asked on the condition that the information is not confirmed. In the same paper, Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov says that kidnapping gangs have made over 10 million euro.
"Troud" reports that there are no suspects for the kidnapping. However, twenty people are being checked after their comfortable lifestyle raised suspicions of involvement in criminal activities. Two members of the elite anti-terrorist squad in Vrana, near Sofia, are among them.
***
The Commission for Personal Data Protection will crack down on the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and its leader Sergei Stanishev. Ekaterina Boncheva of the committee for disclosing affiliation with the communist-era intelligence filed a complaint against the BSP for invading her personal space. On June 6, Boncheva's answering machine recorded a message, which made her a victim of the notorious telephone canvassing on behalf of BSP leader Sergei Stanishev. In a pre-recorded message he called on Boncheva to vote left. In her complaint Boncheva argues that the campaign used her telephone number, which is personal data and constitutes a violation.
HOME SCENE
"Pari" writes that Bulgaria's fiscal reserve will stay with the Bulgarian National Bank. "Zemya" headlines "Borissov Snubs Djankov on Fiscal Reserve".
***
The Bulgarian government is not going to extend state guarantees towards a loan for the construction of the Belene N-plant in 2010, writes "Sega", citing a list of state-guaranteed loans adopted by the government, which does not include the Belene project
***
Under the 2010 draft budget, over 7,000 million leva will be provided for pensions, "Standart News" reports. Although social payments make up the biggest public expenditure, an increase of pensions has not been budgeted in 2010.
***
In an interview for "Dnevnik", Deputy Labour Minister Krassimir Popov says that the government is trying to hold unemployment rate this year at 10 per cent.
***
"Klassa" writes that in 2010 the Road Infrastructure Agency will receive some 100 million leva for capital expenditures, which is five time less than the amount it requested. The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works will receive 50 million leva for capital expenditures. Another 148 million leva have been budgeted in for the ministry and the agency, according to Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev.
***
In an interview for "Troud", Deputy Environment Minister Evdokia Maneva says that the business suffers damages every year, worth 600 million euro, due to the lack of a scheme for the trade off of greenhouse gas emissions. Maneva said, the her ministry drafted a plan, which should be considered by European Commission within a week and subsequently adopted. By mid-2009
Bulgaria should have built 56 waste water treatment plants and such plants should have been in place by the end of 2010 in all settlements with over 10,000 population. In her words, Bulgaria is facing infringement procedures under two EU directives as 23 of the waste water treatment plants are not ready and out of 127 population centres, 70 have no waste processing facilities. According to her, a scheme has benefited close circles. Maneva says that transiting projects yield best to theft, because after pipes get buried, it is hard to run any checks.
ECONOMY
"24 Chassa" cites a report by the European Commission that some 75 per cent of online purchases placed by Bulgarians fail. Two out of three Bulgarians and Romanians who shop online, are turned down, as online shops do not deliver to these two countries or their bank cards are not accepted. After having checked over 4,000 electronic shops across the EU, the Commission has found that the majority of goods are cheaper abroad. Bulgarians, Romanians, Latvians, Belgians and the Maltese find it most difficult to shop online cross-border. Across the EU, 61 per cent of online purchases are turned down.
***
Bozhidar Danev, President of the Bulgarian Industrial Association calls on the banks to stop putting pressure on the business. Danev says the pressure is rising because of the vicious practice of nearly all banks in Bulgaria to update interest rates. Danev says that both individual and corporate clients are suffering. According to Danev, the option which allows banks to change one-sidedly conditions on contracts should be scrapped.
FOREIGN POLICY
"Troud" dedicates a two-page spread to the audits which are underway in the Foreign Ministry. The former head of the agency which manages domestic diplomatic properties [DDPA] Assen Makedonov self-assigned him on 48 business trips abroad during his three and a half year tenure. He claimed expenses to the amount of 121,000 leva, indicated an audit on the DDPA activities between January 1 2006 and August 16 2009, commissioned by Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva.A file case has been opened by the prosecution authorities. Former foreign minister Ivailo Kalfin, who was agency's principal, described the check as "outrageous" and media reports as "lies".
Makedonov was declined a meeting with Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva as well as access to the report on the audit findings. In n telephone interview from Strasbourg, Kalfin, who sits in the European Parliament, said that this was an outrageous approach, most likely concealing personal interests.
***
Interviewed by "24 Chassa", Deputy Foreign Minister Marin Raikov said that measures should be taken to rein in hate slurs against neighbouring countries in Macedonia. The interview, prompted by Macedonia's and Kosovo agreement on the final demarcation of the border between the two countries, is headlined "Skopje to Be Set EU Date After Resolving Neighbourly Disputes". Raikov said that the rights of those Macedonian citizens, who have a different perception of their origin from the official doctrine should be ensured, having in mind Macedonian Bulgarians. "What united us in the past, should not stand between us today," he notes.
***
Under the headline "Bulgaria Enters Anti-Missile Umbrella", "Troud" runs an interview with US Assistant Defense Secretary Alexander Vershbow.
***
Bulgarians have the third shortest life expectancy of EU citizens, after Lithuanians and Romanians, found a survey on the quality of life in the 27 EU member states. With a life expectancy of 84, French women live on average eight years longer than Bulgarian women. Bulgarians smoke too much, but are moderate drinkers compared with other nations.
***
In a congratulatory address on the 44th birthday of CSKA's fan club president Dimiter "Doucheto" Angelov, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov says that CSKA is the best Bulgarian football club at the moment, front-pages "24 Chassa". The prime minister is a die-hard Levski fan. In order to be able to watch a game, Borissov once took to a football match former prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who is known to hate football.
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 – October 22, 2009
· Special police units busted a pregnant women trafficking channel and detained the organizers of the crime. A 38-year-old man and his wife from Nova Zagora are now being questioned, after being officially accused of trafficking pregnant women for the sale of their babies. The investigation identified three specific cases in which women sold their newborn babies. The organizers of the trade of pregnant women, from Yambol, Haskovo, Plovdiv, Kazanlak and Dimitrovgrad were paid between EUR 5000 and 10 000 in Greece for the babies.
· To avoid losing several months Bulgaria has requested to launch Lot 2 of Trakia motorway in advance and in abidance by absolutely all procedures required by legislation, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said at a news conference after his meeting with European Commissioner for Regional Policy Pawel Samecki.
· The member of Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council, (VSS), Ivan Dimov, retracted Thursday his week-old decision to resign from his post. He is one of the three VSS members, whose names were announced by Chief Prosecutor, Boris Velchev, as people, who had the phone number of “Krasio from Pleven” on their phone logs. The latter is the person who, allegedly, offered magistrates to secure their appointment to high ranking positions through the vote of the VSS in exchange for EUR 200 000 in cash.
onsdag den 21. oktober 2009
Bulgarian Press Review, October 21, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, October21 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
Following up on the kidnapping of Roumen Gouninski Jr., a second-year student at the National Sports Academy, near his home in Sofia's Studentski Grad Borough Monday evening, Wednesday's "Troud" speculates that the abductors may have sought to harm the political career of Roumen Gouninski Sr., who is a municipal councillor in Pravets, elected on the list of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), and is considered as a possible BSP candidate in the forthcoming mayoral byelections in the town. "Motives related to local elections may well have been behind the kidnapping," Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov assumed on Tuesday. Still, he dismissed as "unserious" the talk that a single specific group controls kidnappings in Bulgaria. Ransom for Gouninski has not yet been demanded, Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov told the daily. In his opinion, this is a "textbook case of kidnapping."
