Bulgarian Press Review, October 7, 2009

Press Review
Sofia, October 7 (BTA)

THE HOME SCENE

"Sega" runs a commentary on what it sees as a transformation of the political party Ataka (Attack) since its biggest enemy, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) lost power. In the author's words, Ataka "has turned into a negation of itself". "With its servile attitude to the power-holders, it has crossed itself out, as it were. It was crossed out as an angry counterpoint to the ethnicity-based MRF. The moment the enemy was dethroned, Ataka's nationalistic slogans started to fall flat. That turns out to be a serious problem for Ataka and it will only get worse with time, taking the party to loss of identity or a schizophrenic split personality. Ataka is in an existential crisis: it is on power but it was made to be in opposition," the comment goes.

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"Sega" also carries a story on the competition for the leadership at the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). "Some ten days before the BSP congress former government ministers, MPs and former cops are joining the race for the leader's office. After Tatyana Doncheva, the attacks against the party chairman and former Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev were joined by former Interior Minister Roumen Petkov who said that the present chairman lacks the qualities to continue to lead the party. Another former minister of the Stanishev government, [of economy and energy] Roumen Ovcharov, said that the BSP leadership should take the responsibility for the election failure. On Tuesday Stanishev demonstrated composure and said he feels useful in the party because he is a consolidating figure and is ready for the race to the leadership at the congress."

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"Troud" has a commentary on education. High-school students dislike creative writing, says the paper. Only 48 per cent of 12-graders this year got decent grades, and one of the main conclusions after the matriculation exams this year was that students "can write but they are unable to demonstrate an ability to create text", says the story. "The whole system (lessons, curricula, teachning methods) is based on memorizing. Independent thinking is not appreciated. And all of a sudden schoolchildren are expected to think during the three hours of the matriculation exam. The debate about education is not only about when students should finish school and whether school books should be free: it is also about the level of literacy we want and what methods should be used to achieve it," says the comment.

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"24 Chassa" reports that the Blue Coalition of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) and Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) are willing to support GERB's candidate for the office of Sofia Mayor, Yordanka Fandakova, in exchange for getting two deputy mayors for themselves. Even though it has been negotiating actively with GERB for three weeks now, UDF leader Martin Dimitrov made a surprise statement Tuesday that UDF could field its own candidate for Sofia Mayor. Speaking after a meeting of the national leadership, Dimitrov said that there is an option for an agreement among UDF, GERB and DSB but some controversial texts on specific policies are yet to be agreed upon. Changes on the second level of local government after the by-elections are one of the scenarios in the GERB-Blue Coalition talks, according to sources of this paper.

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"Monitor" reports the findings of a poll which shows that 33 per cent of people, who traditionally vote red, support Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. The poll was held by the Scan agency in Sofia in late September. Another interesting observation of the pollsters is that three months after the general elections Sofianites have more confidence in Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov than in President Georgi Purvanov. Tsvetanov gets 40.2 per cent approval and the Head of State 32 per cent. 20 days before the mayoral by-elections in Sofia, Sofianites declare a strong support for GERB's mayoral nominee Yordanka Fandakova. She gets 55.5 per cent approval against 17.3 per cent for the socialists' Georgi Kadiev.

ECONOMY

"Troud" frontpages the findings of an audit of the Stanishev government which established absolute dissipation of taxpayers' money. It was the second audit of the previous government by the National Audit Office. It found that the government ministers spent money for exotic official trips and that administration staff earned a double wage: one as government employees and a second one as external experts. Contractors were paid for supplies with no contracts being signed, and got upfront payment for work they never did. Because of the chaos in finance, the government budget had to be adjusted 69 times in the span of one-and-a-half years, the paper says.

"Troud" also reports the conclusions of an audit of the Beautiful Bulgaria Project which found a 7.4 million leva deficit. The paper reports details of the audit findings provided by Labour Minister Totyu Mladenov, and quotes him as saying that the results have been forwarded to the prosecuting magistracy.

