Press Review
Sofia, July 31 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
At his first meeting with Interior Ministry personnel since taking office on Thursday, new Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov promised that the Chief Directorate for Combating
Organized Crime will be restored in functions and name, "Troud" reports. Tsvetanov wants representatives of his Ministry and of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) to form a working group so as to sort out the duplication of the two entities' work. The Minister guaranteed to his subordinates that there will be no longer political cover-ups at the Interior Ministry. Tsvetanov also said that he will tackle the problem with mobile telephone traffic print-outs which the Ministry now can access only after obtaining authorization from a judge.
"Sega" writes that the new Government is taking a series of measures to invigorate organized crime control. The joint teams investigating the mafia will receive 50,000 leva incentives for each conviction secured, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said after conferring with Prosecutor General Boris Velchev and the Deputy Prosecutors General on Thursday. The problem of the uncontrollable leak of information to the criminal underworld is supposed to be addressed in this way as well. The idea of setting up joint teams of prosecutors, officers of the Interior Ministry, SANS, the National Revenue Agency and the National Customs Agency was stressed in the latest report from the European Commission.
"I will not file padded reports," Interior Minister Tsvetanov is quoted as saying in "Troud." He is adamant that everything possible should be done to streamline the profile of SANS. "There should be no competition between any institutions whatsoever, no hiding of information or mistrust. To this end, we will propose to the Prime Minister to appoint a working group of representatives of the SANS and the Interior Ministry to prepare the appropriate draft legislation within a short term. The State now is not in a financial position to afford duplication of such law-enforcement activities."
* * *
"Troud" quotes National Assembly SANS Control Committee Chairman and The Blue Coalition Co-chairman Ivan Kostov as saying that the leadership and key officers of the SANS must be replaced because the Agency has lost its credibility with Bulgaria's partner services. Kostov sees "a clear signal" of this in the fact that several months ago the US cancelled a visit by SANS Chairman Petko Sertov to the Amercian special services.
* * *
Order, Lawfulness, Justice leader Yane Yanev says in a "24 Chassa" interview that a customs chief traded in influence through a network of structures which are being checked by prosecutors, the SANS and investigators. The alert has been submitted to the National Assembly Anti-Corruption Committee, which Yanev chairs. The scheme is allegedly linked to customs treatments and procedures, the administration and the information system of the National Customs Agency. Entire shiments of goods are missing, they are moving on paper only. That is why the MPs want to give the customs management a hearing.
* * *
"Troud" reports that a check conducted by the SANS at the Ministry of Health to audit the performance of the Ministry's previous leadership found that the Exchequer sustained a loss of at least 3 million leva from tenders for just two cancer durgs in the 2005-2008 period. The detected violations have already been referred to the prosecuting magistracy, the daily learnt from its sources. The liability for the scams may be incurred by former deputy health minister Emil Rainov, who was in charge of medicines policy.
* * *
In an interview for "24 Chassa," Education, Youth and Science Minister Yordanka Fandakova says: "I attach importance to the system settling down at the school and kindergarten level. A number of changes were made in recent years, some of them were rushed, but they were definitely in the right direction: the delegated budgets and external evaluation. They rather sought to discipline the system, to channel effectively financial resources, but they do not affect directly the quality of education. And this is our top priority." Fandakova promises that the external evaluation after the 7th grade will qualify as entrance examination to the vocational secondary schools.
* * *
"Troud" reports that Labour and Social Policy Minister Totyu Mladenov said on Thursday that of the 6 million leva allocated for free seaside vacations for pensioners, 4.5 million leva have not been spent and will be used to pay for medicines for the poorest elderly, opening of soup kitchens etc. All other programmes will be reviewed and the ineffective ones will be suspended.
* * *
A representative national survey of the AFIS Agency, presented in "Monitor", found that 61 per cent of Bulgarians are inspired with hope by the new Government, and just 6 per cent are disappointed. Parliament starts with 38 per cent approval, which is a high rating for this institution. "The results show that the new government faces both great opportunities and serious problems. The opportunities stem from the unprecedented support it enjoys at the start of its tenure. Borissov provoked sufficiently large amounts of hope, which brought him a substantial approval in advance. The problems stem from one of the reasons why GERB won a large majority: the economic crisis. It requires leftist measures, whereas a right-wing government has come to power," the sociologists comment.
* * *
"There will be a Grand National Assembly, but this will happen only after the first year in government," National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva says in a "Klassa" interview. She notes that in its governance programme GERB has categorically stated that the Constitution is no longer compatible with the actual social relations. The convocation of a Grand National Assembly, however, is not a short-term priority of the party. Legislative amendments must be adopted before that.
* * *
"Sega" observes that having voted in favour of barring people affiliated to the former State Security from the leaderships of the standing committees, the National Assembly quite unexpectedly refused to check whether the members of the committees that will be controlling and checking the Interior Ministry and the special services have not worked for the communist-era secret police. "Thus, a shadow of doubt was absurdly cast on the people who will be controlling this key figure," the paper writes.
* * *
Under the heading "The Five Lustration Blunders in Parliament", an analysis in "24 Chassa" says that "the first blunder was purely practical. Parliament lost a marvellous chairman of the Culture Committee in the face of Bojidar Dimitrov. The second blunder is legal: rules of procedure may not overrule a law. The official Internet site of the secret files commission expressly states that 'the law is not of a lustration nature'. The Constitution, too, has been violated, as according to it 'all citizens shall be equal before the law'." The author recalls that all new democracies introduced lustration rules back in the 1990s - and revoked them when they entered the EU.
* * *
Commenting on a meeting of Socialist mayors, regional governors and municipal councillors at the party headquarters on Wednesday, "Troud" writes that "once they find that life goes on, the Left will rush to seek jobs for their cadres relieved from the executive. Regional governors and regional vice governors are the potential vicitims of the forthcoming dismissals. They may possibly be rescued by mayors. The period outside government is expected to sober down the MRF [Movement for Rights and Freedoms]. The local tyrants will lie low, the party lobbies will manoeuvre for position, and the careerists will go."
ECONOMY
"Money for Arms Diversted to Pensions:" under this headline, "Standart News" runs an interview with Finance Minister Simeon Djankov. He explains that there are two ways to patch the 2,500 million leva gap in the budget: by cutting expenditure and by increasing revenues. Spending on education, health and law enforcement will not be touched. Everything else may be pared. A large part of the savings will come from the defence budget, but the allocations for armament rather than for salaries will be rediced. "At a time of a crisis, we can afford to delay arms procurement by a year or two," Djankov argues. Another part of the savings will be from energy projects which, too, may be rescheduled and reconsidered. According to the Finance Minister, revenues will rise tangibly after the information systems of the customs and revenue administrations are linked, which can be done as early as next week.
* * *
"Leading economists of GERB and the Union of Democratic Forces made it clear that the future of the Belene N-Plant looks increasingly bleak," writes "Troud." "The State must not furnish guarantees for projects like Belene and provide personnel for them. The best option is to seek private investors," says Stoyan Mavrodiev of GERB, who was elected Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly Economic Policy Committee. "At this point, it is shortsighted that the State should assume the risk of an 8,000 million euro nuclear power plant," commented Committee Chairman Martin Dimitrov of the UDF.
BULGARIA - EU
"Sofia Awaits OLAF's Verdict on 98 SAPARD Projects," "Sega" reports. "Regardless of the complaints of meat and milk processing companies of being unfairly accused of abusing EU funding, the chances of some of them not returning money to Brussels are negligible, it emerged yesterday. The checks of 98 projects under the SAPARD Programme are going on, and fully compliant companies will hardly be identified, according to insiders. Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov asked the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) for at least one month grace so as to check whether any companies are compliant. Regardless of whether OLAF will extend the deadline for the checks, the Sofia City Prosecution Office is conducting its own investigation into the suspicious projects, which is not yet completed."
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 – July 31, 2009
• Today Representative of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev held a meeting. OLAF had put confidence that must be justified and this would happen soon, declared Minister Tsvetanov.
• Experts from Europe's anti-fraud agency OLAF have agreed that the prosecutor's office makes additional checks into suspicious projects under a farm aid programme. This was announced by Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov, who held talks with the Experts from the European Commission agriculture directorate and OLAF late into the night on Thursday.
• Prime Minister Boyko Borisov appointed Dimitar Ivanov on the director’s post of National Road Infrastructure Agency (NRIA). Authorities of former director Yanko Yankov have been withdrawn. The reshuffle in NRIA has been made due to lack in coordination and cooperation with European Commission representatives, regarding payments for outside consultations at heightened prices, inadmissible expenses in NRIA budget in situation of financial crisis etc.
• I have repeatedly said that I vote “for” keeping the parliamentary character of the Republic of Bulgaria, President Georgi Parvanov said at Trapezitsa Hill in the town of Veliko Tarnovo today. “There must be some corrections in the president for direct convoke of referendum, overcoming presidential veto to be realized due to higher percent of MPs votes, may be legislation initiative rights that’s all.” President Parvanov stated.
fredag den 31. juli 2009
torsdag den 30. juli 2009
Bulgarian Press Review, July 30, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, July 30 (BTA)
ECONOMY
The budget "gap" of 2,500 million leva announced Wednesday by Finance Minister Simeon Djankov is a front-page news item in all of the Thursday dailies. The previous projections were for a deficit of 1,500 to 2,000 million leva, "Troud" writes. Instead of a 4.7 per cent growth of the Gross Domestic Product as provided for in the budget, the first half of the year saw a reduction of 6.7 per cent, meaning the difference between projections and real results is 11 per cent. Net proceeds to the budget dropped by 16 per cent. The newspapers quote Djankov as saying that the situation is a lot more difficult than what was said to be. The Finance Minister said that the deficit can be covered through spending cuts and extra revenues in equal proportion. The budget will not be updated, the reports stress.
"Dnevnik" writes that the new cabinet projects that the economy will shrink by 6.3 per cent in 2009.
* * *
"Douma" writes, quoting Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, that the cabinet will annul the decree with which the Sergei Stanishev government reduced by 15 per cent the salaries of ministers, deputy ministers and agency heads. Saving of money in the cabinet will be achieved by the lesser number of deputy ministers, Tsvetanov said, quoted in "Douma". "Monitor" comments the news under a headline "New Ministers with Old Salaries".
* * *
"Pari" writes that 163 companies declared bankruptcy in the first half of 2009, with the greatest share in agriculture and construction.
The press reports that inter-company debt rose 32 per cent in January-May 2009 from the like period a year ago, and 2.5 per cent more companies have been adjudicated bankrupt, according to figures released by Coface Bulgaria Credit Management Services EOOD.
* * *
"Sega" writes, quoting experts, that halting the project for the Belene nuclear power plant at the moment will cost more than 400 million Euros. What is more, the agreement for the construction of the N-plant cannot be terminated without the consent of the shareholder, the German RWE, says the report.
* * *
"Dnevnik" and "Klassa" write in leading reports that the European Commission has included new 98 Bulgarian projects under SAPARD in a list of debtors and has required from this country to return 65 million leva paid out under SAPARD. These new projects with suspected irregularities were reported by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and are outside the 101
projects which the Paying Agency, the State Agriculture Funds, had submitted for investigation to the prosecuting magistracy at the end of 2008, the newspapers write. The information emerged after a meeting Wednesday between Directorate General Agriculture, OLAF and the new team of the Agriculture and Foods Ministry.
"24 Chassa" leads on the news that OLAF investigates a Bulgarian supplier of equipment to meat packers. Forty-four meat packing companies will have to return money they had received from SAPARD as it is suspected that the equipment purchased by them was at inflated prices. "24 Chassa" says that the biggest Bulgarian meat packing firms which purchased their equipment from the Bourgas, on the Black Sea, based Sidorenko FoodTech company, are affected by the measure. The SAPARD subsidy received under different projects totals 65 million leva, which will have to be returned together with interest so that the total amount becomes 140 million leva, head of the Association of Meat Packers Kostadin Chorbadjiiski said, quoted in "24 Chassa". This means the entire sector will go bankrupt, he said.
* * *
In a "Troud" interview Agriculture and Foods Minister Miroslav Naidenov says that a total review of the system is more than pressing and that the administration of the ministry will have
to be cut drastically. Naidenov says he will work to win back the confidence of the EU. A primary task will be to establish a guarantee fund to lend a helping hand to funding to farmers, which will be a commitment of the entire cabinet, he says. The fund is expected to be set up within three months.
* * *
Transport, Information Technologies and Communications Minister Alexander Tsvetkov gives an interview to "Standart News" where he says that he has ordered a check into all big transactions and projects in the sector. "Trains and Buses Will Not be Rivals" caps the interview.
* * *
In a "Dnevnik" interview Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rossen Plevneliev says that the Road Agency did not play in one team with Brussels. The newspapers comments that Plevneliev is faced with one of the heaviest task, to become a world champion in motorway construction, which proved a stumbling block to all of his predecessors Plevneliev says that the stalled Trakiya motorway "will happen" only if a transparent bidding procedure is organized.
* * *
"Sega" says in a headline that the first heavy fight of the cabinet will be with the army of jobless people.
THE HOME SCENE
"Troud" says in a leading report that the first dismissals in power are already a fact. At its first regular meeting on July 29 the new cabinet relieved from his post director of the Forestry Agency Stefan Yuroukov and appointed Georgi Kostov at Yuroukov's place. The motive for Yuroukov’s dismissal is losses to the state exceeding 500 million leva from the exchange of forest lands. Two senior officials resigned on their initiative: Shirin Mestan, as head of the Child Protection Agency, and Volodya Kirov, as head of the Road Administration Agency. "Troud" says also that the GERB government mulls closing of embassies. The report quotes Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva as saying that the network of Bulgarian representations abroad will be streamlined.
* * *
"24 Chassa" interviews head of the political office of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov Roumyana Buchvarova who says that a strong leader as the prime minister does not allow the presence of grey cardinals. Buchvarova says also that transparency is the most important thing for a government that wants to do away with the old schemes of doing things.
* * *
Former President Zhelyu Zhelev tells "24 Chassa" that he trusts the new prime minister. "I consider him a sincere person, and one that firmly intends to deliver on his promises," says Zhelev. According to Zhelev, a cabinet of minority, instead of a coalition government, was the better option for Borissov. Zhelev argues that the form of state governance should be changed, from a parliamentary into a presidential republic. "If Borissov is able to solve all big and difficult tasks he has committed himself to, and to amend the Constitution, let him become a president too," Zhelev says.
* * *
Leader of Union of Democratic Forces Martin Dimitrov tells "Klassa" that his party wants a full check into the billions of leva spent by the parties in the outgoing three-party ruling coalition: the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and the National Movement for Surge and Stability.
* * *
All of the Thursday dailies write how Parliament turned down a proposal by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms to elect Delyan Peevski as a member of the committee combatting corruption and conflict of interest. Peevski, a deputy minister of emergency situations in the previous cabinet, was for some time suspended and then reinstated at his post, as he was investigated for involvement in dubious privatization deals.
* * *
Three prominent lawyers, Ivan Todorov, Ognyan Gerdjikov and Yavor Notev, tell "24 Chassa" which legal amendments and bills are "a must", namely: a bill on public-private partnership; amendments to the Penal Code to formulate more precisely the criminalization of the so-called instigation to bribery; and amendments to the Road Traffic Act.
SOCIETY
"Monitor" says in a front-page report that United States President Barack Obama, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have sent congratulatory
letters to Prime Minister Boiko Borissov.
* * *
"24 Chassa" quotes Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov as saying that together with the Traffic Police he will devise a new plan of traffic police posts along the road between Sliven and Bourgas, Eastern Bulgaria, in a bid to prevent huge traffic congestions as the one during the past weekend. Tsvetanov said the traffic police along this stretch of the road will be closely monitored whether they aid the traffic properly.
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 – July 30, 2009
• “There is a problem concerning the overlapping of the functions of the services with the Interior Ministry and those given to the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and this problem should be solved as soon as possible”, said today Ivan Kostov, co-chairperson of the Blue Coalition and chairperson of the standing parliamentary committee for control on the State Agency for National Security. According him, the power of the special services depends on their deep integration into the executive and judicial power.
• “The restoration of the Chief Directorate for Combating Organized Crime is a short- term goal”, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said after the working meeting with the officers of the Directorate for Combating Organized and Heavy Crime.
• There is information against the businessman Grisha Ganchev at the committee for detection of monopoly in the gambling business and money laundering in the football sector. Thus, the companies around this businessman will be investigated, said today Yane Yanev, leader of OLJ and new chairperson of the Committee for Combating Corruption.
Sofia, July 30 (BTA)
ECONOMY
The budget "gap" of 2,500 million leva announced Wednesday by Finance Minister Simeon Djankov is a front-page news item in all of the Thursday dailies. The previous projections were for a deficit of 1,500 to 2,000 million leva, "Troud" writes. Instead of a 4.7 per cent growth of the Gross Domestic Product as provided for in the budget, the first half of the year saw a reduction of 6.7 per cent, meaning the difference between projections and real results is 11 per cent. Net proceeds to the budget dropped by 16 per cent. The newspapers quote Djankov as saying that the situation is a lot more difficult than what was said to be. The Finance Minister said that the deficit can be covered through spending cuts and extra revenues in equal proportion. The budget will not be updated, the reports stress.
"Dnevnik" writes that the new cabinet projects that the economy will shrink by 6.3 per cent in 2009.
* * *
"Douma" writes, quoting Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, that the cabinet will annul the decree with which the Sergei Stanishev government reduced by 15 per cent the salaries of ministers, deputy ministers and agency heads. Saving of money in the cabinet will be achieved by the lesser number of deputy ministers, Tsvetanov said, quoted in "Douma". "Monitor" comments the news under a headline "New Ministers with Old Salaries".
* * *
"Pari" writes that 163 companies declared bankruptcy in the first half of 2009, with the greatest share in agriculture and construction.
The press reports that inter-company debt rose 32 per cent in January-May 2009 from the like period a year ago, and 2.5 per cent more companies have been adjudicated bankrupt, according to figures released by Coface Bulgaria Credit Management Services EOOD.