"24 Chassa" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying on Tuesday that he is contemplating the drafting of an express law on kidnappings. He declined to elaborate before consulting his ministers. In his words, the law may as short as a single page but will provide for exceedingly severe punishments.
In an analysis entitled "Roumen's Kidnappers Test Interior Ministry, PM," "24 Chassa" notes that the gang that attacked Gouninski in front of dozens of witnesses defied not only the Ministry but the entire State as well. It defied Prime Minister Borissov, too, who is a friend to Valentin Zlatev who, in turn, is more than a partner to the father of the kidnapped student. "This time the gang went too far. The most natural reason for this is their conviction that the State is helpless to oppose them. A success or a failure against the gang will make it clear whether the Ministry will really do something about these groups or will just go through the motions, as was the case over the last ten years. Hopefully, the highlight of this operation will not be the feverish drafting of a law against kidnapping. The foremost and most urgent priority is to allocate several million euro for equipment that will place law-enforcers and kidnappers on a level playing field."
* * *
"Monitor" reports that, after a meeting with representatives of the I Want a Baby Foundation and the Conception Association, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that the Government will allocate 8.2 million leva for IVF of all 1,600 couples who cannot have children because of sterility. It turns out that the previous Government lied that it had set aside 20 million leva for IVF, as the money was allocated on paper only.
* * *
New estimates showed that in 2010 health insurance contributions to the health care system will amount to 1,800 million leva, down from 2,600 million leva expected at the beginning of the year, Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev commented to "Troud." "This is precisely the reason why we want to increase the compliance rate of the contributions, to give them the same status as taxes and to compel 1.2 million Bulgarians without health insurance to pay the contributions they owe," he added.
* * *
Interviewed for "24 Chassa", GERB mayoral candidate for Sofia Yordanka Fandakova says she is running because "the programme by which we started at the beginning of the term of office must be contibued. This requries a person familiar with work in City Hall, who has been part of the team and who is positively inclined to motivate his or her co-workers." She stakes on the full management process: from planning through organizing to controlling. "I know the work of the Sofia Municipality administration well, and I am categorical that I will continue to stake on very rigorous control," Fandakova asserts.
* * *
In "Troud", political scientist Evgenii Dainov argues that the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) displays all symptoms of a tribe out of step with time which is dying out. "The active ones have long gone, and the handful that has remained communicate in a language that nobody except them understand. And they are fighting - as it became clear at the UDF conference - to preserve their identity. The business of parties is completely different: to propose a project for the common good, i.e. for the good of everybody, so that people would vote them into power and see the project translated into reality. When the parties stop thinking about the common good, they shed electorate and become extinct."
* * *
"The four candidates for leader of the National Movement for Surge and Stability started their meetings with members and supporters of the party and will be going round the country in the course of one month to seek people who still want to have anything to do with the party. This form of competition among the four was devised so as to cover up the disgrace that the delegates to the party's congress were too few to fill up a patisserie. The nominations are a sort of bidding from the party top. That is why their race is regally positive and boring. Everybody want one and the same thing: to revive the past in the future. This, however, cannot possibly happen," "Sega" comments
ECOMOMY
Commenting on Finance Minister Simeon Djankov's idea to entrust the Government's savings to private management, Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) Deputy Governor Dimiter Kostov says, quoted in "Troud", that if the Government's fiscal reserve is withdrawn from the BNB, it will clog the banking system. "In principle, there is no problem taking the entire reserve of 7,000-8,000 million leva out of the central bank within three days. This, however, will send the commercial banks' liquidity soarding and in practice they have nothing to do with the money. Their option is to do like the central bank and invest it in risk-free securities." "The idea to deposit the fiscal reserve with Bulgarian banks is a bad idea, this may influence the country's stability," Democrats for Strong Bulgaria leader Ivan Kostov commented on Djankov's idea Tuesday.
"Standart News" has rounded up the opinion of leading financial experts. "The reserve must not be trifled with," financial consultant Andrei Prumov recalled. He argues that this money cannot be placed at commercial banks just like that, but probably this was not Djankov's idea. "What he most probably meant was that the reserve is not managed sufficiently effectively, and this is true." According to Peter Ganev of the Institute for Market Economics, the thing that definitely must be avoided with the reserve is to spend it on some Government expense items. The key sectors in which the funds can be invested are the pension system and health care. The fiscal reserve can act as a buffer when these sectors are successfully reformed. Krassimir Katev, who was deputy finance minister in the Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha cabinet, sees the idea to deposit part of the fiscal reserve with commercial banks as a means to increase the lev liquidity in the banking system rather than as a means to boost the yield of the reserve. "We hope that this will lead to lower lending interest rates and will help increase the loan-financing of the real economy," Katev says.
"Klassa" too, quotes opinions on Djankov's proposal. Former finance minister Stoyan Alexander, who is now Executive Director of D Bank, says that when it invests in commercial banks, the State enjoys a special status regarding minimum reserve requirements and regarding deposit guarantee. "Let's hope the criterion is not political or nepotist, because this will create an absolutely unfair competition among banks." Dimiter Chobanov, who teaches finance at the University of National and World Economy, warns of the risk of hard currency flowing out of the country.
"24 Chassa" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as promising on Tuesday that, if part of the fiscal reserve is deposited with commercial banks, they will be selected openly, by a competitive procedure with clear rules. He said that, for the time being, this is just an idea and, if it comes to its implementation, this will require the approval of the international financial institutions.
"No More Cheating with Loans, Slush Funds," GERB MP Menda Stoyanova, who chairs the National Assembly Budgetary Committee, says in a "Troud" interview. She explaines that when loans are decalred in the tax return and are entered into the information system, it will be clear how much a person earns and spends and whether the legitimate earnings are enough to cover his or her spending. This will put an end to cheating. Stoyanova notes that the 2009 budget planned 32,000 million leva revenues whereas, in reality, they are not expected to exceed 25,000-26,000 million. This against the backrgound of a forecast ongoing economic decline of some 2 per cent and intensified measures to stop smuggling and get the grey sector under control.
"Standart News" writes that bosses of state-owned companies have been fired by Transport Minister Aleksandar Tsvetkov afrer audits conducted at the companies managed by them found financial abuses. The suspicions of corrupt transactions have been referred to the prosecuting magistracy, the Transport Ministry said in a press release.
BULGARIA - EU
"Sega" quotes European Commission (EC) Spokesman Mark Gray as saying on Tuesday in connection with the arranged magisterial appointments affair, which has been rocking the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for two months now, that the European Commission insists that the SJC investigate the appointments made so far and take adequate measures. The subject was also discussed by Bulgarian Justice Minister Margarita Popova, who is visiting Brussels, with officials of the EC Secretariat-General. Popova said that the EC sees what is happening as "salutary to the system", but the SJC must make a full reassessment of the way it is handling personnel policy.
