Press Review
Sofia, December 18 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
The Friday papers give front-page prominence to the Thursday arrest of 25 suspects in a large-scale police operation against a kidnapping ring. "Troud" ("Interior Ministry Catches Uncatchable Abductors") quotes Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov as saying that the operation was codenamed "The Impudent" "because this is the word that best describes people who have been harassing the Bulgarian society for two years now". "Not 'The Uncatchable' what everybody used to call them. They were caught," the Minister said. The story quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying, "We have nailed them with blood, DNA, houses they have used and witnesses, all of which indicates and explains exactly how they worked". He described the ring as "a very strong alloy" of all kinds of people, including car thieves and credit card forgers.
In a "24 Chassa" interview, Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Kalin Georgiev says that the kidnappers had a second room prepared "to accommodate" a kidnapped person, this indicates that the ring was preparing multiple abductions. "What we have established so far is that these people have managed their resources in a very sensible manner. They have invested in properties registered to figure-heads. They have invested in trading businesses and have lended money. They have travelled abroad but nothing that would strike as unusual. We got the main group. The organization was beheaded. This is what we have hoped to achieve. But I cannot say there will never be more kidnappings. Some of their aides could still be at large and try to abduct somebody tomorrow," Georgiev says. He also says that all former and present Interior Ministry employees will be checked for possible connection with the kidnappers.
Says Deputy Prosecutor Generak Boyko Naydenov in "24 Chassa", "We managed entirely on our own. It proves that there is State and that the State is stronger than any individual criminal group." He says the broken ring is believed to be responsible for three or more kidnappings.
"Sega" writes in a commentary that the important thing is what comes after the arrests. "With 25 men busted en bloc, the natural question is how many of them will stay behind bars and whether they will be sentenced for the kidnappings one day. Many times before, policemen and prosecutors have told us there is solid evidence that would hold in court, but then everything fails. We hope they have learned their lesson and have real solid evidence this time."
***
In "Novinar", the chairman of the National Union of Safety and Security, Roumen Ralchev, warns that Bulgarians are yet to see a crime boom because the worst of the crisis is not yet over. He says that security is an abstract notion which has many aspects, one of them being the contribution of the civil society. And in Bulgaria civil associations are kept at bay by the Interior Ministry. What is more, the law-enforcing system has been faltering for years now and the Interior Ministry has a flawed recruitment system, says Ralchev.
***
"Troud" runs a commentary on the idea for holding a referendum on the Turkish-language newscasts on Bulgarian National Television. "A possible parliamentary resolution for a referendum would seal with a red seal the tacit coalition between GERB and Ataka, bringing certain inconviniences for Borissov, including some affecting his international contacts. Unlike GERB, Ataka is in a win-win situation and only stands to gain from the referendum and especially the campaign ahead of it. Boyko Borissov has readily reconsidered a wrong step more than once and has not been known for bothering to save faces. This time he could take only one of the referendum opponents' arguments: we have a crisis and a tough winter is in store for us. It seems very likely for the referendum to be put off for 'some other time'," the story goes.
"24 Chassa" reports a telephone conversation between Boyko Borissov and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan where the two discussed the referendum idea and the Bulgarian Prime Minister said that the government would make sure to take the best decision. The paper observes that the phone call came several hours after the Turkish Foreign Ministry circulated a declaration to say that Turkey is following closely the matter. MP Lyutvi Mestan (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) is quoted saying in Parliament's debating chamber that the referendum idea is "dangerous and harmful for Bulgaria".
"Standard News" comments that Parliament "has gone crazy" and made the Turkish-language newscasts a top item on its agenda. "For 20 years now the population was put through all kinds of experiments without being asked once whether it agreed or not, and now all of a sudden they decide to ask its opinion about a 10-minute newscast on BNT as a proof that direct democracy rules in Bulgaria. It is not hard to imagine the preparatory campaign that awaits us: maps with minarets and crescents, videos showing bearded Islamists. Bulgarians and [ethnic] Turks will be set to vote against one another - as if the people of the two ethnic groups don't have the same problems!"
***
In a "Troud" interview, Vesselin Metodiev MP (Blue Coalition) observes that MRF is trying to pull itself away from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). He says that the MRF leadership is known for its capacity to change allegiance to survive. "MRF has proven to erode any government in the name of its own ambitions and survival. [MRF leader] Ahmed Dogan called "stupid" the aspirations to make Bulgaria an energy hub in the Balkans, and "a patriotic adventure" the Belene N-plant project, and that shows an attempt for separation with BSP and the very same people it shared the power until recently," says Metodiev. He says Bulgarians have a problem with MRF and often mix up their attitude to MRF [as the party that is seen to represent ethnic Turks in Bulgaria] with their attitude to the Turkish-language newscasts. "I believe that very few will vote against the rights of Bulgarian Turks but this is not the issue," he says.
***
A front-page story in "Sega" says that the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) "rewarded itself" with the equivalent of 2 monthly wages, or 5,300 leva, in a year-end bonus. The author notes that the outgoing year for the Supreme Judicial Council was dominated by an influence trading scandal, outrageous recruitment decisions and progressively diminishing public confidence in the judiciary. The decision comes as a surprise since two weeks ago the SJC said everybody in the judiciary was going to get a bonus, but not the SJC members, the story goes.
***
"Troud" reports an unsightly exchange between Ataka leader Volen Siderov and Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) leader Yane Yanev in Parliament Thursday: Siderov urged Yanev to admit his homosexuality and Yanev declated being heterosexual and suggested that Siderov sent to him his wife to verify that. The exchange took place before the eyes of EU diplomats who were there for a meeting with the OLJ deputies. Parliament Chair Tsetska Tsacheva called an emergency meeting of Parliament's leadership over the incident and they decided to refer the case to the parliamentary ethics committee.
ECONOMY
The government could use money from the reserve to pay up to companies for work they have done under public procurement contracts, "Dnevnik" writes. The story quotes Finance Minister Simeon Djankov as saying that money from the fiscal reserve could be used early next year to pay a portion of the government's outstanding liabilities to businesses. Djankov reportedly discussed this option Wednesday with Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev and construction associations.
The exact amount of the government's debt to businesses remains unclear and various sources put it somewhere between 1 and 1.5 billion leva.
BULGARIA - EU
"Pari" reports that Brussels is giving Bulgaria 37 million euro in subsidies for projects in the area of renewable energy sources, water management and the dairy sector. The funding was approved on Bulgaria's request, with no objection. The 37 million is part of a 200 billion euro package that the EU set aside late last year as an anti-crisis measure.
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 – November 30, 2009
· It is snowing in almost all parts of the country. There is already big thick snow-cover in many places. The traffic is hard and slow almost everywhere. Sofia was again faced with the traditional problems when snowing - heavy and slow traffic, including public transport, as well as uncleaned streets, which hampers the traffic further.
The Bulgaria Minister for Regional Development and Public Works, Rosen Plevneliev, has stated that the situation over winter road cleaning is critical in 9 regions of Bulgaria.
· Bulgaria's Parliament resolved on a suspension of the disposition of land tracts and corporeal immovables restituted or given as compensation to the heirs to the former kings Ferdinand I and Boris III. The vote was 106 in favour (GERB, Ataka, The Blue Coalition and the independents), two against (Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), and 13 abstentions (the rest of the MRF and Coalition for Bulgaria (CfB).
fredag den 18. december 2009
torsdag den 17. december 2009
Bulgarian Press Review December 17, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, December 17 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
All papers quote President Georgi Purvanov as saying that he suspected that the proposal for a referendum on the newscasts in Turkish aired on Bulgarian National Television was intended as a big trap for Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
According to the top story in "Ataka", Council for Electronic Media members Maya Vaptsarova and Margarita Pesheva noted at a meeting with the Ataka Parliamentary Group that "the national televisions in Europe do not broadcast Turkish-language news on their first channels." The paper quotes Ataka leader Volen Siderov as saying that the holding of the referendum is a victory for Bulgarian democracy.
In "24 Chassa", Valeri Naydenov dismisses the idea of a referendum on the newscasts in Turkish as "brazen mockery of the people." He argues that the State was bound to organize a referendum on the Constitution, on the electoral system, on the accession to the EU and NATO, on the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project. "Any person of average intelligence must realize that Bulgarian news in English unites rather than divides the nation," he noted. "Quite a few people in this country have a very poor command of Bulgarian. What's wrong with them being able to learn what's going on from our national television for 15 minutes daily? This is the only thing that makes them part of our national affairs," the author reasons. "I believe that this country is embarking on a very bad road," Kolyo Kolev of the Mediana polling agency commented to "Standart News." "The idea is movingly moronic, which is probably why it enjoys broad parliamentary support," Ivo Siromahov comments in "24 Chassa."
"The crux of the matter is elsewhere: in the deliberate, pernicious and even explosive scenario for the political resuscitation of the communicating vessels MRF [Movement for Rights and Freedoms] and Ataka," Lyuboslava Rousseva writes in "Dnevnik" under the heading "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with a Time Bomb".
* * *
Expatriate Bulgarians resident outside the EU may be unable to vote in the next parliamentary elections in 2012. This is one of the ideas about a revision of electoral legislation contemplated in GERB, "Troud" learnt. "My personal opinion is that the right to vote for national parliament should be exercised within the EU," National Assembly Legal Affairs Committee Chair Iskra Fidossova reportedly said. Other proposals included an increase of the electoral threshold from 4 to 6 per cent.
According to "Dnevnik," Fidossova suggested that a unit of three to seven senior magistrates should be set up to monitor the entire electoral process, from the scheduling of Election Day to the final declaration of the results and the delivery of the stationery. The idea will be presented on Saturday at a discussion of revisions of the electoral laws, to which GERB has invited the rest of the parliamentary parties, the non-governmental sector and experts.
* * *
"Jail for Using an Absent Colleague's Voting Card:" under this identical headline, "Douma" and "Novinar" report that 84 MPs voted on first reading an amendment to the Penal Code, moved by Order, Lawfulness, Justice leader Yane Yanev, according to which MPs and municipal councillors who use another's voting card will be imprisoned for three years and, for a repeat offence, for up to six years. Later on, GERB said they will not second the provision on second reading. They nevertheless voted in favour on first reading because they "accept the philosophy of the bill on more severe penal sanctions for a number of offences." Kidnapping will be punished by life imprisonment, 92 MPs resolved by amending the Penal Code.
According to an analysis of the Institute of Modern Politics, quoted in "Troud", the incumbent National Assembly suffers from a deficiency of competence, from making major changes without discussion, as well as from seeing changes of opinion within hours. Its positive side is "more transparency."
* * *
The medicines reimbursed by the National Health Insurance Fund may be reduced by 15 per cent, according to amendments to Health Ministry Ordinance No. 34, "Telegraf" reports. The revisions were initiated by the commission which determines which medicines should be reimbursed and have not been considered by the Health Ministry. The reason is a shortfall of 7 million leva.
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
"Standart News" reports that a wanted gangster known as "Ugly Sasho" has been arrested as aidor to the Crocodiles Gang. Sasho's Opel Vectra with a police blue rooftop light was used to rob Turkish national Mustafa Gumus on Trakia Motroway a couple of days ago. All papers report the arrest of a border policeman, who recorded a simulated exit from the country and this provided an alibi to Evgeni "Geyzo" Milev, wanted on suspicion of serious crimes.
"The European Commission is asking about the murders of Ivan 'the Doctor' Todorov, Yambol-based lawyer Nadezhda Georgieva, senior prosecutor Nikolai Kolev, businessman Emil Kyulev, the attempted murder of Manol Velev, the assault on journalist Ognyan Stefanov. It is also asking about the progress of the trials of Mario Nikolov, Krassimir and Nikolay Marinov (the 'Margin' Brothers), Sofia prosecutors Peter Chalumov and Slavcho Kurzhev," Plamen Stoilov, who heads a commission of the Supreme Judicial Council checking the high-profile investigations and criminal cases, says in a "24 Chassa" interview.
"Catch the drug traffickers' money, not just the cocaine," Rodolfo Peikov, an expert at the International Institute for Security and Cooperation, who worked for the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in various posts around the world, told "Troud" in an interview. "Infiltrate agents in the criminal world," he adds.
* * *
"24 Chassa" and "Zemya" note that as from January 1, 2010 unpaid fines for traffic violatons will become part of tax files and such motorists will not be issued a certificate that they do not incur public liabilities. Such a document is required by banks from loan applicants. As from next year, the State Receivables Collection Agency will merge with the National Revenue Agency (NRA), which will collect overdue fines. The NRA issues an average 1,000,000 certificates on tax liabilities annually, "24 Chassa" specifies.
GERB is contemplating a measure to improve compliance with written statements and tickets: Traffic Police will give offending drivers an up to 50 per cent discount on the fine imposed for a traffic violation if the amount is paid within a week. "Monitor" reports that GERB MPs are planning to introduce this revision in the Road Traffic Act before the amendments come up for a second reading.
According to an amendment to the law, drafted by GERB MP Teodora Georgieva, heavy duty tricks will be barred from the road for several hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. "GERB has the will to solve the problem with the killer trucks on the road," Georgieva says in a "24 Chassa" interview. She will table the motion after a broad public discussion with all parties concerned.
ECONOMY
Bulgarians have the lowest purchasing power in the EU, according to 2008 data of Eurostat, quoted by "Dnevnik". Purchasing power is calculated for the entire Union, the average base being 100 per cent, showing the possibility to buy the same quantity of goods and services in the various countries. For Bulgaria, the value is 41 per cent of the EU average.
"The moratorium on construction of power plants running on renewable energy sources will cost this country the loss of 1,000 million euro in foreign direct investments over the next five years," writes "Klassa", quoting Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association President Nikola Gazdov. Bulgaria will also lose another 300-400 million euro from the non-manufacture of additional goods and services related to the projects, Gazdov warned. In his opinion, the announcement of the intention to freeze the construction of recently launched or new water and solar parks alone induced the banks to cease financing projects under implementation. The idea was unveiled last week by Environment and Water Minister Nona Karadjova and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov. Karadjova argued that by suspending the projects the country will not risk another infringement procedure over the environment. In this way, the chaotic construction of RES capacities will be halted as well, the Government argued.
Contrary to sinister projections, the coastal resorts listed on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange-Sofia did not experience a slump in sales and a complete withdrawal of tourists, "Pari" found. The increased profit of the largest tourist industry companies, however, was generated by the sale of assets, the daily notes.
"The crisis does not stop Chinese companies from investing in Bulgaria," China's Ambassador in Sofia Zhang Wanxue told "Monitor." He notes that Beijing is actively working for coping with climate problems.
* * *
At least 3 million SIM cards will go silent on New Year, "Troud" found after a check with the mobile phone opeators. All customers with prepaid GSM numbers have until December 31, 2009 to register their SIM cards, submitting their name and Standard Public Registry Personal Number. According to the daily, the deadline will not be met and many telephones will be suspended. Now one in two SIM cards is prepaid. Some 11 million GSM numbers have been sold by mobile operators, of which over 5.5 million have unidentified holders, the paper found. A little under 1.5 million prepaid users have reported their personal data to the mobile operators. Not more than 100,000 are expected to do so in the seven working days remaining until the end of the year.
* * *
"Troud" has interviewed Josip Broz, the grandson of Yugoslav leader Tito, who is member of the newly formed Communist Party there. The item appears under the heading "Tito Would Have Scrapped the Yugodebts by a Phone Call." Broz says that in his political activity he relies above all on the ideas of brotherhood and unity.
* * *
"We are planning a chess city in Sofia, too," World Chess Federation (FIDE) President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov says in an interview for "Standart News."
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 – December 17, 2009
• Twenty-five individuals were arrested last night in a police action in Sofia, Montana, Veliko Turnovo, Vratsa and elsewhere. They are suspected of being involved in a series of front-page kidnappings over the past few years.
Last night's action, codenamed "Impudent", corralled in individuals well-known to the police, including some who have served sentences and have been set free.
The Interior Ministry has unquestionable evidence, such as DNA samples and evidence of witnesses, against the group of kidnappers, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told journalists after attending the Policeman of the Year award ceremony.
• Volen Siderov and Yane Yanev, one-time political bedfellows, got entangled in a bitter public slanging match on a staircase in Bulgaria's National Assembly on December 17 2009.
Siderov, leader of ultra-nationalist Ataka party, called Yanev "a puppet" and a man "dependent on his homosexuality". Yanev, leader of the centre-right Order, Law and Justice (OLJ) party, shot back that Siderov was suffering from "political importence" and called Ataka as a xenophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-democratic party.
The row happened after OLJ MPs met in Parliament with political officers at the embassies of European Union states, Norway, Israel and the US. According to OLJ, Ataka MPs tried to invade the meeting.
Sofia, December 17 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
All papers quote President Georgi Purvanov as saying that he suspected that the proposal for a referendum on the newscasts in Turkish aired on Bulgarian National Television was intended as a big trap for Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
According to the top story in "Ataka", Council for Electronic Media members Maya Vaptsarova and Margarita Pesheva noted at a meeting with the Ataka Parliamentary Group that "the national televisions in Europe do not broadcast Turkish-language news on their first channels." The paper quotes Ataka leader Volen Siderov as saying that the holding of the referendum is a victory for Bulgarian democracy.
In "24 Chassa", Valeri Naydenov dismisses the idea of a referendum on the newscasts in Turkish as "brazen mockery of the people." He argues that the State was bound to organize a referendum on the Constitution, on the electoral system, on the accession to the EU and NATO, on the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project. "Any person of average intelligence must realize that Bulgarian news in English unites rather than divides the nation," he noted. "Quite a few people in this country have a very poor command of Bulgarian. What's wrong with them being able to learn what's going on from our national television for 15 minutes daily? This is the only thing that makes them part of our national affairs," the author reasons. "I believe that this country is embarking on a very bad road," Kolyo Kolev of the Mediana polling agency commented to "Standart News." "The idea is movingly moronic, which is probably why it enjoys broad parliamentary support," Ivo Siromahov comments in "24 Chassa."
"The crux of the matter is elsewhere: in the deliberate, pernicious and even explosive scenario for the political resuscitation of the communicating vessels MRF [Movement for Rights and Freedoms] and Ataka," Lyuboslava Rousseva writes in "Dnevnik" under the heading "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with a Time Bomb".