* * *
"Sega" writes, quoting experts, that halting the project for the Belene nuclear power plant at the moment will cost more than 400 million Euros. What is more, the agreement for the construction of the N-plant cannot be terminated without the consent of the shareholder, the German RWE, says the report.
* * *
"Dnevnik" and "Klassa" write in leading reports that the European Commission has included new 98 Bulgarian projects under SAPARD in a list of debtors and has required from this country to return 65 million leva paid out under SAPARD. These new projects with suspected irregularities were reported by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and are outside the 101
projects which the Paying Agency, the State Agriculture Funds, had submitted for investigation to the prosecuting magistracy at the end of 2008, the newspapers write. The information emerged after a meeting Wednesday between Directorate General Agriculture, OLAF and the new team of the Agriculture and Foods Ministry.
"24 Chassa" leads on the news that OLAF investigates a Bulgarian supplier of equipment to meat packers. Forty-four meat packing companies will have to return money they had received from SAPARD as it is suspected that the equipment purchased by them was at inflated prices. "24 Chassa" says that the biggest Bulgarian meat packing firms which purchased their equipment from the Bourgas, on the Black Sea, based Sidorenko FoodTech company, are affected by the measure. The SAPARD subsidy received under different projects totals 65 million leva, which will have to be returned together with interest so that the total amount becomes 140 million leva, head of the Association of Meat Packers Kostadin Chorbadjiiski said, quoted in "24 Chassa". This means the entire sector will go bankrupt, he said.
* * *
In a "Troud" interview Agriculture and Foods Minister Miroslav Naidenov says that a total review of the system is more than pressing and that the administration of the ministry will have
to be cut drastically. Naidenov says he will work to win back the confidence of the EU. A primary task will be to establish a guarantee fund to lend a helping hand to funding to farmers, which will be a commitment of the entire cabinet, he says. The fund is expected to be set up within three months.
* * *
Transport, Information Technologies and Communications Minister Alexander Tsvetkov gives an interview to "Standart News" where he says that he has ordered a check into all big transactions and projects in the sector. "Trains and Buses Will Not be Rivals" caps the interview.
* * *
In a "Dnevnik" interview Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rossen Plevneliev says that the Road Agency did not play in one team with Brussels. The newspapers comments that Plevneliev is faced with one of the heaviest task, to become a world champion in motorway construction, which proved a stumbling block to all of his predecessors Plevneliev says that the stalled Trakiya motorway "will happen" only if a transparent bidding procedure is organized.
* * *
"Sega" says in a headline that the first heavy fight of the cabinet will be with the army of jobless people.
THE HOME SCENE
"Troud" says in a leading report that the first dismissals in power are already a fact. At its first regular meeting on July 29 the new cabinet relieved from his post director of the Forestry Agency Stefan Yuroukov and appointed Georgi Kostov at Yuroukov's place. The motive for Yuroukov’s dismissal is losses to the state exceeding 500 million leva from the exchange of forest lands. Two senior officials resigned on their initiative: Shirin Mestan, as head of the Child Protection Agency, and Volodya Kirov, as head of the Road Administration Agency. "Troud" says also that the GERB government mulls closing of embassies. The report quotes Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva as saying that the network of Bulgarian representations abroad will be streamlined.
* * *
"24 Chassa" interviews head of the political office of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov Roumyana Buchvarova who says that a strong leader as the prime minister does not allow the presence of grey cardinals. Buchvarova says also that transparency is the most important thing for a government that wants to do away with the old schemes of doing things.
* * *
Former President Zhelyu Zhelev tells "24 Chassa" that he trusts the new prime minister. "I consider him a sincere person, and one that firmly intends to deliver on his promises," says Zhelev. According to Zhelev, a cabinet of minority, instead of a coalition government, was the better option for Borissov. Zhelev argues that the form of state governance should be changed, from a parliamentary into a presidential republic. "If Borissov is able to solve all big and difficult tasks he has committed himself to, and to amend the Constitution, let him become a president too," Zhelev says.
* * *
Leader of Union of Democratic Forces Martin Dimitrov tells "Klassa" that his party wants a full check into the billions of leva spent by the parties in the outgoing three-party ruling coalition: the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and the National Movement for Surge and Stability.
* * *
All of the Thursday dailies write how Parliament turned down a proposal by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms to elect Delyan Peevski as a member of the committee combatting corruption and conflict of interest. Peevski, a deputy minister of emergency situations in the previous cabinet, was for some time suspended and then reinstated at his post, as he was investigated for involvement in dubious privatization deals.
* * *
Three prominent lawyers, Ivan Todorov, Ognyan Gerdjikov and Yavor Notev, tell "24 Chassa" which legal amendments and bills are "a must", namely: a bill on public-private partnership; amendments to the Penal Code to formulate more precisely the criminalization of the so-called instigation to bribery; and amendments to the Road Traffic Act.
SOCIETY
"Monitor" says in a front-page report that United States President Barack Obama, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have sent congratulatory
letters to Prime Minister Boiko Borissov.
* * *
"24 Chassa" quotes Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov as saying that together with the Traffic Police he will devise a new plan of traffic police posts along the road between Sliven and Bourgas, Eastern Bulgaria, in a bid to prevent huge traffic congestions as the one during the past weekend. Tsvetanov said the traffic police along this stretch of the road will be closely monitored whether they aid the traffic properly.
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 – July 30, 2009
• “There is a problem concerning the overlapping of the functions of the services with the Interior Ministry and those given to the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and this problem should be solved as soon as possible”, said today Ivan Kostov, co-chairperson of the Blue Coalition and chairperson of the standing parliamentary committee for control on the State Agency for National Security. According him, the power of the special services depends on their deep integration into the executive and judicial power.
• “The restoration of the Chief Directorate for Combating Organized Crime is a short- term goal”, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said after the working meeting with the officers of the Directorate for Combating Organized and Heavy Crime.
• There is information against the businessman Grisha Ganchev at the committee for detection of monopoly in the gambling business and money laundering in the football sector. Thus, the companies around this businessman will be investigated, said today Yane Yanev, leader of OLJ and new chairperson of the Committee for Combating Corruption.
onsdag den 29. juli 2009
Bulgarian Press Review, July 29, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, July 29 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
Tuesday dailies lead on Parliament's approval of the structure and the lineup of the government, proposed by GERB leader Boiko Borissov and Borissov's election as prime minister. The new government got the support of Borissov's GERB, ultra-nationalist Ataka and the centre-right Blue Coalition and Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ). Coalition for Bulgaria (CfB) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) voted against. Meglena Plougchieva [CfB] was the only MP who abstained from voting. "162 MPs Vote In New Cabinet," cap "Klassa" and "Monitor".
***
"Borissov Announces Cabinet of European Development”, writes "Dnevnik". The programme declaration of the cabinet's priorities, read by Borissov, highlighted winning back of the trust of Bulgarian citizens and Bulgaria's EU partners in the country's government, the daily says. It included seven key points, topped by promises to increase the incomes of Bulgarians, ensure a growth and modernization of the economy and cut back on spending, except on education. On taking over the new ministers promised to launch a new IT system which will reduce tax crimes, to review major energy projects, to introduce new rules for the construction of motorways and to make farming the drive engine of the economy.
***
"24 Chassa" and "Telegraph" write that Prime Minister-elect Borissov pledged that there would be no ethnic and political purges at the ceremony for handing over power at the Council of Ministers. "Sega" headlines that the new prime minister has given up on the idea of a political sweep out. According to "Pari", Borissov' benevolence towards the opposition has disappointed his supporters, as it had emerged from Internet forums.
***
"Douma" writes that Boiko Borissov has become Bulgaria's 50th prime minister. "24 Chassa" frontpages a story about Parliament's Chief of Security Ivan Georgiev throwing water down Borissov's way on his first day as prime minister. The traditional luck-wishing ritual had been his excuse for not allowing Borissov into Parliament eight years ago for the inaugural session of the 39th National Assembly. At the time Borissov was serving as bodyguard to former prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Borissov could not attend the oath-taking ceremony because he had been left without a pass with all the commotion.
***
In an interview for "24 Chassa", GERB Deputy Floor Leader Krassimir Velchev hopes that during its four-year term the Borissov cabinet will be a cabinet of the majority, backed not only by GERB and at the same time a government of the minority in terms of responsibility. "I can assure you that if we succeed, and we are bound to succeed, everybody will say that this is a government of the majority. And wherever we fail, we will be a government of the minority and will take full responsibility," Velchev adds.
***
"Ataka" headlines "Volen Siderov: Let's Be Statesmen." The newspaper runs a photo of Borissov and Ataka leader Siderov raising a toast to Bulgaria's success.
***
"Despite the current state of affairs, there will be a Grand National Assembly, as Bulgaria is the only member of the EU bloc, whose Constitution is post-totalitarian and pro-communist," says OLJ leader Yane Yanev for "24 Chassa".
***
A swap of three buildings in Sofia owned by the National Revenue Agency for the construction of a new one on the site of the Rodina publishing company has fallen through, said outgoing
Finance Minster Plamen Oresharski on his term's closing day, as quoted by "24 Chassa". According to him, in the course of talks between the government and the privately-owned publishing company, which is controlled by controversial businesswoman Irena Krusteva, the company backed out of the swap.
***
"Two weeks ago we sent a letter to Oresharski and the Prime Minister, saying that the deal had been delayed for too long and that the drastic change in construction climate as an effect of the crisis has made our foreign partners pull out of the investment initiative," the company leadership said, recalling that negotiations started in May 2008.
HOME AFFAIRS AND THE JUDICIARY
"SANS [State Agency for National Security] Should Be Invisible," caps an interview with Prime Minister Boiko Borissov in "Standart News". He says that he expects a sweep against street crime within six months.
***
All dailies report that the Commission for Establishing Property Acquired from Criminal Activity has won a case against mobster Dimiter Zhelyazkov at first instance. Assets worth 2,357,883 have been seized.
***
A junior officer of the Traffic Police from Petrich, who has been working for years in the Southwestern ski resort of Bansko, has been questioned in connection to a bribery scheme for exam-taking and admission at the Sofia-based University for National and World Economy. University professor Petkan Iliev is chief suspect in the case, "24 Chassa" writes. It is alleged that through Iliev's mediation a student from Blagoevgrad, Southwestern Bulgaria, who wanted to enrol at the university and who later tipped the police, had been asked to pay 4,000 leva (roughly 2,000 euro). University Rector Borislav Borissov said that at least 50 people are reviewing examination marks in connection with the scheme.
***
In an interview for "Troud", Anelia Mingova of the Supreme Judicial Council says that Brussels expect politicians to support the judiciary. According to her, Margarita Popova's appointment as justice minister is an excellent choice, as she knows the system inside out and she has headed the unit for battling EU funds embezzlement. The momentum she has gained may well carry on into her new office.
***
In an article for "Troud", capped "20 Years of Reforms and Scandals in the Interior Ministry", General Todor Boyadjiev (Ret) recommends the depoliticization of the Interior Ministry, tight control on the part of the state, a new model for personnel recruitment, opportunities for promotion and limited term of office of the ministry leadership to reduce outside influence.
ECONOMY
In an interview for "Dnevnik", Finance Minister Simeon Djankov says that 300 million leva will be saved through cuts in the size of administration staff. According to him, the main core in charge of EU funds management will be within the Council of Ministers. Half of state agencies might be taken over by respective ministries and external audits will be set to review state-owned energy companies.
***
"Standart News" writes that the Sofia heating utility will be up for sale. The newspaper quotes Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov as saying that the utility should be privately owned.
***
Half the country's bridges should be repaired over the short and medium term and some bridges need urgent repairs as they pose a risk to passing vehicles, writes "Troud". The reason is that the asphalt paving gets cracked and collapses. Bridges less than 20 metres in length in bigger cities are in worst condition.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Borissov cabinet is the first one which steps in office in the conditions of a EU membership. It can formulate and defend more freely national interests than all previous governments, which had been burdened by pre-accession talks, says former foreign minister Solomon Passy interviewed by "Troud".
***
"Bratstvo", the longest-running Bulgarian newspaper in the Western Outlands in Serbia is facing bankruptcy, according to "Pari".
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 – July 29, 2009
• The new Bulgarian government decided during its first weekly sitting today that it’s not going to modify the state budget for the time being. Bulgaria's new Finance Minister and Deputy PM Simeon Djankov explained that the new government is going to seek other ways to fill the BGN 2,5 Billion gap, that is emerging in the state budget. 50% of this sum is expected to come from cutting the existing state expenditures, and the government is hoping to come up with the rest by finding additional sources of state revenue. Djankov also said the Bulgarian economy had already shrunk by 6,3%, which made it 11% smaller than what had been envisaged in the 2009 State Budget Act.
• The former Bulgarian deputy Disaster Management Minister Delyan Peevski, who has had one of the most scandalous and corruption-tainted careers in the recent history of the country, will not be member of the parliamentary body for corruption combat, parliament decided. His nomination was turned down with 156 against 60 votes.
• Minko Gerdzhikov, Sofia deputy mayor in charge of financial affairs, was elected acting mayor of the capital by the city council today.
Sofia's outgoing Mayor, Boyko Borisov, came into office as the next Prime Minister of Bulgaria earlier this week. Under local legislation the two positions are not compatible and Borisov term as mayor was automatically discontinued after swearing in as prime minister.
Sofia, July 29 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
Tuesday dailies lead on Parliament's approval of the structure and the lineup of the government, proposed by GERB leader Boiko Borissov and Borissov's election as prime minister. The new government got the support of Borissov's GERB, ultra-nationalist Ataka and the centre-right Blue Coalition and Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ). Coalition for Bulgaria (CfB) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) voted against. Meglena Plougchieva [CfB] was the only MP who abstained from voting. "162 MPs Vote In New Cabinet," cap "Klassa" and "Monitor".
***
"Borissov Announces Cabinet of European Development”, writes "Dnevnik". The programme declaration of the cabinet's priorities, read by Borissov, highlighted winning back of the trust of Bulgarian citizens and Bulgaria's EU partners in the country's government, the daily says. It included seven key points, topped by promises to increase the incomes of Bulgarians, ensure a growth and modernization of the economy and cut back on spending, except on education. On taking over the new ministers promised to launch a new IT system which will reduce tax crimes, to review major energy projects, to introduce new rules for the construction of motorways and to make farming the drive engine of the economy.
***
"24 Chassa" and "Telegraph" write that Prime Minister-elect Borissov pledged that there would be no ethnic and political purges at the ceremony for handing over power at the Council of Ministers. "Sega" headlines that the new prime minister has given up on the idea of a political sweep out. According to "Pari", Borissov' benevolence towards the opposition has disappointed his supporters, as it had emerged from Internet forums.
***
"Douma" writes that Boiko Borissov has become Bulgaria's 50th prime minister. "24 Chassa" frontpages a story about Parliament's Chief of Security Ivan Georgiev throwing water down Borissov's way on his first day as prime minister. The traditional luck-wishing ritual had been his excuse for not allowing Borissov into Parliament eight years ago for the inaugural session of the 39th National Assembly. At the time Borissov was serving as bodyguard to former prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Borissov could not attend the oath-taking ceremony because he had been left without a pass with all the commotion.
***
In an interview for "24 Chassa", GERB Deputy Floor Leader Krassimir Velchev hopes that during its four-year term the Borissov cabinet will be a cabinet of the majority, backed not only by GERB and at the same time a government of the minority in terms of responsibility. "I can assure you that if we succeed, and we are bound to succeed, everybody will say that this is a government of the majority. And wherever we fail, we will be a government of the minority and will take full responsibility," Velchev adds.
***
"Ataka" headlines "Volen Siderov: Let's Be Statesmen." The newspaper runs a photo of Borissov and Ataka leader Siderov raising a toast to Bulgaria's success.
***
"Despite the current state of affairs, there will be a Grand National Assembly, as Bulgaria is the only member of the EU bloc, whose Constitution is post-totalitarian and pro-communist," says OLJ leader Yane Yanev for "24 Chassa".
***
A swap of three buildings in Sofia owned by the National Revenue Agency for the construction of a new one on the site of the Rodina publishing company has fallen through, said outgoing
Finance Minster Plamen Oresharski on his term's closing day, as quoted by "24 Chassa". According to him, in the course of talks between the government and the privately-owned publishing company, which is controlled by controversial businesswoman Irena Krusteva, the company backed out of the swap.
***
"Two weeks ago we sent a letter to Oresharski and the Prime Minister, saying that the deal had been delayed for too long and that the drastic change in construction climate as an effect of the crisis has made our foreign partners pull out of the investment initiative," the company leadership said, recalling that negotiations started in May 2008.
HOME AFFAIRS AND THE JUDICIARY
"SANS [State Agency for National Security] Should Be Invisible," caps an interview with Prime Minister Boiko Borissov in "Standart News". He says that he expects a sweep against street crime within six months.
***
All dailies report that the Commission for Establishing Property Acquired from Criminal Activity has won a case against mobster Dimiter Zhelyazkov at first instance. Assets worth 2,357,883 have been seized.
***
A junior officer of the Traffic Police from Petrich, who has been working for years in the Southwestern ski resort of Bansko, has been questioned in connection to a bribery scheme for exam-taking and admission at the Sofia-based University for National and World Economy. University professor Petkan Iliev is chief suspect in the case, "24 Chassa" writes. It is alleged that through Iliev's mediation a student from Blagoevgrad, Southwestern Bulgaria, who wanted to enrol at the university and who later tipped the police, had been asked to pay 4,000 leva (roughly 2,000 euro). University Rector Borislav Borissov said that at least 50 people are reviewing examination marks in connection with the scheme.
***
In an interview for "Troud", Anelia Mingova of the Supreme Judicial Council says that Brussels expect politicians to support the judiciary. According to her, Margarita Popova's appointment as justice minister is an excellent choice, as she knows the system inside out and she has headed the unit for battling EU funds embezzlement. The momentum she has gained may well carry on into her new office.
***
In an article for "Troud", capped "20 Years of Reforms and Scandals in the Interior Ministry", General Todor Boyadjiev (Ret) recommends the depoliticization of the Interior Ministry, tight control on the part of the state, a new model for personnel recruitment, opportunities for promotion and limited term of office of the ministry leadership to reduce outside influence.