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 – October 21, 2009
· The fiscal reserve will not be touched and will not be transferred, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told a news conference after a weekly government meeting Wednesday. His remark comes a couple of days after Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov told the press that part of the nearly 8,000 million leva fiscal reserve, which has been at the central bank since 1997-1998 where it earns 0.5 per cent interest, may be deposited with commercial banks and bear an interest of some 6 per cent.
· The Blue Coalition leaders commented Wednesday at the National Assembly that Russian media reports claiming that Bulgaria has been excluded from the South Stream gas pipeline project seek to put pressure on Bulgaria. The comments were prompted by Russia's "Kommersant" newspaper. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov declined any comment on the Kommersant allegations. He told the reporters they should spend less time reading media reports.
· At the beginning of October, 52 percent of the Bulgarians say that if parliamentary elections were today, they would vote for Boyko Borisov’s party – Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB). Perhaps this number includes famous conformist attitudes and the so-called prestigious vote. This became clear from the survey result of the National Centre for Public Opinion Research (NCPOR).
Sofia, October21 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
Following up on the kidnapping of Roumen Gouninski Jr., a second-year student at the National Sports Academy, near his home in Sofia's Studentski Grad Borough Monday evening, Wednesday's "Troud" speculates that the abductors may have sought to harm the political career of Roumen Gouninski Sr., who is a municipal councillor in Pravets, elected on the list of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), and is considered as a possible BSP candidate in the forthcoming mayoral byelections in the town. "Motives related to local elections may well have been behind the kidnapping," Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov assumed on Tuesday. Still, he dismissed as "unserious" the talk that a single specific group controls kidnappings in Bulgaria. Ransom for Gouninski has not yet been demanded, Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov told the daily. In his opinion, this is a "textbook case of kidnapping."
"24 Chassa" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying on Tuesday that he is contemplating the drafting of an express law on kidnappings. He declined to elaborate before consulting his ministers. In his words, the law may as short as a single page but will provide for exceedingly severe punishments.
In an analysis entitled "Roumen's Kidnappers Test Interior Ministry, PM," "24 Chassa" notes that the gang that attacked Gouninski in front of dozens of witnesses defied not only the Ministry but the entire State as well. It defied Prime Minister Borissov, too, who is a friend to Valentin Zlatev who, in turn, is more than a partner to the father of the kidnapped student. "This time the gang went too far. The most natural reason for this is their conviction that the State is helpless to oppose them. A success or a failure against the gang will make it clear whether the Ministry will really do something about these groups or will just go through the motions, as was the case over the last ten years. Hopefully, the highlight of this operation will not be the feverish drafting of a law against kidnapping. The foremost and most urgent priority is to allocate several million euro for equipment that will place law-enforcers and kidnappers on a level playing field."
* * *
"Monitor" reports that, after a meeting with representatives of the I Want a Baby Foundation and the Conception Association, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that the Government will allocate 8.2 million leva for IVF of all 1,600 couples who cannot have children because of sterility. It turns out that the previous Government lied that it had set aside 20 million leva for IVF, as the money was allocated on paper only.
* * *
New estimates showed that in 2010 health insurance contributions to the health care system will amount to 1,800 million leva, down from 2,600 million leva expected at the beginning of the year, Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev commented to "Troud." "This is precisely the reason why we want to increase the compliance rate of the contributions, to give them the same status as taxes and to compel 1.2 million Bulgarians without health insurance to pay the contributions they owe," he added.
* * *
Interviewed for "24 Chassa", GERB mayoral candidate for Sofia Yordanka Fandakova says she is running because "the programme by which we started at the beginning of the term of office must be contibued. This requries a person familiar with work in City Hall, who has been part of the team and who is positively inclined to motivate his or her co-workers." She stakes on the full management process: from planning through organizing to controlling. "I know the work of the Sofia Municipality administration well, and I am categorical that I will continue to stake on very rigorous control," Fandakova asserts.
* * *
In "Troud", political scientist Evgenii Dainov argues that the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) displays all symptoms of a tribe out of step with time which is dying out. "The active ones have long gone, and the handful that has remained communicate in a language that nobody except them understand. And they are fighting - as it became clear at the UDF conference - to preserve their identity. The business of parties is completely different: to propose a project for the common good, i.e. for the good of everybody, so that people would vote them into power and see the project translated into reality. When the parties stop thinking about the common good, they shed electorate and become extinct."
* * *
"The four candidates for leader of the National Movement for Surge and Stability started their meetings with members and supporters of the party and will be going round the country in the course of one month to seek people who still want to have anything to do with the party. This form of competition among the four was devised so as to cover up the disgrace that the delegates to the party's congress were too few to fill up a patisserie. The nominations are a sort of bidding from the party top. That is why their race is regally positive and boring. Everybody want one and the same thing: to revive the past in the future. This, however, cannot possibly happen," "Sega" comments
ECOMOMY
Commenting on Finance Minister Simeon Djankov's idea to entrust the Government's savings to private management, Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) Deputy Governor Dimiter Kostov says, quoted in "Troud", that if the Government's fiscal reserve is withdrawn from the BNB, it will clog the banking system. "In principle, there is no problem taking the entire reserve of 7,000-8,000 million leva out of the central bank within three days. This, however, will send the commercial banks' liquidity soarding and in practice they have nothing to do with the money. Their option is to do like the central bank and invest it in risk-free securities." "The idea to deposit the fiscal reserve with Bulgarian banks is a bad idea, this may influence the country's stability," Democrats for Strong Bulgaria leader Ivan Kostov commented on Djankov's idea Tuesday.
"Standart News" has rounded up the opinion of leading financial experts. "The reserve must not be trifled with," financial consultant Andrei Prumov recalled. He argues that this money cannot be placed at commercial banks just like that, but probably this was not Djankov's idea. "What he most probably meant was that the reserve is not managed sufficiently effectively, and this is true." According to Peter Ganev of the Institute for Market Economics, the thing that definitely must be avoided with the reserve is to spend it on some Government expense items. The key sectors in which the funds can be invested are the pension system and health care. The fiscal reserve can act as a buffer when these sectors are successfully reformed. Krassimir Katev, who was deputy finance minister in the Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha cabinet, sees the idea to deposit part of the fiscal reserve with commercial banks as a means to increase the lev liquidity in the banking system rather than as a means to boost the yield of the reserve. "We hope that this will lead to lower lending interest rates and will help increase the loan-financing of the real economy," Katev says.
"Klassa" too, quotes opinions on Djankov's proposal. Former finance minister Stoyan Alexander, who is now Executive Director of D Bank, says that when it invests in commercial banks, the State enjoys a special status regarding minimum reserve requirements and regarding deposit guarantee. "Let's hope the criterion is not political or nepotist, because this will create an absolutely unfair competition among banks." Dimiter Chobanov, who teaches finance at the University of National and World Economy, warns of the risk of hard currency flowing out of the country.
"24 Chassa" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as promising on Tuesday that, if part of the fiscal reserve is deposited with commercial banks, they will be selected openly, by a competitive procedure with clear rules. He said that, for the time being, this is just an idea and, if it comes to its implementation, this will require the approval of the international financial institutions.
