Bulgarian Press Review August 14, 2009

Press Review
Sofia, August 14 (BTA)


HOME SCENE

The government will hold a competition to select a bank that will provide the best lending terms to all people waiting for transplants, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov says in a "24 Chassa" interview. He also says that when Socialist Roumen Petkov asked him for a meeting about Bulgaria's hosting an F1 round, Borissov immediately met with him and suggested the military
airport at Dobroslavtsi as the venue.

The National Public Opinion Centre found in a survey that half of Bulgarians approve Borissov's first steps as prime minister, and 70 per cent are hopeful about the new power-holders,
"Standart News" writes.

"Dnevnik" says the new team at the Health Ministry is set to launch long-awaited reforms in health care by introducing a second pillar of health insurance. The basic package of medical services financed by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is to be reduced, and private health insurance funds should build up on this. Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev suggests that they should use part of the NHIF reserve with the National Bank or get a state subsidy. The health insurance contribution will remain unchanged at 8 per cent in 2010. Representatives of the health insurance industry said the ambition to change things was "something good". In a "Monitor" interview, Nanev says clinical pathways will not be reduced in number.

***

The dailies quote Rosen Plevneliev, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, as saying that Bulgaria may have to pay back between 500 and 700 million leva from January 2011.
This is funding under the ISPA Programme which may not be absorbed by the closing date December 31, 2010. The most problematic ISPA-financed projects are administered by the
Transport Ministry: the second bridge over the Danube and the electrification of the Plovdiv-Svilengrad railway, the minister told "Troud" last week.

"We will seek subsidies equal to the rest of the EU," Deputy Agriculture Minister Tsvetan Dimitrov says in a "Pari" interview. He adds that small farmers will be brought to light
from the grey economy and will be saved from middlemen.

***

"Monitor" says that GERB's parliamentary group wants to scrap the majoritarian voting in the election of MPs introduced this year.

The National Assembly's new secretary, Ivan Slavchov, says in "Troud" there will be no new limos for the MPs.

***

"Standart News" says at least eight people will run in the mayoral by-election in Sofia on November 15. It will be held because mayor Boyko Borissov became prime minister.

THE ECONOMY

Foreign direct investments (FDI) shrank to their lowest level since 2005, "Klassa" writes, quoting the central bank's first-half preliminary data about foreign capital. FDI stood at 1,560 million euro (4.6 per cent of GDP) in January-June 2009, down from 3,270 million euro (9.6 per cent of GDP) a year earlier. The largest investments were attracted from the Netherlands (15.9 per cent of the total), followed by Austria (14 per cent) and Germany (10.3 per cent). In terms of attracted
investments, financial agency tops the list with 530 million euro, followed by trade, repairs and technical services (332 million euro) and real estate transactions (213.8 million euro).

***

Tax inspectors are watching companies across the country both secretly and openly, "24 Chassa" reports. The teams, usually made up of two people, hold information about companies of the same industry, often located side by side, one of which reports a turnover between 10 and 100 times smaller than the other. The inspectors start by secretly counting the visitors to the shop suspected of underreporting its turnover, and then openly enter it and find out the real sales in the course of a few days.

Deputy Economy Minister Ivo Marinov, who is responsible for tourism, says in "Monitor" that the ministry is mulling giving a tax break to every Bulgarian who has spent at least six days in
a Bulgarian resort, hotel or other legitimate accommodation. The details are yet to be discussed.


INTERIOR MINISTRY, JUDICIARY

Quoting sources from the prosecuting magistracy, "Standart News"says businessman Hristo Kovachki will be brought to justice in early September after an investigation into massive tax evasion was completed. Kovachki is the owner of coal mines and thermal power plants and of a foodstore chain. His LEADER Party ran in the recent parliamentary elections.

"Troud" runs an interview with Prosecutor General Boris Velchev, who says he has been interacting very well with the interior minister and, in the last few days, with the new director of the State Agency for National Security. Velchev says he shares some strategic views with the two, including on legislation. People who defrauded the public purse should be treated no less aggressively than those who committed EU money fraud, Velchev says.

***

"Sega" frontpages a story about what it says is the first lobbying scandal in the new parliament. At its first meeting Parliament's Legal Committee discussed who is to sit in for a notary who has been elected MP, "Troud" says. This was because the Committee's Chair, Iskra Fidossova (GERB) is a notary in Montana. It was proposed to amend the Notaries Act to stipulate that when the notary is away because he or she was elected MP, mayor or President, the deputy notary can deputize for him or her. The two-year limit to the term of deputizing for the notary should be dropped, probably because MPs are elected for four years, the daily says. The Legal Committee asked the Justice
Minister for an opinion. The ex-justice minister, Miglena Tacheva, rejected these proposed amendments in the previous parliament.

***

"Novinar" reports that a psychopath has been stabbing children in Sofia with syringes. Quoting Interior Ministry reports, the daily says this happened to four children, mostly in the Lyulin
and Obelya residential districts, in the first seven months of the year.

***

"Troud" devotes a story to Bulgarian actors and musicians in Hollywood. Of all Bulgarians, former European karate champion Stephanie Cheeva (born Stefka Georcheva) has been most in demand. She appeared in films including "The Last Eve", "Spawn: Armageddon", "Exorcism ", "The Ultimate Game", "Martial Law", "Nash Bridges", "VIP", "Good Versus Evil" and "Tequila Express". She also features in the voiceover of computer games (Armageddon, Star Trek and Star Wars).




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 – August 14, 2009

• It is undignified for the members of the Stanishev cabinet to conceal their failures and abuses in the field of capital expenses by citing demands of the social partners, including the trade unions, the Executive Board of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour said in a declaration, a copy of which was received at BTA on Friday. The union said that on Thursday former finance minister Plamen Oresharski tried to explain the 30 per cent excess in spending in the capital expenses of Budget 2009 by the insistence of trade unions and employers to finance certain facilities.

• Bulgaria's energy tycoon Hristo Kovachki is allegedly due to appear in court in early September charged with massive tax evasion. Prosecutors are currently preparing the final charges which will be announced soon according to legal sources cited by Bulgarian daily newspaper Standart. The investigation against Kovachki has been completed the sources added but the final charges are still being debated by the prosecutors who have a short deadline in which to prepare a detailed case. Before the case is sent to the court Kovachki will be given the opportunity to get acquainted with the materials so as to prepare his defense, court sources confirmed.

• The leader of the ethnic Turkish party DPS, Ahmed Dogan will be sanctioned for not showing at four out of five of the Bulgaria Parliament sessions in July. This has been announced Friday by the National Assembly's Chair, Tsetska Tsacheva, BGNES reported. Dogan's salary will be cut by 2/3ds as a fine for his absences in July, Tsacheva said. The leader of the DPS party has been a Member of every Parliament since 1990, and is known for not showing on sessions of the assembly. Dogan only visits the Parliament when there is non-confidence vote, a new government or National Assembly Chairs are being elected, sources from the Parliament commented. It turned out on Friday that Ahmed Dogan will be fined for his estate in the capital Sofia. The Bulgarian authorities established that the wall, the BBQ, and the guardhouse were illegal.