ECONOMY
In an interview for "Dnevnik", Finance Minister Simeon Djankov says that 300 million leva will be saved through cuts in the size of administration staff. According to him, the main core in charge of EU funds management will be within the Council of Ministers. Half of state agencies might be taken over by respective ministries and external audits will be set to review state-owned energy companies.
***
"Standart News" writes that the Sofia heating utility will be up for sale. The newspaper quotes Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov as saying that the utility should be privately owned.
***
Half the country's bridges should be repaired over the short and medium term and some bridges need urgent repairs as they pose a risk to passing vehicles, writes "Troud". The reason is that the asphalt paving gets cracked and collapses. Bridges less than 20 metres in length in bigger cities are in worst condition.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Borissov cabinet is the first one which steps in office in the conditions of a EU membership. It can formulate and defend more freely national interests than all previous governments, which had been burdened by pre-accession talks, says former foreign minister Solomon Passy interviewed by "Troud".
***
"Bratstvo", the longest-running Bulgarian newspaper in the Western Outlands in Serbia is facing bankruptcy, according to "Pari".
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 – July 29, 2009
• The new Bulgarian government decided during its first weekly sitting today that it’s not going to modify the state budget for the time being. Bulgaria's new Finance Minister and Deputy PM Simeon Djankov explained that the new government is going to seek other ways to fill the BGN 2,5 Billion gap, that is emerging in the state budget. 50% of this sum is expected to come from cutting the existing state expenditures, and the government is hoping to come up with the rest by finding additional sources of state revenue. Djankov also said the Bulgarian economy had already shrunk by 6,3%, which made it 11% smaller than what had been envisaged in the 2009 State Budget Act.
• The former Bulgarian deputy Disaster Management Minister Delyan Peevski, who has had one of the most scandalous and corruption-tainted careers in the recent history of the country, will not be member of the parliamentary body for corruption combat, parliament decided. His nomination was turned down with 156 against 60 votes.
• Minko Gerdzhikov, Sofia deputy mayor in charge of financial affairs, was elected acting mayor of the capital by the city council today.
Sofia's outgoing Mayor, Boyko Borisov, came into office as the next Prime Minister of Bulgaria earlier this week. Under local legislation the two positions are not compatible and Borisov term as mayor was automatically discontinued after swearing in as prime minister.
tirsdag den 28. juli 2009
Bulgarian press review, July 28, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, July 28 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
Tuesday dailies lead on Parliament's approval of the structure and the lineup of the government, proposed by GERB leader Boiko Borissov and Borissov's election as prime minister. The new government got the support of Borissov's GERB, ultra-nationalist Ataka and the centre-right Blue Coalition and Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ). Coalition for Bulgaria (CfB) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) voted against. Meglena Plougchieva [CfB] was the only MP who abstained from voting. "162 MPs Vote In New Cabinet," cap "Klassa" and "Monitor".
***
"Borissov Announces Cabinet of European Development," writes "Dnevnik". The programme declaration of the cabinet's priorities, read by Borissov, highlighted winning back of the trust of Bulgarian citizens and Bulgaria's EU partners in the country's government, the daily says. It included seven key points, topped by promises to increase the incomes of Bulgarians, ensure a growth and modernization of the economy and cut back on spending, except on education. On taking over the new ministers promised to launch a new IT system which will reduce tax crimes, to review major energy projects, to introduce new rules for the construction of motorways and to make farming the drive engine of the economy.
***
"24 Chassa" and "Telegraf" write that Prime Minister-elect Borissov pledged that there would be no ethnic and political purges at the ceremony for handing over power at the Council of Ministers. "Sega" headlines that the new prime minister has given up on the idea of a political sweep out. According to "Pari", Borissov' benevolence towards the opposition has disappointed his supporters, as it had emerged from Internet forums.
***
"Douma" writes that Boiko Borissov has become Bulgaria's 50th prime minister. "24 Chassa" frontpages a story about Parliament's Chief of Security Ivan Georgiev throwing water down Borissov's way on his first day as prime minister. The traditional luck-wishing ritual had been his excuse for not allowing Borissov into Parliament eight years ago for the inaugural session of the 39th National Assembly. At the time Borissov was serving as bodyguard to former prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Borissov could not attend the oath-taking ceremony because he had been left without a pass with all the commotion.
***
In an interview for "24 Chassa", GERB Deputy Floor Leader Krassimir Velchev hopes that during its four-year term the Borissov cabinet will be a cabinet of the majority, backed not only by GERB and at the same time a government of the minority in terms of responsibility. "I can assure you that if we succeed, and we are bound to succeed, everybody will say that this is a government of the majority. And wherever we fail, we will be a government of the minority and will take full responsibility," Velchev adds
***
"Ataka" headlines "Volen Siderov: Let's Be Statesmen." The newspaper runs a photo of Borissov and Ataka leader Siderov raising a toast to Bulgaria's success.
***
"Despite the current state of affairs, there will be a Grand National Assembly, as Bulgaria is the only member of the EU bloc, whose Constitution is post-totalitarian and pro-communist," says OLJ leader Yane Yanev for "24 Chassa".
***
A swap of three buildings in Sofia owned by the National Revenue Agency for the construction of a new one on the site of the Rodina publishing company has fallen through, said outgoing Finance Minster Plamen Oresharski on his term's closing day, as quoted by "24 Chassa". According to him, in the course of talks between the government and the privately-owned publishing company, which is controlled by controversial businesswoman Irena Krusteva, the company backed out of the swap.
***
"Two weeks ago we sent a letter to Oresharski and the Prime Minister, saying that the deal had been delayed for too long and that the drastic change in construction climate as an effect of the crisis have made our foreign partners pull out of the investment initiative," the company leadership said, recalling that negotiations started in May 2008.
HOME AFFAIRS AND THE JUDICIARY
"SANS [State Agency for National Security] Should Be Invisible," caps an interview with Prime Minister Boiko Borissov in "Standart News". He says that he expects a sweep against street crime within six months.
***
All dailies report that the Commission for Establishing Property Acquired from Criminal Activity has won a case against mobster Dimiter Zhelyazkov at first instance. Assets worth 2,357,883 have been seized.
***
A junior officer of the Traffic Police from Petrich, who has been working for years in the Southwestern ski resort of Bansko, has been questioned in connection to a bribery scheme for exam-taking and admission at the Sofia-based University for National and World Economy. University professor Petkan Iliev is chief suspect in the case, "24 Chassa" writes. It is alleged that through Iliev's mediation a student from Blagoevgrad, Southwestern Bulgaria, who wanted to enrol at the university and who later tipped the police, had been asked to pay 4,000 leva (roughly 2,000 euro). University Rector Borislav Borissov said that at least 50 people are reviewing examination marks in connection with the scheme.
***
In an interview for "Troud", Anelia Mingova of the Supreme Judicial Council says that Brussels expect politicians to support the judiciary. According to her, Margarita Popova's appointment as justice minister is an excellent choice, as she knows the system inside out and she has headed the unit for battling EU funds embezzlement. The momentum she has gained may well carry on into her new office.
***
In an article for "Troud", capped "20 Years of Reforms and Scandals in the Interior Ministry", General Todor Boyadjiev (Ret) recommends the depolitization of the Interior Ministry, tight control on the part of the state, a new model for personnel recruitment, opportunities for promotion and limited term of office of the ministry leadership to reduce outside influence.
ECONOMY
In an interview for "Dnevnik", Finance Minister Simeon Djankov says that 300 million leva will be saved through cuts in the size of administration staff. According to him, the main core in charge of EU funds management will be within the Council of Ministers. Half of state agencies might be taken over by respective ministries and external audits will be set to review state-owned energy companies.
***
"Standart News" writes that the Sofia heating utility will be up for sale. The newspaper quotes Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov as saying that the utility should be privately owned.
***
Half the country's bridges should be repaired over the short and medium term and some bridges need urgent repairs as they pose a risk to passing vehicles, writes "Troud". The reason is that the asphalt paving gets cracked and collapses. Bridges less than 20 metres in length in bigger cities are in worst condition.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Borissov cabinet is the first one which steps in office in the conditions of a EU membership. It can formulate and defend more freely national interests than all previous governments, which had been burdened by pre-accession talks, says former foreign minister Solomon Passy interviewed by "Troud".
***
"Bratstvo", the longest-running Bulgarian newspaper in the Western Outlands in Serbia is facing bankruptcy, according to "Pari".
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 – July 28, 2009
• There will be no summer break for the members of the new parliament in August, National Assembly chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva announced. According Tsacheva, this is necessary because of the need to work out the legislation related to the working process in the new government.
She also explained that the examination of the possibility to broadcast the sittings of the parliament on the Internet is already in process.
• Radoslav Pirpazare, accused of the recent kidnapping of Alexandar Krause, will stay under arrest. This is the judgment of Sofia City Court and it is not liable to further appeal. Later on today, Sofia City Court will rule the restraint orders of the other two persons accused of the abduction – Yavor Mihaylov and Dilyan Sabrev.
Sofia, July 28 (BTA)
HOME SCENE
Tuesday dailies lead on Parliament's approval of the structure and the lineup of the government, proposed by GERB leader Boiko Borissov and Borissov's election as prime minister. The new government got the support of Borissov's GERB, ultra-nationalist Ataka and the centre-right Blue Coalition and Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ). Coalition for Bulgaria (CfB) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) voted against. Meglena Plougchieva [CfB] was the only MP who abstained from voting. "162 MPs Vote In New Cabinet," cap "Klassa" and "Monitor".
***
"Borissov Announces Cabinet of European Development," writes "Dnevnik". The programme declaration of the cabinet's priorities, read by Borissov, highlighted winning back of the trust of Bulgarian citizens and Bulgaria's EU partners in the country's government, the daily says. It included seven key points, topped by promises to increase the incomes of Bulgarians, ensure a growth and modernization of the economy and cut back on spending, except on education. On taking over the new ministers promised to launch a new IT system which will reduce tax crimes, to review major energy projects, to introduce new rules for the construction of motorways and to make farming the drive engine of the economy.
***
"24 Chassa" and "Telegraf" write that Prime Minister-elect Borissov pledged that there would be no ethnic and political purges at the ceremony for handing over power at the Council of Ministers. "Sega" headlines that the new prime minister has given up on the idea of a political sweep out. According to "Pari", Borissov' benevolence towards the opposition has disappointed his supporters, as it had emerged from Internet forums.
***
"Douma" writes that Boiko Borissov has become Bulgaria's 50th prime minister. "24 Chassa" frontpages a story about Parliament's Chief of Security Ivan Georgiev throwing water down Borissov's way on his first day as prime minister. The traditional luck-wishing ritual had been his excuse for not allowing Borissov into Parliament eight years ago for the inaugural session of the 39th National Assembly. At the time Borissov was serving as bodyguard to former prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Borissov could not attend the oath-taking ceremony because he had been left without a pass with all the commotion.
***
In an interview for "24 Chassa", GERB Deputy Floor Leader Krassimir Velchev hopes that during its four-year term the Borissov cabinet will be a cabinet of the majority, backed not only by GERB and at the same time a government of the minority in terms of responsibility. "I can assure you that if we succeed, and we are bound to succeed, everybody will say that this is a government of the majority. And wherever we fail, we will be a government of the minority and will take full responsibility," Velchev adds
***
"Ataka" headlines "Volen Siderov: Let's Be Statesmen." The newspaper runs a photo of Borissov and Ataka leader Siderov raising a toast to Bulgaria's success.
***
"Despite the current state of affairs, there will be a Grand National Assembly, as Bulgaria is the only member of the EU bloc, whose Constitution is post-totalitarian and pro-communist," says OLJ leader Yane Yanev for "24 Chassa".
***
A swap of three buildings in Sofia owned by the National Revenue Agency for the construction of a new one on the site of the Rodina publishing company has fallen through, said outgoing Finance Minster Plamen Oresharski on his term's closing day, as quoted by "24 Chassa". According to him, in the course of talks between the government and the privately-owned publishing company, which is controlled by controversial businesswoman Irena Krusteva, the company backed out of the swap.
***
"Two weeks ago we sent a letter to Oresharski and the Prime Minister, saying that the deal had been delayed for too long and that the drastic change in construction climate as an effect of the crisis have made our foreign partners pull out of the investment initiative," the company leadership said, recalling that negotiations started in May 2008.
HOME AFFAIRS AND THE JUDICIARY
"SANS [State Agency for National Security] Should Be Invisible," caps an interview with Prime Minister Boiko Borissov in "Standart News". He says that he expects a sweep against street crime within six months.
***
All dailies report that the Commission for Establishing Property Acquired from Criminal Activity has won a case against mobster Dimiter Zhelyazkov at first instance. Assets worth 2,357,883 have been seized.
***
A junior officer of the Traffic Police from Petrich, who has been working for years in the Southwestern ski resort of Bansko, has been questioned in connection to a bribery scheme for exam-taking and admission at the Sofia-based University for National and World Economy. University professor Petkan Iliev is chief suspect in the case, "24 Chassa" writes. It is alleged that through Iliev's mediation a student from Blagoevgrad, Southwestern Bulgaria, who wanted to enrol at the university and who later tipped the police, had been asked to pay 4,000 leva (roughly 2,000 euro). University Rector Borislav Borissov said that at least 50 people are reviewing examination marks in connection with the scheme.
***
In an interview for "Troud", Anelia Mingova of the Supreme Judicial Council says that Brussels expect politicians to support the judiciary. According to her, Margarita Popova's appointment as justice minister is an excellent choice, as she knows the system inside out and she has headed the unit for battling EU funds embezzlement. The momentum she has gained may well carry on into her new office.
***
In an article for "Troud", capped "20 Years of Reforms and Scandals in the Interior Ministry", General Todor Boyadjiev (Ret) recommends the depolitization of the Interior Ministry, tight control on the part of the state, a new model for personnel recruitment, opportunities for promotion and limited term of office of the ministry leadership to reduce outside influence.
ECONOMY
In an interview for "Dnevnik", Finance Minister Simeon Djankov says that 300 million leva will be saved through cuts in the size of administration staff. According to him, the main core in charge of EU funds management will be within the Council of Ministers. Half of state agencies might be taken over by respective ministries and external audits will be set to review state-owned energy companies.
***
"Standart News" writes that the Sofia heating utility will be up for sale. The newspaper quotes Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov as saying that the utility should be privately owned.
***
Half the country's bridges should be repaired over the short and medium term and some bridges need urgent repairs as they pose a risk to passing vehicles, writes "Troud". The reason is that the asphalt paving gets cracked and collapses. Bridges less than 20 metres in length in bigger cities are in worst condition.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Borissov cabinet is the first one which steps in office in the conditions of a EU membership. It can formulate and defend more freely national interests than all previous governments, which had been burdened by pre-accession talks, says former foreign minister Solomon Passy interviewed by "Troud".
***
"Bratstvo", the longest-running Bulgarian newspaper in the Western Outlands in Serbia is facing bankruptcy, according to "Pari".
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 – July 28, 2009
• There will be no summer break for the members of the new parliament in August, National Assembly chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva announced. According Tsacheva, this is necessary because of the need to work out the legislation related to the working process in the new government.
She also explained that the examination of the possibility to broadcast the sittings of the parliament on the Internet is already in process.
• Radoslav Pirpazare, accused of the recent kidnapping of Alexandar Krause, will stay under arrest. This is the judgment of Sofia City Court and it is not liable to further appeal. Later on today, Sofia City Court will rule the restraint orders of the other two persons accused of the abduction – Yavor Mihaylov and Dilyan Sabrev.
lørdag den 25. juli 2009
demosEUROPE: Thinking about tomorrow
The European project is stalling. In order to strike out from the crisis it now faces, it must decide on its future and put forward a major new project as ambitious as that of the single currency, according to a report by demosEuropa, published in Warsaw weekly Polityka.
This moment is special: Europe has lost momentum, gripped by a economic, institutional crisis, and also a crisis of faith. With a new institutional season beginning - a new parliament, soon a new Commission, Europe needs to overcome some apathy.
Polityka weekly and demosEuropa – Centre for European Strategy, a Warsaw-based think tank, launched a reflection group with the purpose of drawing up a new agenda for the European Union. Its comprehensive report, called Europe Can Do Better, was unveiled in Warsaw on 16 July, with the aim to present it in selected European capitals also. Its message is clear: To go forward the EU must launch a new, demanding integration project matching to single market and single currency ones of the eighties and nineties.
The EU is not just a successful international organisation: it's a political and civilisational project. Its importance and significance are determined by the attractiveness of what Europe has to offer to itself and to others. Today, the European debate has stalled, suspended between a dream of a United States of Europe, which only recently still was a major talking point, and delusional pragmatism, which has come now to dominate the continent’s political life. This petty pragmatism is a virus weakening the Union, and oen that undergoes various mutations in the process. It affects the most fundamental issues, including the functioning of the single market. Paradoxically, this kind of the EU’s ‘self-disintegration’ can be more dangerous than direct challenges to its legitimacy.
In their recent ruling on the Lisbon Treaty, the judges of the German Constitutional Court argue on 147 pages that European integration has gone too far in reducing the nation state’s powers. We must decide – it’s either a nation state or the United States of Europe. We can’t have both.
For some time now the term ‘G2’ has been in circulation, meaning the US and China. No European country alone is equal to these two. But couldn’t the EU make the G2 a G3? Because if it loses the battle for global influence, it will cease to exist as a political entity. For G3 to become reality, the EU needs to develop a common strategic culture and learn to trust its representatives. A European diplomacy, which the Lisbon Treaty gives the green light to, can either take years to establish and be held continuously leashed in by Europe’s main capitals, or else be set up quickly with adequate powers. There’s no doubt the latter should be done.
Europe needs politicisation, which can be achieved through the formation of truly European political parties. It is they rather than the national parties that should bring the debate to the European elections. We would then avoid provincial election campaigns, dominated by domestic issues and personal ambitions of individual parishes. Europeans would discuss continent-wide issues: everyone knows that issues such as environmental protection, transport or energy cannot be solved on the scale of a single member state, so the European public debate shouldn’t be carried out on this scale either.