"No More Cheating with Loans, Slush Funds," GERB MP Menda Stoyanova, who chairs the National Assembly Budgetary Committee, says in a "Troud" interview. She explaines that when loans are decalred in the tax return and are entered into the information system, it will be clear how much a person earns and spends and whether the legitimate earnings are enough to cover his or her spending. This will put an end to cheating. Stoyanova notes that the 2009 budget planned 32,000 million leva revenues whereas, in reality, they are not expected to exceed 25,000-26,000 million. This against the backrgound of a forecast ongoing economic decline of some 2 per cent and intensified measures to stop smuggling and get the grey sector under control.
"Standart News" writes that bosses of state-owned companies have been fired by Transport Minister Aleksandar Tsvetkov afrer audits conducted at the companies managed by them found financial abuses. The suspicions of corrupt transactions have been referred to the prosecuting magistracy, the Transport Ministry said in a press release.
BULGARIA - EU
"Sega" quotes European Commission (EC) Spokesman Mark Gray as saying on Tuesday in connection with the arranged magisterial appointments affair, which has been rocking the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for two months now, that the European Commission insists that the SJC investigate the appointments made so far and take adequate measures. The subject was also discussed by Bulgarian Justice Minister Margarita Popova, who is visiting Brussels, with officials of the EC Secretariat-General. Popova said that the EC sees what is happening as "salutary to the system", but the SJC must make a full reassessment of the way it is handling personnel policy.
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 – October 21, 2009
· The fiscal reserve will not be touched and will not be transferred, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told a news conference after a weekly government meeting Wednesday. His remark comes a couple of days after Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov told the press that part of the nearly 8,000 million leva fiscal reserve, which has been at the central bank since 1997-1998 where it earns 0.5 per cent interest, may be deposited with commercial banks and bear an interest of some 6 per cent.
· The Blue Coalition leaders commented Wednesday at the National Assembly that Russian media reports claiming that Bulgaria has been excluded from the South Stream gas pipeline project seek to put pressure on Bulgaria. The comments were prompted by Russia's "Kommersant" newspaper. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov declined any comment on the Kommersant allegations. He told the reporters they should spend less time reading media reports.
· At the beginning of October, 52 percent of the Bulgarians say that if parliamentary elections were today, they would vote for Boyko Borisov’s party – Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB). Perhaps this number includes famous conformist attitudes and the so-called prestigious vote. This became clear from the survey result of the National Centre for Public Opinion Research (NCPOR).
tirsdag den 20. oktober 2009
Bulgarian Press Review, October 20, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, October20 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
"There are hard times ahead," Petyo Tsekov says in "Sega." "After the congresses of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) and the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) it is more than clear that only people having the profile of [Prime Minister] Boyko [Borissov] can defeat Boyko," Tsekov writes.
* * *
"Having received a new confidence credit as leader of the BSP, Sergei Stanishev decided to take radical action against his enemies," "Sega" says referring to sources in the party.
"Roumen Ovcharov's and Roumen Petkov's withdrawal from the party leadership is mandatory," BSP MP Anton Koutev says in "Klassa." The race for the BSP leadership was not normal, Georgi Kadiev of the National Council of the party says in the same daily.
If the BSP finds the right solution, it will keep its political influence and will remain a force dominating the left. However, there is another scenario, too: the BSP keeps its influence but a new, radically different organization emerges in the left, sociologist Zhivko Georgiev says in an interview for "Troud." In his view, the Socialist part must say clearly "why it proved incapable to govern" this country and "why it proved to be an ill-prepared opposition." Georgiev says that Stanishev should improve his ability to work in a team with people who may not be always of the same mind. "In its present condition, the BSP is without future," Georgiev says in another interview given to "Telegraf.
According to journalist Valeria Veleva of the same daily, instead of being a "congress of truth", the BSP's latest forum was held hostage of the status quo and the agony of the party. In Veleva's words, Stanishev stakes on the appeal "Let the bygones be bygones and let us look ahead" but "he is yet to see how many people will fall away from him and the party and to realize that he has been a loser ever since 2005." The idea of "a boutique left party with 40 MPs" was the dream of Aleksander Lilov, known as the Strategist of the party, when he watched Zhan Videnov's failure in 1996," Veleva notes. "Well, 13 years later Stanishev helped in the dream coming true."
Commenting on the party congress, "24 Chassa' says that the BSP has been late and that the party should have thought about a leader much earlier.
* * *
"Novinar" carries an interview with UDF chief secretary Ivan Sotirov who expresses the view that the Blue Coalition, of which the UDF is a member, has no future.
* * *
Referring to Minister without Portfolio Bojidar Dimitrov, who quoted figures of the Citizenship Council with the Justice Ministry, "Troud" writes that 1,075 Bulgarian expatriates were granted Bulgarian citizenship between September 16 and October 16 alone. The number of applications considered increased about three-fold in a month, and shelved citizenship applications, filed years ago, dropped to 47,000. The procedure became quicker thanks to the better coordination between the Interior Ministry and the State Agency for National Security (SANS).
* * *
"Zemya" and "Klassa" quote President Georgi Purvanov who says: "I think there is a minister in the cabinet who has been trying to play a prime minister. In fact I think this minister should go to his niche where he has too many responsibilities to have time to express attitudes and enforce models and mechanisms for all other ministries." When asked if he had in mind Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, Purvanov laughed and said everybody could guess who he was talking about.
ECONOMY
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Djankov wants a more risky management of the fiscal reserve, "Sega" says in a subtitle.
"Klassa" front-pages a report on Djankov's proposal to deposit part of the fiscal reserve with commercial banks which pay higher interest if a balanced budget is achieved. Now about 2,000 million of Bulgaria's fiscal reserve, which totals 8,000 million leva, may be put in commercial banks where it would earn 6 per cent interest while the National Bank of Bulgaria where the reserve is deposited pays an interest of only 0.3 - 0.5 per cent, the daily writes referring to Djankov.
* * *
According to "Pari," the gas crisis that occurred earlier this year may happen again. Bulgaria is not connected with the gas networks of Greece and Romania and will not have such connecting pipelines next year, too. At the moment, the modernization of the Chiren gas facility appears to be more realistic, says Boris Pekov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Energy Holding.
* * *
Nearly 219,000 people have been laid off since the beginning of 2009 due to the crisis, "Dnevnik" writes referring to Deputy Labour and Social Policy Minister Krassimir Popov. Employers and trade-unionists forecast that more than 100,000 will become redundant over the next 12 months. According to the Employment Agency, about 80,000 persons registered by the labour offices have been out of work for more than a year. Official statistics show that in january-September average unemployment rose from 6.5 to 8.03 per cent - a record-high figure for the last 15 months.
* * *
"We are planning to mobilize 7,000 - 7,500 million US dollars for a global programme for buying bad assets," World Bank Vice President Kristalina Georgieva says in "Troud." "We are working with partners from the private sector, selecting the assets by priority types and countries in advance," she says. In her words, roads are the fastest way to achieve economic growth.