* * *
Expatriate Bulgarians resident outside the EU may be unable to vote in the next parliamentary elections in 2012. This is one of the ideas about a revision of electoral legislation contemplated in GERB, "Troud" learnt. "My personal opinion is that the right to vote for national parliament should be exercised within the EU," National Assembly Legal Affairs Committee Chair Iskra Fidossova reportedly said. Other proposals included an increase of the electoral threshold from 4 to 6 per cent.
According to "Dnevnik," Fidossova suggested that a unit of three to seven senior magistrates should be set up to monitor the entire electoral process, from the scheduling of Election Day to the final declaration of the results and the delivery of the stationery. The idea will be presented on Saturday at a discussion of revisions of the electoral laws, to which GERB has invited the rest of the parliamentary parties, the non-governmental sector and experts.
* * *
"Jail for Using an Absent Colleague's Voting Card:" under this identical headline, "Douma" and "Novinar" report that 84 MPs voted on first reading an amendment to the Penal Code, moved by Order, Lawfulness, Justice leader Yane Yanev, according to which MPs and municipal councillors who use another's voting card will be imprisoned for three years and, for a repeat offence, for up to six years. Later on, GERB said they will not second the provision on second reading. They nevertheless voted in favour on first reading because they "accept the philosophy of the bill on more severe penal sanctions for a number of offences." Kidnapping will be punished by life imprisonment, 92 MPs resolved by amending the Penal Code.
According to an analysis of the Institute of Modern Politics, quoted in "Troud", the incumbent National Assembly suffers from a deficiency of competence, from making major changes without discussion, as well as from seeing changes of opinion within hours. Its positive side is "more transparency."
* * *
The medicines reimbursed by the National Health Insurance Fund may be reduced by 15 per cent, according to amendments to Health Ministry Ordinance No. 34, "Telegraf" reports. The revisions were initiated by the commission which determines which medicines should be reimbursed and have not been considered by the Health Ministry. The reason is a shortfall of 7 million leva.
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
"Standart News" reports that a wanted gangster known as "Ugly Sasho" has been arrested as aidor to the Crocodiles Gang. Sasho's Opel Vectra with a police blue rooftop light was used to rob Turkish national Mustafa Gumus on Trakia Motroway a couple of days ago. All papers report the arrest of a border policeman, who recorded a simulated exit from the country and this provided an alibi to Evgeni "Geyzo" Milev, wanted on suspicion of serious crimes.
"The European Commission is asking about the murders of Ivan 'the Doctor' Todorov, Yambol-based lawyer Nadezhda Georgieva, senior prosecutor Nikolai Kolev, businessman Emil Kyulev, the attempted murder of Manol Velev, the assault on journalist Ognyan Stefanov. It is also asking about the progress of the trials of Mario Nikolov, Krassimir and Nikolay Marinov (the 'Margin' Brothers), Sofia prosecutors Peter Chalumov and Slavcho Kurzhev," Plamen Stoilov, who heads a commission of the Supreme Judicial Council checking the high-profile investigations and criminal cases, says in a "24 Chassa" interview.
"Catch the drug traffickers' money, not just the cocaine," Rodolfo Peikov, an expert at the International Institute for Security and Cooperation, who worked for the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in various posts around the world, told "Troud" in an interview. "Infiltrate agents in the criminal world," he adds.
* * *
"24 Chassa" and "Zemya" note that as from January 1, 2010 unpaid fines for traffic violatons will become part of tax files and such motorists will not be issued a certificate that they do not incur public liabilities. Such a document is required by banks from loan applicants. As from next year, the State Receivables Collection Agency will merge with the National Revenue Agency (NRA), which will collect overdue fines. The NRA issues an average 1,000,000 certificates on tax liabilities annually, "24 Chassa" specifies.
GERB is contemplating a measure to improve compliance with written statements and tickets: Traffic Police will give offending drivers an up to 50 per cent discount on the fine imposed for a traffic violation if the amount is paid within a week. "Monitor" reports that GERB MPs are planning to introduce this revision in the Road Traffic Act before the amendments come up for a second reading.
According to an amendment to the law, drafted by GERB MP Teodora Georgieva, heavy duty tricks will be barred from the road for several hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. "GERB has the will to solve the problem with the killer trucks on the road," Georgieva says in a "24 Chassa" interview. She will table the motion after a broad public discussion with all parties concerned.
ECONOMY
Bulgarians have the lowest purchasing power in the EU, according to 2008 data of Eurostat, quoted by "Dnevnik". Purchasing power is calculated for the entire Union, the average base being 100 per cent, showing the possibility to buy the same quantity of goods and services in the various countries. For Bulgaria, the value is 41 per cent of the EU average.
"The moratorium on construction of power plants running on renewable energy sources will cost this country the loss of 1,000 million euro in foreign direct investments over the next five years," writes "Klassa", quoting Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association President Nikola Gazdov. Bulgaria will also lose another 300-400 million euro from the non-manufacture of additional goods and services related to the projects, Gazdov warned. In his opinion, the announcement of the intention to freeze the construction of recently launched or new water and solar parks alone induced the banks to cease financing projects under implementation. The idea was unveiled last week by Environment and Water Minister Nona Karadjova and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov. Karadjova argued that by suspending the projects the country will not risk another infringement procedure over the environment. In this way, the chaotic construction of RES capacities will be halted as well, the Government argued.
Contrary to sinister projections, the coastal resorts listed on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange-Sofia did not experience a slump in sales and a complete withdrawal of tourists, "Pari" found. The increased profit of the largest tourist industry companies, however, was generated by the sale of assets, the daily notes.
"The crisis does not stop Chinese companies from investing in Bulgaria," China's Ambassador in Sofia Zhang Wanxue told "Monitor." He notes that Beijing is actively working for coping with climate problems.
* * *
At least 3 million SIM cards will go silent on New Year, "Troud" found after a check with the mobile phone opeators. All customers with prepaid GSM numbers have until December 31, 2009 to register their SIM cards, submitting their name and Standard Public Registry Personal Number. According to the daily, the deadline will not be met and many telephones will be suspended. Now one in two SIM cards is prepaid. Some 11 million GSM numbers have been sold by mobile operators, of which over 5.5 million have unidentified holders, the paper found. A little under 1.5 million prepaid users have reported their personal data to the mobile operators. Not more than 100,000 are expected to do so in the seven working days remaining until the end of the year.
* * *
"Troud" has interviewed Josip Broz, the grandson of Yugoslav leader Tito, who is member of the newly formed Communist Party there. The item appears under the heading "Tito Would Have Scrapped the Yugodebts by a Phone Call." Broz says that in his political activity he relies above all on the ideas of brotherhood and unity.
* * *
"We are planning a chess city in Sofia, too," World Chess Federation (FIDE) President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov says in an interview for "Standart News."
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 – December 17, 2009
• Twenty-five individuals were arrested last night in a police action in Sofia, Montana, Veliko Turnovo, Vratsa and elsewhere. They are suspected of being involved in a series of front-page kidnappings over the past few years.
Last night's action, codenamed "Impudent", corralled in individuals well-known to the police, including some who have served sentences and have been set free.
The Interior Ministry has unquestionable evidence, such as DNA samples and evidence of witnesses, against the group of kidnappers, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told journalists after attending the Policeman of the Year award ceremony.
• Volen Siderov and Yane Yanev, one-time political bedfellows, got entangled in a bitter public slanging match on a staircase in Bulgaria's National Assembly on December 17 2009.
Siderov, leader of ultra-nationalist Ataka party, called Yanev "a puppet" and a man "dependent on his homosexuality". Yanev, leader of the centre-right Order, Law and Justice (OLJ) party, shot back that Siderov was suffering from "political importence" and called Ataka as a xenophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-democratic party.
The row happened after OLJ MPs met in Parliament with political officers at the embassies of European Union states, Norway, Israel and the US. According to OLJ, Ataka MPs tried to invade the meeting.
onsdag den 16. december 2009
Bulgarian press review, December 16, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, December 16 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
"24 Chassa" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying that the brazen robberies of the last few days were not accidental, they happened during the most important visit in support of the government and the head of state, the visit of European Council President Herman van Rompuy, pushing the news about it to the background. Borissov praised the Interior Ministry for its work and added that "sometimes robbers have bad luck." The policemen participating in the crackdown operations will get awards.
"The services slumbered away the comeback of thugs," Appellate Court Prosecutor Rossen Dimov says in an interview for "24 Chassa." In his words, crime is rising "and we must not allow it to grow into a wave flooding us. Two things can stop the wave - legislative changes and firm enforcement of the law on the part of the Interior Ministry," Dimov says. "It is important to raise a barrier that will not allow the crimes that are harassing us to affect the society. The idea of special teams dates back to 1996 but no political force has had the will to translate it into reality. In the world, ad hoc task forces are set up when there is a problem. Obviously in Bulgaria the problem with organized crime and corruption does not consist in one or two gangs. It is a problem of the society as a whole. And in this case a special and effective structure must be established to cope with it."
"It's Time to Start Loving the Police," "Troud" writes. The daily focused on the robberies of banks, cash-desks, safe rooms that have become rather frequent of late. Sociologist Kolyo Kolev launches the idea that the criminal contingent is hard up because of the crisis just like everybody else. The processes in the criminal world are the same as in the economy; people are "downsized" or "laid off". And the "laid-offs" do not go to register at the employment offices but start working illegally on a "self-employment" basis. In other words, organized crime diminishes and non-organized crime increases. In Kolev's view, the picture of the immediate future is far from being optimistic. Thefts and robberies will become even more frequent. Police is the only force that can stop the surge in crime.
* * *
GERB and Ataka are trying to whitewash the crisis with a referendum on the Turkish-language news in the national media, "Sega" writes. The surprising decision of the two parties was made public by no else but Prime Minister Boyko Borissov at a joint news conference with Ataka leader Volen Siderov. The idea comes from the nationalist Ataka. A referendum motion needs to be supported by 48 MPs to enter Parliament and the sign-in campaign begins today but practically the required number of MPs has already been secured. The motion will certainly pass in Parliament and within a month the head of state should fix a date for the referendum. Experts say that organizing it will cost about 18 million leva, the same amount of money that was spent on the latest general elections.
* * *
"Borissov does not intervene in my work," National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva says in "Novinar." She assures the reading audiences that neither PM and GERB leader Borissov nor GERB Chairman Tsvetan Tsvetanov intervene in her job or try to influence her behaviour as chairperson of the Bulgarian Parliament. "As a member of the GERB parliamentary group I have the same rights and obligations as the other MPs of the party," Tsacheva says. "Which means that I have got to implement the programme and the policy statement of the government for European development of Bulgaria? Naturally, within this context, the position of leader and chairman of the party is obligatory for me."
* * *
"A new opposition player is emerging in Parliament," sociologist Zhivko Georgiev says in an interview held with "Klassa." According to him, the disintegration of the Order, Lawfulness and Justice (OLJ) parliamentary group is leading to a new alignment of forces in Parliament rather than to the appearance of new political players on the scene. What happened will probably make the MPs of OLJ rather take a more clear oppositional stance than join and continue to support the majority. Georgiev expects that the OLJ will try to restore its parliamentary group by trying to amend the rules of procedure or expel Mario Tagarinski, who split from them, from Parliament. Another possibility is to attract support in the event of disintegration of some right-wing group or Ataka.
* * *
"Sega" writes that a decade after the reform of the Bulgarian pension scheme, new radical changes in it are in preparation. This emerged on Tuesday when Labour and Social Policy Minister Totyu Mladenov said that in two months his Ministry and the social partners would propose for a public debate a new, orderly pension scheme. In his words, the reform will include two aspects" regaining people's confidence in the pension scheme and recompensing the retirees with the lowest pensions. The resources in the private pension funds, which total about 3,000 million leva, should be used to make the new scheme work, Mladenov said.
* * *
"Sega" comments on the government's decision to approve Christmas supplements to some pensioners. The cabinet managed to divide pensioners into three - satisfied with the 25 leva they will get, unsatisfied with that amount and pensioners who will get nothing; to turn the Christmas supplements into post-Christmas ones; to offend state administration employees as they will not get any supplements; and last but not least, to top the monthly populist rating by saying that "we will take from public servants and give to pensioners." However, the same public servants will have to carry out reforms that are crucial for the survival of the government and this country, "Sega" observes. "And it is better to award or punish them based on the work done and not depending on the needs of other social groups."
* * *
The Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) is firmly against the revisions to the Electronic Communications Act which will allow the Interior Ministry direct access to users' Internet traffic and telephone printouts. UDF leader Martin Dimitrov recalled that such access is not allowed to the services in no one of the EU member states. The requirement on Internet providers to maintain an interface allowing the Interior Ministry access to electronic data will boost enormously the price of their services, he said.
* * *
"Kostov: It Will Be a Great Mistake for GERB to Succumb to MRF," "Troud" says in a headline. This is what Blue Coalition Co-chairman Ivan Kostov said on bTV on Tuesday. A day before, his party Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, voiced suspicions that Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan, who claimed he would retire and who did not made any assessment of the GERB performance in the government at the recent National Conference of his party, is trying to make a deal with the incumbents and prevent investigations. "Dogan is afraid that the MRF will suffer hard blows if the Interior Ministry, the State Agency for National Security and the prosecuting magistracy do their job," Kostov said.
ECONOMY
"Quoting statistics released by the National Bank of Bulgaria (BNB), "Klassa" leads with the headline "Foreign Investment Plunged More than 2.5-fold in a Year." Foreign investments in January-October 2009 totalled 2,330 million euro, down from 5,860 million euro in 2008. In October foreign investments came up to only 11.4 million euro, which is merely 2 per cent of their October 2008 amount. The crisis and the worsening of the business climate have made foreign companies postpone their Bulgarian projects.
* * *
Heat power may increase by 7-8 per cent as of January 1, 2010, "Troud" reports. The reason is the expected rise in the price of natural gas, State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation Chairman Angel Semerdjiev said on Tuesday. A week ago Bulgargaz said that the price of gas should be raised by 17.02 per cent to 437.80 leva/1000 cu m before VAT to offset the increase in the prices of alternative oil fuels. However, now marking up the price of heating power is still possible.
* * *
"It is bad to change the rules at the time of crisis," economist Georgi Angelov says in "24 Chassa" commenting on the proposal of the Bulgarian Industrial Association to guarantee only deposits in the banks whose interest on deposits is maximum 5 per cent. In Angelov's view, to introduce a radical change in guaranteeing deposits is imprudent as this would make people draw their money from the banks. Thus the banks will suffer from a shortage of funds and will further boost their interest rates. Angelov sees the solution to the problem in "running far away from the International Monetary Fund and advancing rapidly to the Euro zone."
* * *
Bulgarians have become reacher during the crisis, "24 Chassa" writes quoting data of the National Statistical Institute. In October median income per member of household reached 321.41 leva, 8.85 per cent up from October 2008. At the same time, expenditures per member of household fell to 294.63 leva. During the crisis, Bulgarians spend much less on clothes, footwear, transport and communications.
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 – December 16, 2009
· Asked to comment on a proposal for a referendum on the newscasts in Turkish aired on Bulgarian National Television, President Georgi Purvanov said on Wednesday he suspected it was intended as a big trap for Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, and hopefully he would see through it.
· Bulgaria’s Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, has pledged measures to be undertaken by the police in the coming days which will lead to a crackdown on organized crime. Before Wednesday’s meeting of the Council of Ministers, Tsvetanov reiterated Tuesday’s statements of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov that the large numbers of crimes in the recent days were not accidental but were part of a wider plot against the government. “We need to hold our ground against this scenario that somebody is trying to provoke – in order to turn this kind of crimes into something normal. I am relying on the police services to do their job in order to put an end to this brazenness,” Tsvetanov said.
Sofia, December 16 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
"24 Chassa" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying that the brazen robberies of the last few days were not accidental, they happened during the most important visit in support of the government and the head of state, the visit of European Council President Herman van Rompuy, pushing the news about it to the background. Borissov praised the Interior Ministry for its work and added that "sometimes robbers have bad luck." The policemen participating in the crackdown operations will get awards.
"The services slumbered away the comeback of thugs," Appellate Court Prosecutor Rossen Dimov says in an interview for "24 Chassa." In his words, crime is rising "and we must not allow it to grow into a wave flooding us. Two things can stop the wave - legislative changes and firm enforcement of the law on the part of the Interior Ministry," Dimov says. "It is important to raise a barrier that will not allow the crimes that are harassing us to affect the society. The idea of special teams dates back to 1996 but no political force has had the will to translate it into reality. In the world, ad hoc task forces are set up when there is a problem. Obviously in Bulgaria the problem with organized crime and corruption does not consist in one or two gangs. It is a problem of the society as a whole. And in this case a special and effective structure must be established to cope with it."
"It's Time to Start Loving the Police," "Troud" writes. The daily focused on the robberies of banks, cash-desks, safe rooms that have become rather frequent of late. Sociologist Kolyo Kolev launches the idea that the criminal contingent is hard up because of the crisis just like everybody else. The processes in the criminal world are the same as in the economy; people are "downsized" or "laid off". And the "laid-offs" do not go to register at the employment offices but start working illegally on a "self-employment" basis. In other words, organized crime diminishes and non-organized crime increases. In Kolev's view, the picture of the immediate future is far from being optimistic. Thefts and robberies will become even more frequent. Police is the only force that can stop the surge in crime.
* * *
GERB and Ataka are trying to whitewash the crisis with a referendum on the Turkish-language news in the national media, "Sega" writes. The surprising decision of the two parties was made public by no else but Prime Minister Boyko Borissov at a joint news conference with Ataka leader Volen Siderov. The idea comes from the nationalist Ataka. A referendum motion needs to be supported by 48 MPs to enter Parliament and the sign-in campaign begins today but practically the required number of MPs has already been secured. The motion will certainly pass in Parliament and within a month the head of state should fix a date for the referendum. Experts say that organizing it will cost about 18 million leva, the same amount of money that was spent on the latest general elections.