Close cooperation is needed between the EU and the Nato. A new phase should begin with a review of the key challenges and finding a common denominator between the European Security Strategy and the Nato’s new Strategic Concept. The EU needs an autonomous contingency planning capacity so that it doesn’t have to rely on member states’ good will.
Fortunately, the crisis has shown that the EU’s structural foundations – the European Central Bank in particular – are solid. Were it not for the euro, Europe would likely be undermined by waves of competitive devaluations, as each member state would strive to achieve exchange rate benefits on its own. The euro needs to be strengthened - let it become a major global reserve currency beside the US dollar. Eurozone enlargement is one of the most important political projects of the next decade. We need to overcome the division between old and new member states.
The European project has always been based on economic integration. We become acutely aware of this during a crisis. For now, everyone is doing their own thing. Germany has introduced a constitutional requirement to reduce budget deficit, while France wants to invest ‘in the future’ by boosting its domestic debt. The tug-of-war method, where the strongest player wins, remains the order of the day. From the Polish point of view, it's imperative that the Union's fundamental principles of the free circulation of goods, people, services, and capital be defended, irrespective of whether the economic situation is good or bad. But we also need to promote an increase of the EU budget, which currently stands at a mere 1 percent of the European GDP. These funds will be needed to support European research and development projects. Innovation is the European economy’s 21st century 'To be or not to be."
One crisis is ongoing and further ones are already waiting in line. The first of these is caused by demographics, which is Europe’s success and problem at the same time. 50% of Europeans will be over 50 within the next two or three years. There is no other society or economy in the world of a similar demographic profile. A European political deal is needed on this, an extension of retirement age, and a gradual transition (as in Poland) towards a defined-contributions pension model.
The balance of the issues facing the EU in the coming years is worrying. Ironically, this explains why there has been such a desperate lack of political leadership in the present situation. It is a hundred times easier to seek refuge in domestic political debates and forget about the world, silently hoping that someone solves your problems for you. But now the idyll is coming to an end. With Jerzy Buzek as head of the European Parliament and the Polish presidency looming on the horizon in 2011, we have no choice but to put on heavier armour. Noblesse oblige!
Marek Ostrowski and Paweł Świeboda
Keywords
* Culture & Ideas
* EU
* NATO
* United Kingdom
* Email this page
On the web
| The original article in Polityka
| The demosEuropa site
| "Europe can do better" report
| European Security Strategy
Latest articles published
European Union | Thinking about tomorrow
The European project is stalling. In order to strike out from the crisis it now faces, it must decide on its future and put forward a major new project as ambitious as that of the single currency, according to a report by demosEuropa, published in Warsaw weekly Polityka.
Profile | Notes from the cartoon underground
Italian cartoonist Gianluca Costantini's work is ever-changing. Founder of the Kamikaze Festival for cartoonists and editor of Inguine Mah!gazine, he explains to cafebabel.com about trials and tribulations of an artist's life both in the underground and mainstream.
Tower of Babel | Plight of the Fanta chump
It is a symptom of a young man's unrequited love for his female best friend that he is forever footing her soft drink bill. Cafebabel.com goes out in search of Spain's "Pagafantas" and his lovelorn brothers across the continent.
Articles
* MOST VIEWED
* MOST COMMENTED
* MOST SENT
1. Plight of the Fanta chump
2. Thinking about tomorrow
3. Barcelona bliss for all kinds of Italians
1. War of the posters
2. French, it's rocket science
3. Europe doesn't exist
1. Scandinavia's lovely and unaffordable model
2. Brussels a riot with spy vs spy
3. French, it's rocket science
* Eco-efficiency on the agenda
* Attitudes to employment survey
* Counter-piracy in the Gulf of Aden
* At the first night of the Proms
* Fatal storms strike Poland
* Czechs give Eurovision "nul points"
Blog
BHL buries socialism, sort of
When Parti Socialiste general secretary Martine Aubry, shortly after the French Socialists' European election debacle in June, proclaimed she was giving the party “six months to change course", she probably didn’t reckon on Parisian philosopher Bernard Henri Levy butting in over at
Iran, '68 and all that
Michelet, in his famous history of the French revolution relates the story of an aristocrat disguised as a peasant, fleeing Robespierre’s Terror for the safety of what it is now Belgium. Feeling peckish while still in France, he entered a tavern.
Go to the blog
This moment is special: Europe has lost momentum, gripped by a economic, institutional crisis, and also a crisis of faith. With a new institutional season beginning - a new parliament, soon a new Commission, Europe needs to overcome some apathy.
Polityka weekly and demosEuropa – Centre for European Strategy, a Warsaw-based think tank, launched a reflection group with the purpose of drawing up a new agenda for the European Union. Its comprehensive report, called Europe Can Do Better, was unveiled in Warsaw on 16 July, with the aim to present it in selected European capitals also. Its message is clear: To go forward the EU must launch a new, demanding integration project matching to single market and single currency ones of the eighties and nineties.
The EU is not just a successful international organisation: it's a political and civilisational project. Its importance and significance are determined by the attractiveness of what Europe has to offer to itself and to others. Today, the European debate has stalled, suspended between a dream of a United States of Europe, which only recently still was a major talking point, and delusional pragmatism, which has come now to dominate the continent’s political life. This petty pragmatism is a virus weakening the Union, and oen that undergoes various mutations in the process. It affects the most fundamental issues, including the functioning of the single market. Paradoxically, this kind of the EU’s ‘self-disintegration’ can be more dangerous than direct challenges to its legitimacy.
In their recent ruling on the Lisbon Treaty, the judges of the German Constitutional Court argue on 147 pages that European integration has gone too far in reducing the nation state’s powers. We must decide – it’s either a nation state or the United States of Europe. We can’t have both.
For some time now the term ‘G2’ has been in circulation, meaning the US and China. No European country alone is equal to these two. But couldn’t the EU make the G2 a G3? Because if it loses the battle for global influence, it will cease to exist as a political entity. For G3 to become reality, the EU needs to develop a common strategic culture and learn to trust its representatives. A European diplomacy, which the Lisbon Treaty gives the green light to, can either take years to establish and be held continuously leashed in by Europe’s main capitals, or else be set up quickly with adequate powers. There’s no doubt the latter should be done.
Europe needs politicisation, which can be achieved through the formation of truly European political parties. It is they rather than the national parties that should bring the debate to the European elections. We would then avoid provincial election campaigns, dominated by domestic issues and personal ambitions of individual parishes. Europeans would discuss continent-wide issues: everyone knows that issues such as environmental protection, transport or energy cannot be solved on the scale of a single member state, so the European public debate shouldn’t be carried out on this scale either.
Close cooperation is needed between the EU and the Nato. A new phase should begin with a review of the key challenges and finding a common denominator between the European Security Strategy and the Nato’s new Strategic Concept. The EU needs an autonomous contingency planning capacity so that it doesn’t have to rely on member states’ good will.
Fortunately, the crisis has shown that the EU’s structural foundations – the European Central Bank in particular – are solid. Were it not for the euro, Europe would likely be undermined by waves of competitive devaluations, as each member state would strive to achieve exchange rate benefits on its own. The euro needs to be strengthened - let it become a major global reserve currency beside the US dollar. Eurozone enlargement is one of the most important political projects of the next decade. We need to overcome the division between old and new member states.
The European project has always been based on economic integration. We become acutely aware of this during a crisis. For now, everyone is doing their own thing. Germany has introduced a constitutional requirement to reduce budget deficit, while France wants to invest ‘in the future’ by boosting its domestic debt. The tug-of-war method, where the strongest player wins, remains the order of the day. From the Polish point of view, it's imperative that the Union's fundamental principles of the free circulation of goods, people, services, and capital be defended, irrespective of whether the economic situation is good or bad. But we also need to promote an increase of the EU budget, which currently stands at a mere 1 percent of the European GDP. These funds will be needed to support European research and development projects. Innovation is the European economy’s 21st century 'To be or not to be."
One crisis is ongoing and further ones are already waiting in line. The first of these is caused by demographics, which is Europe’s success and problem at the same time. 50% of Europeans will be over 50 within the next two or three years. There is no other society or economy in the world of a similar demographic profile. A European political deal is needed on this, an extension of retirement age, and a gradual transition (as in Poland) towards a defined-contributions pension model.
The balance of the issues facing the EU in the coming years is worrying. Ironically, this explains why there has been such a desperate lack of political leadership in the present situation. It is a hundred times easier to seek refuge in domestic political debates and forget about the world, silently hoping that someone solves your problems for you. But now the idyll is coming to an end. With Jerzy Buzek as head of the European Parliament and the Polish presidency looming on the horizon in 2011, we have no choice but to put on heavier armour. Noblesse oblige!
Marek Ostrowski and Paweł Świeboda
Keywords
* Culture & Ideas
* EU
* NATO
* United Kingdom
* Email this page
On the web
| The original article in Polityka
| The demosEuropa site
| "Europe can do better" report
| European Security Strategy
Latest articles published
European Union | Thinking about tomorrow
The European project is stalling. In order to strike out from the crisis it now faces, it must decide on its future and put forward a major new project as ambitious as that of the single currency, according to a report by demosEuropa, published in Warsaw weekly Polityka.
Profile | Notes from the cartoon underground
Italian cartoonist Gianluca Costantini's work is ever-changing. Founder of the Kamikaze Festival for cartoonists and editor of Inguine Mah!gazine, he explains to cafebabel.com about trials and tribulations of an artist's life both in the underground and mainstream.
Tower of Babel | Plight of the Fanta chump
It is a symptom of a young man's unrequited love for his female best friend that he is forever footing her soft drink bill. Cafebabel.com goes out in search of Spain's "Pagafantas" and his lovelorn brothers across the continent.
Articles
* MOST VIEWED
* MOST COMMENTED
* MOST SENT
1. Plight of the Fanta chump
2. Thinking about tomorrow
3. Barcelona bliss for all kinds of Italians
1. War of the posters
2. French, it's rocket science
3. Europe doesn't exist
1. Scandinavia's lovely and unaffordable model
2. Brussels a riot with spy vs spy
3. French, it's rocket science
* Eco-efficiency on the agenda
* Attitudes to employment survey
* Counter-piracy in the Gulf of Aden
* At the first night of the Proms
* Fatal storms strike Poland
* Czechs give Eurovision "nul points"
Blog
BHL buries socialism, sort of
When Parti Socialiste general secretary Martine Aubry, shortly after the French Socialists' European election debacle in June, proclaimed she was giving the party “six months to change course", she probably didn’t reckon on Parisian philosopher Bernard Henri Levy butting in over at
Iran, '68 and all that
Michelet, in his famous history of the French revolution relates the story of an aristocrat disguised as a peasant, fleeing Robespierre’s Terror for the safety of what it is now Belgium. Feeling peckish while still in France, he entered a tavern.
Go to the blog
fredag den 24. juli 2009
Bulgarian press review, July 24, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, July 24 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
The proposed structure and lineup of the future government presented Thursday by Prime Minister-would-be Boiko Borissov fills the front pages of the Friday press. The papers write that the new government will have 15 ministries, 16 ministers and two deputy prime ministers (of finance Simeon Djankov and of the Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov). They also stress that the Ministries of emergency situations and of state administration are being scrapped, and that the Economy and Energy Ministry takes over tourism, the Transport Ministry IT and communications and the Agriculture Ministry the forestry sector. The Education and Science Ministry becomes Ministry of Education, Youth and Science.
"Sega" comments that under Borissov lots of power gets focused in four mega-ministries: of Economy and Energy, of the Interior which will get under its control the Civil Defence service and the single European emergency line service 112, the Transport Ministry and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science.
The priority for Interior Minister-designate Tsvetan Tsvetanov is to increase the wages in the Interior Ministry and for the Regional Development Minister-designate Rossen Plevneliev to build new motorways, writes "Standard News". Agriculture Minister-designate Miroslav Naidenov tells an interviewer of the same paper that farm cooperatives will save farmers and that Bulgaria could offer organic foods to a hungry Europe.
"Standard News" says that each minister will have three deputies, and writes of "a wave of blue appointments" which is expected to follow the ministerial appointments, especially in the environment and health sector.
It is a reference to the colour of the Right-wing Blue Coalition in Parliament.
"Standard News" writes of the ministers-designate under the headline "Samurai against the Criris". It also carries an article by popular TV journalist Nikolai Berekov who says that "Borissov will replace any government minister who steps sideways".
"24 Chassa" has a story entitled "The Government of the 45-Year-Olds". It observes that 45 is the average age in the proposed government, that a quarter of them are women, five are with background in economics or engineering, two are lawyers, two medical doctors, one is a historian, one an artist, four local administrators and all have managerial experience. The majority are new to politics. There are strong Varna and Vratsa lobbies, with two representatives from each of the two towns, the author says. "Often accused of being unpredictable, Borissov turned out to be real predictable. He needed his ministers to be new faces, to be uninvolved in conflict of interest, to be independent of various circles and not to be the object of political bargaining," he also says.
Social analyst Roumyana Buchvarova of Market Links tells "24 Chassa" that Borissov is the first prime minister to take office with prior experience in government.
"Dnevnik" has a front-page story entitled "The Borissov Format: More Experts and Few Politicians". The paper also says that businesses expect guarantees of transparency. Ivo Prokopiev, the President of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria, tells "Dnevnik" that the most important thing now is to take control of unemployment.
"The Government of Great Expectations" headlines a story in "Pari". The paper praises the strong presence of experts in the proposed government and says it is now expected to carry out the GERB programme.
"Hands off the flat [income] tax!", financier Emil Hursev says in "Troud" by way of an advice to the new government.
"Novinar" writes that the surprise designation of history professor Bozhidar Dimitrov as minister without portfolio in charge of expatriate Bulgarians and the cultural and historical heritage drove a wedge between the Blue Coalition and GERB. The story says that Dimitrov's nomination followed the adoption of a rule by Parliament which disqualifies collaborators of the communist-era secret services from taking the leadership of parliamentary committees - and Dimitrov is known to have worked for the State Security service under communism [implying that Dimitrov was preparing to become the chairman of a parliamentary committee]. Blue Coalition co-chairman Martin Dimitrov said that they would not support the history professor (and former senior socialist party member) over his connections with State Security and would propose that each minister-designate be put to the vote personally. Martin Dimitrov's Union of Democratic Forces will decide on Saturday whether to support the Borissov government if it is voted en block.
***
"Douma" and "Troud" report Parliament's decision whereby as of January 1, 2010, or sooner, voting in Parliament will be done by biometric cards. The decision was put down in the parliamentary rules of procedure.
***
The commission for identification of criminal assets has been working under excessive pressure in the past six months, writes "24 Chassa". The commission chairman, Stoyan Koushlev, tells this paper that they have been under pressure in connection with assets involved in several high-profile cases including those of the Galev Brothers and Alexander Tomov, the ex-CEO of the Kremikovtsi steel mill and president of the football club CSKA of Sofia. In Tomov's case, the commission has even received calls from MPs from the anti-corruption committee in the previous Parliament, says Koushlev.
Koushlev's commission has its eye on a 7 million leva property owned by the Varna-based father and son Vesselin and Hristo Danov, reports "Troud". Scores of properties, bank accounts and company shares owned by the two have been distrained. Danov has been found guilty of participating in an armed crime group for laundering money from prostitution, people and drug trafficking.
FOREIGN POLICY
"Standard News" writes that US president Barack Obama has nominated for the position of US Ambassador to Bulgaria Marc S. Ellenbogen, "a universal expert in politics and economy", to replace outgoing ambassador Nancy McEldowney.The paper says that Ellenbogen is a well-known investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist. And a top journalist too - he has become famous for his geopolitical commentaries for UPI agency. The 47-year-old Ellenbogen is the chairman of the Board of Directors of 'Global Panel' Foundation, which has brought under control more than one conflict around the world. Former US president Bill Clinton has consulted him on various occasions, the report says.
***
In an interview for "Standard News", British Ambassador to Bulgaria Steve Williams says that the recent European Commission report on Bulgaria's progress in reforming justice and fighting organized crime and corruption "should be invaluable for the new government, in helping it to determine where action needs to be taken".
In the same paper, French Ambassador Etienne de Poncins says that report the European Commission released Wednesday should be used as a guidebook by the new government.
ECONOMY
A little Las Vegas will emerge on a 12 ha plot in the territory of the Varna Sea Gardens, that the TIM group bought June 15 from the government, "24 Chassa" reports. According to the paper, TIM has imposed a total ban on any information on the deal with the government and on their project. It is alleged that they plan to build boutique hotels, fishing villages, upscale restaurants, casinos and a marina. Nobody at the construction department of the Varna Town Hall would provide any information on the project or when it was designed.
***
In a "Troud" interview, Margarita Todorova of the Black Sea resort of Albena says they might have to close down hotels next year. Albena gets vacationers with average incomes while it has hoped for wealthier visitors, she says.
***
Bulgarians' homes lost 21.9 per cent of their value in the past year, "Troud" says reporting official statistics. The crisis has eaten away over 300 leva for each square meter of housing and in April-June 2009 the average housing price in Bulgaria was 1,074 leva/sq m.
***
"Monitor" leads with a story saying that the elitist high schools are half-empty.
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 – July 24, 2009
• President Georgi Purvanov issued a decree, proposing to the National Assembly to elect Boiko Borissov Prime Minister based on the successful implementation of the exploratory mandate. The Decree No 274 was signed July 23 and is promulgated in Friday's State Gazette. The prime minister designate handed Thursday the head of state his proposal on the structure and the lineup of the cabinet, formed on GERB mandate. Parliament will vote on the draft cabinet at an extraordinary sitting on July 27.
• Borislav Atanassov, the owner of a Sofia building company AKB Properties, has been kidnapped from the Simeonovo quarter of the Bulgarian capital. 33-year-old Atanassov was taken by four masked men late Thursday night and was bundled into the trunk of a Mercedes jeep. He was kidnapped in front of his home, in an area that is protected by a private security firm. According to the Interior Minisrty Atanassov himself has a criminal record for kidnapping and has been banned from leaving the country.
• The police busted an organized group for buying exams at the University for National and Word Economy (UNWE), press centre of the Ministry of Interior informed. Lecturers and mediators are involved in the scheme as the price for ‘services’ varied from BGN 500 to 4 000.
