Bulgarian press review, January 12, 2010

Press Review
Sofia, January 12


FOREIGN POLICY

"Klassa" reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recommended to his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov phasing in a lower VAT, by 0.5 per cent each half-year beginning now, rather than reducing it by 2 per cent in a one-off act in 2011, which is what the Bulgarian government is contemplating in a leading article, "Sega" writes that Israel has convinced Borissov to reduce VAT rates. "Pari" caps "Borissov Likes Shocking Idea about VAT." During Netanyahu's term as Finance Minister, the same step took Israel out of a recession, the newspaper explains.

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"Zemya" reports that Bulgaria will give Israel access to its military bases. The prime ministers of Bulgaria and Israel agreed that Israeli aircraft will use Bulgarian military bases for training. The two countries signed a memorandum on military cooperation.

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"Jeleva One Step Short of Being EU Commissioner," report "24 Chassa" and "Troud." Commissioner-designate Rumiana Jeleva has assured European Commission President Jose Barroso that her declaration for conflict of interest is in compliance with the Code of Ethics, the media report, citing the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. Barroso's statement came in response to a letter by the Green Group in the European Parliament, regarding media reports about Jeleva. Barroso also said that allegations of abuse have to be proven. In an interview for "Telegraph", MEP Andrey Kovachev (GERB) is confident that Jeleva will pass the test.

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In a "Troud" interview, Raina Mandjoukova, head of the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, says that more Bulgarian schools have to be opened abroad. In her words, the most active student organizations are in Germany, France, the UK and Ukraine.


HOME AFFAIRS, JUDICIARY

"Telegraph" reports that a check by the prosecuting authorities has found that half the members of the gang, dubbed the Impudent, were undercover agents with various services of the Interior Ministry. Now magistrates are examining documents to see who the recruiting officers were.

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In an interview for "Novinar", Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov says that 12 proceedings against ten members of the Impudent were joined. Kokinov also says that information, provided by radio host Bobby Tsankov, who was shot January 5, was true and he wanted to be useful.

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"The fact that snow on the street was still melting from Bobby Tsankov's blood, when the Big Marguin was arrested and charged with commissioning Tsankov's murder, most likely means that the authorities already knew how and why someone bore a grudge against Tsankov," writes Anna Zarkova in "Troud". The question according to her is why the prosecuting authorities and the police did not use this information and did not appoint a surveillance of Tsankov who thought of himself as a spokesperson for the underworld. Zarkova argues that if the services had shadowed Tsankov, they might have seen who got scared of his book, which encouraged him to write it, or even who had plotted his murder. They might have even caught his killers.

THE HOME SCENE

Quoting the Health Ministry, "24 Chassa" reports that from April 1, those leaving the country have to carry an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Anyone who fails to produce it before the border authorities will not be able to leave. Although the card is required under current legislation, a period of several months free of fine will be given. The Health Ministry explained that the new requirement entitles individuals to free medical aid abroad. The Ministry also said that between 80 and 100 health establishments will close by the end of the year.

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"24 Chassa" reports that parties in 2010 will cost taxpayers 49,902,612 leva (roughly 25 million euro). This is the amount allocated as subsidy to the six parties in Parliament and the two out-of-Parliament opposition formations, LIDER and the National Movement for Surge and Stability, which won more than 1 per cent of the vote in the general elections. The subsidy has risen five times in four years, as it is pegged to the minimum monthly wage. Under latest changes to the Political Parties Act, the subsidy has been increased to shield parties from outside influence.

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Under the leading headline "Thorough Purge in MRF", "Troud" reports that Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan has uprooted the party's top crust and has appointed new deputies. "In opposition we need a new face, new vision. We need to break away from our old ways of governance," said Dogan. The MRF leader went on about taking up "a panel approach", meaning that the MRF has to get rid of its image as a party where decisions are made single-handedly and instead adopt a team decision-making approach, "Troud" explains. Lyutvi Mestan is the only one of Dogan's deputies who has kept his post. Emel Etem, Kassim Dal, Yunal Lyutfi and Yordan Tsonev were demoted to members of the Central Operative Bureau. Dogan's new deputies are Mestan, Filiz Hyusmenova, Hristo Bisserov, Roushen Roza and Aliosman Imamov, the Tuesday media report. According to "Troud", Bisserov is appointed as the MRF strategist. Rossen Vladimiriov, the first Bulgarian to become MRF deputy leader, is not on the movement leadership. Vladimirov did not attend the MRF national conference at the end of December. MRF members say that he is residing abroad.

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In a "24 Chassa" article, Mira Radeva of the MBMD says that in six months the real challenges for GERB will begin. According to her, in 2011 local structures will answer the question whether GERB lives up to the image, created by Boyko Borissov for its political project. The local elections will be an indicator of what people think of GERB local structures. Any irregularities on a regional scale will be brought to light by then, which will inevitably influence the outcome of the elections. The real problem for the government will be the second half of the year: to take the country out of the recession and to prove that it has the political will to handle shady organizations, oligarchy and crime. Crackdowns on crime and Interior Minister Tsvetanov’s attempts to purge the police from within have improved police approval ratings from 35 to 46 per cent, and Tsvetanov's ratings by 9 percentage points to 61 per cent, Radeva says.

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Veliko Turnovo's national military university, Bulgaria's largest military school, is currently attended by just 17 cadets from Vietnam. Bulgarian trainee officers have been forced to take a holiday for the first time in the history of the school. University Rector Gen. Tsvetan Harizanov took the unprecedented step to suspend classes because of mounting debts. All Bulgarian cadets will be preparing at home until exam session begins on March 1 to spare them from the cold and hunger.

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, January 12, 2010

· Discussion on the amendments to the Electronic Messages Act has acquired new dimensions after dissensions have occurred between the operators and the interior ministry about the tome the information can be provided. According to representatives of the three mobile operators the requirement information from the data base to be presented in the frames of two or three hours is not realistic. According to a research among the mobile internet suppliers at least 34 hours will be needed. The non-governmental organizations and the interior ministry has reached and agreement on dropping off the direct interface. Then mobile operators said this is probably the only way to provide fact access to the information.

· The commission of nine people, which will choose the executor of the Lot 2 of the north main motorway “Trakya “, will work under extremely security measures, says Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Rosen Plevneliev. Eight companies have tabled their offers on the construction of lot 2 of Trakiya motorway. They are: Turkish Doush Company, Australian Shtrabak Company, Bulgarian motorways consortium (Glavtroy and Black Sea motorways), Greek Terna le, Alpine Holding Roads, Union Trace motorway, Greek Actor, Construction under Construction Contracts Act Constructor Trakya.
The offers are filled by leading companies in the region-Croatian, Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian as part of them are united in consortium, Plevneliev said.