* * *
"Borissov does not intervene in my work," National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva says in "Novinar." She assures the reading audiences that neither PM and GERB leader Borissov nor GERB Chairman Tsvetan Tsvetanov intervene in her job or try to influence her behaviour as chairperson of the Bulgarian Parliament. "As a member of the GERB parliamentary group I have the same rights and obligations as the other MPs of the party," Tsacheva says. "Which means that I have got to implement the programme and the policy statement of the government for European development of Bulgaria? Naturally, within this context, the position of leader and chairman of the party is obligatory for me."
* * *
"A new opposition player is emerging in Parliament," sociologist Zhivko Georgiev says in an interview held with "Klassa." According to him, the disintegration of the Order, Lawfulness and Justice (OLJ) parliamentary group is leading to a new alignment of forces in Parliament rather than to the appearance of new political players on the scene. What happened will probably make the MPs of OLJ rather take a more clear oppositional stance than join and continue to support the majority. Georgiev expects that the OLJ will try to restore its parliamentary group by trying to amend the rules of procedure or expel Mario Tagarinski, who split from them, from Parliament. Another possibility is to attract support in the event of disintegration of some right-wing group or Ataka.
* * *
"Sega" writes that a decade after the reform of the Bulgarian pension scheme, new radical changes in it are in preparation. This emerged on Tuesday when Labour and Social Policy Minister Totyu Mladenov said that in two months his Ministry and the social partners would propose for a public debate a new, orderly pension scheme. In his words, the reform will include two aspects" regaining people's confidence in the pension scheme and recompensing the retirees with the lowest pensions. The resources in the private pension funds, which total about 3,000 million leva, should be used to make the new scheme work, Mladenov said.
* * *
"Sega" comments on the government's decision to approve Christmas supplements to some pensioners. The cabinet managed to divide pensioners into three - satisfied with the 25 leva they will get, unsatisfied with that amount and pensioners who will get nothing; to turn the Christmas supplements into post-Christmas ones; to offend state administration employees as they will not get any supplements; and last but not least, to top the monthly populist rating by saying that "we will take from public servants and give to pensioners." However, the same public servants will have to carry out reforms that are crucial for the survival of the government and this country, "Sega" observes. "And it is better to award or punish them based on the work done and not depending on the needs of other social groups."
* * *
The Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) is firmly against the revisions to the Electronic Communications Act which will allow the Interior Ministry direct access to users' Internet traffic and telephone printouts. UDF leader Martin Dimitrov recalled that such access is not allowed to the services in no one of the EU member states. The requirement on Internet providers to maintain an interface allowing the Interior Ministry access to electronic data will boost enormously the price of their services, he said.
* * *
"Kostov: It Will Be a Great Mistake for GERB to Succumb to MRF," "Troud" says in a headline. This is what Blue Coalition Co-chairman Ivan Kostov said on bTV on Tuesday. A day before, his party Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, voiced suspicions that Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan, who claimed he would retire and who did not made any assessment of the GERB performance in the government at the recent National Conference of his party, is trying to make a deal with the incumbents and prevent investigations. "Dogan is afraid that the MRF will suffer hard blows if the Interior Ministry, the State Agency for National Security and the prosecuting magistracy do their job," Kostov said.
ECONOMY
"Quoting statistics released by the National Bank of Bulgaria (BNB), "Klassa" leads with the headline "Foreign Investment Plunged More than 2.5-fold in a Year." Foreign investments in January-October 2009 totalled 2,330 million euro, down from 5,860 million euro in 2008. In October foreign investments came up to only 11.4 million euro, which is merely 2 per cent of their October 2008 amount. The crisis and the worsening of the business climate have made foreign companies postpone their Bulgarian projects.
* * *
Heat power may increase by 7-8 per cent as of January 1, 2010, "Troud" reports. The reason is the expected rise in the price of natural gas, State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation Chairman Angel Semerdjiev said on Tuesday. A week ago Bulgargaz said that the price of gas should be raised by 17.02 per cent to 437.80 leva/1000 cu m before VAT to offset the increase in the prices of alternative oil fuels. However, now marking up the price of heating power is still possible.
* * *
"It is bad to change the rules at the time of crisis," economist Georgi Angelov says in "24 Chassa" commenting on the proposal of the Bulgarian Industrial Association to guarantee only deposits in the banks whose interest on deposits is maximum 5 per cent. In Angelov's view, to introduce a radical change in guaranteeing deposits is imprudent as this would make people draw their money from the banks. Thus the banks will suffer from a shortage of funds and will further boost their interest rates. Angelov sees the solution to the problem in "running far away from the International Monetary Fund and advancing rapidly to the Euro zone."
* * *
Bulgarians have become reacher during the crisis, "24 Chassa" writes quoting data of the National Statistical Institute. In October median income per member of household reached 321.41 leva, 8.85 per cent up from October 2008. At the same time, expenditures per member of household fell to 294.63 leva. During the crisis, Bulgarians spend much less on clothes, footwear, transport and communications.
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 – December 16, 2009
· Asked to comment on a proposal for a referendum on the newscasts in Turkish aired on Bulgarian National Television, President Georgi Purvanov said on Wednesday he suspected it was intended as a big trap for Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, and hopefully he would see through it.
· Bulgaria’s Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, has pledged measures to be undertaken by the police in the coming days which will lead to a crackdown on organized crime. Before Wednesday’s meeting of the Council of Ministers, Tsvetanov reiterated Tuesday’s statements of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov that the large numbers of crimes in the recent days were not accidental but were part of a wider plot against the government. “We need to hold our ground against this scenario that somebody is trying to provoke – in order to turn this kind of crimes into something normal. I am relying on the police services to do their job in order to put an end to this brazenness,” Tsvetanov said.
mandag den 14. december 2009
Bulgarian press review, December 14, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, December 14 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
"Dogan Rescues Party in Crisis," "Troud" says. Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan delivered surprising messages at the Seventh National Conference of his party. He is the first politician who discussed the need of a new social pact after Bulgaria's entry in the EU based on a consensus of all the political elite and the intellectual potential of the civil society. Practically, this means conciliation for the sake of the national priorities within the framework of the EU. Another topic Dogan discussed is the identity of the MRF which he singled out as a strategic priority. As it was 20 years ago, the value of the MRF is no longer seen in its opening and in attracting more ethnic Bulgarians to it but in "the blood group" of difference: difference in terms of language, religion and culture. The MRF is important for the EU because of being different, he said.
"24 Chassa" headlines an analysis on the topic "Dogan Trapped: Indispensable for His People, Hated by Outsiders," saying that for this reason Dogan could not just resign as MRF leader. Because he will not only be blamed "for all negative phenomena and processes in this country" but for the disintegration of his party, which is strong not only because of the logical ethnic prerequisites but also because of its consistent, reasonable and diligent efforts combined with a general admiration of members and sympathizers for its leader. It is interesting how Dogan plans to get out of this vicious circle, the daily notes.
"We are ready to replace Dogan," admits Filiz Hyusmenova MEP and member of the MRF Central Operative Bureau. Interviewed for "Klassa," she says that at several forums Dogan raised the question of electing a new leader but for the time being there is no person who is trusted and respected by all members and followers of the MRF 100 per cent. Hyusmenova says there will probably be such a talk in future, but it will hardly open soon because the MRF is neither willing nor is it ready to change its chairman. She believes that Dogan's successor as leader should have his qualities. Dogan is different from the rest - he is a strategist, a professional politician and a leader who can define the relevant parameters. "At this stage Dogan is our party's undoubted leader," Hyusmenova says.
"Commendations about the Future" is the "Douma" comment. It is observed that speaking at the MRF conference, Dogan did not mention Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his party at all. Such behaviour is normal and explainable for Dogan, the daily notes. In the past 20 years he has proved more than once his ability to sense the prevailing wind and change the sails but stay with the winners. Besides, oil and water won't mix.
* * *
Yanev has worked in a strange way in the Anti-corruption Committee, Dimo Gyaourov MP of the Blue Coalition, who succeeded Yani Yanev as chairman of the National Assembly Anti-Corruption, Conflict of Interests and Parliamentary Ethics Committee, says in an interview given to "Troud." Yanev MP of the Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) made a point of opening all correspondence and be the first to acquaint himself with the complaints, alerts, documents and replies from various institutions and only then issue instructions as to what should be done with them, whether and how they should be entered in the incoming register. Theoretically, it is possible to make unfair use of documents which have not been registered; it is possible a large part of them to get missing. The Committee was managed in a media-style, Gyaourov says. Now this style has come to an end. The Committee will reveal and comment only on issues which have already been discussed by it.
* * *
Raiko Ivanov, Director of the Scan agency, says in an interview held with "Monitor" that confidence in the GERB policy has increased. According to him, 75 per cent of Sofianites have a positive opinion about the performance of the GERB government, which shows that people approve its anti-corruption actions and measures. Another proof is that 26 per cent of the followers of the National Movement for Surge and Stability and 24 per cent of the supporters of the Blue Coalition also trust GERB. GERB came into power polling 40 per cent of the vote in Bulgaria. At the moment, the GERB government enjoys the approval of 60 per cent of Bulgarians, the latest polls conducted in mid-November show.
* * *
"Boyko Borissov should crack on thugs head on," political scientist Evgenii Daynov says in an interview for "Novinar." He appreciates highly the performance of Borissov's cabinet in the first few months observing, however, that there are two "blind spots" in it. One is security, they have not cracked on thugs and criminal groups as they should, Daynov says. The other one is that they are yet to formulate their economic policy. Everything they do has to be done, he says.
* * *
The financing of universities will be determined based on international assessments, Education, Youth and Science Minister Sergei Ignatov says in "Dnevnik." He discusses the package of new laws and bills amending the effective statutory acts which should provide a framework for reforms in education. A law encouraging research will be adopted, Ignatov says. "We have got to complete the strategy for scientific research. We have commissioned a survey of Bulgarian production and industry to see what this country produces and what it will need in the coming years. Because when funding research with public money, we should know where it goes."
ECONOMY
"Troud" writes that 1.1 million pensioners in Bulgaria will get 25 leva (about 12.5 euro) each for Christmas. This is what Borissov said at the latest meeting of the Council of Ministers. These are people whose pensions do not exceed 200 leva. The bonuses will be paid by January 4, 2010 at the latest. The prime minister explained that the money had been gathered by scrutinizing the budgets of all ministries for reserves. He apologized to the state administration employees who will get nothing for Christmas due to the severe shortage of funds.
* * *
"Troud" says that though slowly, revenues have been going up. There has been a slight increase in the revenues from indirect taxes (VAT, customs and excise duties) since July when GERB came to power, shows a check of the Finance Ministry reports made available to the daily. In September, revenues from indirect taxes totalled 907 million leva or 27.9 million leva up from August. In October, the last month for which there are official statistics, revenues stayed at a similar level.
* * *
"24 Chassa" carries an interview with Tsvetelina Borislavova, Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of Cibank, headlined "Wealth Amassed by Unfair Means Is Utter Spiritual Poverty." She is categorical that there is nothing secret, unclear or unexplainable about the origin of her capital. Her income is all above board, she has paid her taxes. Everything is verifiable. Borislavova says that Bulgaria got in the grip of the crisis through its economy and not through the banking system. That is why all efforts are focused on finding the best ways to help along manufacturing enterprises. The capital adequacy of banks in Bulgaria is 17 per cent on the average, which is a serious buffer, she says. The banks feel the crisis because an increasing number of borrowers are unable to service their loans.
BULGARIA - EU
"Businesses Give Up over 100 Approved Projects," "Pari" says. One in six companies which has a project approved - and even an agreement signed - under Operative Programme Competitiveness has given it up later, shows a report on the implementation of the programme in the two years since it kicked off. The report was provided by the Economy, Energy and Tourism Ministry. A total of 738 contracts have been signed with various businesses but 124 of them totalling 16.6 million leva have been given up. The reasons include late evaluation and delay in remitting the money, as a result of which the potential beneficiaries just fell into despair. A large portion of the amounts agreed will not be absorbed because at this time of crisis it is hard for companies to find funding to be able to carrying out their projects and then wait for refund of the money.
"Payments under the programme [OP Competitiveness] have started," Julieta Houbenova, adviser on European programmes at the Economy Ministry, says in an interview given to "Pari."
* * *
Analysts' repeated allegations that the lev is overvalued to the euro, that the State has been losing from its fixed exchange rate and that a moderate devaluation will stimulate the economy show that the currency board prevents some circles from bringing to a successful end yet another fishy affair of nationwide proportions, "Sega" comments. The only guarantee against such massive robbery is urgently applying for accession to the euro zone and having strict control exercised by the European Central Bank and, possibly, by the secretariat of the Euro Group. Technically, Bulgaria will not have any problems.
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 – Sofia, December 14, 2009
· Armed criminal group, dealing with car robberies on Trakiya motorway, has been neutralized in the frames of a specialized police operation conducted on Monday. The criminals opened fire against police with automatic firearms. Police returned the fire and killed one of the criminals. At around 00:30 a.m. on Monday, police officers hampered a robbery of Turkish national, travelling on Trakiya motorway by an Audi Q5 car. He was stopped by a vehicle with police lamp. The criminals put him handcuffs, took his money and left him alone near the village of Vakarel, located around 25 kilometers away from the capital Sofia.
· A daring robbery took place in Sofia in the late hours of December 13 2009. It took place in one of the supermarkets of food retail chain “Fantastico” in “Studentski Grad” district. According to police, a group of men broke into the premises at 12.40am, managed to open a metal safety box and escape with a substantial sum .Police said that the exact amount was yet to be established but, according to BNT (Bulgarian National Television), it was more than two million leva. According to BNT, the security company supposed to protect the premises did not notice the robbers. The CCTV recording only showed one masked man, armed with a machine gun, guarding the door while the other robbers worked on opening the metal box.
· Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov conferred in Sofia on Monday with European Council President Herman van Rompuy, who is paying a brief working visit to Bulgaria at his invitation. The two exchanged views and considered the Bulgarian positions on topics high on the agenda of the European Union.
Emerging from his one-to-one session with Borissov, Van Rompuy told journalists, explaining the purpose of his visit: “It is important for me to talk to my colleagues of the European Council and to establish close personal relationships with them.”
Bulgaria is again on the right track, “the European Council President said. I hope I will end this day as a new friend of Bulgaria”, he noted.
Sofia, December 14 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
"Dogan Rescues Party in Crisis," "Troud" says. Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan delivered surprising messages at the Seventh National Conference of his party. He is the first politician who discussed the need of a new social pact after Bulgaria's entry in the EU based on a consensus of all the political elite and the intellectual potential of the civil society. Practically, this means conciliation for the sake of the national priorities within the framework of the EU. Another topic Dogan discussed is the identity of the MRF which he singled out as a strategic priority. As it was 20 years ago, the value of the MRF is no longer seen in its opening and in attracting more ethnic Bulgarians to it but in "the blood group" of difference: difference in terms of language, religion and culture. The MRF is important for the EU because of being different, he said.
"24 Chassa" headlines an analysis on the topic "Dogan Trapped: Indispensable for His People, Hated by Outsiders," saying that for this reason Dogan could not just resign as MRF leader. Because he will not only be blamed "for all negative phenomena and processes in this country" but for the disintegration of his party, which is strong not only because of the logical ethnic prerequisites but also because of its consistent, reasonable and diligent efforts combined with a general admiration of members and sympathizers for its leader. It is interesting how Dogan plans to get out of this vicious circle, the daily notes.
"We are ready to replace Dogan," admits Filiz Hyusmenova MEP and member of the MRF Central Operative Bureau. Interviewed for "Klassa," she says that at several forums Dogan raised the question of electing a new leader but for the time being there is no person who is trusted and respected by all members and followers of the MRF 100 per cent. Hyusmenova says there will probably be such a talk in future, but it will hardly open soon because the MRF is neither willing nor is it ready to change its chairman. She believes that Dogan's successor as leader should have his qualities. Dogan is different from the rest - he is a strategist, a professional politician and a leader who can define the relevant parameters. "At this stage Dogan is our party's undoubted leader," Hyusmenova says.
"Commendations about the Future" is the "Douma" comment. It is observed that speaking at the MRF conference, Dogan did not mention Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his party at all. Such behaviour is normal and explainable for Dogan, the daily notes. In the past 20 years he has proved more than once his ability to sense the prevailing wind and change the sails but stay with the winners. Besides, oil and water won't mix.
* * *
Yanev has worked in a strange way in the Anti-corruption Committee, Dimo Gyaourov MP of the Blue Coalition, who succeeded Yani Yanev as chairman of the National Assembly Anti-Corruption, Conflict of Interests and Parliamentary Ethics Committee, says in an interview given to "Troud." Yanev MP of the Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) made a point of opening all correspondence and be the first to acquaint himself with the complaints, alerts, documents and replies from various institutions and only then issue instructions as to what should be done with them, whether and how they should be entered in the incoming register. Theoretically, it is possible to make unfair use of documents which have not been registered; it is possible a large part of them to get missing. The Committee was managed in a media-style, Gyaourov says. Now this style has come to an end. The Committee will reveal and comment only on issues which have already been discussed by it.
* * *
Raiko Ivanov, Director of the Scan agency, says in an interview held with "Monitor" that confidence in the GERB policy has increased. According to him, 75 per cent of Sofianites have a positive opinion about the performance of the GERB government, which shows that people approve its anti-corruption actions and measures. Another proof is that 26 per cent of the followers of the National Movement for Surge and Stability and 24 per cent of the supporters of the Blue Coalition also trust GERB. GERB came into power polling 40 per cent of the vote in Bulgaria. At the moment, the GERB government enjoys the approval of 60 per cent of Bulgarians, the latest polls conducted in mid-November show.
* * *
"Boyko Borissov should crack on thugs head on," political scientist Evgenii Daynov says in an interview for "Novinar." He appreciates highly the performance of Borissov's cabinet in the first few months observing, however, that there are two "blind spots" in it. One is security, they have not cracked on thugs and criminal groups as they should, Daynov says. The other one is that they are yet to formulate their economic policy. Everything they do has to be done, he says.