Sofia, July 24 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
The proposed structure and lineup of the future government presented Thursday by Prime Minister-would-be Boiko Borissov fills the front pages of the Friday press. The papers write that the new government will have 15 ministries, 16 ministers and two deputy prime ministers (of finance Simeon Djankov and of the Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov). They also stress that the Ministries of emergency situations and of state administration are being scrapped, and that the Economy and Energy Ministry takes over tourism, the Transport Ministry IT and communications and the Agriculture Ministry the forestry sector. The Education and Science Ministry becomes Ministry of Education, Youth and Science.
"Sega" comments that under Borissov lots of power gets focused in four mega-ministries: of Economy and Energy, of the Interior which will get under its control the Civil Defence service and the single European emergency line service 112, the Transport Ministry and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science.
The priority for Interior Minister-designate Tsvetan Tsvetanov is to increase the wages in the Interior Ministry and for the Regional Development Minister-designate Rossen Plevneliev to build new motorways, writes "Standard News". Agriculture Minister-designate Miroslav Naidenov tells an interviewer of the same paper that farm cooperatives will save farmers and that Bulgaria could offer organic foods to a hungry Europe.
"Standard News" says that each minister will have three deputies, and writes of "a wave of blue appointments" which is expected to follow the ministerial appointments, especially in the environment and health sector.
It is a reference to the colour of the Right-wing Blue Coalition in Parliament.
"Standard News" writes of the ministers-designate under the headline "Samurai against the Criris". It also carries an article by popular TV journalist Nikolai Berekov who says that "Borissov will replace any government minister who steps sideways".
"24 Chassa" has a story entitled "The Government of the 45-Year-Olds". It observes that 45 is the average age in the proposed government, that a quarter of them are women, five are with background in economics or engineering, two are lawyers, two medical doctors, one is a historian, one an artist, four local administrators and all have managerial experience. The majority are new to politics. There are strong Varna and Vratsa lobbies, with two representatives from each of the two towns, the author says. "Often accused of being unpredictable, Borissov turned out to be real predictable. He needed his ministers to be new faces, to be uninvolved in conflict of interest, to be independent of various circles and not to be the object of political bargaining," he also says.
Social analyst Roumyana Buchvarova of Market Links tells "24 Chassa" that Borissov is the first prime minister to take office with prior experience in government.
"Dnevnik" has a front-page story entitled "The Borissov Format: More Experts and Few Politicians". The paper also says that businesses expect guarantees of transparency. Ivo Prokopiev, the President of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria, tells "Dnevnik" that the most important thing now is to take control of unemployment.
"The Government of Great Expectations" headlines a story in "Pari". The paper praises the strong presence of experts in the proposed government and says it is now expected to carry out the GERB programme.
"Hands off the flat [income] tax!", financier Emil Hursev says in "Troud" by way of an advice to the new government.
"Novinar" writes that the surprise designation of history professor Bozhidar Dimitrov as minister without portfolio in charge of expatriate Bulgarians and the cultural and historical heritage drove a wedge between the Blue Coalition and GERB. The story says that Dimitrov's nomination followed the adoption of a rule by Parliament which disqualifies collaborators of the communist-era secret services from taking the leadership of parliamentary committees - and Dimitrov is known to have worked for the State Security service under communism [implying that Dimitrov was preparing to become the chairman of a parliamentary committee]. Blue Coalition co-chairman Martin Dimitrov said that they would not support the history professor (and former senior socialist party member) over his connections with State Security and would propose that each minister-designate be put to the vote personally. Martin Dimitrov's Union of Democratic Forces will decide on Saturday whether to support the Borissov government if it is voted en block.
***
"Douma" and "Troud" report Parliament's decision whereby as of January 1, 2010, or sooner, voting in Parliament will be done by biometric cards. The decision was put down in the parliamentary rules of procedure.
***
The commission for identification of criminal assets has been working under excessive pressure in the past six months, writes "24 Chassa". The commission chairman, Stoyan Koushlev, tells this paper that they have been under pressure in connection with assets involved in several high-profile cases including those of the Galev Brothers and Alexander Tomov, the ex-CEO of the Kremikovtsi steel mill and president of the football club CSKA of Sofia. In Tomov's case, the commission has even received calls from MPs from the anti-corruption committee in the previous Parliament, says Koushlev.
Koushlev's commission has its eye on a 7 million leva property owned by the Varna-based father and son Vesselin and Hristo Danov, reports "Troud". Scores of properties, bank accounts and company shares owned by the two have been distrained. Danov has been found guilty of participating in an armed crime group for laundering money from prostitution, people and drug trafficking.
FOREIGN POLICY
"Standard News" writes that US president Barack Obama has nominated for the position of US Ambassador to Bulgaria Marc S. Ellenbogen, "a universal expert in politics and economy", to replace outgoing ambassador Nancy McEldowney.The paper says that Ellenbogen is a well-known investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist. And a top journalist too - he has become famous for his geopolitical commentaries for UPI agency. The 47-year-old Ellenbogen is the chairman of the Board of Directors of 'Global Panel' Foundation, which has brought under control more than one conflict around the world. Former US president Bill Clinton has consulted him on various occasions, the report says.
***
In an interview for "Standard News", British Ambassador to Bulgaria Steve Williams says that the recent European Commission report on Bulgaria's progress in reforming justice and fighting organized crime and corruption "should be invaluable for the new government, in helping it to determine where action needs to be taken".
In the same paper, French Ambassador Etienne de Poncins says that report the European Commission released Wednesday should be used as a guidebook by the new government.
ECONOMY
A little Las Vegas will emerge on a 12 ha plot in the territory of the Varna Sea Gardens, that the TIM group bought June 15 from the government, "24 Chassa" reports. According to the paper, TIM has imposed a total ban on any information on the deal with the government and on their project. It is alleged that they plan to build boutique hotels, fishing villages, upscale restaurants, casinos and a marina. Nobody at the construction department of the Varna Town Hall would provide any information on the project or when it was designed.
***
In a "Troud" interview, Margarita Todorova of the Black Sea resort of Albena says they might have to close down hotels next year. Albena gets vacationers with average incomes while it has hoped for wealthier visitors, she says.
***
Bulgarians' homes lost 21.9 per cent of their value in the past year, "Troud" says reporting official statistics. The crisis has eaten away over 300 leva for each square meter of housing and in April-June 2009 the average housing price in Bulgaria was 1,074 leva/sq m.
***
"Monitor" leads with a story saying that the elitist high schools are half-empty.
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 – July 24, 2009
• President Georgi Purvanov issued a decree, proposing to the National Assembly to elect Boiko Borissov Prime Minister based on the successful implementation of the exploratory mandate. The Decree No 274 was signed July 23 and is promulgated in Friday's State Gazette. The prime minister designate handed Thursday the head of state his proposal on the structure and the lineup of the cabinet, formed on GERB mandate. Parliament will vote on the draft cabinet at an extraordinary sitting on July 27.
• Borislav Atanassov, the owner of a Sofia building company AKB Properties, has been kidnapped from the Simeonovo quarter of the Bulgarian capital. 33-year-old Atanassov was taken by four masked men late Thursday night and was bundled into the trunk of a Mercedes jeep. He was kidnapped in front of his home, in an area that is protected by a private security firm. According to the Interior Minisrty Atanassov himself has a criminal record for kidnapping and has been banned from leaving the country.
• The police busted an organized group for buying exams at the University for National and Word Economy (UNWE), press centre of the Ministry of Interior informed. Lecturers and mediators are involved in the scheme as the price for ‘services’ varied from BGN 500 to 4 000.
torsdag den 23. juli 2009
Bulgarian press review, July 23, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, July 23 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Troud" reports that GERB, The Blue Coalition, the Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) Party and Ataka pushed through a ban on independent MPs who have left their group or have been expelled from it, to join another group. Just as before, at least 10 MPs will be needed to form a parliamentary group. A Deputy Chairperson of the National Assembly rendered up by a group that ceases to exist will forfeit his or her position. After long arguments, GERB conceded and agreed that the parliamentary Committee on Control of SANS be composed on a parity basis, of one MP of each group, or a total of six members. The representatives of all groups except GEFB will rotate as chairs of the Committee. The number of National Assembly standing committees was reduced from 21 to 17.
* * *
"Dnevnik" reports that in a declaration on its priorities, the 41st National Assembly promised constitutional and legal reforms, unblocking the access to the EU funds and a scrutiny of the tenure of the outgoing three-party coalition. The adoption of the document on Wednesday was accompanied by disputes over procedure, and the priority of a scrutiny of the previous government's incumbency prompted the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) to stay out of the vote and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) to abstain.
* * *
"Zemya" writes on its front page that MPs who were affiliated with State Security will be barred from chairing National Assembly committees and from membership of international delegations and of the Committee on Internal Security and Defence, the Committee on Control of SANS and on Control of EU Funds. Yanaki Stoilov MP of Coalition for Bulgaria said that this is the first majority in the 20-year-long transition that has voted a lustration resolution.
* * *
"Who Says MPs Will Have Vacation? It depends on the Cabinet": under this heading, "24 Chassa" runs an interview with National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva. "Bills have already been introduced, and they will be debated immediately after the parliamentary committees are constituted. And if they ensure a regular supply of statutory instruments for plenary debate, there will be no recess," Tsacheva asserts.
* * *
"Locked in Interregnum," reads the heading of a comment in "Standart News." "The Stanishev Cabinet has been consigned to history. As from yesterday, the executive is on autopilot. The outgoing upper echelon does not feel bound to discharge its official duties. Within the space of a single day, four people were kidnapped, which indicates the acute need of a strong hand in government. The new statesmen of GERB will have come to grips quickly with their functions and responsibilities, to take up the helm of the aimlessly moving state machine. The GERB leader and his team cannot afford the luxury of learning the ropes of running the country on the move."
* * *
In an analysis contributed to "Monitor" and entitled "New Political Landscale after Elections," Assoc. Prof. Dr Antonii Gulubov argues that the fence-sitting position of The Blue Coalition as a political donor to the majority will probably give the internal opposition in the Union of Democratic Forces fresh arguments to try yet again the call into question the stability of the party and, hence, of the right-of-centre coalition. The OLJ, too, failed to achieve the privileged role of GERB's trusted ally. Yane Yanev's party remains closest to the reformist governance project, albeit beyond the notion of a ruling majority. The BSP's most substantial problem is conceding defeat and chooing a model of conduct in opposition. The MRF remains outside the public debate on the evolving new power configuration. The MRF emerged from both its consecutive terms in government stronger than before. The disappearance of the National Movement for Surge and Stability (NMSS) from parliamentary political space did not cause any serious cataclysms. The NMSS successfully attained the goals for which it was established."
* * *
"Ministry Conjured Up for Bozhidar Dimitrov," "Troud" writes in a headline. Prof. Bozhidar Dimitrov will be a minister without portfolio in charge of Bulgarians abroad, according to sources of the daily. He got the job suddenly, after Parliament voted a lustration provision which prevents him from becoming chairman of the Standing Committee on Culture. Dessislava Taneva, presented by Boiko Borissov himself as the future agriculture minister, said yesterday that she is declining the nomination.
* * *
"Troud" reports that on Wednesday Prosecutor General Boris Velchev referred to the Constitutional Court alerts by Yane Yanev and The Blue Coalition contesting the election results in Turkey. They argue that the voting by Bulgarian citizens in the parliamentary elections there was rigged. According to experts, the Constitutional Court cannot annul part of the the election results. It can either cancel the results countrywide or refuse to do so. The other option is to examine the legal conformity of the election of individual MPs.
* * *
"MRF Took the Sword and Perished with the Sword," "Sega" comments. According to the author, "the latest elections brought down to earth the MRF and its leader. The Movement garnered a record support of 610,521 votes. The way in which this was achieved, however: through ad hoc revisions of the election law, a huge number of voting sections at the Bosporus, brazen statements to the point of insolence, triggered an unprecedented backlash. This frayed Ahmed Dogan's nerves to such an extent that on election night he hinted about a gospel quotation that 'all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.' In reality, though, it was him that had taken the sword. And had perished with that sword. The MRF has never been in the position that it is likely to be in the next four years. Paradoxically, the MRF's largest election victory may prove the start of a long consignment to oblivious opposition."
* * *
Interviewed for "Troud," National Revenue Agency Executive Director Krassimir Stefanov explains: "I would like to say expressly that an audit of [MRF leader] Ahmed Dogan is not in progress now. We are checking natural and legal persons who own properties that are allegedly related to Mr Dogan in some way. Secondly, I would like to say that no deadline for conduct of this check is expiring. The important thing is to conduct it adequately."
BULGARIA - EU
"'Bulgaria showed the first technical results in the fight against corruption and organized crime, but their effect is limited,' the European Commission said yesterday in its regular report on this country's progress in justice and home affairs," "Troud" reports. "The document praises us for the first convicted mobsters and the joint investigation teams of prosecutros, investigators, policemen and the State Agency for National Security (SANS). This time, too, Brussels did not ask for the imposition of a safeguard clause on Bulgaria. The deadline for this is December 31. Until the next report, due in the summer of 2010, the Commission gave our new government 21 concrete tasks. The emphasis among them is on development of an integrated strategy against organized crime and corruption."
"24 Chassa" rounds up magistrates' and politicians' opinion after the release of the report. "We are already working on one of the recommendations contained in the report," said Prosecutor General Boris Velchev. He has started talks with Prime Minister designate Boiko Borissov on the setting up of specialized units for combating organized crime and for investigating high-level corruption. "The advice of Brussels to set up special courts for the cases related to organized crime and corruption must be examined very carefully," according to Supreme Court of Cassation President Lazar Grouev. "If the report is a test, I am not self-confident that we have performed well," said Supreme Administrative Court President Konstantin Penchev. In his view, the criticism about the personnel policy of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is justified. "A new criterion for assessment of magistrates' performance will be set in an ordinance under the Judicial System Act," said SJC member Anelia Mingova. Margarita Popova, slated for future minister of justice, advices against "euphoria". Outgoing Interior Minister Mihail Mikov sees the report as "encouraging, taking account of the progress achieved." "Of course it is criticial. As to whether it is encouraging - this aspect is probably addressed to the new parliamentary majority and the future government," according to Mikov's prospective successor, Tsvetan Tsvetanov.
Interviewed for "Troud," outgoing European Affairs Minister Gergana Passy sums up her term in office: "I failed in my efforts to have a parliamentary committee on SANS on a parity basis, chaired by the opposition. I failed to make our partners vote in favour of broader powers for the Criminal Assets Identification Commission. It gets a positive mention in the report, but we are still in the age of multimillionaires who have not a cent to their name, have written everything over to their wives. And they are untouchable. We are leaving the country with a vice: inexplicable wealth. Odd actions by even the most motivated prosecutor general cannot eliminate the problem. We need clear legal mechanisms."
ECONOMY
Under the heading "Guarded Optimism about Public Finance," "Troud" comments that the slump of production is more alarming than the state of the budget. In May 2009, industrial production contracted 22.1 per cent from the same month a year ago. Worse yet, the sectors "fueling" future production literally collapsed: the manufacture of intermediate goods by 33.7 per cent, and the manufacture of investment goods by 27.2 per cent. Bankruptcies give cause for concern as well. Between January and April 2009, 118 companies were adjudicated bankrupt, compared to 67 last year.
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 – July 23, 2009
• Prime Minister designate Boiko Borissov handed President Georgi Purvanov a proposal for a structure and personnel composition of a cabinet formed on the GERB mandate. Borissov announced his cabinet within the seven-day term envisaged in the Constitution, after he had received an exploratory mandate on July 16 to form a cabinet. Parliament will vote the draft cabinet at an extraordinary sitting on July 27.
• The structure of the Council of Ministers which Prime Minister designate Boiko Borissov presented to President Georgi Purvanov at 12 p.m. consist of 15 ministries with different portfolio and 1 minister without portfolio. The new structure does not include a Ministry of Emergency Situations and a Ministry of State Administration and Administrative Reform, but a Ministry of Sport is set up. The tourist sector will be added under the Ministry of Economy and Energy.
• The newly proposed Bulgarian government is composed as follows. Former senior World Bank economist Simeon Djankov is the new Minister of Finance; The GERB party Chair Tsvetan Tsvetanov is the new Interior Minister; Djankov and Tsvetanov will be the two Deputy Prime Ministers. Sofia Deputy Mayor Yordanka Fandakova is becoming Minister of Education. The biggest surprise in the new government is Traycho Traykov, procurist of EVN electricity distribution company, who will head the Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Tourism. Sculptor Vezhdi Rashidov will be the Minister of Culture, former MEP Nikolay Mladenov - Defense Minister, and prosecutor Margarita Popova - Justice Minister. MEP Rumiana Jeleva is taking over the Foreign Ministry, and the Mayor of the city of Vratsa Totyu Mladenov - the Social and Labor Ministry. Bozhidar Nanev, GERB MP and surgeon at Varna University Hospital will be in charge of the Health Ministry. Construction businessman Rosen Plevneliev will be Regional Development Minister. Environment consultant Nona Karadzhova is expected to be the next Environment Minister. Alexander Tsvetkov, currently Deputy Mayor of the capital Sofia, will be the new Transport Minister. Miroslav Naydenov is taking over the Agriculture Ministry, after MP Dessislava Taneva withdrew her nomination in the last minute. Bozhidar Dimitrov, the director of Bulgaria's National History Museum is going to be Minister without a portfolio in charge of the Bulgarian citizens abroad. Svilen Neykov, Bulgarian rowing champion and coach and husband of Bulgarian Beijing Olympics gold medalist Rumyana Neykova, will be in charge of the newly created Sports Ministry.
• The parliamentary Committee on the Fight against Corruption, Conflict of Interest and Parliamentary Ethics will be set up on a parity principle - it will include one representative from each parliamentary group, Parliament resolved in a discussion on the parliamentary rules of procedure. The committee will be chaired on a rotation basis.
• Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov conferred the Order of the Balkan Range, First Class, on outgoing US Ambassador to Bulgaria Nancy McEldowney. She received the highest Bulgarian state honour for her extraordinary contribution to the development of Bulgarian-US relations.
