Bulgarian Press Review, October 6, 2009

Press Review
Sofia, October 6 (BTA)

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS

"Troud" reports that the Kujovic scandal again shook the Bulgarian Socialist Party. Former Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev had the State Agency for National Security (SANS) target former interior minister Roumen Petkov, according to former Interior Ministry chief secretary Valentin Petrov. The Serbian drug lord Budimir Kujovic has been sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment for organizing and leading a drug trafficking ring. "Troud" publishes a letter from an even earlier Interior Ministry secretary, Tsvyatko Tsvetkov, to Stanishev, which Petrov showed on bTV. Petrov claims that the letter exposed the scenario behind the Kujovic scandal and its aim to hit the higher echelons.

Again in "Troud", Tsvetkov says the letter has been in the media for quite some time but it is not about Kujovic. In another letter to Stanishev of March 2008 Tsvetkov says: "I believe that under your leadership SANS can start a new chapter in the fight against organized crime and corruption. This can show a resolute prime minister to Bulgaria and the EU, among others." He further suggests that a special unit made up of prosecutors, investigators and SANS representatives take the higher echelons to task. "Troud" also runs a story headlined "All Key Officials at Interior Ministry Were Subject to Wiretapping".

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Four pre-trial proceedings have been instituted against the managers of Group A football clubs for tax evasion and match fixing, "Monitor" says, quoting Sofia City Deputy Prosecutor Roman Vassilev. The clubs are reportedly Botev Plovdiv, Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Marek Doupnitsa and Spartak Varna.

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"Novinar" says the prime minister expects at least 50 charges to be brought against the former power-holders. Borissov made a statement to this effect at a meeting with the Union of Newspaper Publishers. Those charges are most likely to be brought for violations in road construction, agriculture and the introduction of the 112 Emergency Number, the daily says. "Dnevnik" writes that one of the main items on the agenda was the lack of transparency about media ownership and financing, which is becoming a serious problem with a negative impact on the market. The Union of Publishers is looking into mandatory registration of print media owners.

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Former prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha netted a profit of about 2.5 million leva from logging on 452 hectares of forest unduly returned to him, and over 4 million leva from timber, "24 Chassa" says, quoting Georgi Kostov, Director of the State Forestry Agency.

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"24 Chassa" reports that National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva recently had a near miss in a car of the National Bodyguard Service on the road between Pleven and Sofia. The story claims that the Service's cars are too old to be safe.

HOME SCENE

"Express" quotes a Gallup survey which showed that the government's approval rating rose about 10 percentage points to 53 per cent in September. Boyko Borissov's approval rating was 67 per cent. About 48 per cent of respondents were optimistic about the country's future.


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An analytical piece in "Sega" says that "the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) is going - quickly and for good". After expressing unconditional support for Yordanka Fandakova, GERB's mayoral candidate in Sofia, "UDF" and the obedient Ivan Kostov - leader of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria - are forever tattooed on Boyko Borissov arm, the writer says.

ECONOMY AND SOCIAL POLICY

Although the economic downturn is nearing its end, the labour market will be hit worst in 2010, according to trade unions and employers quoted in "Sega". They claim that the jobless rate will reach 13 per cent, but Labour and Social Policy Minister Totyu Mladenov is not so pessimistic. "Douma" writes that nearly 150,000 people will be newly out of work in 2010. "Klassa" says people aged under 29 will be hit worst.

A front-page report in "Troud" quotes Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov as saying in Istanbul on Monday that the retirement age for women may be raised from 60 to 63 years - the same as that for men - in 2010. During a transition period until 2012 women will be able to choose whether to retire at an earlier age or at 63.

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In a story about the energy sector "Dnevnik" quotes a report by the Center for the Study of Democracy which shows that one in four public procurement orders in 2008 was in the energy sector, one of the least transparent and most corruption-prone sectors in Bulgaria. The report recommends that the new government create mechanisms for control and transparency to minimize the risk of public funds being usurped by private interests. The report cites systematic abuse in Sofia's heating company, problems of foreign investors in Maritza East, and unauthorized electricity export.

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Rakiya stills should be sealed shut by the customs authorities, to be opened only on specific days at the distiller's request and for a daily charge proportional to the output, says "24 Chassa", quoting an official proposal submitted to the Customs Agency. The daily quotes senior officials responsible for export and import at Svilengrad. Now the law allows duty-free distillation of 30 litres of liquor per person a year. Another option would be to supply every still with an output meter, meaning that owners would have to invest in one first, which is unfeasible.

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"Dnevnik" says the new leadership of the Bulgarian Sports Totalizer is mulling introducing fewer draws and larger bets. "Standart News" quotes Dimiter Terziev, Chairman of the State Gambling Commission, as saying that small gaming halls cannot afford to pay prizes. More than 60 of them have been closed this year due to poor betting. Bulgaria is also suffering from illegal gaming establishments moving in from Russia and Ukraine after gambling was banned there.

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"24 Chassa" says Sofia started negotiating with the European Investment Bank on Monday about 52 million euro for a household waste processing plant. The loan will be added to 81 million euro available from the European Commission under Operational Programme Environment and 49 million leva from the government, Acting Mayor Minko Gerdjikov said. A tender for a contractor is in progress.

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The Netherlands will continue to be a leading investor in Bulgaria, Netherlands Ambassador Karel van Kesteren says in "Klassa". He says he believes that the new government stands a chance of presenting Bulgaria as an attractive business destination.

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 6, 2009


· Our candidate for European Energy Commissioner is Rumyana Zheleva and we are now holding many talks because such a priority requires agreement from the other European countries, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov stated today.

· Three of the men who were buried under tons of rubble in Prague are Bulgarians. They all are between 30 and 40 years old, the Prague police announced.

· The Ministry of Finance suggests a 15% rise in the excise duty on alcohol, Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov announced at a press conference. If the excise duty on alcohol is increased, the revenues in the budget will be more than BGN 60 million. Minister Dyankov suggests investing the money in healthcare and sports.