* * *
The financing of universities will be determined based on international assessments, Education, Youth and Science Minister Sergei Ignatov says in "Dnevnik." He discusses the package of new laws and bills amending the effective statutory acts which should provide a framework for reforms in education. A law encouraging research will be adopted, Ignatov says. "We have got to complete the strategy for scientific research. We have commissioned a survey of Bulgarian production and industry to see what this country produces and what it will need in the coming years. Because when funding research with public money, we should know where it goes."
ECONOMY
"Troud" writes that 1.1 million pensioners in Bulgaria will get 25 leva (about 12.5 euro) each for Christmas. This is what Borissov said at the latest meeting of the Council of Ministers. These are people whose pensions do not exceed 200 leva. The bonuses will be paid by January 4, 2010 at the latest. The prime minister explained that the money had been gathered by scrutinizing the budgets of all ministries for reserves. He apologized to the state administration employees who will get nothing for Christmas due to the severe shortage of funds.
* * *
"Troud" says that though slowly, revenues have been going up. There has been a slight increase in the revenues from indirect taxes (VAT, customs and excise duties) since July when GERB came to power, shows a check of the Finance Ministry reports made available to the daily. In September, revenues from indirect taxes totalled 907 million leva or 27.9 million leva up from August. In October, the last month for which there are official statistics, revenues stayed at a similar level.
* * *
"24 Chassa" carries an interview with Tsvetelina Borislavova, Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of Cibank, headlined "Wealth Amassed by Unfair Means Is Utter Spiritual Poverty." She is categorical that there is nothing secret, unclear or unexplainable about the origin of her capital. Her income is all above board, she has paid her taxes. Everything is verifiable. Borislavova says that Bulgaria got in the grip of the crisis through its economy and not through the banking system. That is why all efforts are focused on finding the best ways to help along manufacturing enterprises. The capital adequacy of banks in Bulgaria is 17 per cent on the average, which is a serious buffer, she says. The banks feel the crisis because an increasing number of borrowers are unable to service their loans.
BULGARIA - EU
"Businesses Give Up over 100 Approved Projects," "Pari" says. One in six companies which has a project approved - and even an agreement signed - under Operative Programme Competitiveness has given it up later, shows a report on the implementation of the programme in the two years since it kicked off. The report was provided by the Economy, Energy and Tourism Ministry. A total of 738 contracts have been signed with various businesses but 124 of them totalling 16.6 million leva have been given up. The reasons include late evaluation and delay in remitting the money, as a result of which the potential beneficiaries just fell into despair. A large portion of the amounts agreed will not be absorbed because at this time of crisis it is hard for companies to find funding to be able to carrying out their projects and then wait for refund of the money.
"Payments under the programme [OP Competitiveness] have started," Julieta Houbenova, adviser on European programmes at the Economy Ministry, says in an interview given to "Pari."
* * *
Analysts' repeated allegations that the lev is overvalued to the euro, that the State has been losing from its fixed exchange rate and that a moderate devaluation will stimulate the economy show that the currency board prevents some circles from bringing to a successful end yet another fishy affair of nationwide proportions, "Sega" comments. The only guarantee against such massive robbery is urgently applying for accession to the euro zone and having strict control exercised by the European Central Bank and, possibly, by the secretariat of the Euro Group. Technically, Bulgaria will not have any problems.
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 – Sofia, December 14, 2009
· Armed criminal group, dealing with car robberies on Trakiya motorway, has been neutralized in the frames of a specialized police operation conducted on Monday. The criminals opened fire against police with automatic firearms. Police returned the fire and killed one of the criminals. At around 00:30 a.m. on Monday, police officers hampered a robbery of Turkish national, travelling on Trakiya motorway by an Audi Q5 car. He was stopped by a vehicle with police lamp. The criminals put him handcuffs, took his money and left him alone near the village of Vakarel, located around 25 kilometers away from the capital Sofia.
· A daring robbery took place in Sofia in the late hours of December 13 2009. It took place in one of the supermarkets of food retail chain “Fantastico” in “Studentski Grad” district. According to police, a group of men broke into the premises at 12.40am, managed to open a metal safety box and escape with a substantial sum .Police said that the exact amount was yet to be established but, according to BNT (Bulgarian National Television), it was more than two million leva. According to BNT, the security company supposed to protect the premises did not notice the robbers. The CCTV recording only showed one masked man, armed with a machine gun, guarding the door while the other robbers worked on opening the metal box.
· Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov conferred in Sofia on Monday with European Council President Herman van Rompuy, who is paying a brief working visit to Bulgaria at his invitation. The two exchanged views and considered the Bulgarian positions on topics high on the agenda of the European Union.
Emerging from his one-to-one session with Borissov, Van Rompuy told journalists, explaining the purpose of his visit: “It is important for me to talk to my colleagues of the European Council and to establish close personal relationships with them.”
Bulgaria is again on the right track, “the European Council President said. I hope I will end this day as a new friend of Bulgaria”, he noted.
fredag den 11. december 2009
Bulgarian press review, December 11, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, December 11 (BTA)
BULGARIA - EU
"Troud" leads with a report from Bonn of how Bulgarian Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov took the floor at the 19th congress of the European People's Party (EPP) to ask for support for unfreezing suspended EU funding for Bulgaria and allowing Bulgaria into the euro zone. According to the "Troud" correspondent, the Prime Minister dropped the scripted address and spoke "freely with that familiar convincing sincerity".
"Klassa" and "Monitor" report the election of Bulgarian Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva as deputy chairperson of the EPP. Jeleva was supported by 218 of the delegates at the EPP congress and will become one of ten deputy chairpersons elected from among 16 candidates.
THE HOME SCENE
"Monitor" ("Yane to Be Scrutinized for Corruption") writes that the new chief of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee, Dimo Gyaourov, will be examining what he has inherited from his predecessor Yane Yanev. As soon as he took over the leadership of the committee, Gyaourov cancelled a committee meeting. According to Yanev, the meeting was supposed to look into possible conflict of interest involving 14 government ministers.
The change at this and other parliamentary committee was prompted by the disbandment of the group of Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) which thus lost its right to sit in the leadership of committees and delegations.
"Standard News" carries a story on Mario Tagarinski, the MP who left his OLJ party and caused its disbandment, looking into his habit of walking out of his parliamentary group. Tagarinski has changed four parliamentary groups and he is not yet 52, the author comments.
***
A story in "Ataka" writes of an upcoming rift in BSP. It says some ten MPs are preparing to leave the CfB parliamentary group and set up their own group. The story quotes knowledgeable sources as saying that BSP is putting itself in isolation and loses voters with its decision to participate in the leadership of parliamentary committees.
***
In a "Monitor" interview ("No More Safaris for MPs"), National Assembly Chairwomen Tsetska Tsacheva says that Parliament's budget has been cut by some 10 million leva for next year and it will have to limit its participation in international forums to the EU and countries of big importance.
***
A front-page story in "Douma" ("Army Politicized Again") says that amendments to the Armed Forces Act create an imbalance between the political leadership and the armed forces' command. Fears to that effect were expressed Thursday by the socialists' Coalition for Bulgaria (CfB) during debates on the proposed revisions. The socialists' fears are prompted by the introduction of the office of Permanent Secretary who will be a civilian with a rank equal to that of the Defence Chief. CfB argued that this enhances the powers of the Defence Minister. Control on the budgets of the military schools gets transferred to the Ministries of Defence and of Education, and their Rules of Procedure and Organization are approved by the government on the Defence Minister's proposal.
***
All papers run reports on the Thursday hearing of the embezzelement case of the former owner of FC CSKA and manager of Kremikovtzi steel mill Alexander Tomov. He is quoted as saying that the real culprits for the ruin of Kremikovtzi are former Prime Minister Sergi Stanishev, his Economy and Energy Minister Peter Dimitrov and advisor Rossen Karadimov.
On February 6, Tomov and three other persons were indicted of embezzlement and documentary offence involving the disposition of money and property of CSKA and Kremikovtzi to an aggregate value of 35,156,820 leva. Upon conviction, the charge carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.
CSKA's former owner Vassil Bozhkov testified at the Thursday hearing and it emerged that he sold his shares in CSKA for 15 million euro, the papers say. Prosecutor Roman Vassilev is quoted as saying by "Troud" that he is considering the option of subpoenig CSKA and Kremikovtzi's ex-owner, Pramod Mital.
In a surprising comment outside the courtroom, football coach Dimiter Penev suggested that arch-rivals CSKA and Levski, because of their poor results, should merge into a single team to raise the aggregate level, "24 Chassa" says. Penev, too, testified against Tomov.
***
Sofia Mayor and former Education Minister Yordanka Fandakova is the politician who has made the biggest progress, according to a Mediana poll reported in the Friday papers. Approval in Fandakova has picked up to 38 per cent from 28 per cent between October and December. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's approval rating has dropped to 66 per cent from 73 per cent, while that of President Georgi Purvanov gained 1 percentage point to 54 per cent. Next is EU Commissioner Meglena Kuneva (47 per cent, down from 54 per cent).
***
In a "24 Chassa" interview, former Socialist MP Brigadir Asparouhov says that the Left and especially BSP need President Georgi Purvanov and he should consider carefully the option of becoming BSP leader once his presidential mandate is over. He says that for 8 years now BSP "has had a chairman but not a leader".
Asparouhov calls on the head of state to stop rejecting so adamantly the idea of becoming BSP leader again.
EDUCATION
"Troud" reports that Education Minister Sergei Ignatov has put forward for discussion a draft ordinance on wages in education whereby a teacher can be paid an average of 700-730 leva (some 350-365 leva) per month from January 2010. The average wage at present is 670 leva. The base wage of school and kindergarten principals is incerased to 590 from 500 leva. Senior teachers will get an extra 50 leva to their wage, to add up to a total of 483 leva. Head teachers will be paid 516 leva, or 66 leva more. This money is now paid as a bonus to the wage but from January 1 they will be incorporated into the wage, the Education Ministry said.
In a "Troud" interview, the Education Minister says that the format of the exam after grade 7 will be announced just before Christmas. Sample tests will be published on the Education Ministry website. The important thing for high schools is to make a transition from academic-style to more practice-oriented education, Ignatov says. "I don't think it is normal to talk of 'discourse' in grade 7," he says. He believes that education in history and in literature should be synchronized and that school books should be written by classroom teachers.
***
In an article in "24 Chassa", the Rector of the Sofia University of National and World Economy, Prof. Borislav Borisov says that the Academic Personnel Development Bill which will replace the 1972 Academic Degrees and Titles Act should be handled with caution. The new legislation should take effect before late May 2010 and be in force for the start of the new academic year in the autumn.
ECONOMY
The crisis has brought to light the shadow economy, "Pari" says in a front-page story. "Sega", however, writes of a dramatic increase of illegal trade in cigarettes, liquor and fuels, and also says that 92 per cent of family doctors and dentists are concealing incomes. The cigarette market in Bulgaria is around 2.3 billion leva and the budget loses over 700 million leva a year from unpaid excise duties and VAT, says Tihomir Bezlov of the Centre for the Study of Democracy.
***
The Financial Supervision Commission has instructed the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange to revise its rules of procedure within the next three days to undo the delisting of 229 public companies, "Klassa" reports in a front-page story. According to the Stock Exchange rules, the said companies do not comply with a requirement for an average monthly turnover of 4,000 leva and 5 transactions a month, which means that there is no room for these companies at the stock exchange. The Financial Supervision Commission, however, argued that delisting the companies threatens the interests of 912,342 individuals and businesses. Bulgarian Stock Exchange CEO Bistra Ilkova tells "Klassa" that they are in the middle of administrative procedures which need to be observed, and it is early days for taking a stand on the Commission's instructions.
***
Bulgaria is among the countries with the biggest decline of housing prices in the third quarter, according to a report by the Knight Frank consultants quoted in "Dnevnik". The report is based on a survey of 42 countries. The decline in Bulgaria is 28 per cent year-on-year. The slump is bigger (over 34 per cenet) in Latvia and Estonia and in Dubai which has had a record-setting decline of 47 per cent.
SOCIETY
Bulgarian men, as well as Slovak and Slovenian men, leave their parents' home later than anybody else, infrequently go to the movies and concerts and almost never attend cultural events, "Dnevnik" writes reporting a Eurostat survey. The survey found that Bulgarian men leave their parents' home at the age of 31.5 years. Bulgarian women do this at the age of 27, as they do elsewhere in Europe.
***
"Standard News" reports that proposed new paid-parking arrangements for Sofia divide the capital city into three zones, and the first - central - zone will charge an hourly parking rate of 3 leva (up from 2 leva and 1 lev in the other two zones). The hike of parking rates has been proposed by the CEO of the municipal parking company, Marchelo Dokovski.
***
A buyer is ready to pay 13 million leva to the Bulgarian owner of an alleged Claude Monet, "Monitor" reports. The painting was put up for sale when the owner, Choude Georgiev, defauled on a 700,000 leva (350,000 euro) loan. An appraiser found the painting to be a fake and set its price at 3,975 leva. Georgiev claims that Western appraisers have confirmed that it is a real Monet. He says its real price is 24 million euro.
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 –December 11, 2009
· The Chairman of the Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) party, Yane Yanev, told a news conference on Friday that six ministers in the current government are involved in conflict-of-interest situations. He said these are Environment and Water Minister Nona Karadjova, Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva, Education, Youth and Science Minister Sergei Ignatov, Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rosen Plevneliev, and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov.
According to OLJ, at the time when they took office as ministers, the six were members of commercial corporations or non-profit organizations.
· The Bulgarian-Russian Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technical cooperation concluded its 13th session with the signing of four bilateral documents.
The Commission's Co-Chairs Bulgarian Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov and Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko signed the minutes of the session. The sides signed also a Framework Agreement for design development and construction of the "Indje Voivoda" water-power system and a Memorandum of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation in metrology between the Bulgarian Institute of Metrology and the Russian Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology. The fourth document signed on Friday was a plan for consultations between the Foreign Ministries in 2010.
· European Union nations have agreed to give 7.2 billion euros to help developing nations tackle climate change. The 'fast start' money is Europe's contribution to helping the developing world adapt to global warming over the next three years and to encourage the ongoing UN climate change conference in Copenhagen to do more.
Sofia, December 11 (BTA)
BULGARIA - EU
"Troud" leads with a report from Bonn of how Bulgarian Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov took the floor at the 19th congress of the European People's Party (EPP) to ask for support for unfreezing suspended EU funding for Bulgaria and allowing Bulgaria into the euro zone. According to the "Troud" correspondent, the Prime Minister dropped the scripted address and spoke "freely with that familiar convincing sincerity".
"Klassa" and "Monitor" report the election of Bulgarian Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva as deputy chairperson of the EPP. Jeleva was supported by 218 of the delegates at the EPP congress and will become one of ten deputy chairpersons elected from among 16 candidates.
THE HOME SCENE
"Monitor" ("Yane to Be Scrutinized for Corruption") writes that the new chief of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee, Dimo Gyaourov, will be examining what he has inherited from his predecessor Yane Yanev. As soon as he took over the leadership of the committee, Gyaourov cancelled a committee meeting. According to Yanev, the meeting was supposed to look into possible conflict of interest involving 14 government ministers.
The change at this and other parliamentary committee was prompted by the disbandment of the group of Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) which thus lost its right to sit in the leadership of committees and delegations.
"Standard News" carries a story on Mario Tagarinski, the MP who left his OLJ party and caused its disbandment, looking into his habit of walking out of his parliamentary group. Tagarinski has changed four parliamentary groups and he is not yet 52, the author comments.
***
A story in "Ataka" writes of an upcoming rift in BSP. It says some ten MPs are preparing to leave the CfB parliamentary group and set up their own group. The story quotes knowledgeable sources as saying that BSP is putting itself in isolation and loses voters with its decision to participate in the leadership of parliamentary committees.
***
In a "Monitor" interview ("No More Safaris for MPs"), National Assembly Chairwomen Tsetska Tsacheva says that Parliament's budget has been cut by some 10 million leva for next year and it will have to limit its participation in international forums to the EU and countries of big importance.
***
A front-page story in "Douma" ("Army Politicized Again") says that amendments to the Armed Forces Act create an imbalance between the political leadership and the armed forces' command. Fears to that effect were expressed Thursday by the socialists' Coalition for Bulgaria (CfB) during debates on the proposed revisions. The socialists' fears are prompted by the introduction of the office of Permanent Secretary who will be a civilian with a rank equal to that of the Defence Chief. CfB argued that this enhances the powers of the Defence Minister. Control on the budgets of the military schools gets transferred to the Ministries of Defence and of Education, and their Rules of Procedure and Organization are approved by the government on the Defence Minister's proposal.
***
All papers run reports on the Thursday hearing of the embezzelement case of the former owner of FC CSKA and manager of Kremikovtzi steel mill Alexander Tomov. He is quoted as saying that the real culprits for the ruin of Kremikovtzi are former Prime Minister Sergi Stanishev, his Economy and Energy Minister Peter Dimitrov and advisor Rossen Karadimov.
On February 6, Tomov and three other persons were indicted of embezzlement and documentary offence involving the disposition of money and property of CSKA and Kremikovtzi to an aggregate value of 35,156,820 leva. Upon conviction, the charge carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.
CSKA's former owner Vassil Bozhkov testified at the Thursday hearing and it emerged that he sold his shares in CSKA for 15 million euro, the papers say. Prosecutor Roman Vassilev is quoted as saying by "Troud" that he is considering the option of subpoenig CSKA and Kremikovtzi's ex-owner, Pramod Mital.
In a surprising comment outside the courtroom, football coach Dimiter Penev suggested that arch-rivals CSKA and Levski, because of their poor results, should merge into a single team to raise the aggregate level, "24 Chassa" says. Penev, too, testified against Tomov.
***
Sofia Mayor and former Education Minister Yordanka Fandakova is the politician who has made the biggest progress, according to a Mediana poll reported in the Friday papers. Approval in Fandakova has picked up to 38 per cent from 28 per cent between October and December. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's approval rating has dropped to 66 per cent from 73 per cent, while that of President Georgi Purvanov gained 1 percentage point to 54 per cent. Next is EU Commissioner Meglena Kuneva (47 per cent, down from 54 per cent).