Sofia, July 23 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Troud" reports that GERB, The Blue Coalition, the Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) Party and Ataka pushed through a ban on independent MPs who have left their group or have been expelled from it, to join another group. Just as before, at least 10 MPs will be needed to form a parliamentary group. A Deputy Chairperson of the National Assembly rendered up by a group that ceases to exist will forfeit his or her position. After long arguments, GERB conceded and agreed that the parliamentary Committee on Control of SANS be composed on a parity basis, of one MP of each group, or a total of six members. The representatives of all groups except GEFB will rotate as chairs of the Committee. The number of National Assembly standing committees was reduced from 21 to 17.
* * *
"Dnevnik" reports that in a declaration on its priorities, the 41st National Assembly promised constitutional and legal reforms, unblocking the access to the EU funds and a scrutiny of the tenure of the outgoing three-party coalition. The adoption of the document on Wednesday was accompanied by disputes over procedure, and the priority of a scrutiny of the previous government's incumbency prompted the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) to stay out of the vote and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) to abstain.
* * *
"Zemya" writes on its front page that MPs who were affiliated with State Security will be barred from chairing National Assembly committees and from membership of international delegations and of the Committee on Internal Security and Defence, the Committee on Control of SANS and on Control of EU Funds. Yanaki Stoilov MP of Coalition for Bulgaria said that this is the first majority in the 20-year-long transition that has voted a lustration resolution.
* * *
"Who Says MPs Will Have Vacation? It depends on the Cabinet": under this heading, "24 Chassa" runs an interview with National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva. "Bills have already been introduced, and they will be debated immediately after the parliamentary committees are constituted. And if they ensure a regular supply of statutory instruments for plenary debate, there will be no recess," Tsacheva asserts.
* * *
"Locked in Interregnum," reads the heading of a comment in "Standart News." "The Stanishev Cabinet has been consigned to history. As from yesterday, the executive is on autopilot. The outgoing upper echelon does not feel bound to discharge its official duties. Within the space of a single day, four people were kidnapped, which indicates the acute need of a strong hand in government. The new statesmen of GERB will have come to grips quickly with their functions and responsibilities, to take up the helm of the aimlessly moving state machine. The GERB leader and his team cannot afford the luxury of learning the ropes of running the country on the move."
* * *
In an analysis contributed to "Monitor" and entitled "New Political Landscale after Elections," Assoc. Prof. Dr Antonii Gulubov argues that the fence-sitting position of The Blue Coalition as a political donor to the majority will probably give the internal opposition in the Union of Democratic Forces fresh arguments to try yet again the call into question the stability of the party and, hence, of the right-of-centre coalition. The OLJ, too, failed to achieve the privileged role of GERB's trusted ally. Yane Yanev's party remains closest to the reformist governance project, albeit beyond the notion of a ruling majority. The BSP's most substantial problem is conceding defeat and chooing a model of conduct in opposition. The MRF remains outside the public debate on the evolving new power configuration. The MRF emerged from both its consecutive terms in government stronger than before. The disappearance of the National Movement for Surge and Stability (NMSS) from parliamentary political space did not cause any serious cataclysms. The NMSS successfully attained the goals for which it was established."
* * *
"Ministry Conjured Up for Bozhidar Dimitrov," "Troud" writes in a headline. Prof. Bozhidar Dimitrov will be a minister without portfolio in charge of Bulgarians abroad, according to sources of the daily. He got the job suddenly, after Parliament voted a lustration provision which prevents him from becoming chairman of the Standing Committee on Culture. Dessislava Taneva, presented by Boiko Borissov himself as the future agriculture minister, said yesterday that she is declining the nomination.
* * *
"Troud" reports that on Wednesday Prosecutor General Boris Velchev referred to the Constitutional Court alerts by Yane Yanev and The Blue Coalition contesting the election results in Turkey. They argue that the voting by Bulgarian citizens in the parliamentary elections there was rigged. According to experts, the Constitutional Court cannot annul part of the the election results. It can either cancel the results countrywide or refuse to do so. The other option is to examine the legal conformity of the election of individual MPs.
* * *
"MRF Took the Sword and Perished with the Sword," "Sega" comments. According to the author, "the latest elections brought down to earth the MRF and its leader. The Movement garnered a record support of 610,521 votes. The way in which this was achieved, however: through ad hoc revisions of the election law, a huge number of voting sections at the Bosporus, brazen statements to the point of insolence, triggered an unprecedented backlash. This frayed Ahmed Dogan's nerves to such an extent that on election night he hinted about a gospel quotation that 'all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.' In reality, though, it was him that had taken the sword. And had perished with that sword. The MRF has never been in the position that it is likely to be in the next four years. Paradoxically, the MRF's largest election victory may prove the start of a long consignment to oblivious opposition."
* * *
Interviewed for "Troud," National Revenue Agency Executive Director Krassimir Stefanov explains: "I would like to say expressly that an audit of [MRF leader] Ahmed Dogan is not in progress now. We are checking natural and legal persons who own properties that are allegedly related to Mr Dogan in some way. Secondly, I would like to say that no deadline for conduct of this check is expiring. The important thing is to conduct it adequately."
BULGARIA - EU
"'Bulgaria showed the first technical results in the fight against corruption and organized crime, but their effect is limited,' the European Commission said yesterday in its regular report on this country's progress in justice and home affairs," "Troud" reports. "The document praises us for the first convicted mobsters and the joint investigation teams of prosecutros, investigators, policemen and the State Agency for National Security (SANS). This time, too, Brussels did not ask for the imposition of a safeguard clause on Bulgaria. The deadline for this is December 31. Until the next report, due in the summer of 2010, the Commission gave our new government 21 concrete tasks. The emphasis among them is on development of an integrated strategy against organized crime and corruption."
"24 Chassa" rounds up magistrates' and politicians' opinion after the release of the report. "We are already working on one of the recommendations contained in the report," said Prosecutor General Boris Velchev. He has started talks with Prime Minister designate Boiko Borissov on the setting up of specialized units for combating organized crime and for investigating high-level corruption. "The advice of Brussels to set up special courts for the cases related to organized crime and corruption must be examined very carefully," according to Supreme Court of Cassation President Lazar Grouev. "If the report is a test, I am not self-confident that we have performed well," said Supreme Administrative Court President Konstantin Penchev. In his view, the criticism about the personnel policy of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is justified. "A new criterion for assessment of magistrates' performance will be set in an ordinance under the Judicial System Act," said SJC member Anelia Mingova. Margarita Popova, slated for future minister of justice, advices against "euphoria". Outgoing Interior Minister Mihail Mikov sees the report as "encouraging, taking account of the progress achieved." "Of course it is criticial. As to whether it is encouraging - this aspect is probably addressed to the new parliamentary majority and the future government," according to Mikov's prospective successor, Tsvetan Tsvetanov.
Interviewed for "Troud," outgoing European Affairs Minister Gergana Passy sums up her term in office: "I failed in my efforts to have a parliamentary committee on SANS on a parity basis, chaired by the opposition. I failed to make our partners vote in favour of broader powers for the Criminal Assets Identification Commission. It gets a positive mention in the report, but we are still in the age of multimillionaires who have not a cent to their name, have written everything over to their wives. And they are untouchable. We are leaving the country with a vice: inexplicable wealth. Odd actions by even the most motivated prosecutor general cannot eliminate the problem. We need clear legal mechanisms."
ECONOMY
Under the heading "Guarded Optimism about Public Finance," "Troud" comments that the slump of production is more alarming than the state of the budget. In May 2009, industrial production contracted 22.1 per cent from the same month a year ago. Worse yet, the sectors "fueling" future production literally collapsed: the manufacture of intermediate goods by 33.7 per cent, and the manufacture of investment goods by 27.2 per cent. Bankruptcies give cause for concern as well. Between January and April 2009, 118 companies were adjudicated bankrupt, compared to 67 last year.
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 – July 23, 2009
• Prime Minister designate Boiko Borissov handed President Georgi Purvanov a proposal for a structure and personnel composition of a cabinet formed on the GERB mandate. Borissov announced his cabinet within the seven-day term envisaged in the Constitution, after he had received an exploratory mandate on July 16 to form a cabinet. Parliament will vote the draft cabinet at an extraordinary sitting on July 27.
• The structure of the Council of Ministers which Prime Minister designate Boiko Borissov presented to President Georgi Purvanov at 12 p.m. consist of 15 ministries with different portfolio and 1 minister without portfolio. The new structure does not include a Ministry of Emergency Situations and a Ministry of State Administration and Administrative Reform, but a Ministry of Sport is set up. The tourist sector will be added under the Ministry of Economy and Energy.
• The newly proposed Bulgarian government is composed as follows. Former senior World Bank economist Simeon Djankov is the new Minister of Finance; The GERB party Chair Tsvetan Tsvetanov is the new Interior Minister; Djankov and Tsvetanov will be the two Deputy Prime Ministers. Sofia Deputy Mayor Yordanka Fandakova is becoming Minister of Education. The biggest surprise in the new government is Traycho Traykov, procurist of EVN electricity distribution company, who will head the Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Tourism. Sculptor Vezhdi Rashidov will be the Minister of Culture, former MEP Nikolay Mladenov - Defense Minister, and prosecutor Margarita Popova - Justice Minister. MEP Rumiana Jeleva is taking over the Foreign Ministry, and the Mayor of the city of Vratsa Totyu Mladenov - the Social and Labor Ministry. Bozhidar Nanev, GERB MP and surgeon at Varna University Hospital will be in charge of the Health Ministry. Construction businessman Rosen Plevneliev will be Regional Development Minister. Environment consultant Nona Karadzhova is expected to be the next Environment Minister. Alexander Tsvetkov, currently Deputy Mayor of the capital Sofia, will be the new Transport Minister. Miroslav Naydenov is taking over the Agriculture Ministry, after MP Dessislava Taneva withdrew her nomination in the last minute. Bozhidar Dimitrov, the director of Bulgaria's National History Museum is going to be Minister without a portfolio in charge of the Bulgarian citizens abroad. Svilen Neykov, Bulgarian rowing champion and coach and husband of Bulgarian Beijing Olympics gold medalist Rumyana Neykova, will be in charge of the newly created Sports Ministry.
• The parliamentary Committee on the Fight against Corruption, Conflict of Interest and Parliamentary Ethics will be set up on a parity principle - it will include one representative from each parliamentary group, Parliament resolved in a discussion on the parliamentary rules of procedure. The committee will be chaired on a rotation basis.
• Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov conferred the Order of the Balkan Range, First Class, on outgoing US Ambassador to Bulgaria Nancy McEldowney. She received the highest Bulgarian state honour for her extraordinary contribution to the development of Bulgarian-US relations.
onsdag den 22. juli 2009
Bulgarian Press Review July 22, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, July 22 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Vratsa Mayor and BMA President Will Be Ministers," headlines "24 Chassa".
"Troud" writes that Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) President Bojidar Nanev is certain to be given the post of health minister in the future cabinet. Nanev, who has three specialities in general, pediatric and thoracic surgery, was elected BMA President with just two votes ahead of the other contender for the post. Vratsa Mayor Totyu Mladenov, former head of the General Labour Inspectorate, will become labour minister.
37-year old Dessislava Taneva, tipped as agriculture and foods minister, has succeeded in each of her undertakings, reports "Troud". Her rise began in 1996. She took up a job with Mel Invest Holding at the age of 23 to become its CEO two years later and has served on the management of companies operating in areas as diverse as milling, animal feed production, brewery, machine building, animal husbandry, bread making and the hotel business, or 61 altogether. In 1998 she was named businesswoman of the year by a women's magazine. Taneva says for "24 Chassa" that she will give up all her positions on company boards. According to "Standart News", the agriculture ministry will regain control over forests.
"Woman In Charge of Environment Again," headlines an article about Nona Karadjova, who is said to be named minister of environment. According to the article, she is one of the leading environmental experts. Under two consecutive governments, of Kostov [1997-2001] and of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha [2001-2005], she served as head of the EU Integration department with the
Environment Ministry and was a key figure in the accession talks with the EU on the environment chapter. Besides, she is an expert on separate waste collection. In an interview for "Standart News", former caretaker prime minister Reneta Indjova says that women are given key role when times are tough.
In an interview for "Monitor", outgoing Interior Minister Mihail Mikov says that the expert leadership of the Ministry should stay. "24 Chassa" writes that future interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has the most unenviable job of all ministers. The Interior Ministry is likened to a landslide, and the State Agency for National Security as a striker, waiting on others for passes to score.
"Life Made Me a Fighter," caps an article on culture minister designate Vejdi Rashidov, who has gone a long way from the orphanage to the ministerial chair. Of his priorities, Rashidov says that he wants to make life better for prominent artists and that Bulgarians have to learn to work in order to absorb EU funds.
***
Interviewed by "Sega", former BSP [Bulgarian Socialist Party] leader and strategist Alexander Lilov says that the first step for recovering after the election knockdown is to change the leadership of the BSP.
In an interview for "Troud", Ognyan Gerdjikov, former Parliament chairman of the National Movement for Surge and Stability (NMSS) says that if the NMSS manages to relaunch itself, its non-aggressive behaviour will be appreciated in time.
Commenting on the post-election reality for "Troud", former MP Lyuben Dilov says that Bulgaria has jumped from Marx straight into Marquez.
General Ivan Mechkov, the newly appointed head of the Military Police Service, has no authorization for handling classified information and cannot fulfil his full duties, according to Chair of the State Commission on Information Security Tsveta Markova, quoted by "Troud". Markova has sent a letter to Mechkov, asking him not to take over as head of the service, as he will get an unauthorized access to classified information. As a military attache in Rome, Mechkov had authorized access, which was suspended at the end of his term. His two years' service at the Ministry of Defence did not require him to be authorized.
BULGARIA-EU
"Brussels' Austerity Suddenly Melts Away," headlines an article in "Sega" by Svetoslav Terziev. According to him, the Barroso Commission will be giving Wednesday a public lecture in cowardice to the EU bloc. The fearsome guard dog of the EU treaties will have its tail tucked between its legs in front of 500,000 Europeans while making excuses why in three years it could not protect the underlying principle of the EU treaties, which is the supremacy of the law, violated by allegedly the most corrupt state. The third annual report of the European Commission on progress in Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism in the areas of justice and home affairs is a triumph for outgoing Prime Minister Stanishev over his mentors from Brussels.
"Douma" quotes Hristo Manchev of the Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office as saying that the prosecuting magistracy is checking 135 cases of EU funds embezzlement.
"Sega" cites the findings of a survey conducted by the Open Society Institute, which suggest that the Bulgarian society displays significant racial and ethnic prejudice towards new Arab, Vietnamese and Chinese minorities.
ECONOMY
The National Revenue Agency (NRA) will run checks into properties connected with Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Ahmed Dogan, frontpages "24 Chassa". These are the so-called Boyana Palace near Sofia, where Dogan resides, the Casa Domini Complex in Ribaritsa, the Orpheus SPA Complex in Devin and the Rossenets Park in Bourgas. The NRA will also have to say where the 366,590 leva income which Dogan reported for 2008 came from. The check, which has been instituted by the prosecution magistracy, will run until August 22.
A third of sellers on the property market are struggling financially, writes "24 Chassa", citing a survey of the Address property agency. Rents of commercial property dropped by 25 per cent in the first half of 2009, according to data of the Foros agency.
"Dnevnik" writes that efforts on the part of the state to encourage Bulgarians to holiday at the Black Sea have failed, quoting State Tourism Agency Chair Anelia Kroushkova. Turkey and Greece are the destinations of choice, as they offer cheaper holidays, better infrastructure and services.
In an interview for "24 Chassa", financier Andrei Prumov says that home-made oligarchs are sponsored by the state. According to Prumov, the 8:5:3 rationing system of the outgoing tripartite coalition turned public funds into a feeder for the energy, construction, forest and transport mafia. Prumov calls for eliminating "contraband channels which have been running for decades under the auspices of public officials."
SOCIETY
Lori, 14, and her friends Daya and Polly, both 17, saved two children and their sitter from drowning in the village of Lozenets, on the Black Sea, on July 15, reports "Troud". Despite the red danger flag, the sitter and the two little girls had been playing in the water, when currents swept them away.
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 – July 22, 2009
• Bulgarian Parliament accepted the resignation of the government of Sergei Stanishev. The government will continue to function until the formation of a new government.
• Members of Bulgaria's parliament, who were collaborators of the so called State Security, the intelligence and secret police during the communist regime, will not be allowed to assume key posts in the national assembly. MPs with state security records will not be able to head parliamentary commissions, join international delegations and be members of the interior security and defense commissions, as well as those that control the county's State Agency for National Security (DANS) and European funds.
• Parliament adopted a declaration on its top priorities. The document passed on 156 votes from GERB, the Blue Coalition, Ataka and Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ), one against and 26 abstentions by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). Topmost of all priorities in the declaration is to establish a worthy place for Bulgaria as an EU Member State. It is followed by improving the welfare of Bulgarians by ensuring financial stability and economic growth, lawfulness, rule of law and national security.
• European Commission today publishes regular reports on Bulgaria and Romania in implementing the mechanism imposed by the Commission for cooperation and verification in the field of justice and home affairs in the two most recent member states of the European Union. The report proves that the cooperation and verification mechanism is working well and there are results. There is some inertia in terms of the reforms in both the countries but they should be backed by stronger political will in terms of the corruption and the organized crime in Bulgaria. Bulgaria decided to open itself for a dialog with the Commission. The state still has to take measures in the fight against corruption and organized crime, the report reads. The next report will be released in the summer of 2010. The cooperation and verification mechanism continues. The European Commission gives 21 recommendations to Bulgaria and 16 to Romania.
• People in Asia have seen the longest total solar eclipse this century, with large areas of India and China plunged into darkness. Amateur stargazers and scientists traveled far to see the eclipse, which lasted six minutes and 39 seconds at its maximum point.
Sofia, July 22 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Vratsa Mayor and BMA President Will Be Ministers," headlines "24 Chassa".
"Troud" writes that Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) President Bojidar Nanev is certain to be given the post of health minister in the future cabinet. Nanev, who has three specialities in general, pediatric and thoracic surgery, was elected BMA President with just two votes ahead of the other contender for the post. Vratsa Mayor Totyu Mladenov, former head of the General Labour Inspectorate, will become labour minister.