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"Troud" reports that the Blue Coalition are urging GERB to bring down taxes. UDF want the social insurance burden to come down 5 per cent and the taxes for sole traders to 10 per cent from 15 per cent, and call for fast start of large infrastructure projects. These are three of ten measures for dealing with the crisis that UDF insist to be incporporated in next year's budget. UDF also want fast financial decentralization.

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"Governmen Sobers Up People: Excise Duty for Alcohol Goes Up" headlines a front-page story in "Sega". In addition to the dramatic increase of cigarette prices due to the higher excise duty, the Finance Ministry is also planning for next year a 15 per cent increase of the excise duty for alcoholic beverages, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov. He is quoted as saying that the duty for these products goes up because both are bad for one's health and health care needs funding.

In a matter of days Djankov annoyed two other government ministers, writes "Standard News". He first had a serious conflict with Labour Minister Totyu Mladenov over the retirement age for women, and then another one with Economic Minister Traicho Traikov over the soaring excise duty. The paper comments that this is a bad cop/good cop situation, Djankov being the bad cop and Mladenov the good cop with his talk of soup kitchens, welfare and preserved jobs. Prime Minister Borissov has the task of balancing off the two, the author says. It also comments that the clash between two government ministers makes the opposition dispensable.

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"Troud" reports contemplated amendments to the medical insurance legislation which were presented at a roundtable on health care Tuesday held in the presence of Finance Minister Djankov.

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In a "24 Chassa" interview, University of National and World Economy Rector Prof. Borislav Borislavov says that the Bulgarian economy needs its own development model to reflect the traditions, skills and mindset of Bulgarians. "Bulgaria does not have a clear economic strategy. Actually, it has none. Nobody knows what industries will develop here to invest in them, which means that nobody knows what research products are needed or what human resources need to be trained. I see this as a key problem in the government of this country but 20 years of transition has taught me that chaos is finr for those who make the decisions,' Prof. Borislavov says.

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"Pari" writes about an investment boom in green energy. Bulgaria is attractive for foreign investors because unlike German and Spain it continues to give large preferences.

"Zemya" reports the opening of a large wind farm near the northern Black Sea town of Kavarna. The ceremony was attended by Prime Ministerv Boyko Borissov.

BULGARIA - EU

"24 Chassa" writes that Prime Minister Borissov "wants the energy sector in Europe with Rumiana Jeleva". He is quoted as saying that Sofia is finalizing Jeleva's nomination for EU commissioner, that EU enlargement and infrastructure, too, are options as her area of competence, and that talks are scheduled for next week with Sarcozy and Berlusconi "as Bulgarian needs serious support to get the energy sector".

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 7, 2009

· The National Assembly today adopted amendments to the Cultural Heritage Act on first reading. The revisions, moved by GERB MPs, extend the time limit for identification and registration of movable cultural property from six months to one year and facilitate the constituting of the Cultural Heritage Protection Inspectorate at the Ministry of Culture. According to a clause in the Transitional and Final Provisions of the controversial Act, which has been ruled unconstitutional, in the identification of movable cultural property constituting national wealth, the right of ownership is established by an official document. The revised version of the law drops the word "official". The changes were contested so far by historians, archaeologists and representatives of the National Institute for the Protection of Immovable Cultural Property.

· Witnesses in the deadly train blaze trail have started giving testimonies as the hearing started Wednesday in the Bulgarian Northern city of Pleven. Nine people were charred to death and nine more injured after two cars of the night train going from Sofia to the northeastern town of Kardam burst into flames minutes after midnight on February 29, 2008. The first witness to testify was Vasil Vichev, the father of Daniel Vichev who died in the accident. In his words, he initiated his own investigation a few days after the fire. He has talked to 15 people who also traveled in the sleeping car, and they have confirmed that there were no working fire-extinguishing devices in the car. According to another eyewitness, who spoke with Vichev, there was a bakelite smell in compartment No6 when the train departed from Sofia.

· In another sign that the Bulgarian Socialist Party is heading for a tumultuous congress, the chairman of its unit in the capital Sofia and former energy and economy minister Rumen Ovcharov called on leader and former Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev to "go in peace", thus joining a chorus of people from within the party, who question Stanishev’s leadership.