***
In a "24 Chassa" interview, former Socialist MP Brigadir Asparouhov says that the Left and especially BSP need President Georgi Purvanov and he should consider carefully the option of becoming BSP leader once his presidential mandate is over. He says that for 8 years now BSP "has had a chairman but not a leader".
Asparouhov calls on the head of state to stop rejecting so adamantly the idea of becoming BSP leader again.
EDUCATION
"Troud" reports that Education Minister Sergei Ignatov has put forward for discussion a draft ordinance on wages in education whereby a teacher can be paid an average of 700-730 leva (some 350-365 leva) per month from January 2010. The average wage at present is 670 leva. The base wage of school and kindergarten principals is incerased to 590 from 500 leva. Senior teachers will get an extra 50 leva to their wage, to add up to a total of 483 leva. Head teachers will be paid 516 leva, or 66 leva more. This money is now paid as a bonus to the wage but from January 1 they will be incorporated into the wage, the Education Ministry said.
In a "Troud" interview, the Education Minister says that the format of the exam after grade 7 will be announced just before Christmas. Sample tests will be published on the Education Ministry website. The important thing for high schools is to make a transition from academic-style to more practice-oriented education, Ignatov says. "I don't think it is normal to talk of 'discourse' in grade 7," he says. He believes that education in history and in literature should be synchronized and that school books should be written by classroom teachers.
***
In an article in "24 Chassa", the Rector of the Sofia University of National and World Economy, Prof. Borislav Borisov says that the Academic Personnel Development Bill which will replace the 1972 Academic Degrees and Titles Act should be handled with caution. The new legislation should take effect before late May 2010 and be in force for the start of the new academic year in the autumn.
ECONOMY
The crisis has brought to light the shadow economy, "Pari" says in a front-page story. "Sega", however, writes of a dramatic increase of illegal trade in cigarettes, liquor and fuels, and also says that 92 per cent of family doctors and dentists are concealing incomes. The cigarette market in Bulgaria is around 2.3 billion leva and the budget loses over 700 million leva a year from unpaid excise duties and VAT, says Tihomir Bezlov of the Centre for the Study of Democracy.
***
The Financial Supervision Commission has instructed the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange to revise its rules of procedure within the next three days to undo the delisting of 229 public companies, "Klassa" reports in a front-page story. According to the Stock Exchange rules, the said companies do not comply with a requirement for an average monthly turnover of 4,000 leva and 5 transactions a month, which means that there is no room for these companies at the stock exchange. The Financial Supervision Commission, however, argued that delisting the companies threatens the interests of 912,342 individuals and businesses. Bulgarian Stock Exchange CEO Bistra Ilkova tells "Klassa" that they are in the middle of administrative procedures which need to be observed, and it is early days for taking a stand on the Commission's instructions.
***
Bulgaria is among the countries with the biggest decline of housing prices in the third quarter, according to a report by the Knight Frank consultants quoted in "Dnevnik". The report is based on a survey of 42 countries. The decline in Bulgaria is 28 per cent year-on-year. The slump is bigger (over 34 per cenet) in Latvia and Estonia and in Dubai which has had a record-setting decline of 47 per cent.
SOCIETY
Bulgarian men, as well as Slovak and Slovenian men, leave their parents' home later than anybody else, infrequently go to the movies and concerts and almost never attend cultural events, "Dnevnik" writes reporting a Eurostat survey. The survey found that Bulgarian men leave their parents' home at the age of 31.5 years. Bulgarian women do this at the age of 27, as they do elsewhere in Europe.
***
"Standard News" reports that proposed new paid-parking arrangements for Sofia divide the capital city into three zones, and the first - central - zone will charge an hourly parking rate of 3 leva (up from 2 leva and 1 lev in the other two zones). The hike of parking rates has been proposed by the CEO of the municipal parking company, Marchelo Dokovski.
***
A buyer is ready to pay 13 million leva to the Bulgarian owner of an alleged Claude Monet, "Monitor" reports. The painting was put up for sale when the owner, Choude Georgiev, defauled on a 700,000 leva (350,000 euro) loan. An appraiser found the painting to be a fake and set its price at 3,975 leva. Georgiev claims that Western appraisers have confirmed that it is a real Monet. He says its real price is 24 million euro.
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 –December 11, 2009
· The Chairman of the Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) party, Yane Yanev, told a news conference on Friday that six ministers in the current government are involved in conflict-of-interest situations. He said these are Environment and Water Minister Nona Karadjova, Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva, Education, Youth and Science Minister Sergei Ignatov, Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rosen Plevneliev, and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov.
According to OLJ, at the time when they took office as ministers, the six were members of commercial corporations or non-profit organizations.
· The Bulgarian-Russian Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technical cooperation concluded its 13th session with the signing of four bilateral documents.
The Commission's Co-Chairs Bulgarian Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov and Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko signed the minutes of the session. The sides signed also a Framework Agreement for design development and construction of the "Indje Voivoda" water-power system and a Memorandum of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation in metrology between the Bulgarian Institute of Metrology and the Russian Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology. The fourth document signed on Friday was a plan for consultations between the Foreign Ministries in 2010.
· European Union nations have agreed to give 7.2 billion euros to help developing nations tackle climate change. The 'fast start' money is Europe's contribution to helping the developing world adapt to global warming over the next three years and to encourage the ongoing UN climate change conference in Copenhagen to do more.
torsdag den 10. december 2009
Bulgarian press review, December 10, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, December 10 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
"Troud" reports that the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has withdrawn from the parliamentary committees. The seven Socialist MPs serving as committee deputy chairpersons, quit on Wednesday. This happened after the MPs voted 112-58 to relieve their colleague Emilia Maslarova of her duties as chair of the parliamentary Labour and Social Policy Committee. The motive behind this move was that Maslarova was without immunity and it was immoral that she held a high-ranking position in Parliament.
"BSP will not serve as a fig leave to cover Parliament's shameful acts," BSP leader Sergei Stanishev is reported as saying before journalists. He accused GERB of turning Parliament into a machine for voting decisions, in which even the MPs of the majority do not believe.
***
"Sega" writes that the parliamentary group of Order, Lawfulness and Justice (OLJ) has been erased from the register of parliamentary groups after National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva announced that Mario Tagarinski has submitted an application for leaving the group. Tagarinski's move reduced the number of the OLJ group to nine MPs and according to the parliamentary rules of organization and procedure the group has terminated its existence as the number is below the minimum of ten members.
OLJ leader Yane Yanev is cited as saying that "the energy mafia and interests along the GERB-Purvanov axis" are behind the disintegration of the group. In Yanev's view the purpose was to remove him from the Consultative Council on National Security under the President. The OLJ parliamentary group will be transformed into a political group that would comply with the decisions of the party leadership. The main political objective of the newly-formed group will be suspension of the mandate of the 41st National Assembly and convening of a Grand National Assembly.
***
In an interview granted for the "Troud" paper Atanas Atanassov, Chairman of the National Assembly Internal Security and Public Order Committee, says it has been obvious for some ten years now that the lack of access to the traffic of data causes serious problems in the combat against heavy crimes. This is why it is necessary to amend the Electronic Communications Act. If there is strict control over the selection of staff, there would be no abuses of such information, Atanassov believes. The project, among other things, envisages amendment to the Penal Code under which persons, having misused such data, will face a two-year imprisonment or probation. However, it is clear that there could never be a 100 per cent guarantee, Atanassov goes on to say. If there is leakage, the law will be changed.
***
The author of a commentary in "Sega" recalls that there have been Bulgarian servicemen in Afghanistan since February 2002. It is not clear whether these people wonder what they are doing there, he writes. It is certain, however, that the person that still is this country's Foreign Minister, Rumiana Jeleva, and the cabinet, represented by her, have not asked anyone, when they announced that new units will be committed to Afghanistan. Besides, Bulgaria has already contributed to NATO's Afghan National Army Trust Fund. According to the author, the decisions for involvement or withdrawal of military actions should be taken after a broad political debate and public discussion.
***
Parliament extended the validity of the ID documents and driving licences expiring in 2010 with further six months, "Troud" writes on its front page. However, it would be impossible to use such "semi-valid" documents to travel abroad. People frequently travelling to Greece would be most affected.
***
"Troud" publishes the results of an opinion poll published by the Mediana Agency. In the past three months support for the GERB party dropped by 10 per cent. Yet, it is too early to say that the public confidence is undermined. Boyko Borissov keeps on being the most popular politician in this country. However, according to the forecasts, the following six months will be the hardest. EU funding is the only resource that could be used to alleviate the situation.
ECONOMY
The 2009 budget will be changed to include a deficit of 500 million leva, Finance Minister Simeon Djankov is quoted as saying by "Troud". This deficit accounts for 0.756 per cent of the country's GDP, the Finance Minister explains. "Thus Bulgaria would be among the EU countries with lowest deficit." Djankov also says that the November surplus was 48 million leva. Besides, the anticipated drop of GDP is changed from 6.5 to 4.9 per cent.
***
"24 Chassa" runs an interview with Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov. Asked about the measures that would be undertaken in support of business next year, Traikov says: "They are related even to the fact that we work in team with the remaining ministries, particularly, the Finance Ministry in achieving the macroeconomic goals. Given the budgetary situation the best thing to do is to preserve the favourable conditions for the business activity." Traikov also mentions the active measures: the operational programme, the Development Bank and maximum usage of export insurance.
***
In an interview for "Troud" Transport Minister Aleksandar Tsvetkov mentions Danube Bridge 2 and the Plovdiv-Svilengrad railway line as the two biggest projects under the ISPA programme. "There is considerable delay on them. This is why we drafted new schedule and held meetings with the project management units. I think that we mapped out measures, which are already yielding results. We presented new schedules in Brussels and I am optimistic that the railway line will be completed in time." The project implementation is being monitored on a daily basis and non-absorption of the funds would not be allowed, Tsvetkov also says.
***
"I believe that the Prime Minister understands why it is important to bust the bank cartel," Aleksei Petrov, Executive Director of the Union of Economic Enterprise, says in an interview for "24 Chassa". Petrov voices support for the idea that budget funds be re-channeled to small and medium-sized enterprises. According to him, there is a tacit agreement to keep the interest rates high at any cost. This prevents the Bulgarian companies from being competitive, he states.
***
"Telegraf" writes that Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov have hinted that pensioners could receive extra money for Christmas. "We will discuss with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov whether to distribute part of the funds allocated for Christmas bonuses for civil servants among pensioners and socially-disadvantaged, Djankov says cited by the paper.
***
"Standart News" cites financier Emil Hursev as saying that workers should be given a bonus salary for Christmas. In his view this would be a strong incentive for them, particularly in a time of a crisis. Hursev also says in the interview that the foreign forecasts about Bulgaria are always wrong. "This is so because every time we would be placed in a matrix, drafted 20 years ago, when Europe's economic geography was different," says he. The same matrix is used today although it is already outdated, Hursev notes.
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 – December 10, 2009
· A private vault on Sofia's Dondoukov Boulevard, owned by the Aso-Pireli security company, was robbed in the early hours of December 10 2009. According to first accounts, between 160 and 190 of the vault's boxes have been opened and emptied by the robbers.
The armed robbery happened 10 minutes after midnight, when a group of armed men attacked the two security guards at the vault. The guards were pushed to the floor and handcuffed. After emptying the vault's boxes, attackers left the scene, taking the CCTV recordings with them.
· Roumyana Zheleva, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister and European Commissioner-designate, has been elected vice president of the European People’s Party (EPP), the largest political party in the European Parliament.
Zheleva was one of the 10 EPP vice presidents to EPP president Wilfried Martens elected at the party's statutory congress held in Bonn, Germany, on December 9 and 10 2009. She got the votes of 218 delegates.
· Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, has asked addressed the Congress of the European People’s Party in Bonn, Germany, asking the EU rightists for support: “I use this occasion to ask all of you for support in two respects, which will be extremely important for our government. First, for unfreezing the EU funding payments which were blocked during the term of the Socialists… Second, for giving us a chance to be admitted to the Eurozone. So that we can adopt the euro in Bulgaria in 2,5 - 3 years, if possible.”
Sofia, December 10 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
"Troud" reports that the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has withdrawn from the parliamentary committees. The seven Socialist MPs serving as committee deputy chairpersons, quit on Wednesday. This happened after the MPs voted 112-58 to relieve their colleague Emilia Maslarova of her duties as chair of the parliamentary Labour and Social Policy Committee. The motive behind this move was that Maslarova was without immunity and it was immoral that she held a high-ranking position in Parliament.
"BSP will not serve as a fig leave to cover Parliament's shameful acts," BSP leader Sergei Stanishev is reported as saying before journalists. He accused GERB of turning Parliament into a machine for voting decisions, in which even the MPs of the majority do not believe.
***
"Sega" writes that the parliamentary group of Order, Lawfulness and Justice (OLJ) has been erased from the register of parliamentary groups after National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva announced that Mario Tagarinski has submitted an application for leaving the group. Tagarinski's move reduced the number of the OLJ group to nine MPs and according to the parliamentary rules of organization and procedure the group has terminated its existence as the number is below the minimum of ten members.
OLJ leader Yane Yanev is cited as saying that "the energy mafia and interests along the GERB-Purvanov axis" are behind the disintegration of the group. In Yanev's view the purpose was to remove him from the Consultative Council on National Security under the President. The OLJ parliamentary group will be transformed into a political group that would comply with the decisions of the party leadership. The main political objective of the newly-formed group will be suspension of the mandate of the 41st National Assembly and convening of a Grand National Assembly.
***
In an interview granted for the "Troud" paper Atanas Atanassov, Chairman of the National Assembly Internal Security and Public Order Committee, says it has been obvious for some ten years now that the lack of access to the traffic of data causes serious problems in the combat against heavy crimes. This is why it is necessary to amend the Electronic Communications Act. If there is strict control over the selection of staff, there would be no abuses of such information, Atanassov believes. The project, among other things, envisages amendment to the Penal Code under which persons, having misused such data, will face a two-year imprisonment or probation. However, it is clear that there could never be a 100 per cent guarantee, Atanassov goes on to say. If there is leakage, the law will be changed.
***
The author of a commentary in "Sega" recalls that there have been Bulgarian servicemen in Afghanistan since February 2002. It is not clear whether these people wonder what they are doing there, he writes. It is certain, however, that the person that still is this country's Foreign Minister, Rumiana Jeleva, and the cabinet, represented by her, have not asked anyone, when they announced that new units will be committed to Afghanistan. Besides, Bulgaria has already contributed to NATO's Afghan National Army Trust Fund. According to the author, the decisions for involvement or withdrawal of military actions should be taken after a broad political debate and public discussion.
***
Parliament extended the validity of the ID documents and driving licences expiring in 2010 with further six months, "Troud" writes on its front page. However, it would be impossible to use such "semi-valid" documents to travel abroad. People frequently travelling to Greece would be most affected.
***
"Troud" publishes the results of an opinion poll published by the Mediana Agency. In the past three months support for the GERB party dropped by 10 per cent. Yet, it is too early to say that the public confidence is undermined. Boyko Borissov keeps on being the most popular politician in this country. However, according to the forecasts, the following six months will be the hardest. EU funding is the only resource that could be used to alleviate the situation.
ECONOMY
The 2009 budget will be changed to include a deficit of 500 million leva, Finance Minister Simeon Djankov is quoted as saying by "Troud". This deficit accounts for 0.756 per cent of the country's GDP, the Finance Minister explains. "Thus Bulgaria would be among the EU countries with lowest deficit." Djankov also says that the November surplus was 48 million leva. Besides, the anticipated drop of GDP is changed from 6.5 to 4.9 per cent.
***
"24 Chassa" runs an interview with Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov. Asked about the measures that would be undertaken in support of business next year, Traikov says: "They are related even to the fact that we work in team with the remaining ministries, particularly, the Finance Ministry in achieving the macroeconomic goals. Given the budgetary situation the best thing to do is to preserve the favourable conditions for the business activity." Traikov also mentions the active measures: the operational programme, the Development Bank and maximum usage of export insurance.
***
In an interview for "Troud" Transport Minister Aleksandar Tsvetkov mentions Danube Bridge 2 and the Plovdiv-Svilengrad railway line as the two biggest projects under the ISPA programme. "There is considerable delay on them. This is why we drafted new schedule and held meetings with the project management units. I think that we mapped out measures, which are already yielding results. We presented new schedules in Brussels and I am optimistic that the railway line will be completed in time." The project implementation is being monitored on a daily basis and non-absorption of the funds would not be allowed, Tsvetkov also says.
***
"I believe that the Prime Minister understands why it is important to bust the bank cartel," Aleksei Petrov, Executive Director of the Union of Economic Enterprise, says in an interview for "24 Chassa". Petrov voices support for the idea that budget funds be re-channeled to small and medium-sized enterprises. According to him, there is a tacit agreement to keep the interest rates high at any cost. This prevents the Bulgarian companies from being competitive, he states.
***
"Telegraf" writes that Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov have hinted that pensioners could receive extra money for Christmas. "We will discuss with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov whether to distribute part of the funds allocated for Christmas bonuses for civil servants among pensioners and socially-disadvantaged, Djankov says cited by the paper.
***
"Standart News" cites financier Emil Hursev as saying that workers should be given a bonus salary for Christmas. In his view this would be a strong incentive for them, particularly in a time of a crisis. Hursev also says in the interview that the foreign forecasts about Bulgaria are always wrong. "This is so because every time we would be placed in a matrix, drafted 20 years ago, when Europe's economic geography was different," says he. The same matrix is used today although it is already outdated, Hursev notes.
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 – December 10, 2009
· A private vault on Sofia's Dondoukov Boulevard, owned by the Aso-Pireli security company, was robbed in the early hours of December 10 2009. According to first accounts, between 160 and 190 of the vault's boxes have been opened and emptied by the robbers.
The armed robbery happened 10 minutes after midnight, when a group of armed men attacked the two security guards at the vault. The guards were pushed to the floor and handcuffed. After emptying the vault's boxes, attackers left the scene, taking the CCTV recordings with them.
· Roumyana Zheleva, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister and European Commissioner-designate, has been elected vice president of the European People’s Party (EPP), the largest political party in the European Parliament.