37-year old Dessislava Taneva, tipped as agriculture and foods minister, has succeeded in each of her undertakings, reports "Troud". Her rise began in 1996. She took up a job with Mel Invest Holding at the age of 23 to become its CEO two years later and has served on the management of companies operating in areas as diverse as milling, animal feed production, brewery, machine building, animal husbandry, bread making and the hotel business, or 61 altogether. In 1998 she was named businesswoman of the year by a women's magazine. Taneva says for "24 Chassa" that she will give up all her positions on company boards. According to "Standart News", the agriculture ministry will regain control over forests.
"Woman In Charge of Environment Again," headlines an article about Nona Karadjova, who is said to be named minister of environment. According to the article, she is one of the leading environmental experts. Under two consecutive governments, of Kostov [1997-2001] and of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha [2001-2005], she served as head of the EU Integration department with the
Environment Ministry and was a key figure in the accession talks with the EU on the environment chapter. Besides, she is an expert on separate waste collection. In an interview for "Standart News", former caretaker prime minister Reneta Indjova says that women are given key role when times are tough.
In an interview for "Monitor", outgoing Interior Minister Mihail Mikov says that the expert leadership of the Ministry should stay. "24 Chassa" writes that future interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has the most unenviable job of all ministers. The Interior Ministry is likened to a landslide, and the State Agency for National Security as a striker, waiting on others for passes to score.
"Life Made Me a Fighter," caps an article on culture minister designate Vejdi Rashidov, who has gone a long way from the orphanage to the ministerial chair. Of his priorities, Rashidov says that he wants to make life better for prominent artists and that Bulgarians have to learn to work in order to absorb EU funds.
***
Interviewed by "Sega", former BSP [Bulgarian Socialist Party] leader and strategist Alexander Lilov says that the first step for recovering after the election knockdown is to change the leadership of the BSP.
In an interview for "Troud", Ognyan Gerdjikov, former Parliament chairman of the National Movement for Surge and Stability (NMSS) says that if the NMSS manages to relaunch itself, its non-aggressive behaviour will be appreciated in time.
Commenting on the post-election reality for "Troud", former MP Lyuben Dilov says that Bulgaria has jumped from Marx straight into Marquez.
General Ivan Mechkov, the newly appointed head of the Military Police Service, has no authorization for handling classified information and cannot fulfil his full duties, according to Chair of the State Commission on Information Security Tsveta Markova, quoted by "Troud". Markova has sent a letter to Mechkov, asking him not to take over as head of the service, as he will get an unauthorized access to classified information. As a military attache in Rome, Mechkov had authorized access, which was suspended at the end of his term. His two years' service at the Ministry of Defence did not require him to be authorized.
BULGARIA-EU
"Brussels' Austerity Suddenly Melts Away," headlines an article in "Sega" by Svetoslav Terziev. According to him, the Barroso Commission will be giving Wednesday a public lecture in cowardice to the EU bloc. The fearsome guard dog of the EU treaties will have its tail tucked between its legs in front of 500,000 Europeans while making excuses why in three years it could not protect the underlying principle of the EU treaties, which is the supremacy of the law, violated by allegedly the most corrupt state. The third annual report of the European Commission on progress in Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism in the areas of justice and home affairs is a triumph for outgoing Prime Minister Stanishev over his mentors from Brussels.
"Douma" quotes Hristo Manchev of the Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office as saying that the prosecuting magistracy is checking 135 cases of EU funds embezzlement.
"Sega" cites the findings of a survey conducted by the Open Society Institute, which suggest that the Bulgarian society displays significant racial and ethnic prejudice towards new Arab, Vietnamese and Chinese minorities.
ECONOMY
The National Revenue Agency (NRA) will run checks into properties connected with Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Ahmed Dogan, frontpages "24 Chassa". These are the so-called Boyana Palace near Sofia, where Dogan resides, the Casa Domini Complex in Ribaritsa, the Orpheus SPA Complex in Devin and the Rossenets Park in Bourgas. The NRA will also have to say where the 366,590 leva income which Dogan reported for 2008 came from. The check, which has been instituted by the prosecution magistracy, will run until August 22.
A third of sellers on the property market are struggling financially, writes "24 Chassa", citing a survey of the Address property agency. Rents of commercial property dropped by 25 per cent in the first half of 2009, according to data of the Foros agency.
"Dnevnik" writes that efforts on the part of the state to encourage Bulgarians to holiday at the Black Sea have failed, quoting State Tourism Agency Chair Anelia Kroushkova. Turkey and Greece are the destinations of choice, as they offer cheaper holidays, better infrastructure and services.
In an interview for "24 Chassa", financier Andrei Prumov says that home-made oligarchs are sponsored by the state. According to Prumov, the 8:5:3 rationing system of the outgoing tripartite coalition turned public funds into a feeder for the energy, construction, forest and transport mafia. Prumov calls for eliminating "contraband channels which have been running for decades under the auspices of public officials."
SOCIETY
Lori, 14, and her friends Daya and Polly, both 17, saved two children and their sitter from drowning in the village of Lozenets, on the Black Sea, on July 15, reports "Troud". Despite the red danger flag, the sitter and the two little girls had been playing in the water, when currents swept them away.
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 – July 22, 2009
• Bulgarian Parliament accepted the resignation of the government of Sergei Stanishev. The government will continue to function until the formation of a new government.
• Members of Bulgaria's parliament, who were collaborators of the so called State Security, the intelligence and secret police during the communist regime, will not be allowed to assume key posts in the national assembly. MPs with state security records will not be able to head parliamentary commissions, join international delegations and be members of the interior security and defense commissions, as well as those that control the county's State Agency for National Security (DANS) and European funds.
• Parliament adopted a declaration on its top priorities. The document passed on 156 votes from GERB, the Blue Coalition, Ataka and Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ), one against and 26 abstentions by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). Topmost of all priorities in the declaration is to establish a worthy place for Bulgaria as an EU Member State. It is followed by improving the welfare of Bulgarians by ensuring financial stability and economic growth, lawfulness, rule of law and national security.
• European Commission today publishes regular reports on Bulgaria and Romania in implementing the mechanism imposed by the Commission for cooperation and verification in the field of justice and home affairs in the two most recent member states of the European Union. The report proves that the cooperation and verification mechanism is working well and there are results. There is some inertia in terms of the reforms in both the countries but they should be backed by stronger political will in terms of the corruption and the organized crime in Bulgaria. Bulgaria decided to open itself for a dialog with the Commission. The state still has to take measures in the fight against corruption and organized crime, the report reads. The next report will be released in the summer of 2010. The cooperation and verification mechanism continues. The European Commission gives 21 recommendations to Bulgaria and 16 to Romania.
• People in Asia have seen the longest total solar eclipse this century, with large areas of India and China plunged into darkness. Amateur stargazers and scientists traveled far to see the eclipse, which lasted six minutes and 39 seconds at its maximum point.
tirsdag den 21. juli 2009
Bulgarian Press Review July 21, 2009
Press Review
Sofia, July 21 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Borissov Unveils His Cabinet on Thursday," "Troud" reports. On Monday GERB leader and prime minister designate Boiko Borissov named yet another minister in his cabinet, Margarita Popova. Popova, who is spokesperson for Prosecutor General Boris Velchev, will head the Justice Ministry. "I talked to the prosecutor general a week ago to convince him that it is very important that Popova takes up this post. Hers is not a party candidature, she has been named to do the work," Borissov said. He pointed out that the unit investigating major frauds involving EU funds, which Popova heads, is the only one that has been praised by Brussels. Popova's nomination was made public to halt speculations that the position would be taken up by a candidate of Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ), Borissov said. He confirmed that the Defence Ministry would be headed by former MEP Nikolay Mladenov.
* * *
The MPs will be able to join other parliamentary groups, "Troud" writes. GERB has lived up to its threat to put an end to parliamentary "nomadism" but its was a half-success. Parliamentary "ants" may leave their groups and become independent or join an already existing parliamentary group but they may not form a new group. This is the decision made by the Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee drafting Rules of Organization and Procedure of the 41st National Assembly. The final say on the decision rests with Parliament.
There was a long dispute between GERB and the other parliamentary parties over the Standing Committee on Control of the State Agency for National Security (SANS). Five of its members will be representatives of GERB, and the remaining five groups will have one representative each. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) accused GERB of unprecedented and forceful decision-making. The Blue Coalition also raised objections against the new principle.
* * *
Though not speaking face-to-face, GERB leader Borissov and OLJ leader Yani Yanev have threatened each other with early elections because of the impasse the talks between their parties have reached, "Standart News" says. The two parties did not sign a partnership memorandum as Yanev insists on concluding a bilateral agreement with GERB. The Blue Coalition reiterated that they would back the cabinet of GERB but would decide which of its bills to support on a piece-by-piece basis. Only Ataka has promised its unconditional support for GERB.
* * *
"We will play on the same team with GERB," Ataka leader Volen Siderov states in an interview for "Standart News." "We believe that the party which won the power should form a cabinet and shoulder its responsibility. We will support it in Parliament so that what we all want ca happen - curbing corruption and playing by the rules." In Siderov words, the OLJ and the Blue Coalition create obstacles to achieving this, that is why he is inclined to think that they are serving certain interests. "Their whims, in particular those of the OLJ, can please mainly the BSP (Bulgarian Socialist Party) and the MRF who are rubbing their hands as they appear to see an opportunity for a failure of GERB and variants for their comeback," Siderov says.
* * *
According to sociologist Antonii Gulubov, the alliance of Ataka and GERB will be a short-lived one. Now Ataka is trying to become GERB's confidential partner but it seeks to change the "profile" of the new government, Gulubov says in "Troud." "Siderov's party will not lie low for long. Generally, it comes out a loser from the attempts to get integrated in the political process. Its politician influence has always been dependent on its being "against," on directly confronting opponents. The expectations that GERB can stake on the rivalry between the Blue Coalition, the OLJ and Ataka remains unrealistic. Placing the three organizations on an equal footing may prove to be a serious political mistake."
* * *
The prosecuting magistracy has ordered a new tax audit of MRF leader Ahmed Dogan, "Sega" writes on its front page. After eight months of foot-dragging, at last some action has been taken in regard to the real estates owned by Dogan. The deadline for finishing the tax audits of all natural and juristic persons who are suspected of being installed as dummy owners of five estates of Dogan's, including Dogan as well, expires on July 22. There are doubts in the results of the audits performed while Maria Mourgina headed the National revenue Agency, that is why the prosecution ordered a new check.
* * *
The Sofia chapter of the BSP demands that the party distance itself in public from the MRF, until recently its partner in the government, "Sega" notes. "Why even now, after the elections, we refuse to distance ourselves from the MRF," Sofia chapter leader Roumen Ovcharov asked at the Sunday plenum of the BSP held to discuss election results. In his view, it was the BSP's coalition policy that led to the deplorable outcome of the elections - for MEPs and for National Assembly.
ECONOMY
"Troud" says in its highlights that there is a nonfulfillment of tax revenues in the budget amounting to 2,100 million leva, which is mostly due to VAT non-compliance. For the first time there is a negligible budget surplus of only 173 million leva or 0.3 per cent of GDP, shows the Financial Ministry report on the budget performance in the first half of 2009. The report was presented by outgoing Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski. For this reason the new government will probably not unfreeze the 10 per cent of the ministries' budgets that have been blocked, he believes. The Financial Ministry expects a drop of 2.5 per cent in GDP by the end of 2009.
* * *
Interviewed for "24 Chassa," Simeon Dyankov, finance minister designate in GERB's government, says that "2,000 million leva has been spent on strange energy projects." In his opinion, the construction of the Belene N-plant should be suspended; he thinks of offering 10 per cent of the assets of the Energy Holding on the stock market. Dyankov says that he and Oresharski have arranged a brief transition period at the Finance Ministry like that in the US administrations and have been meeting for ten days now.
* * *
The banks should reduce their interest on loans," Alexander Bozhkov, an economist and former deputy prime minister, says in "Troud." In his words, the new government should decide which expenditures are unnecessary and which are not, something which the outgoing cabinet failed to do and kept cutting down all budget expenditures instead. In the meantime, it established a number of companies transferring millions to them, Bozhkov says.
BULGARIA - EU
The court cases which Brussels monitors are increasing but there are no results yet, "Sega" says in a signed item. The author recalls that in a day the European Commission will come up with a critical report, although its draft was seen as soft-toned and positive by Bulgaria's politicians. There are reproaches for the lack of political will to tackle with the problems, for the existence of legislative obstacles and control bodies which do nothing. Maybe if some people have been held liable for doing nothing there would have been some activation in this respect, the author observes. Not a single officer has been brought to court for sluggishness. But even the most powerful measures would not do the job if they are not properly applied, the author notes.
* * *
"I stayed in my position because it means responsibility," European Commissioner for Consumers Protection Meglena Kouneva says in an interview held with "Monitor." This is the reason she gives for not choosing to go to the European Parliament to which she was elected. In her words, the situation is very difficult and Parliament is not yet in the position to approve a new nominee for commissioner. "When the question is about a position you hold, you should stay in it because it is a responsibility you have taken on," Kouneva says.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
• http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
• http://www.novinite.com/index.php
• http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – July 21, 2009
• An earthquake measuring approximately 3.6 points on the Richter Scale, epicentred some 180 km southeast of Sofia, within Bulgarian territory, was recorded at 6:54 hrs local time today. The quake was felt weakly in some settlements of Smolyan, Plovdiv and Kurdjali Regions (South Central Bulgaria). There are no reports of casualties or damage to property.
• Dessislava Taneva will be the new Agriculture Minister, and Miroslav Naidenov will chair the Agriculture Committee in Parliament, Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB) Leader Boiko Borissov said at a meeting with the management boards of farmer organizations. During the talks, the farmers updated the CEDB MPs and the future prime minister Borissov on the problems in the sector.
• We insist that Central Electoral Commission /CEC/ should hold an urgent press conference by the end of the week to announce at least several electoral rolls from Turkey, Order, Law and Justice Chairman Yane Yanev said at a press conference. He says there are still no ready electoral registers there. “These rolls are like the Chinese alphabet. We call on CEC to give the protocols from Bursa, Izmit, Izmir – they were falsified. You can easily notice the falsification. The European institutions are following the issue because it involves a non-EU country,” he said.
• The CEDB party wants to freeze the project of the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline. That was announced by Rosen Plevneliev, expected to be a Minister of Regional Development and Public Works in the future government of Boyko Borisov. The Burgas-Alexandroupoli is an oil pipeline that would be used to transport Russian and Caspian oil from the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Burgas to the Greek Aegean port of Alexandroupoli.
Sofia, July 21 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Borissov Unveils His Cabinet on Thursday," "Troud" reports. On Monday GERB leader and prime minister designate Boiko Borissov named yet another minister in his cabinet, Margarita Popova. Popova, who is spokesperson for Prosecutor General Boris Velchev, will head the Justice Ministry. "I talked to the prosecutor general a week ago to convince him that it is very important that Popova takes up this post. Hers is not a party candidature, she has been named to do the work," Borissov said. He pointed out that the unit investigating major frauds involving EU funds, which Popova heads, is the only one that has been praised by Brussels. Popova's nomination was made public to halt speculations that the position would be taken up by a candidate of Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ), Borissov said. He confirmed that the Defence Ministry would be headed by former MEP Nikolay Mladenov.
* * *
The MPs will be able to join other parliamentary groups, "Troud" writes. GERB has lived up to its threat to put an end to parliamentary "nomadism" but its was a half-success. Parliamentary "ants" may leave their groups and become independent or join an already existing parliamentary group but they may not form a new group. This is the decision made by the Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee drafting Rules of Organization and Procedure of the 41st National Assembly. The final say on the decision rests with Parliament.
There was a long dispute between GERB and the other parliamentary parties over the Standing Committee on Control of the State Agency for National Security (SANS). Five of its members will be representatives of GERB, and the remaining five groups will have one representative each. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) accused GERB of unprecedented and forceful decision-making. The Blue Coalition also raised objections against the new principle.
* * *
Though not speaking face-to-face, GERB leader Borissov and OLJ leader Yani Yanev have threatened each other with early elections because of the impasse the talks between their parties have reached, "Standart News" says. The two parties did not sign a partnership memorandum as Yanev insists on concluding a bilateral agreement with GERB. The Blue Coalition reiterated that they would back the cabinet of GERB but would decide which of its bills to support on a piece-by-piece basis. Only Ataka has promised its unconditional support for GERB.
* * *
"We will play on the same team with GERB," Ataka leader Volen Siderov states in an interview for "Standart News." "We believe that the party which won the power should form a cabinet and shoulder its responsibility. We will support it in Parliament so that what we all want ca happen - curbing corruption and playing by the rules." In Siderov words, the OLJ and the Blue Coalition create obstacles to achieving this, that is why he is inclined to think that they are serving certain interests. "Their whims, in particular those of the OLJ, can please mainly the BSP (Bulgarian Socialist Party) and the MRF who are rubbing their hands as they appear to see an opportunity for a failure of GERB and variants for their comeback," Siderov says.
* * *
According to sociologist Antonii Gulubov, the alliance of Ataka and GERB will be a short-lived one. Now Ataka is trying to become GERB's confidential partner but it seeks to change the "profile" of the new government, Gulubov says in "Troud." "Siderov's party will not lie low for long. Generally, it comes out a loser from the attempts to get integrated in the political process. Its politician influence has always been dependent on its being "against," on directly confronting opponents. The expectations that GERB can stake on the rivalry between the Blue Coalition, the OLJ and Ataka remains unrealistic. Placing the three organizations on an equal footing may prove to be a serious political mistake."
* * *
The prosecuting magistracy has ordered a new tax audit of MRF leader Ahmed Dogan, "Sega" writes on its front page. After eight months of foot-dragging, at last some action has been taken in regard to the real estates owned by Dogan. The deadline for finishing the tax audits of all natural and juristic persons who are suspected of being installed as dummy owners of five estates of Dogan's, including Dogan as well, expires on July 22. There are doubts in the results of the audits performed while Maria Mourgina headed the National revenue Agency, that is why the prosecution ordered a new check.