FOREIGN POLICY
Ambassador Luchezar Petkov to the US and Ambassador Branimir Mladenov to Turkey may be recalled before the end of their term, "24 Chassa" writes quoting Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva. The Foreign Ministry has opened disciplinary probe into the two diplomatic missions. The problem in Washington is that documents concerning the general elections have been lost. In Ankara the question is about other things, Jeleva says without going into details.
Korman Ismailov MP from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, says in an interview for "Sega" that the blame for the irregularities of the election process abroad must not be laid at the door of only one party. The interview is headlined "Back to the Dawn of democracy."
* * *
"I have learned that colleagues from the European Parliament, including Bulgarian MEPs, have formed a coalition against my election as European commissioner," Foreign Minister Jeleva says in an interview for "24 Chassa."
* * *
In the first years of its EU membership, Bulgaria has failedto expend 64.4 per cent of the funds designed for it; only 35.6 per cent of the funds have been transferred to it, "24 Chassa" writes. The figures are from a report drawn up by request of the Budget and Finance Committee of the Bulgarian National Assembly which has been sent to the Bulgarian MEPs. Bulgaria has been entitled to get over 1,367 million euro under ISPA, PHARE and SAPARD but it received only 488.9 million. A total of 334 million have not been utilized, 109 million euro is still blocked. Poorest is the absorption of funds under PHARE: 260.5 million euro has been lost, 90 million will probably have to be refunded to the EU. Bulgaria has performed most successfully in the improvement of border control under the so-called Schengen Borders Code, absorbing 230 million out of 258 million euro, an assessment report says. However, in most probability the Bulgarian government would not obtain an extension of the programme and would have to conclude urgently contracts for the rest of the amount before the end of 2009 to be able to use it, "24 Chassa" says referring to the said report.
INTERIOR MINISTRY AND JUSTICE
The investigation of the members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) who have resigned is just the beginning of purging the Council from magistrates who have dubious connections, "Troud" quotes Justice Minister Margarita Popova as saying in Brussels on Monday. She was interviewed by "Troud" during a conference entitled "Towards EU Global Action against Trafficking in Human Beings" held there. This is the beginning and there will be further development, she said. Other people may also find themselves under investigation - senior administrative officers in the judiciary who used lobbies for their appointment and SJC members involved in it.
* * *
Hundreds of thousands of leva have been stolen from bank accounts in the last few years using various scams; many of the bank account holders do not know yet that they have been robbed, "Troud" writes in its highlights.One of the most popular is through phishing, pharming, vishing and data-stealing malware.
* * *
"24 Chassa" devotes two pages to the murder of Stoyan Stoyanov, a businessman from Bourgas, who was abducted and then killed.
"Telegraf" and "Ekspress" write that there are new suspects in the murder of Belneyski sisters (Rositsa, 18, and Kristina, 15) from the town of Pazardzhik in 2006. The case is still unsolved.
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 – October 20, 2009
· The interior ministry is making everything possible to solve the case with the student Rumen Gunenski Jr, who was kidnapped Monday night in Sofia’s Studentski Grad residential quarter, said interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov. Gunenski is the son of a rich businessman who is known for running fuel trading and construction business in the towns of Pravetz and Botevgrad located to the northeast of Sofia. Rumen Gunenski Sr. has been considered as a possible candidate for mayor of the Bulgarian Socialist Party at the local elections in Pravets.
· Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, declared Tuesday that there is an urgent need to introduce an anti-kidnapping law in the country. “It might be just one page long, but it must include draconian sanctions,” the PM stated.
Sofia, October20 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
"There are hard times ahead," Petyo Tsekov says in "Sega." "After the congresses of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) and the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) it is more than clear that only people having the profile of [Prime Minister] Boyko [Borissov] can defeat Boyko," Tsekov writes.
* * *
"Having received a new confidence credit as leader of the BSP, Sergei Stanishev decided to take radical action against his enemies," "Sega" says referring to sources in the party.
"Roumen Ovcharov's and Roumen Petkov's withdrawal from the party leadership is mandatory," BSP MP Anton Koutev says in "Klassa." The race for the BSP leadership was not normal, Georgi Kadiev of the National Council of the party says in the same daily.
If the BSP finds the right solution, it will keep its political influence and will remain a force dominating the left. However, there is another scenario, too: the BSP keeps its influence but a new, radically different organization emerges in the left, sociologist Zhivko Georgiev says in an interview for "Troud." In his view, the Socialist part must say clearly "why it proved incapable to govern" this country and "why it proved to be an ill-prepared opposition." Georgiev says that Stanishev should improve his ability to work in a team with people who may not be always of the same mind. "In its present condition, the BSP is without future," Georgiev says in another interview given to "Telegraf.
According to journalist Valeria Veleva of the same daily, instead of being a "congress of truth", the BSP's latest forum was held hostage of the status quo and the agony of the party. In Veleva's words, Stanishev stakes on the appeal "Let the bygones be bygones and let us look ahead" but "he is yet to see how many people will fall away from him and the party and to realize that he has been a loser ever since 2005." The idea of "a boutique left party with 40 MPs" was the dream of Aleksander Lilov, known as the Strategist of the party, when he watched Zhan Videnov's failure in 1996," Veleva notes. "Well, 13 years later Stanishev helped in the dream coming true."
Commenting on the party congress, "24 Chassa' says that the BSP has been late and that the party should have thought about a leader much earlier.
* * *
"Novinar" carries an interview with UDF chief secretary Ivan Sotirov who expresses the view that the Blue Coalition, of which the UDF is a member, has no future.
* * *
Referring to Minister without Portfolio Bojidar Dimitrov, who quoted figures of the Citizenship Council with the Justice Ministry, "Troud" writes that 1,075 Bulgarian expatriates were granted Bulgarian citizenship between September 16 and October 16 alone. The number of applications considered increased about three-fold in a month, and shelved citizenship applications, filed years ago, dropped to 47,000. The procedure became quicker thanks to the better coordination between the Interior Ministry and the State Agency for National Security (SANS).
* * *
"Zemya" and "Klassa" quote President Georgi Purvanov who says: "I think there is a minister in the cabinet who has been trying to play a prime minister. In fact I think this minister should go to his niche where he has too many responsibilities to have time to express attitudes and enforce models and mechanisms for all other ministries." When asked if he had in mind Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, Purvanov laughed and said everybody could guess who he was talking about.
ECONOMY
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Djankov wants a more risky management of the fiscal reserve, "Sega" says in a subtitle.
"Klassa" front-pages a report on Djankov's proposal to deposit part of the fiscal reserve with commercial banks which pay higher interest if a balanced budget is achieved. Now about 2,000 million of Bulgaria's fiscal reserve, which totals 8,000 million leva, may be put in commercial banks where it would earn 6 per cent interest while the National Bank of Bulgaria where the reserve is deposited pays an interest of only 0.3 - 0.5 per cent, the daily writes referring to Djankov.
* * *
According to "Pari," the gas crisis that occurred earlier this year may happen again. Bulgaria is not connected with the gas networks of Greece and Romania and will not have such connecting pipelines next year, too. At the moment, the modernization of the Chiren gas facility appears to be more realistic, says Boris Pekov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Energy Holding.