Zheleva was one of the 10 EPP vice presidents to EPP president Wilfried Martens elected at the party's statutory congress held in Bonn, Germany, on December 9 and 10 2009. She got the votes of 218 delegates.
· Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, has asked addressed the Congress of the European People’s Party in Bonn, Germany, asking the EU rightists for support: “I use this occasion to ask all of you for support in two respects, which will be extremely important for our government. First, for unfreezing the EU funding payments which were blocked during the term of the Socialists… Second, for giving us a chance to be admitted to the Eurozone. So that we can adopt the euro in Bulgaria in 2,5 - 3 years, if possible.”
onsdag den 9. december 2009
Bulgarian press review, December 9, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, December 9 (BTA)
BULGARIA - EU
The European Commission will extend the term of validity of the financing memorandum for absorption of the funding from ISPA only in respect of the Vidin-Calafat bridge over the Danube, but the extension will be for just a third of the period requested by Bulgaria, "Pari" reports. This means that 30 million euro expected from the EU for the Lyulin Motorway and the Plovdiv-Svilengrad railway are under question mark, unless the projects are completed on schedule, the paper reasons.
Bulgaria will absorb some 73 per cent of the 445 million euro allocated under the pre-accession SAPARD Programme, which is concluded at the end of the year. This means that the country will lose some 120 million euro, or almost a third of the entire funding under the programme, "Dnevnik" reports on its front page. "Unfortunately, the assessment for the conclusion of SAPARD is pessimistic," Silvia Indjova, Director of the National Fund at the Ministry of Finance, which handles payments for all EU-financed projects, told the National Assembly Committee on European Affairs.
Bulgarian citizenship will be granted within a year and a half, "Novinar" writes in the title of an online Q & A between readers and Minister without Portfolio Bojidar Dimitrov.
Under the heading "France: the New 'Charme' of the Balkans," "Troud" comments that while US ineterest in "Europe's backyard" has waned, Paris is seeking strong positions in the region.
THE HOME SCENE
Under the headline "Borissov, Purvanov Write Energy Strategy Together", "Novinar" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying, without elaborating, that the Government will prepare a uniform strategy on the energy projects which will be coordinated with President Georgi Purvanov. "I firmly back the Government. A common energy policy is a must," the head of State said, reacting to the news. Regarding the implementation of the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis Oil Pipeline Project, Borissov said that it will go ahead only if the Environment Ministry allows it.
Under the heading "More Mine Gifts Will Go Off," "24 Chassa" notes that not a single lev was spent throughout 2009 on destruction of surplus ammunition. This gives Deputy Defence Minister Valentin Radev, who also chairs the association of ammunition experts, a strong cause for concern. "Tonnes of arms stake their victims in Bulgaria," "Sega" writes.
"We will not withdraw our confidence from the Cabinet until January, but if the police state tricks continue, we will react using all possible democratic means," Atanas Semov MP of Order, Lawfulness and Justice told "Douma" in an interview headlined "They Force Us into Opposition."
"The only sensible conclusion from the case of Tagarinski is that the proportional representation electoral system is total crap and must be immediately dumped," Valeri Naidenov writes in "24 Chassa". He argued that if all 240 MPs were elected directly and each had a constituency of his own, this would not have happened. "First, because Mr Tagarinski would not have made it to Parliament. Secondly, because even if did, he would have been awfully afraid of voters and would not embark on such antics. And thirdly, if Mr Tagarinski represented a single-member constituency, the voters would have recalled him by a local referendum."
Ataka leader Volen Siderov forced almost all Ataka MPs to complete personal guarantees to the benefit of an off-shore company to the amount of 150,000 euro each, in their capacity as natural persons, SKAT TV owner and independent municipal councillor in Bourgas Valeri Simeonov told "Troud." He specified that these guarantees have the status of promissory notes: they are drawn up in a single copy which is held by Siderov and, upon demand, the signer incurs liability for the amount of 150,000 euro secured by his property. "I will sue Simeonov for this lie," Siderov reacted.
MPs will be able to spend half of the amount for foreign trips allocated by previous National Assembly Chairman Georgi Pirinski, "Monitor" writes in its top story. Shortly before leaving office, Pirinski decided to sign a 4 million leva deal for plane tickets only. His successor Tsetska Tsacheva is planning to spend a little over 1.8 million leva, inclusive of VAT.
* * *
"How many Roma are there in Bulgaria? Devla tujane (God only knows)," writes "Troud." According to the latest census conducted by the National Statistical Institute and non-governmental organizations dealing with minority problems, the Roma in this country number slightly over 370,000 - as many have identified as Roma. Antonina Zhelyazkova, Director of the International Center for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations, counts 650,000, while Roumyan Sechkov, Director of the Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives (C.E.G.A.) Foundation, puts the figure at 800,000. According to Roma leaders, including Tsvetelin Kunchev, their community is 1.2 million strong, of whom 800,000 are qualified voters. The leader of the Roma party DROM Iliya Iliev notes that 1 million Roma live in Bulgaria. Eighty per cent of them do not have hot running water, 40 per cent are illietrate, and 59 per cent of young Roma are unemployed, "Troud" writes. Three thousand Roma study at universities.
* * *
"Ataka" and "Monitor" front-page the news that amidst unprecedented security, the authorities started demolishing the unlawful oppulent beach houses in the Chengene Skele locality near Bourgas. The first four out of a total of 257 luxury buildings there were bulldozed to rubble as their owners looked on. The spectacular demolition operation was guarded by over 200 gendarmes in full riot gear.
Vehicular speed in Sofia averages 12 km/h because of the traffic jams, "24 Chassa" found in an experiment. Many of the traffic jams are caused by parents driving their children to school, according to Sofia Chief Architect Peter Dikov. According to him, nobody send their children to the neighbourhood school any longer, which adds to peak hour congestions.
ECONOMY
More than 60 per cent of the global companies with business in Bulgaria will continue to invest in this country, and one-third will even take advantage of the current situation to increase their investment, The Economic Intelligence Unit found in a survey of 70 leading managers of global companies, reported by "Klassa" on its front page. The good news is that just 12 per cent are planning to cut back their investments in Bulgaria.
Most managers (75 per cent) are concerned with macroeconomic instability. Another 55 per cent fear corruption and 43 per cent are apprehensive of the lack of political will for reforms and the business environment.
Housing prices will fall by at least 10 per cent on the average this winter, brokers forecast to "24 Chassa." They expect a slack market until spring, after which a pick-up is possible only provided the economy starts recovering.
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
"I will sue everybody who invented the product Krassyo," Krassimir "Krassyo" Georgiev says in a "24 Chassa" interview. Georgiev is a witness in a case on trade in influence in the judicial system. He says that once the investigation is completed, he will take legal action against those who marred his prestige. Supreme Judicial Council member Ivan Kolev will have to prove in court that Krassimir Georgiev is the "Krassyo" who offers judicial appointments for money, he adds. "My statements can cause at least ten more scandals like this one," the interviewee says. He has retained a "renowned foreign law firm."
"Troud" found that judges may get up to two wages in Christmas bonuses, but just 20 per cent of prosecutors and investigating magistrates will receive bonuses of one wage. To be eligible, they must have concluded cases of great public interest. The discrepancy emerged after the Supreme Judicial Council decided on the handout of 24 million leva in "personal bonuses."
The proposed amendments to the Penal Procedure Code restrict citizens' access to cassation and to resumption of criminal cases: in this way, the State reconciles itself to a huge number of miscarriages of justice, which can be corrected only in Strasbourg, Supreme Bar Council Chair Daniela Dokovska says in an interview for "Troud." As she puts it, the worst thing is that the amendments presume that both the defence lawyer and the defendant act in bad faith when they exercise their procedural rights, because the right to defence is treated as abuse of the right to defence.
* * *
Lord Edward Davenport, 24, of the UK, was engaged in scams of Bulgarian seaside properties worth millions, "Standart News" writes in its top story. Davenport and two other persons were charged last week with conspiracy to defraud and money laundering. This is the largest international investigation about loan swindling in history. The criminal group handled properties in Austria, Turkey, Cyprus and other countries.
* * *
"Braggarts Can Be Found among Freemasons, Too:" under this heading, "Troud" runs an interveiw with Grigorii Vazov, Master of the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria. "We have 24 lodges in Sofia, many of them have temples of their own," he says. "In the world, real masonic temples are open to public visits. This is not yet the case in Bulgaria, but will happen too. A masonic temple will go under construction within my term of office," Vazov notes.
* * *
The most successful Bulgarian businessman in the US, Shefket Chapadjiev, personally inspected the world's first tourist spaceship that will be launched in 2012, the papers reports. In the Mojave Desert, New Mexico, Chapadjiev toured Space Two, on board of which he will spend two and a half hours, of which 5 minutes in zero gravity. Together with the Madan-born millionaire, another 300 enthusaists will head for outer space. They have paid 200,000 US dollars each for the thrill.
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 –December 9, 2009
· The National Assembly decided Wednesday to relieve Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) MP Emilia
Maslarova of her duties as chair of the parliamentary Labour and Social Policy Committee.
The debate of the draft resolution on relieving Emilia Maslarova of her duties, moved by Blue Coalition Co-chairman Ivan Kostov and a group of MPs, began last Friday.
After the vote the BSP MPs left the hall, with the Chairman of the Coalition for Bulgaria parliamentary group declaring that the left will give up chairing all commissions in which they participate.
Maslarova told journalists that she is leaving the Labour and Social Policy Committee.
Earlier in November, Prosecutor-General Boris Velchev asked MPs to strip Maslarova of her immunity from prosecution which she had under Bulgarian law as an MP. Maslarova voluntarily renounced her immunity before the matter was tabled for debate.
· The parliamentary group of Order, Lawfulness and Justice (OLJ) has been erased from the register of parliamentary groups, National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva said Wednesday after announcing that Mario Tagarinski has submitted an application for leaving the group.
Tagarinski's move reduced the number of the OLJ group to nine MPs and according to the parliamentary rules of organization and procedure the group has terminated its existence as the number is below the minimum of ten members, Tsacheva explained.
OLJ Chairman Yane Yanev declared at a briefing in Parliament that an understanding between Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, President Georgi Purvanov and the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) has led to the eradication of the parliamentary group of the party he leads. According to him, the reason is to remove him from the Consultative Council on National Security with the President.
Sofia, December 9 (BTA)
BULGARIA - EU
The European Commission will extend the term of validity of the financing memorandum for absorption of the funding from ISPA only in respect of the Vidin-Calafat bridge over the Danube, but the extension will be for just a third of the period requested by Bulgaria, "Pari" reports. This means that 30 million euro expected from the EU for the Lyulin Motorway and the Plovdiv-Svilengrad railway are under question mark, unless the projects are completed on schedule, the paper reasons.
Bulgaria will absorb some 73 per cent of the 445 million euro allocated under the pre-accession SAPARD Programme, which is concluded at the end of the year. This means that the country will lose some 120 million euro, or almost a third of the entire funding under the programme, "Dnevnik" reports on its front page. "Unfortunately, the assessment for the conclusion of SAPARD is pessimistic," Silvia Indjova, Director of the National Fund at the Ministry of Finance, which handles payments for all EU-financed projects, told the National Assembly Committee on European Affairs.
Bulgarian citizenship will be granted within a year and a half, "Novinar" writes in the title of an online Q & A between readers and Minister without Portfolio Bojidar Dimitrov.
Under the heading "France: the New 'Charme' of the Balkans," "Troud" comments that while US ineterest in "Europe's backyard" has waned, Paris is seeking strong positions in the region.
THE HOME SCENE
Under the headline "Borissov, Purvanov Write Energy Strategy Together", "Novinar" quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying, without elaborating, that the Government will prepare a uniform strategy on the energy projects which will be coordinated with President Georgi Purvanov. "I firmly back the Government. A common energy policy is a must," the head of State said, reacting to the news. Regarding the implementation of the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis Oil Pipeline Project, Borissov said that it will go ahead only if the Environment Ministry allows it.
Under the heading "More Mine Gifts Will Go Off," "24 Chassa" notes that not a single lev was spent throughout 2009 on destruction of surplus ammunition. This gives Deputy Defence Minister Valentin Radev, who also chairs the association of ammunition experts, a strong cause for concern. "Tonnes of arms stake their victims in Bulgaria," "Sega" writes.
"We will not withdraw our confidence from the Cabinet until January, but if the police state tricks continue, we will react using all possible democratic means," Atanas Semov MP of Order, Lawfulness and Justice told "Douma" in an interview headlined "They Force Us into Opposition."
"The only sensible conclusion from the case of Tagarinski is that the proportional representation electoral system is total crap and must be immediately dumped," Valeri Naidenov writes in "24 Chassa". He argued that if all 240 MPs were elected directly and each had a constituency of his own, this would not have happened. "First, because Mr Tagarinski would not have made it to Parliament. Secondly, because even if did, he would have been awfully afraid of voters and would not embark on such antics. And thirdly, if Mr Tagarinski represented a single-member constituency, the voters would have recalled him by a local referendum."
Ataka leader Volen Siderov forced almost all Ataka MPs to complete personal guarantees to the benefit of an off-shore company to the amount of 150,000 euro each, in their capacity as natural persons, SKAT TV owner and independent municipal councillor in Bourgas Valeri Simeonov told "Troud." He specified that these guarantees have the status of promissory notes: they are drawn up in a single copy which is held by Siderov and, upon demand, the signer incurs liability for the amount of 150,000 euro secured by his property. "I will sue Simeonov for this lie," Siderov reacted.
MPs will be able to spend half of the amount for foreign trips allocated by previous National Assembly Chairman Georgi Pirinski, "Monitor" writes in its top story. Shortly before leaving office, Pirinski decided to sign a 4 million leva deal for plane tickets only. His successor Tsetska Tsacheva is planning to spend a little over 1.8 million leva, inclusive of VAT.
* * *
"How many Roma are there in Bulgaria? Devla tujane (God only knows)," writes "Troud." According to the latest census conducted by the National Statistical Institute and non-governmental organizations dealing with minority problems, the Roma in this country number slightly over 370,000 - as many have identified as Roma. Antonina Zhelyazkova, Director of the International Center for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations, counts 650,000, while Roumyan Sechkov, Director of the Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives (C.E.G.A.) Foundation, puts the figure at 800,000. According to Roma leaders, including Tsvetelin Kunchev, their community is 1.2 million strong, of whom 800,000 are qualified voters. The leader of the Roma party DROM Iliya Iliev notes that 1 million Roma live in Bulgaria. Eighty per cent of them do not have hot running water, 40 per cent are illietrate, and 59 per cent of young Roma are unemployed, "Troud" writes. Three thousand Roma study at universities.
* * *
"Ataka" and "Monitor" front-page the news that amidst unprecedented security, the authorities started demolishing the unlawful oppulent beach houses in the Chengene Skele locality near Bourgas. The first four out of a total of 257 luxury buildings there were bulldozed to rubble as their owners looked on. The spectacular demolition operation was guarded by over 200 gendarmes in full riot gear.
Vehicular speed in Sofia averages 12 km/h because of the traffic jams, "24 Chassa" found in an experiment. Many of the traffic jams are caused by parents driving their children to school, according to Sofia Chief Architect Peter Dikov. According to him, nobody send their children to the neighbourhood school any longer, which adds to peak hour congestions.
ECONOMY
More than 60 per cent of the global companies with business in Bulgaria will continue to invest in this country, and one-third will even take advantage of the current situation to increase their investment, The Economic Intelligence Unit found in a survey of 70 leading managers of global companies, reported by "Klassa" on its front page. The good news is that just 12 per cent are planning to cut back their investments in Bulgaria.
Most managers (75 per cent) are concerned with macroeconomic instability. Another 55 per cent fear corruption and 43 per cent are apprehensive of the lack of political will for reforms and the business environment.
Housing prices will fall by at least 10 per cent on the average this winter, brokers forecast to "24 Chassa." They expect a slack market until spring, after which a pick-up is possible only provided the economy starts recovering.
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
"I will sue everybody who invented the product Krassyo," Krassimir "Krassyo" Georgiev says in a "24 Chassa" interview. Georgiev is a witness in a case on trade in influence in the judicial system. He says that once the investigation is completed, he will take legal action against those who marred his prestige. Supreme Judicial Council member Ivan Kolev will have to prove in court that Krassimir Georgiev is the "Krassyo" who offers judicial appointments for money, he adds. "My statements can cause at least ten more scandals like this one," the interviewee says. He has retained a "renowned foreign law firm."
"Troud" found that judges may get up to two wages in Christmas bonuses, but just 20 per cent of prosecutors and investigating magistrates will receive bonuses of one wage. To be eligible, they must have concluded cases of great public interest. The discrepancy emerged after the Supreme Judicial Council decided on the handout of 24 million leva in "personal bonuses."
The proposed amendments to the Penal Procedure Code restrict citizens' access to cassation and to resumption of criminal cases: in this way, the State reconciles itself to a huge number of miscarriages of justice, which can be corrected only in Strasbourg, Supreme Bar Council Chair Daniela Dokovska says in an interview for "Troud." As she puts it, the worst thing is that the amendments presume that both the defence lawyer and the defendant act in bad faith when they exercise their procedural rights, because the right to defence is treated as abuse of the right to defence.
* * *
Lord Edward Davenport, 24, of the UK, was engaged in scams of Bulgarian seaside properties worth millions, "Standart News" writes in its top story. Davenport and two other persons were charged last week with conspiracy to defraud and money laundering. This is the largest international investigation about loan swindling in history. The criminal group handled properties in Austria, Turkey, Cyprus and other countries.
* * *
"Braggarts Can Be Found among Freemasons, Too:" under this heading, "Troud" runs an interveiw with Grigorii Vazov, Master of the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria. "We have 24 lodges in Sofia, many of them have temples of their own," he says. "In the world, real masonic temples are open to public visits. This is not yet the case in Bulgaria, but will happen too. A masonic temple will go under construction within my term of office," Vazov notes.
* * *
The most successful Bulgarian businessman in the US, Shefket Chapadjiev, personally inspected the world's first tourist spaceship that will be launched in 2012, the papers reports. In the Mojave Desert, New Mexico, Chapadjiev toured Space Two, on board of which he will spend two and a half hours, of which 5 minutes in zero gravity. Together with the Madan-born millionaire, another 300 enthusaists will head for outer space. They have paid 200,000 US dollars each for the thrill.