* * *
The Sofia chapter of the BSP demands that the party distance itself in public from the MRF, until recently its partner in the government, "Sega" notes. "Why even now, after the elections, we refuse to distance ourselves from the MRF," Sofia chapter leader Roumen Ovcharov asked at the Sunday plenum of the BSP held to discuss election results. In his view, it was the BSP's coalition policy that led to the deplorable outcome of the elections - for MEPs and for National Assembly.
ECONOMY
"Troud" says in its highlights that there is a nonfulfillment of tax revenues in the budget amounting to 2,100 million leva, which is mostly due to VAT non-compliance. For the first time there is a negligible budget surplus of only 173 million leva or 0.3 per cent of GDP, shows the Financial Ministry report on the budget performance in the first half of 2009. The report was presented by outgoing Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski. For this reason the new government will probably not unfreeze the 10 per cent of the ministries' budgets that have been blocked, he believes. The Financial Ministry expects a drop of 2.5 per cent in GDP by the end of 2009.
* * *
Interviewed for "24 Chassa," Simeon Dyankov, finance minister designate in GERB's government, says that "2,000 million leva has been spent on strange energy projects." In his opinion, the construction of the Belene N-plant should be suspended; he thinks of offering 10 per cent of the assets of the Energy Holding on the stock market. Dyankov says that he and Oresharski have arranged a brief transition period at the Finance Ministry like that in the US administrations and have been meeting for ten days now.
* * *
The banks should reduce their interest on loans," Alexander Bozhkov, an economist and former deputy prime minister, says in "Troud." In his words, the new government should decide which expenditures are unnecessary and which are not, something which the outgoing cabinet failed to do and kept cutting down all budget expenditures instead. In the meantime, it established a number of companies transferring millions to them, Bozhkov says.
BULGARIA - EU
The court cases which Brussels monitors are increasing but there are no results yet, "Sega" says in a signed item. The author recalls that in a day the European Commission will come up with a critical report, although its draft was seen as soft-toned and positive by Bulgaria's politicians. There are reproaches for the lack of political will to tackle with the problems, for the existence of legislative obstacles and control bodies which do nothing. Maybe if some people have been held liable for doing nothing there would have been some activation in this respect, the author observes. Not a single officer has been brought to court for sluggishness. But even the most powerful measures would not do the job if they are not properly applied, the author notes.
* * *
"I stayed in my position because it means responsibility," European Commissioner for Consumers Protection Meglena Kouneva says in an interview held with "Monitor." This is the reason she gives for not choosing to go to the European Parliament to which she was elected. In her words, the situation is very difficult and Parliament is not yet in the position to approve a new nominee for commissioner. "When the question is about a position you hold, you should stay in it because it is a responsibility you have taken on," Kouneva says.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
• http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
• http://www.novinite.com/index.php
• http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – July 21, 2009
• An earthquake measuring approximately 3.6 points on the Richter Scale, epicentred some 180 km southeast of Sofia, within Bulgarian territory, was recorded at 6:54 hrs local time today. The quake was felt weakly in some settlements of Smolyan, Plovdiv and Kurdjali Regions (South Central Bulgaria). There are no reports of casualties or damage to property.
• Dessislava Taneva will be the new Agriculture Minister, and Miroslav Naidenov will chair the Agriculture Committee in Parliament, Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB) Leader Boiko Borissov said at a meeting with the management boards of farmer organizations. During the talks, the farmers updated the CEDB MPs and the future prime minister Borissov on the problems in the sector.
• We insist that Central Electoral Commission /CEC/ should hold an urgent press conference by the end of the week to announce at least several electoral rolls from Turkey, Order, Law and Justice Chairman Yane Yanev said at a press conference. He says there are still no ready electoral registers there. “These rolls are like the Chinese alphabet. We call on CEC to give the protocols from Bursa, Izmit, Izmir – they were falsified. You can easily notice the falsification. The European institutions are following the issue because it involves a non-EU country,” he said.
• The CEDB party wants to freeze the project of the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline. That was announced by Rosen Plevneliev, expected to be a Minister of Regional Development and Public Works in the future government of Boyko Borisov. The Burgas-Alexandroupoli is an oil pipeline that would be used to transport Russian and Caspian oil from the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Burgas to the Greek Aegean port of Alexandroupoli.
mandag den 20. juli 2009
Press Review for Bulgaria, July 20. 2009
Press Review
Sofia, July 20 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
Monday's dailies quote OLJ [Order, Lawfulness, Justice] leader Yane Yanev as saying that prime minister-designate Boiko Borissov tried to bring an OLJ expert as minister in the future cabinet. According to sources of "Troud", MP Atanas Semov has been asked to step in as justice minister. Yanev said that the invitations came over the phone and by phone messages. Later, Borissov denied that negotiations to this effect were held.
The OLJ party said that they will not sign a memorandum for parliamentary support with GERB and will not attend Monday's negotiations. OLJ have agreed to signing only a bilateral memorandum with GERB for parliamentary cooperation.
***
Razgrad lawyer Todor Dimitrov will succeed Tsvetan Tsvetanov as GERB Floor Leader, writes "Troud". Nona Karadjova, former director of the EU Integration department with the Environment Ministry is tipped for minister of the environment and waters. Stoyan Tonev, head of the Military Medical Academy, and Ivan Kostov, head of the Sheinovo hospital, have both turned down the post of health minister.
***
"Borissov Asks Women to Cabinet”, writes "24 Chassa". The number of women who will be given key post in the new cabinet is rising. Besides Nona Karadjova, Andriana Soukova-Tosheva will probably be put in charge of agriculture.
***
"Borissov's Cabinet Spearheaded by Ministers from Brussels," reports "Standart News". Experts with long experience in Brussels will take key ministerial posts. Nikolai Mladenov will probably become minister of defence and Vladimir Ourouchev will be minister of energy.
***
"Klassa" quotes social scientist Roumiana Kolarova as saying that GERB will not succeed with its own experts only.
***
"Sega" writes that GERB intends to scrap MPs immunity. According to National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva the Prosecutor General's Office backs their desire to eliminate the immunity altogether. The Bulgarian Socialist Party suspects that GERB leader Boiko Borissov will be working towards a presidential republic, the daily adds.
***
"We put our thrust in the GERB cabinet and will support it," says Blue Coalition MP Ivan Ivanov, as quoted by "Troud". He says that so far the Blue Coalition hasn't made any demands on GERB for ministerial posts in the future government.
***
Interviewed by "24 Chassa", Ivan Kostov, leader of Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), says that Boiko Borissov has to prove himself, as there is no greater challenge than to govern the country under a deepening economic crisis and almost severed ties with the European Union. Kostov adds that DSB will back the government formed by GERB, because otherwise the BSP will get a shot at coming into power.
***
In an interview for "Troud", GERB parliamentary deputy chairman Luchezar Ivanov says that the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party [of the Blue Coalition] are not serfs. He says that GERB and the Blue Coalition have not discussed any ministerial posts. In his words, the memorandum proposed by GERB to the centre-right Blue Coalition, OLJ and Ataka will draw the demarcation line between opposition and supporters of the future government in Parliament.
***
"Attempts at Toppling Volen Siderov", writes "Troud". Former Ataka MP Mitko Dimitrov gathered 35 people at an extraordinary national council to change the party statutes. The council decided 34:1 that the party will have seven co-leaders. Changes to the statutes will be submitted at the Sofia City Court.
***
"Stanishev and BSP Wolves Engaged in Trench War", caps an analysis in "Troud". "The BSP [Bulgarian Socialist Party] is in for a long hot summer. Stanishev against the wolves. After Saturday's National Council, Stanishev leads 1:0," writes Valeria Veleva. According to her, Stanishev does not want to go down in history as second Zhan Videnov and he will defend his government at any cost.
***
"State Agriculture Stalls Projects," writes "24 Chassa". The elections have hit hard farmers, who are preparing projects under the Rural Development Programme. It turns out that no one has been passing down the chain documents submitted between January and May and they are shelved somewhere at local farming services. An official from a Southern Bulgarian service said they have been ordered to handle only direct payments for farmers.
***
A total of 7,141,541 leva have been spent by parties on advertisements in the European and national parliamentary elections, writes "24 Chassa".
***
Under the headline "Where to From Now On?", "Troud" runs an article about the five ministers of the National Movement for Surge and Stability and minister Valeri Tsvetanov of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms of the outgoing cabinet. According to the article, Nikolai Vassilev will return to private business, Daniel Vulchev will take back his chair at the Sofia University, Mеglena Tacheva will continue to work as lawyer, and Gergana Passy will work with EU projects. Valeri Tsvetanov says that his life will go back to normal, and Nikolai Tsonev says that he will commit himself to whatever job he takes.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
"Our foreign policy should become more transparent," says Milan Milanov, Director of the Diplomatic Institute with the Foreign Ministry in an interview for "Monitor". "The Bulgarian diplomat should serve consistently in the name of the national interest," he adds.
ECONOMY
The global economic crisis is more of a risk than an opportunity, writes "Troud", citing an online survey of the website for personnel selection bestjobs.bg. Of 2,843 respondents, 2,247 are convinced that the crisis poses threats and only 596 think that it offers opportunities.
***
Approximately one fifth of hotels on the Black Sea are shut at the height of the summer season, writes "Sega", quoting Roumen Draganov of the Institute for Analysis and Assessment in Tourism. This is due to the low number of tourists. Resorts south of Bourgas are occupied at a 20 per cent rate.
***
The insurance market in Bulgaria has shrunk by over 25 per cent since the start of 2009 compared with the same period last year, frontpages "Klassa". According to Orlin Penev, Chairman of the Association of Bulgarian Insurers, the contraction is due mainly to the drop in car insurances, as fewer cars have been sold this year.
SOCIETY
Crashes during the weekend took thirteen lives on roads in Bulgaria and three in neighbouring Greece, frontpages "Troud". The 40th edition of the Bulgaria Rally was suspended because of an incident which killed navigator Flavio Gugelmini.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
• http://www.thebulgarianpost.com/
• http://www.bta.bg/site/bg/index.shtml
• http://www.novinite.com/index.php
• http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – July 20, 2009
• Bulgaria's future Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, announced today his nomination for the Justice Minister in the new GERB party cabinet - Prosecutor Margarita Popova. Popova's nomination was revealed after Sunday's scandal, in which the leader of the conservative RZS ("Order, Law and Justice") party, Yane Yanev, claimed that Borisov had sent an SMS text message to his deputy, Dimitar Abadzhiev, inviting him to become Justice Minister.
Boyko Borisov also confirmed that former MEP Nikolay Mladenov is going to be the new Defense Minister.
• A panel of Sofia District Court is holding a sitting to decide whether the three kidnappers of 23-year-old Alexander Kraus must remain in custody. Kraus was kidnapped on July 15, Wednesday, and on Thursday the kidnappers were arrested.
• Bulgaria registered a monthly budget deficit of BGN 381 million in June 2009, according to data presented by outgoing Finance Minister, Plamen Oresharski. In the first half of 2009, Bulgaria still registered a surplus but it has been reduced to BGN 173 million, or 0,3% of the GDP. The surplus was accumulated mostly in January.
• Traffic Police today began intensive checks of buses. The action will take place in all European countries by July 26, said Interior Ministry. The campaign aims to reduce distortions and to reduce the victims of catastrophes.
Sofia, July 20 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
Monday's dailies quote OLJ [Order, Lawfulness, Justice] leader Yane Yanev as saying that prime minister-designate Boiko Borissov tried to bring an OLJ expert as minister in the future cabinet. According to sources of "Troud", MP Atanas Semov has been asked to step in as justice minister. Yanev said that the invitations came over the phone and by phone messages. Later, Borissov denied that negotiations to this effect were held.
The OLJ party said that they will not sign a memorandum for parliamentary support with GERB and will not attend Monday's negotiations. OLJ have agreed to signing only a bilateral memorandum with GERB for parliamentary cooperation.
***
Razgrad lawyer Todor Dimitrov will succeed Tsvetan Tsvetanov as GERB Floor Leader, writes "Troud". Nona Karadjova, former director of the EU Integration department with the Environment Ministry is tipped for minister of the environment and waters. Stoyan Tonev, head of the Military Medical Academy, and Ivan Kostov, head of the Sheinovo hospital, have both turned down the post of health minister.
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"Borissov Asks Women to Cabinet”, writes "24 Chassa". The number of women who will be given key post in the new cabinet is rising. Besides Nona Karadjova, Andriana Soukova-Tosheva will probably be put in charge of agriculture.
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"Borissov's Cabinet Spearheaded by Ministers from Brussels," reports "Standart News". Experts with long experience in Brussels will take key ministerial posts. Nikolai Mladenov will probably become minister of defence and Vladimir Ourouchev will be minister of energy.
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"Klassa" quotes social scientist Roumiana Kolarova as saying that GERB will not succeed with its own experts only.
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"Sega" writes that GERB intends to scrap MPs immunity. According to National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva the Prosecutor General's Office backs their desire to eliminate the immunity altogether. The Bulgarian Socialist Party suspects that GERB leader Boiko Borissov will be working towards a presidential republic, the daily adds.
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"We put our thrust in the GERB cabinet and will support it," says Blue Coalition MP Ivan Ivanov, as quoted by "Troud". He says that so far the Blue Coalition hasn't made any demands on GERB for ministerial posts in the future government.
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Interviewed by "24 Chassa", Ivan Kostov, leader of Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), says that Boiko Borissov has to prove himself, as there is no greater challenge than to govern the country under a deepening economic crisis and almost severed ties with the European Union. Kostov adds that DSB will back the government formed by GERB, because otherwise the BSP will get a shot at coming into power.
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In an interview for "Troud", GERB parliamentary deputy chairman Luchezar Ivanov says that the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party [of the Blue Coalition] are not serfs. He says that GERB and the Blue Coalition have not discussed any ministerial posts. In his words, the memorandum proposed by GERB to the centre-right Blue Coalition, OLJ and Ataka will draw the demarcation line between opposition and supporters of the future government in Parliament.
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"Attempts at Toppling Volen Siderov", writes "Troud". Former Ataka MP Mitko Dimitrov gathered 35 people at an extraordinary national council to change the party statutes. The council decided 34:1 that the party will have seven co-leaders. Changes to the statutes will be submitted at the Sofia City Court.
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"Stanishev and BSP Wolves Engaged in Trench War", caps an analysis in "Troud". "The BSP [Bulgarian Socialist Party] is in for a long hot summer. Stanishev against the wolves. After Saturday's National Council, Stanishev leads 1:0," writes Valeria Veleva. According to her, Stanishev does not want to go down in history as second Zhan Videnov and he will defend his government at any cost.
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"State Agriculture Stalls Projects," writes "24 Chassa". The elections have hit hard farmers, who are preparing projects under the Rural Development Programme. It turns out that no one has been passing down the chain documents submitted between January and May and they are shelved somewhere at local farming services. An official from a Southern Bulgarian service said they have been ordered to handle only direct payments for farmers.
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A total of 7,141,541 leva have been spent by parties on advertisements in the European and national parliamentary elections, writes "24 Chassa".
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Under the headline "Where to From Now On?", "Troud" runs an article about the five ministers of the National Movement for Surge and Stability and minister Valeri Tsvetanov of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms of the outgoing cabinet. According to the article, Nikolai Vassilev will return to private business, Daniel Vulchev will take back his chair at the Sofia University, Mеglena Tacheva will continue to work as lawyer, and Gergana Passy will work with EU projects. Valeri Tsvetanov says that his life will go back to normal, and Nikolai Tsonev says that he will commit himself to whatever job he takes.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
"Our foreign policy should become more transparent," says Milan Milanov, Director of the Diplomatic Institute with the Foreign Ministry in an interview for "Monitor". "The Bulgarian diplomat should serve consistently in the name of the national interest," he adds.
ECONOMY
The global economic crisis is more of a risk than an opportunity, writes "Troud", citing an online survey of the website for personnel selection bestjobs.bg. Of 2,843 respondents, 2,247 are convinced that the crisis poses threats and only 596 think that it offers opportunities.
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Approximately one fifth of hotels on the Black Sea are shut at the height of the summer season, writes "Sega", quoting Roumen Draganov of the Institute for Analysis and Assessment in Tourism. This is due to the low number of tourists. Resorts south of Bourgas are occupied at a 20 per cent rate.
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The insurance market in Bulgaria has shrunk by over 25 per cent since the start of 2009 compared with the same period last year, frontpages "Klassa". According to Orlin Penev, Chairman of the Association of Bulgarian Insurers, the contraction is due mainly to the drop in car insurances, as fewer cars have been sold this year.
SOCIETY
Crashes during the weekend took thirteen lives on roads in Bulgaria and three in neighbouring Greece, frontpages "Troud". The 40th edition of the Bulgaria Rally was suspended because of an incident which killed navigator Flavio Gugelmini.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
• http://www.thebulgarianpost.com/
• http://www.bta.bg/site/bg/index.shtml
• http://www.novinite.com/index.php
• http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – July 20, 2009
• Bulgaria's future Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, announced today his nomination for the Justice Minister in the new GERB party cabinet - Prosecutor Margarita Popova. Popova's nomination was revealed after Sunday's scandal, in which the leader of the conservative RZS ("Order, Law and Justice") party, Yane Yanev, claimed that Borisov had sent an SMS text message to his deputy, Dimitar Abadzhiev, inviting him to become Justice Minister.
Boyko Borisov also confirmed that former MEP Nikolay Mladenov is going to be the new Defense Minister.
• A panel of Sofia District Court is holding a sitting to decide whether the three kidnappers of 23-year-old Alexander Kraus must remain in custody. Kraus was kidnapped on July 15, Wednesday, and on Thursday the kidnappers were arrested.
• Bulgaria registered a monthly budget deficit of BGN 381 million in June 2009, according to data presented by outgoing Finance Minister, Plamen Oresharski. In the first half of 2009, Bulgaria still registered a surplus but it has been reduced to BGN 173 million, or 0,3% of the GDP. The surplus was accumulated mostly in January.
• Traffic Police today began intensive checks of buses. The action will take place in all European countries by July 26, said Interior Ministry. The campaign aims to reduce distortions and to reduce the victims of catastrophes.
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