* * *
Nearly 219,000 people have been laid off since the beginning of 2009 due to the crisis, "Dnevnik" writes referring to Deputy Labour and Social Policy Minister Krassimir Popov. Employers and trade-unionists forecast that more than 100,000 will become redundant over the next 12 months. According to the Employment Agency, about 80,000 persons registered by the labour offices have been out of work for more than a year. Official statistics show that in january-September average unemployment rose from 6.5 to 8.03 per cent - a record-high figure for the last 15 months.
* * *
"We are planning to mobilize 7,000 - 7,500 million US dollars for a global programme for buying bad assets," World Bank Vice President Kristalina Georgieva says in "Troud." "We are working with partners from the private sector, selecting the assets by priority types and countries in advance," she says. In her words, roads are the fastest way to achieve economic growth.
FOREIGN POLICY
Ambassador Luchezar Petkov to the US and Ambassador Branimir Mladenov to Turkey may be recalled before the end of their term, "24 Chassa" writes quoting Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva. The Foreign Ministry has opened disciplinary probe into the two diplomatic missions. The problem in Washington is that documents concerning the general elections have been lost. In Ankara the question is about other things, Jeleva says without going into details.
Korman Ismailov MP from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, says in an interview for "Sega" that the blame for the irregularities of the election process abroad must not be laid at the door of only one party. The interview is headlined "Back to the Dawn of democracy."
* * *
"I have learned that colleagues from the European Parliament, including Bulgarian MEPs, have formed a coalition against my election as European commissioner," Foreign Minister Jeleva says in an interview for "24 Chassa."
* * *
In the first years of its EU membership, Bulgaria has failedto expend 64.4 per cent of the funds designed for it; only 35.6 per cent of the funds have been transferred to it, "24 Chassa" writes. The figures are from a report drawn up by request of the Budget and Finance Committee of the Bulgarian National Assembly which has been sent to the Bulgarian MEPs. Bulgaria has been entitled to get over 1,367 million euro under ISPA, PHARE and SAPARD but it received only 488.9 million. A total of 334 million have not been utilized, 109 million euro is still blocked. Poorest is the absorption of funds under PHARE: 260.5 million euro has been lost, 90 million will probably have to be refunded to the EU. Bulgaria has performed most successfully in the improvement of border control under the so-called Schengen Borders Code, absorbing 230 million out of 258 million euro, an assessment report says. However, in most probability the Bulgarian government would not obtain an extension of the programme and would have to conclude urgently contracts for the rest of the amount before the end of 2009 to be able to use it, "24 Chassa" says referring to the said report.
INTERIOR MINISTRY AND JUSTICE
The investigation of the members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) who have resigned is just the beginning of purging the Council from magistrates who have dubious connections, "Troud" quotes Justice Minister Margarita Popova as saying in Brussels on Monday. She was interviewed by "Troud" during a conference entitled "Towards EU Global Action against Trafficking in Human Beings" held there. This is the beginning and there will be further development, she said. Other people may also find themselves under investigation - senior administrative officers in the judiciary who used lobbies for their appointment and SJC members involved in it.
* * *
Hundreds of thousands of leva have been stolen from bank accounts in the last few years using various scams; many of the bank account holders do not know yet that they have been robbed, "Troud" writes in its highlights.One of the most popular is through phishing, pharming, vishing and data-stealing malware.
* * *
"24 Chassa" devotes two pages to the murder of Stoyan Stoyanov, a businessman from Bourgas, who was abducted and then killed.
"Telegraf" and "Ekspress" write that there are new suspects in the murder of Belneyski sisters (Rositsa, 18, and Kristina, 15) from the town of Pazardzhik in 2006. The case is still unsolved.
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 – October 20, 2009
· The interior ministry is making everything possible to solve the case with the student Rumen Gunenski Jr, who was kidnapped Monday night in Sofia’s Studentski Grad residential quarter, said interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov. Gunenski is the son of a rich businessman who is known for running fuel trading and construction business in the towns of Pravetz and Botevgrad located to the northeast of Sofia. Rumen Gunenski Sr. has been considered as a possible candidate for mayor of the Bulgarian Socialist Party at the local elections in Pravets.
· Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, declared Tuesday that there is an urgent need to introduce an anti-kidnapping law in the country. “It might be just one page long, but it must include draconian sanctions,” the PM stated.
mandag den 19. oktober 2009
Bulgarian Press Review, October 19, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, October 19 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Troud" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying that there does exist a report by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) about corrupt ministers from the previous three-party cabinet. The report in question has been a topic of a lot of rumors and doubts as to whether it existed. Speaking in a talk show on Nova TV on Saturday Borissov said the report exists and is authentic. He said he has ordered SANS to check in regard of which materials in the report the prosecuting magistracy has started investigations, whether such investigations have been halted and on what grounds.
* * *
"Borissov's Grand Slam" caps a comment in "Standart News" which says that while the analysts wait for the first 100 of the new government to pass, the prime minister made the cabinet, started checks against the previous incumbents, spelled out the directions of the changes and held meetings with exactly the necessary people at exactly the right places. These shuttles of the Prime Minister remind one of the style of Henry Kissinger in solving acute problems, writes the author. In addition, they are evidence of a yet another more categorical change of the national orientation towards closer integration with the key member states of the EU. The author writes that a unique characteristic of Borissov is that at such meetings he does not go with final decisions but rather tries to find answers to questions on the principle of mutual benefit, reaches acceptable compromises but does not make fatal concessions.
* * *
Interviewed by "Standart News" Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) leader Ivan Kostov says it is ridiculous to say that he is the "guru" of the government. Kostov says that if someone wants to advise the cabinet, the person should be familiar with key documents in the making, such as the budget and the strategy for national security. Kostov says DSB support the government but at the same time want to be a fulsome corrective of the incumbents. According to Kostov, the most important thing is to ensure that Bulgaria is on the right track.
* * *
The developments during Sunday's congress of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the re-election of its leader, Sergei Stanishev, are one of the most commented topics in the Monday press. "Troud" reports that after a day of debates the voting showed that Stansihev leads 2 to 1 against his rivals. The other three candidates for the BSP leadership post were Mladen Chervenyakov, Tatyana Doncheva and Yanaki Stoilov. Stanishev himself demanded that the agenda include an item for electing a new leader of the party.
In his report to the congress the former prime minister said there were moments in his tenure when "he wanted to quit everything".
* * *
The Monday newspapers report at length about one more party forum, the extraordinary congress of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO). "Troud" says that IMRO started to split but re-elected Krassimir Karakachanov its leader. The other candidate was Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, Mayor Slavcho Atanassov. A group of delegates walked out of the congress including Atanassov himself who threatened that the forum and all resolutions passed by it will be appealed against in court. Delegates at the congress accused Karakachanov for the coalitions he concluded with two parties and for the party's abysmal performance at the July 5 general elections.
* * *
"Troud" interviews National Movement for Surge and Stability (NMSS) Deputy Chairman and former finance minister Milen Velchev who warns that the increased excise duty on tobacco and cigarettes will push up contraband trade. Velchev also dwells on the upcoming forum of the party which has to elect a new leader after Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha tendered his resignation in the wake of the July 5 general elections. NMSS could not even clear the 4 per cent threshold for entry in Parliament. Velchev says he does not have a favourite among the four candidates for NMSS leader. He says also he is optimistic about the prospects before NMSS.