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 –December 9, 2009
· The National Assembly decided Wednesday to relieve Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) MP Emilia
Maslarova of her duties as chair of the parliamentary Labour and Social Policy Committee.
The debate of the draft resolution on relieving Emilia Maslarova of her duties, moved by Blue Coalition Co-chairman Ivan Kostov and a group of MPs, began last Friday.
After the vote the BSP MPs left the hall, with the Chairman of the Coalition for Bulgaria parliamentary group declaring that the left will give up chairing all commissions in which they participate.
Maslarova told journalists that she is leaving the Labour and Social Policy Committee.
Earlier in November, Prosecutor-General Boris Velchev asked MPs to strip Maslarova of her immunity from prosecution which she had under Bulgarian law as an MP. Maslarova voluntarily renounced her immunity before the matter was tabled for debate.
· The parliamentary group of Order, Lawfulness and Justice (OLJ) has been erased from the register of parliamentary groups, National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva said Wednesday after announcing that Mario Tagarinski has submitted an application for leaving the group.
Tagarinski's move reduced the number of the OLJ group to nine MPs and according to the parliamentary rules of organization and procedure the group has terminated its existence as the number is below the minimum of ten members, Tsacheva explained.
OLJ Chairman Yane Yanev declared at a briefing in Parliament that an understanding between Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, President Georgi Purvanov and the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) has led to the eradication of the parliamentary group of the party he leads. According to him, the reason is to remove him from the Consultative Council on National Security with the President.
tirsdag den 8. december 2009
Bulgarian press review, December 8, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, December 8 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Troud" writes that talking with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Monday, Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) leader Yani Yanev demanded ultimatively that his parliamentary group be preserved. "There is only one way for the OLJ - restoring its group by 09:00 hrs on Wednesday," Yanev is quoted as saying. The party is on the verge of disintegration after last Friday its MP Mario Tagarinski walked out of the OLJ parliamentary group. According to the parliamentary rules of procedure, a parliamentary group must have ten members, and now that Tagarinski has left Yanev's group, its members are nine. "After my decision is announced in Parliament, I will remain in it as an independent MP," Tagarinski told National Radio on Monday. In his words, the "OLJ project has become too personalized." "Everybody knows that the word 'ultimatum' does not go down with me," Borissov is quoted as saying.
"OLJ: Here It Comes, There It Goes," "Troud" says discussing the latest developments at the OLJ and the speculations that GERB has a hand in what is happening with it. "The deputy prime minister stated unambiguously that the OLJ is not a political project but a project of SANS (State Agency for National Security)," the author of the article writes. "As if he wanted to say "here it comes, there it goes. Besides, the existence of a political representation fighting corruption more violently than Boyko Borissov is of no use to GERB. That is, this is a clue pointing to an intrigue concocted by the incumbents. On the other hand, however, GERB loses an ally in the fifth month of its rule. What is more, maybe it is making an enemy which is more dangerous than the BSP (Bulgarian Socialist Party). Because there is no more dangerous enemy than a former ally.
"Sega" observes that Tagarinski's act has been enough to upset the balance of power. "The buffoonery dubbed 'The OLJ Disintegration' has brought to light the backstage machinations of the concealed government," the item says. "Yani Yanev lost forever his top position in the key Anti-Corruption Committee (Anti-Corruption, Conflict of Interests and Parliamentary Ethics Committee of the National Assembly chaired by Yanev), the purpose of which is to establish the anti-mafia image of the incumbents. The risk of the OLJ taking over the helm of SANS next year, where the damage it can cause may prove fatal, is also eliminated. No doubt, the other two allies of GERB - the Blue Coalition and Ataka - can only but benefit from the weakening of OLJ.
* * *
We should not rule out a coalition of GERB and the MRF (Movement for Rights and Freedoms)," Ivailo Kalfin MEP says in an interview for "Sega." As the major attacks target the BSP while the MRF is in the leeway, Kalfin admits that some secret political agreement between GERB and the MRF is possible. "If we consider the prime minister's language and his attitude to the MRF before and after the elections, and if we consider the attitude of some media to the cabinet, we will see that undoubtedly there is some warmth in the relations between GERB and the MRF. The MRF have not formed a coalition only with GERB of the bigger parties, and such a variant should not be ruled out. It is not important whether it would be an official coalition or just support given when some crucial decision is to be adopted by Parliament. What matters is that they [GERB] can rely on their [the MRF's] support," Kalfin says.
* * *
"UDF Marks Its 20th Anniversary," "24 Chassa" notes. The Union of Democratic Forces was set up on December 7, 1989. The UDF National Council on Monday had an extraordinary meeting and approved a declaration on this occasion. "The UDF is not a party of the transition but a consistent political force which has mapped out the right track Bulgaria should go. We have not betrayed people's hopes. Today is a holiday for all democrats," says the declaration which was passed unanimously.
* * *
Referring to President Georgi Purvanov, who is also Supreme Commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, "24 Chassa" writes that in the opinion of the head of state, cuts in the army's strength should be reduced to a minimum. This is what Purvanov said in Varna on Monday where he attended the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of poet Nikola Vaptsarov. He was commenting on a statement by the defence minister that the army should be downsized due to the Ministry's limited funds. In Purvanov's view, cutting the army's strength should be a step of last resort; before taking it, the Ministry's expenditures should be optimized and the relevant statutory framework should be revised.
* * *
Cadets will have the status of military again, "Troud" says referring to a statement Defence Minister Nikolay Mladenov made at the N. Y. Vaptsarov Naval School in Varna on Monday. In the current Defence Act, the young people studying at the Military University and the military schools are treated as students. However, the new leadership of the Defence Ministry has proposed to revise it and grant them military status.
* * *
"Sega" discusses the head of state's right to pardon inmates, pointing out that this activity should be made public. President Purvanov must take the moral responsibility for the new arrest of Roma leader Tsvetelin Kunchev whom he pardoned four years ago without setting forth his motives in public, the daily writes. "But one thing is clear - it is this pardon that allowed Kunchev to run in the parliamentary elections at the time and to support Purvanov when the latter make his bid for a second term in the Presidency. Which logically raises the question whether the right to pardon involves a humane act or is just used to make deals. The presidential institution should be the most transparent one, and its acts of mercy must be crystal clear. Because this is a right vested in the president by the people both through the Constitution and through the direct election of the head of state. It is not a prerogative of a monarch for life who is under no obligation to give explanations to anybody."
* * *
“24 Chassa" devotes space to the conflict between the Bulgarian Medical Association and the Health Ministry and the lack of a national framework agreement between them. According to Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev, the agreement is ready 95 per cent, what remains are some provisions concerning pricing. The problem is that by law the framework agreement must be signed before passing the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). The other alternative is to amend the operative legislation and sign the agreement after the NHIF budget is approved. In the first case there will be an agreement but the NHIF will not know how much money it has; in the other one the agreement will be concluded on the basis of the available money. It depends what the National Assembly will decide," Nanev says. "The health minister appears to have forgotten he is a medical doctor," Bulgarian Medical Association President Tsvetan Raichinov says. In his words, it is illogical to pledge you are going to stick to the agreement principles and then not to sign an agreement claiming the deadline has been missed. Raichinov is categorical that the medical establishment will not bear responsibility for a reform they are not taking part in.
* * *
"Monitor" runs an interview with Ivan Vulkov, Chairman of the Transport Committee of the National Assembly, who discusses the expected revision of the Road Traffic Act. He observes that the amending bill seeks to improve road traffic safety and reduce road accidents and their victims. Severer sanctions will be introduced for drunk driving, speeding and for persons driving motor vehicles without having a driving licence. A considerable part of the road accidents in the past two years have been due to these three offences.
* * *
"Sega" reports that the prosecuting magistracy have charged two MPs of the MRF, Gyunai Sefer and Mithat Tabakov, with document fraud. In mid-November, Prosecutor General Boris Velchev requested Parliament to strip them of immunity over abuses involving public procurement contracts. Now they are charged with document fraud and if convicted, they may be given between 10 and 20 years in prison.
ECONOMY
Having made a check, "Troud" writes that farmers were not paid their direct subsidies by December 5 as promised. The Finance Ministry said the money would probably be remitted within a week. About 330 million leva of the 771 million leva in direct subsidies and 60 million leva designed for stock-breeders for 2009 were to be paid in December but this would hardly happen as on December 21 the Treasury suspends its operation for the Christmas and New Year season.
* * *
"We are late but it is more important to sell the excess of harmful emissions," Dimiter Brankov, Vice President of the Bulgarian Industrial Association, says in an interview for "Dnevnik." Late last week the Environment and Waters Ministry completed the plan on the distribution of quotas among Bulgarian industrial enterprises. After its approval by the Council of Ministers, the plan will be submitted to the European Commission which has been rejecting it for two years now. In Brankov's view, the sales of emissions should start the soonest possible as prices are very low, about 8-9 US dollars per ton, and continue to drop. "If Brussels approves our plan, we can start selling next year," he says.
BULGARIA - EU
"Sega" writes that political games prevent Bulgaria from introducing the euro. There are political and not economic reasons that hinder Bulgaria's access to ERM2, it emerged at an international conference on economic and political challenges before the entry into the euro zone, organized Monday by the Open Society Institute. Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) Governor Ivan Iskrov described the process as extremely complicated, "especially behind the scenes." He cited examples showing that a number of EU member states joined the Euro zone without satisfying the Maastricht criteria. "If we stay out of the Euro zone for another ten years, we may come to not wanting to enter it at all," Georgi Angelov, senior economist at the Open Society Institute, is quoted as saying.
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 – November 30, 2009
· Burgas - Alexandroupolis project
Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW) will have to decide on Burgas - Alexandroupolis project, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said before journalists. "Currently the project is given in the Ministry of Ecology for Environmental Assessment," Borisov said. On question - will the ecology be the only reason that will stop the project, Borisov said: "What more important? If MEW does not issue an environmental impact assessment (EIA) that the project is legitimate and meets our standards as a country ...".
Boyko Borisov said further: "Unfortunately, the negotiations which had been led so far, had different opinions, much more profitable for Bulgaria. So we wait the decision of MEW on these issues. The period for EIA is 18 months.
· ILLEGAL HOUSES - DEMOLITION - BOURGAS
Authorities Demolish Illegal Houses on the Coast
to Clear Area for Fishing Village.An operation started to clear an area of what should have been a fishing village but has instead turned into a quarter of squatter houses near the Black Sea city of Bourgas. Some 200 police and gendarmerie are there to take care of security.
There are a total of 247 illegal houses in the area. Four unfinished houses will be flattened out Tuesday and the rest will go over the next two months, said Milen Nenchev of the local construction supervision authoruty.
Most of these are solid houses of two, three or more floors and their owners reportedly have nothing to do with fishing. Some of the buildings stand right there on the beach which is exclusive state property and nothing is supposed to be built there.
The house owners have squatted on public land in a process that became particularly intensive in the past 15 years. It all started 30 years ago when the local authorities gave away small land plots to fishermen and these started setting up a fishing village on an area around thee canals some 10 km south of
Bourgas. Large-scale construction by squatters started after 1989.
The area that will be cleared after the demolition will turn
into a fishing village as per the new spatial development plan for Bourgas.
· New skiing season in Bulgaria
The new skiing season will be officially opened on December 12.
The big attraction will be a charity competition at the Alberto Tomba ski-run with the participation of a couple of legendary skiers, Pirin Skiing Zone Director Ivan Obreikov told BTA. Expected to participate are Marc Girardelli, Pirmin Zurbriggen, Petar Popangelov, Peter Muller, etc.
Regardless of the high prices, the Bulgarian Tourist Chamber has reported that bookings for the winter season in Bulgaria by foreign tourists are five per cent up year-on-year. Highest number of reservations have been made for Bansko, followed by Borovets and Pamporovo. The winter season is expected to be "saved" by Russian, Serbian and Macedonian tourists.
Sofia, December 8 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Troud" writes that talking with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Monday, Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) leader Yani Yanev demanded ultimatively that his parliamentary group be preserved. "There is only one way for the OLJ - restoring its group by 09:00 hrs on Wednesday," Yanev is quoted as saying. The party is on the verge of disintegration after last Friday its MP Mario Tagarinski walked out of the OLJ parliamentary group. According to the parliamentary rules of procedure, a parliamentary group must have ten members, and now that Tagarinski has left Yanev's group, its members are nine. "After my decision is announced in Parliament, I will remain in it as an independent MP," Tagarinski told National Radio on Monday. In his words, the "OLJ project has become too personalized." "Everybody knows that the word 'ultimatum' does not go down with me," Borissov is quoted as saying.
"OLJ: Here It Comes, There It Goes," "Troud" says discussing the latest developments at the OLJ and the speculations that GERB has a hand in what is happening with it. "The deputy prime minister stated unambiguously that the OLJ is not a political project but a project of SANS (State Agency for National Security)," the author of the article writes. "As if he wanted to say "here it comes, there it goes. Besides, the existence of a political representation fighting corruption more violently than Boyko Borissov is of no use to GERB. That is, this is a clue pointing to an intrigue concocted by the incumbents. On the other hand, however, GERB loses an ally in the fifth month of its rule. What is more, maybe it is making an enemy which is more dangerous than the BSP (Bulgarian Socialist Party). Because there is no more dangerous enemy than a former ally.
"Sega" observes that Tagarinski's act has been enough to upset the balance of power. "The buffoonery dubbed 'The OLJ Disintegration' has brought to light the backstage machinations of the concealed government," the item says. "Yani Yanev lost forever his top position in the key Anti-Corruption Committee (Anti-Corruption, Conflict of Interests and Parliamentary Ethics Committee of the National Assembly chaired by Yanev), the purpose of which is to establish the anti-mafia image of the incumbents. The risk of the OLJ taking over the helm of SANS next year, where the damage it can cause may prove fatal, is also eliminated. No doubt, the other two allies of GERB - the Blue Coalition and Ataka - can only but benefit from the weakening of OLJ.
* * *
We should not rule out a coalition of GERB and the MRF (Movement for Rights and Freedoms)," Ivailo Kalfin MEP says in an interview for "Sega." As the major attacks target the BSP while the MRF is in the leeway, Kalfin admits that some secret political agreement between GERB and the MRF is possible. "If we consider the prime minister's language and his attitude to the MRF before and after the elections, and if we consider the attitude of some media to the cabinet, we will see that undoubtedly there is some warmth in the relations between GERB and the MRF. The MRF have not formed a coalition only with GERB of the bigger parties, and such a variant should not be ruled out. It is not important whether it would be an official coalition or just support given when some crucial decision is to be adopted by Parliament. What matters is that they [GERB] can rely on their [the MRF's] support," Kalfin says.
* * *
"UDF Marks Its 20th Anniversary," "24 Chassa" notes. The Union of Democratic Forces was set up on December 7, 1989. The UDF National Council on Monday had an extraordinary meeting and approved a declaration on this occasion. "The UDF is not a party of the transition but a consistent political force which has mapped out the right track Bulgaria should go. We have not betrayed people's hopes. Today is a holiday for all democrats," says the declaration which was passed unanimously.
* * *
Referring to President Georgi Purvanov, who is also Supreme Commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, "24 Chassa" writes that in the opinion of the head of state, cuts in the army's strength should be reduced to a minimum. This is what Purvanov said in Varna on Monday where he attended the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of poet Nikola Vaptsarov. He was commenting on a statement by the defence minister that the army should be downsized due to the Ministry's limited funds. In Purvanov's view, cutting the army's strength should be a step of last resort; before taking it, the Ministry's expenditures should be optimized and the relevant statutory framework should be revised.
* * *
Cadets will have the status of military again, "Troud" says referring to a statement Defence Minister Nikolay Mladenov made at the N. Y. Vaptsarov Naval School in Varna on Monday. In the current Defence Act, the young people studying at the Military University and the military schools are treated as students. However, the new leadership of the Defence Ministry has proposed to revise it and grant them military status.
* * *
"Sega" discusses the head of state's right to pardon inmates, pointing out that this activity should be made public. President Purvanov must take the moral responsibility for the new arrest of Roma leader Tsvetelin Kunchev whom he pardoned four years ago without setting forth his motives in public, the daily writes. "But one thing is clear - it is this pardon that allowed Kunchev to run in the parliamentary elections at the time and to support Purvanov when the latter make his bid for a second term in the Presidency. Which logically raises the question whether the right to pardon involves a humane act or is just used to make deals. The presidential institution should be the most transparent one, and its acts of mercy must be crystal clear. Because this is a right vested in the president by the people both through the Constitution and through the direct election of the head of state. It is not a prerogative of a monarch for life who is under no obligation to give explanations to anybody."
* * *
“24 Chassa" devotes space to the conflict between the Bulgarian Medical Association and the Health Ministry and the lack of a national framework agreement between them. According to Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev, the agreement is ready 95 per cent, what remains are some provisions concerning pricing. The problem is that by law the framework agreement must be signed before passing the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). The other alternative is to amend the operative legislation and sign the agreement after the NHIF budget is approved. In the first case there will be an agreement but the NHIF will not know how much money it has; in the other one the agreement will be concluded on the basis of the available money. It depends what the National Assembly will decide," Nanev says. "The health minister appears to have forgotten he is a medical doctor," Bulgarian Medical Association President Tsvetan Raichinov says. In his words, it is illogical to pledge you are going to stick to the agreement principles and then not to sign an agreement claiming the deadline has been missed. Raichinov is categorical that the medical establishment will not bear responsibility for a reform they are not taking part in.
* * *
"Monitor" runs an interview with Ivan Vulkov, Chairman of the Transport Committee of the National Assembly, who discusses the expected revision of the Road Traffic Act. He observes that the amending bill seeks to improve road traffic safety and reduce road accidents and their victims. Severer sanctions will be introduced for drunk driving, speeding and for persons driving motor vehicles without having a driving licence. A considerable part of the road accidents in the past two years have been due to these three offences.