* * *
All of the Monday dailies report about the outcome of a crime committed in 2008. Speaking at a news conference on Sunday Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said that a former judge and a former executive director of the State Receivables Agency commissioned the murder of a Bourgas, on the Black Sea, -based businessman, 36-year-old president of the Graniti company, Stoyan Stoyanov. He was kidnapped in 2008 and then was killed. His body was found two days ago buried in a wooded area near Bourgas.
Stoyanov's kidnapping and murder involved an organized criminal group of four persons, and another two people commissioned the acts, the Interior Minister said. The businessman was killed over a real estate dispute.
Galin Kostov, a former judge at the District Court of Varna and later a lawyer, currently working as a private enforcement agent, is one of the two people who commissioned Stoyanov's murder. Kostov is being held in custody. The other one is Stanislav Mihailov, who will be put on an international wanted list as he is outside the country. Between 2002 and 2006, he was executive director of the State Receivables Agency, Tsvetanov said. According to evidence available so far, Kostov and Mihailov hired two men to organize the kidnapping and the murder. On their part, the two men used the services of two other persons.
ECONOMY
The cabinet still owes a lot to the business, former deputy finance minister Krassimir Katev says in a comment in "Troud". Katev notes that the current Finance Ministry is doing well on the "budget front" but the government still owes a lot to the real economy. Katev suggests providing medium-term loans to commercial banks secured by state debt, guaranteeing by the Finance Ministry of the credit risk of the players on the interbank market for short periods, and providing a 500 million leva loan to the Bulgarian Development Bank to be distributed as loans to commercial banks for support to export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises.
* * *
Peter Ganev of the Institute for Market Economy warns in "24 Chassa" against "playing" with the fiscal reserve. He says that spending the fiscal reserve for government projects or programmes, irrespective of whether or not at a time of crisis, is a "the biggest folly possible" and one that will have catastrophic effects. Ganev argues that the fiscal reserve should be used for repayment of the foreign debt and for implementing key reforms.
* * *
In an interview to "Dnevnik" Customs Agency Director Valyo Tanov says that investments were not made on purpose in risk border checkpoints. He is indignant that proper technical equipment and infrastructure are absent at border checkpoints that are on the external EU borders, namely on the border with Turkey, Macedonia and Serbia. Only one border checkpoint, at Lessovo on the border to Turkey, is a modern facility meeting the relevant standards, says Tanov, adding that there was no logic where money was invested. He sees this as a purposeful act so that the state remained "inadequate" for many years. Tanov says that given the current equipment at some border checkpoints and the structure of the customs office, it is impossible to effectively counteract the contraband trade in cigarettes, for example.
* * *
All of the Monday newspapers report on a survey conducted by the National Revenue Agency (NRA) which showed that undeclared loans among members of the public stand at 2,700 million leva. NRA has found that each Bulgarian with a job has received more than 35,000 leva in loans from entities other than banks. At the same time, the National Statistical Institute reports that the average per capita indebtedness is 59 leva. NRA reminded on Saturday that loans over 5,000 leva from natural persons will have to be stated in annual tax returns in 2010.
* * *
"Sega" says that starting from 2011 contributions in private health funds will become mandatory. The respective amendments to the Health Insurance Act will be submitted for debate in Parliament soon. The purpose of the measure is to raise more money for the sector. The daily quotes Finance Minister Simeon Djankov as saying that 84 per cent of clinical pathways are under-financed.
* * *
The leading report in "24 Chassa" tells how companies close to the Movement for Rights and Freedoms have won a project with European funding even before it was announced. The project, worth 15.8 million leva, was under the Environment Operational Programme. It concerned the construction of water supply and sewerage system and a waste water treatment plant in Ardino Municipality, Southern Bulgaria. "24 Chassa" quotes Deputy Environment Minister Evdokia Maneva as saying that the project has been halted and an alert sent to the prosecuting magistracy. She says that other projects also funded by the Environment and Waters Ministry have too been submitted to the prosecuting magistracy because they are implemented by one and the same contractors which in Ardino are known as the Three Pickaxes since the companies in question have no building machinery.
BULGARIA-EU
"GERB is a guarantor for the development of the European right-of-centre formations, say an analysis in "Monitor". The author says the the emergence of the GERB political party is to a large extent a result of the purposeful efforts of the European right-of-centre parties. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's party was the fastest admitted member of the European People's Party (EPP). The messages to Bulgaria from Bonn, Paris and Rome complement each other. The political support for GERB's governance has been clearly stated, writes the author. The parties members of EPP received the trust of the majority of EU citizens to govern in the conditions of a deep political and economic crisis. If they succeed in fulfilling their mission the EU will return to its rightist political roots and will get a new chance for active participation in the process of global development, the comment says.
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 – October 19, 2009
· The financial minister Simeon Dyankov stated today that the fiscal reserve of the country is about BGN 8 billion, which have been kept in the Bulgarian National Bank since 1997, i.e. 12 years at very low interests - about 0.3%. In his words if part of it is put in the deposits of commercial banks the money could “patch up the hole” in healthcare. “We have lots several billions for ten years from inflexible usage of the reserve,” Dyankov said.
· Bulgaria President Georgi Parvanov criticized today the current new center-right GERB government; “I think some Ministers should calm down, we have heard too many radical ideas, which have thankfully been virtually withdrawn the next day as they were not only unworkable, but also dangerous.”
· A 5-year-old girl has been killed by a dog in the village of Sushevo, Razgrad District, local police reported Monday. According to witnesses the dog bit the girl into the throat.
Sofia, October 19 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Troud" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying that there does exist a report by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) about corrupt ministers from the previous three-party cabinet. The report in question has been a topic of a lot of rumors and doubts as to whether it existed. Speaking in a talk show on Nova TV on Saturday Borissov said the report exists and is authentic. He said he has ordered SANS to check in regard of which materials in the report the prosecuting magistracy has started investigations, whether such investigations have been halted and on what grounds.
* * *
"Borissov's Grand Slam" caps a comment in "Standart News" which says that while the analysts wait for the first 100 of the new government to pass, the prime minister made the cabinet, started checks against the previous incumbents, spelled out the directions of the changes and held meetings with exactly the necessary people at exactly the right places. These shuttles of the Prime Minister remind one of the style of Henry Kissinger in solving acute problems, writes the author. In addition, they are evidence of a yet another more categorical change of the national orientation towards closer integration with the key member states of the EU. The author writes that a unique characteristic of Borissov is that at such meetings he does not go with final decisions but rather tries to find answers to questions on the principle of mutual benefit, reaches acceptable compromises but does not make fatal concessions.
* * *
Interviewed by "Standart News" Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) leader Ivan Kostov says it is ridiculous to say that he is the "guru" of the government. Kostov says that if someone wants to advise the cabinet, the person should be familiar with key documents in the making, such as the budget and the strategy for national security. Kostov says DSB support the government but at the same time want to be a fulsome corrective of the incumbents. According to Kostov, the most important thing is to ensure that Bulgaria is on the right track.
* * *
The developments during Sunday's congress of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the re-election of its leader, Sergei Stanishev, are one of the most commented topics in the Monday press. "Troud" reports that after a day of debates the voting showed that Stansihev leads 2 to 1 against his rivals. The other three candidates for the BSP leadership post were Mladen Chervenyakov, Tatyana Doncheva and Yanaki Stoilov. Stanishev himself demanded that the agenda include an item for electing a new leader of the party.
In his report to the congress the former prime minister said there were moments in his tenure when "he wanted to quit everything".
* * *
The Monday newspapers report at length about one more party forum, the extraordinary congress of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO). "Troud" says that IMRO started to split but re-elected Krassimir Karakachanov its leader. The other candidate was Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, Mayor Slavcho Atanassov. A group of delegates walked out of the congress including Atanassov himself who threatened that the forum and all resolutions passed by it will be appealed against in court. Delegates at the congress accused Karakachanov for the coalitions he concluded with two parties and for the party's abysmal performance at the July 5 general elections.
* * *
"Troud" interviews National Movement for Surge and Stability (NMSS) Deputy Chairman and former finance minister Milen Velchev who warns that the increased excise duty on tobacco and cigarettes will push up contraband trade. Velchev also dwells on the upcoming forum of the party which has to elect a new leader after Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha tendered his resignation in the wake of the July 5 general elections. NMSS could not even clear the 4 per cent threshold for entry in Parliament. Velchev says he does not have a favourite among the four candidates for NMSS leader. He says also he is optimistic about the prospects before NMSS.
* * *
All of the Monday dailies report about the outcome of a crime committed in 2008. Speaking at a news conference on Sunday Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said that a former judge and a former executive director of the State Receivables Agency commissioned the murder of a Bourgas, on the Black Sea, -based businessman, 36-year-old president of the Graniti company, Stoyan Stoyanov. He was kidnapped in 2008 and then was killed. His body was found two days ago buried in a wooded area near Bourgas.
Stoyanov's kidnapping and murder involved an organized criminal group of four persons, and another two people commissioned the acts, the Interior Minister said. The businessman was killed over a real estate dispute.
Galin Kostov, a former judge at the District Court of Varna and later a lawyer, currently working as a private enforcement agent, is one of the two people who commissioned Stoyanov's murder. Kostov is being held in custody. The other one is Stanislav Mihailov, who will be put on an international wanted list as he is outside the country. Between 2002 and 2006, he was executive director of the State Receivables Agency, Tsvetanov said. According to evidence available so far, Kostov and Mihailov hired two men to organize the kidnapping and the murder. On their part, the two men used the services of two other persons.
ECONOMY
The cabinet still owes a lot to the business, former deputy finance minister Krassimir Katev says in a comment in "Troud". Katev notes that the current Finance Ministry is doing well on the "budget front" but the government still owes a lot to the real economy. Katev suggests providing medium-term loans to commercial banks secured by state debt, guaranteeing by the Finance Ministry of the credit risk of the players on the interbank market for short periods, and providing a 500 million leva loan to the Bulgarian Development Bank to be distributed as loans to commercial banks for support to export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises.
* * *
Peter Ganev of the Institute for Market Economy warns in "24 Chassa" against "playing" with the fiscal reserve. He says that spending the fiscal reserve for government projects or programmes, irrespective of whether or not at a time of crisis, is a "the biggest folly possible" and one that will have catastrophic effects. Ganev argues that the fiscal reserve should be used for repayment of the foreign debt and for implementing key reforms.
* * *
In an interview to "Dnevnik" Customs Agency Director Valyo Tanov says that investments were not made on purpose in risk border checkpoints. He is indignant that proper technical equipment and infrastructure are absent at border checkpoints that are on the external EU borders, namely on the border with Turkey, Macedonia and Serbia. Only one border checkpoint, at Lessovo on the border to Turkey, is a modern facility meeting the relevant standards, says Tanov, adding that there was no logic where money was invested. He sees this as a purposeful act so that the state remained "inadequate" for many years. Tanov says that given the current equipment at some border checkpoints and the structure of the customs office, it is impossible to effectively counteract the contraband trade in cigarettes, for example.
* * *
All of the Monday newspapers report on a survey conducted by the National Revenue Agency (NRA) which showed that undeclared loans among members of the public stand at 2,700 million leva. NRA has found that each Bulgarian with a job has received more than 35,000 leva in loans from entities other than banks. At the same time, the National Statistical Institute reports that the average per capita indebtedness is 59 leva. NRA reminded on Saturday that loans over 5,000 leva from natural persons will have to be stated in annual tax returns in 2010.
* * *
"Sega" says that starting from 2011 contributions in private health funds will become mandatory. The respective amendments to the Health Insurance Act will be submitted for debate in Parliament soon. The purpose of the measure is to raise more money for the sector. The daily quotes Finance Minister Simeon Djankov as saying that 84 per cent of clinical pathways are under-financed.
* * *
The leading report in "24 Chassa" tells how companies close to the Movement for Rights and Freedoms have won a project with European funding even before it was announced. The project, worth 15.8 million leva, was under the Environment Operational Programme. It concerned the construction of water supply and sewerage system and a waste water treatment plant in Ardino Municipality, Southern Bulgaria. "24 Chassa" quotes Deputy Environment Minister Evdokia Maneva as saying that the project has been halted and an alert sent to the prosecuting magistracy. She says that other projects also funded by the Environment and Waters Ministry have too been submitted to the prosecuting magistracy because they are implemented by one and the same contractors which in Ardino are known as the Three Pickaxes since the companies in question have no building machinery.
BULGARIA-EU
"GERB is a guarantor for the development of the European right-of-centre formations, say an analysis in "Monitor". The author says the the emergence of the GERB political party is to a large extent a result of the purposeful efforts of the European right-of-centre parties. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's party was the fastest admitted member of the European People's Party (EPP). The messages to Bulgaria from Bonn, Paris and Rome complement each other. The political support for GERB's governance has been clearly stated, writes the author. The parties members of EPP received the trust of the majority of EU citizens to govern in the conditions of a deep political and economic crisis. If they succeed in fulfilling their mission the EU will return to its rightist political roots and will get a new chance for active participation in the process of global development, the comment says.
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 – October 19, 2009
· The financial minister Simeon Dyankov stated today that the fiscal reserve of the country is about BGN 8 billion, which have been kept in the Bulgarian National Bank since 1997, i.e. 12 years at very low interests - about 0.3%. In his words if part of it is put in the deposits of commercial banks the money could “patch up the hole” in healthcare. “We have lots several billions for ten years from inflexible usage of the reserve,” Dyankov said.
· Bulgaria President Georgi Parvanov criticized today the current new center-right GERB government; “I think some Ministers should calm down, we have heard too many radical ideas, which have thankfully been virtually withdrawn the next day as they were not only unworkable, but also dangerous.”
· A 5-year-old girl has been killed by a dog in the village of Sushevo, Razgrad District, local police reported Monday. According to witnesses the dog bit the girl into the throat.
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