* * *
"Sega" reports that the prosecuting magistracy have charged two MPs of the MRF, Gyunai Sefer and Mithat Tabakov, with document fraud. In mid-November, Prosecutor General Boris Velchev requested Parliament to strip them of immunity over abuses involving public procurement contracts. Now they are charged with document fraud and if convicted, they may be given between 10 and 20 years in prison.
ECONOMY
Having made a check, "Troud" writes that farmers were not paid their direct subsidies by December 5 as promised. The Finance Ministry said the money would probably be remitted within a week. About 330 million leva of the 771 million leva in direct subsidies and 60 million leva designed for stock-breeders for 2009 were to be paid in December but this would hardly happen as on December 21 the Treasury suspends its operation for the Christmas and New Year season.
* * *
"We are late but it is more important to sell the excess of harmful emissions," Dimiter Brankov, Vice President of the Bulgarian Industrial Association, says in an interview for "Dnevnik." Late last week the Environment and Waters Ministry completed the plan on the distribution of quotas among Bulgarian industrial enterprises. After its approval by the Council of Ministers, the plan will be submitted to the European Commission which has been rejecting it for two years now. In Brankov's view, the sales of emissions should start the soonest possible as prices are very low, about 8-9 US dollars per ton, and continue to drop. "If Brussels approves our plan, we can start selling next year," he says.
BULGARIA - EU
"Sega" writes that political games prevent Bulgaria from introducing the euro. There are political and not economic reasons that hinder Bulgaria's access to ERM2, it emerged at an international conference on economic and political challenges before the entry into the euro zone, organized Monday by the Open Society Institute. Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) Governor Ivan Iskrov described the process as extremely complicated, "especially behind the scenes." He cited examples showing that a number of EU member states joined the Euro zone without satisfying the Maastricht criteria. "If we stay out of the Euro zone for another ten years, we may come to not wanting to enter it at all," Georgi Angelov, senior economist at the Open Society Institute, is quoted as saying.
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 – November 30, 2009
· Burgas - Alexandroupolis project
Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW) will have to decide on Burgas - Alexandroupolis project, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said before journalists. "Currently the project is given in the Ministry of Ecology for Environmental Assessment," Borisov said. On question - will the ecology be the only reason that will stop the project, Borisov said: "What more important? If MEW does not issue an environmental impact assessment (EIA) that the project is legitimate and meets our standards as a country ...".
Boyko Borisov said further: "Unfortunately, the negotiations which had been led so far, had different opinions, much more profitable for Bulgaria. So we wait the decision of MEW on these issues. The period for EIA is 18 months.
· ILLEGAL HOUSES - DEMOLITION - BOURGAS
Authorities Demolish Illegal Houses on the Coast
to Clear Area for Fishing Village.An operation started to clear an area of what should have been a fishing village but has instead turned into a quarter of squatter houses near the Black Sea city of Bourgas. Some 200 police and gendarmerie are there to take care of security.
There are a total of 247 illegal houses in the area. Four unfinished houses will be flattened out Tuesday and the rest will go over the next two months, said Milen Nenchev of the local construction supervision authoruty.
Most of these are solid houses of two, three or more floors and their owners reportedly have nothing to do with fishing. Some of the buildings stand right there on the beach which is exclusive state property and nothing is supposed to be built there.
The house owners have squatted on public land in a process that became particularly intensive in the past 15 years. It all started 30 years ago when the local authorities gave away small land plots to fishermen and these started setting up a fishing village on an area around thee canals some 10 km south of
Bourgas. Large-scale construction by squatters started after 1989.
The area that will be cleared after the demolition will turn
into a fishing village as per the new spatial development plan for Bourgas.
· New skiing season in Bulgaria
The new skiing season will be officially opened on December 12.
The big attraction will be a charity competition at the Alberto Tomba ski-run with the participation of a couple of legendary skiers, Pirin Skiing Zone Director Ivan Obreikov told BTA. Expected to participate are Marc Girardelli, Pirmin Zurbriggen, Petar Popangelov, Peter Muller, etc.
Regardless of the high prices, the Bulgarian Tourist Chamber has reported that bookings for the winter season in Bulgaria by foreign tourists are five per cent up year-on-year. Highest number of reservations have been made for Bansko, followed by Borovets and Pamporovo. The winter season is expected to be "saved" by Russian, Serbian and Macedonian tourists.
mandag den 7. december 2009
Bulgarian press review, December 7, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, December 7 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
The death of the three boys of the care home for children deprived of parental care in Kroumovgrad (Southeastern Bulgaria) was caused by an old mine, "Troud" writes in a frontpage story. It exploded at 14 hrs on Saturday and killed on the spot Djengiz Djemal, 15. His roommates Sunai Muhtar, 16, and Djengiz Haaumi, 13, died of their wounds in hospital. The boys reportedly thought that they were connecting the wires of a loudspeaker. They took the device from the yard of heating technician Hamdi Ali. "There is information that a person having served at the Kroumovgrad military unit smuggled anti-tank mines from the facility," Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov says quoted by the same paper.
***
Draft amendments to the Defence Act propose that the Chief of the Defence Staff is elected among all general rather than among the ones assuming eight high-ranking positions in the army, as is the case now. This is what Defence Minister Nickolay Mladenov says in an interview for the "Troud" paper. Besides the draft amendments envisage an increase of its term in office from three to four years. If excessive property is not sold, the Ministry will have to pay 24 million leva for its security, the Defence Minister notes. Mladenov says that 2010 will be dedicated to financial provision of the overseas missions.
***
There should be an emergency department in every hospital that should operate round-the-clock throughout the whole week. According to "Standart News", this is envisages in the healthcare reform, which is expected to be launched as of 2010. The hospitals will be distributed into three categories depending on the services they offer.
***
The Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) withdraws its confidence from the Health Minister and would not participate in the negotiations for National Framework Agreement 2010 anymore, "Douma" writes citing BMA President Dr. Tsvetan Raichinov. According to him, the new Government does not have a clear strategy about the development of healthcare; there is chaos in the system, from which both patients and doctors are suffering. "BMA: There Is Chaos and Lobbyism in Healthcare," reads a headline in "Zemya".
***
In interviews granted for "Klassa" and "Novinar", Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rosen Plevneliev voices concern over the appointment of a chief of the Road Infrastructure Agency due to the lack of interest in the position. Answering a question of the "Novinar" reporter about a "friendly circle", Plevneliev says he is proud of his friends because they have stopped calling him since his appointment as cabinet minister.
***
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) will withdraw its representatives from the leadership of all parliamentary committees, BSP leader Sergei Stanishev says quoted by "Douma". This decision has been prompted by the political scandal involving ex-social minister Emilia Maslarova. In early November Prosecutor General Boris Velchev asked Parliament to strip Maslarova of parliamentary immunity enabling the taking of legal proceedings on charges of misusing funds under the Beautiful Bulgaria project. Maslarova responded by waving her immunity.
***
President Georgi Purvanov and former agent of the State Agency for National Security Aleksei Petrov are behind the disintegration of the parliamentary group of Order, Lawfulness, Justice, "Ataka" writes.
***
In an article in the "Troud" paper political analyst Andrei Raichev says that there are two signs of the disintegration of democracy: lack of free elections for its strong form and taking away the power from the National Assembly for the light form. Bulgaria is not threatened by the first option but it is heading decisively towards the second one, according to the author. The main task of National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva is to guard the power away from Parliament rather than guard Parliament's power. In Raichev's review it is ridiculous that the MPs are barred from forming new parliamentary groups.
***
"Standart News" reports about high tension in the Customs Office given that some 600 of its employees will be laid off in the next ten days.
***
Only Rumiana Jeleva likes her portfolio at the European Commission, says former foreign minister Ivailo Kalfin in an interview for "Douma".
ECONOMY
Bulgaria's rating was changed from negative to steady just a few days ago, Bulgarian National Bank Governor Ivan Iskrov says in an interview for "24 Chassa". "If we keep on like this there will be also a drop of the banks' interests." He categorically dismisses the possibility of a hyperinflation. "We are all unanimous that the currency board and the fixed exchange rate will be preserved until the introduction of the euro," he notes. Taking a question Iskrov says that his wife's and his saving are in leva-denominated accounts held in Bulgarian banks.
The average interest rate in Bulgaria is three-fold lower than that in Romania, "Klassa" writes. As at end-September 2009 the average interest rate in Bulgaria was 8.4 per cent, compared to 4.9 per cent in the Czech Republic, 14.5 per cent in Hungary, 12.5 per cent in Lithuania and 26.5 per cent in Romania, the paper says.
***
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov promised that the agreement on the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project will be publicized, the dailies report. "We will publicize the document so that you could see that it does not contain clauses allowing any of the parties to withdraw," Borissov reportedly said in Bourgas cited by "Troud". According to the Prime Minister, the pipeline would create ecological problems in the region and the agreement was formulated in such a manner that Bulgaria could be but a defaulting party on it.
***
"We would like that Bulgaria clarifies its position as soon as possible," says Russian Ambassador here Yury Isakov before "Troud" taking a question on whether there is delay of the Belene N-plant, South Stream and Bourgas-Alexandroupolis projects. "If you ask me where the problem is, I would say that the Bulgarian side should confirm its political readiness and resolve to implement these projects jointly with Russia."
Cited by the "Troud" paper, US Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar, who was on a visit here, voices disagreement with statements that South Stream is a more realistic project than Nabucco. In his view South Stream is expensive and there is no clarity about how it would be supplied with gas. If it simply replaces the Ukrainian deliveries, it would not necessarily be a strong competitor of Nabucco. He advises Bulgaria not to rush and to consult internal and external experts so as to take the right decision.
"Pari" writes that Bulgaria has not paid its shareholder interest in the project for 2009 to the amount of 5 million euro. The country did not keep its promise to tell the Russians by November 1 whether it will participate in the project either.
***
In an interview for "Telegraf" Bulgarian Industrial Association President Bozhidar Danev says that the business is burdened with 1,094 fees.
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
"24 Chassa" writes that Foreign Minister Jeleva ordered urgent investigation of the Bulgarian mission in Brazil due to reports that a disco club has been operating on the territory of the embassy.
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 – December 7, 2009
· Bulgaria prosecutors have raised charges of manslaughter by gross negligence against 4 of those arrested over the tragedy in Krumovgrad on Saturday in which three teenagers died. A total of six people have so far been arrested for the deadly blast, which was caused by an explosive device that went off in one of the rooms of the social care home. Prosecutor Svetlozar Lazarov said that more arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.
· Charges of document fraud have been brought against Gyunai Sefer MP and Mithat Tabakov MP of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, the prosecuting magistracy said on Monday. In the period between October 16 and November 28, 2006 in Doulovo, Silistra Region, together with Rossitsa Milcheva they received 373,723.87 leva from the Public Investment Projects company without legal grounds through the use of counterfeit documents. Sefer and Tabakov have been placed under recognizance not to leave.
· Emerging from a meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to discuss the predicament of the parliamentary group of his Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ), OLJ leader Yane Yanev said that "the only solution in this situation" is to have the OLJ group restored before Wednesday morning. The OLJ group is faced with what seems like imminent disbandment due to the walkout of one MP, Mario Tagarinksi, which left it smaller than the required minimum of ten MPs for a parliamentary group to exist. Tagarinski has since refused to speak to OLJ and OLJ blamed all of this on a GERB conspiracy.
Sofia, December 7 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
The death of the three boys of the care home for children deprived of parental care in Kroumovgrad (Southeastern Bulgaria) was caused by an old mine, "Troud" writes in a frontpage story. It exploded at 14 hrs on Saturday and killed on the spot Djengiz Djemal, 15. His roommates Sunai Muhtar, 16, and Djengiz Haaumi, 13, died of their wounds in hospital. The boys reportedly thought that they were connecting the wires of a loudspeaker. They took the device from the yard of heating technician Hamdi Ali. "There is information that a person having served at the Kroumovgrad military unit smuggled anti-tank mines from the facility," Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov says quoted by the same paper.
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Draft amendments to the Defence Act propose that the Chief of the Defence Staff is elected among all general rather than among the ones assuming eight high-ranking positions in the army, as is the case now. This is what Defence Minister Nickolay Mladenov says in an interview for the "Troud" paper. Besides the draft amendments envisage an increase of its term in office from three to four years. If excessive property is not sold, the Ministry will have to pay 24 million leva for its security, the Defence Minister notes. Mladenov says that 2010 will be dedicated to financial provision of the overseas missions.
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There should be an emergency department in every hospital that should operate round-the-clock throughout the whole week. According to "Standart News", this is envisages in the healthcare reform, which is expected to be launched as of 2010. The hospitals will be distributed into three categories depending on the services they offer.
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The Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) withdraws its confidence from the Health Minister and would not participate in the negotiations for National Framework Agreement 2010 anymore, "Douma" writes citing BMA President Dr. Tsvetan Raichinov. According to him, the new Government does not have a clear strategy about the development of healthcare; there is chaos in the system, from which both patients and doctors are suffering. "BMA: There Is Chaos and Lobbyism in Healthcare," reads a headline in "Zemya".
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In interviews granted for "Klassa" and "Novinar", Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rosen Plevneliev voices concern over the appointment of a chief of the Road Infrastructure Agency due to the lack of interest in the position. Answering a question of the "Novinar" reporter about a "friendly circle", Plevneliev says he is proud of his friends because they have stopped calling him since his appointment as cabinet minister.
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The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) will withdraw its representatives from the leadership of all parliamentary committees, BSP leader Sergei Stanishev says quoted by "Douma". This decision has been prompted by the political scandal involving ex-social minister Emilia Maslarova. In early November Prosecutor General Boris Velchev asked Parliament to strip Maslarova of parliamentary immunity enabling the taking of legal proceedings on charges of misusing funds under the Beautiful Bulgaria project. Maslarova responded by waving her immunity.
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President Georgi Purvanov and former agent of the State Agency for National Security Aleksei Petrov are behind the disintegration of the parliamentary group of Order, Lawfulness, Justice, "Ataka" writes.
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In an article in the "Troud" paper political analyst Andrei Raichev says that there are two signs of the disintegration of democracy: lack of free elections for its strong form and taking away the power from the National Assembly for the light form. Bulgaria is not threatened by the first option but it is heading decisively towards the second one, according to the author. The main task of National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva is to guard the power away from Parliament rather than guard Parliament's power. In Raichev's review it is ridiculous that the MPs are barred from forming new parliamentary groups.
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"Standart News" reports about high tension in the Customs Office given that some 600 of its employees will be laid off in the next ten days.
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Only Rumiana Jeleva likes her portfolio at the European Commission, says former foreign minister Ivailo Kalfin in an interview for "Douma".
ECONOMY
Bulgaria's rating was changed from negative to steady just a few days ago, Bulgarian National Bank Governor Ivan Iskrov says in an interview for "24 Chassa". "If we keep on like this there will be also a drop of the banks' interests." He categorically dismisses the possibility of a hyperinflation. "We are all unanimous that the currency board and the fixed exchange rate will be preserved until the introduction of the euro," he notes. Taking a question Iskrov says that his wife's and his saving are in leva-denominated accounts held in Bulgarian banks.
The average interest rate in Bulgaria is three-fold lower than that in Romania, "Klassa" writes. As at end-September 2009 the average interest rate in Bulgaria was 8.4 per cent, compared to 4.9 per cent in the Czech Republic, 14.5 per cent in Hungary, 12.5 per cent in Lithuania and 26.5 per cent in Romania, the paper says.
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Prime Minister Boyko Borissov promised that the agreement on the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project will be publicized, the dailies report. "We will publicize the document so that you could see that it does not contain clauses allowing any of the parties to withdraw," Borissov reportedly said in Bourgas cited by "Troud". According to the Prime Minister, the pipeline would create ecological problems in the region and the agreement was formulated in such a manner that Bulgaria could be but a defaulting party on it.
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"We would like that Bulgaria clarifies its position as soon as possible," says Russian Ambassador here Yury Isakov before "Troud" taking a question on whether there is delay of the Belene N-plant, South Stream and Bourgas-Alexandroupolis projects. "If you ask me where the problem is, I would say that the Bulgarian side should confirm its political readiness and resolve to implement these projects jointly with Russia."
Cited by the "Troud" paper, US Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar, who was on a visit here, voices disagreement with statements that South Stream is a more realistic project than Nabucco. In his view South Stream is expensive and there is no clarity about how it would be supplied with gas. If it simply replaces the Ukrainian deliveries, it would not necessarily be a strong competitor of Nabucco. He advises Bulgaria not to rush and to consult internal and external experts so as to take the right decision.
"Pari" writes that Bulgaria has not paid its shareholder interest in the project for 2009 to the amount of 5 million euro. The country did not keep its promise to tell the Russians by November 1 whether it will participate in the project either.
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In an interview for "Telegraf" Bulgarian Industrial Association President Bozhidar Danev says that the business is burdened with 1,094 fees.
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
"24 Chassa" writes that Foreign Minister Jeleva ordered urgent investigation of the Bulgarian mission in Brazil due to reports that a disco club has been operating on the territory of the embassy.
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 – December 7, 2009
· Bulgaria prosecutors have raised charges of manslaughter by gross negligence against 4 of those arrested over the tragedy in Krumovgrad on Saturday in which three teenagers died. A total of six people have so far been arrested for the deadly blast, which was caused by an explosive device that went off in one of the rooms of the social care home. Prosecutor Svetlozar Lazarov said that more arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.
· Charges of document fraud have been brought against Gyunai Sefer MP and Mithat Tabakov MP of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, the prosecuting magistracy said on Monday. In the period between October 16 and November 28, 2006 in Doulovo, Silistra Region, together with Rossitsa Milcheva they received 373,723.87 leva from the Public Investment Projects company without legal grounds through the use of counterfeit documents. Sefer and Tabakov have been placed under recognizance not to leave.
· Emerging from a meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to discuss the predicament of the parliamentary group of his Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ), OLJ leader Yane Yanev said that "the only solution in this situation" is to have the OLJ group restored before Wednesday morning. The OLJ group is faced with what seems like imminent disbandment due to the walkout of one MP, Mario Tagarinksi, which left it smaller than the required minimum of ten MPs for a parliamentary group to exist. Tagarinski has since refused to speak to OLJ and OLJ blamed all of this on a GERB conspiracy.
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