Bulgarian press review, December 18, 2009

Press Review
Sofia, December 18 (BTA)

THE HOME SCENE

The Friday papers give front-page prominence to the Thursday arrest of 25 suspects in a large-scale police operation against a kidnapping ring. "Troud" ("Interior Ministry Catches Uncatchable Abductors") quotes Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov as saying that the operation was codenamed "The Impudent" "because this is the word that best describes people who have been harassing the Bulgarian society for two years now". "Not 'The Uncatchable' what everybody used to call them. They were caught," the Minister said. The story quotes Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as saying, "We have nailed them with blood, DNA, houses they have used and witnesses, all of which indicates and explains exactly how they worked". He described the ring as "a very strong alloy" of all kinds of people, including car thieves and credit card forgers.

In a "24 Chassa" interview, Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Kalin Georgiev says that the kidnappers had a second room prepared "to accommodate" a kidnapped person, this indicates that the ring was preparing multiple abductions. "What we have established so far is that these people have managed their resources in a very sensible manner. They have invested in properties registered to figure-heads. They have invested in trading businesses and have lended money. They have travelled abroad but nothing that would strike as unusual. We got the main group. The organization was beheaded. This is what we have hoped to achieve. But I cannot say there will never be more kidnappings. Some of their aides could still be at large and try to abduct somebody tomorrow," Georgiev says. He also says that all former and present Interior Ministry employees will be checked for possible connection with the kidnappers.

Says Deputy Prosecutor Generak Boyko Naydenov in "24 Chassa", "We managed entirely on our own. It proves that there is State and that the State is stronger than any individual criminal group." He says the broken ring is believed to be responsible for three or more kidnappings.

"Sega" writes in a commentary that the important thing is what comes after the arrests. "With 25 men busted en bloc, the natural question is how many of them will stay behind bars and whether they will be sentenced for the kidnappings one day. Many times before, policemen and prosecutors have told us there is solid evidence that would hold in court, but then everything fails. We hope they have learned their lesson and have real solid evidence this time."

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In "Novinar", the chairman of the National Union of Safety and Security, Roumen Ralchev, warns that Bulgarians are yet to see a crime boom because the worst of the crisis is not yet over. He says that security is an abstract notion which has many aspects, one of them being the contribution of the civil society. And in Bulgaria civil associations are kept at bay by the Interior Ministry. What is more, the law-enforcing system has been faltering for years now and the Interior Ministry has a flawed recruitment system, says Ralchev.

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"Troud" runs a commentary on the idea for holding a referendum on the Turkish-language newscasts on Bulgarian National Television. "A possible parliamentary resolution for a referendum would seal with a red seal the tacit coalition between GERB and Ataka, bringing certain inconviniences for Borissov, including some affecting his international contacts. Unlike GERB, Ataka is in a win-win situation and only stands to gain from the referendum and especially the campaign ahead of it. Boyko Borissov has readily reconsidered a wrong step more than once and has not been known for bothering to save faces. This time he could take only one of the referendum opponents' arguments: we have a crisis and a tough winter is in store for us. It seems very likely for the referendum to be put off for 'some other time'," the story goes.

"24 Chassa" reports a telephone conversation between Boyko Borissov and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan where the two discussed the referendum idea and the Bulgarian Prime Minister said that the government would make sure to take the best decision. The paper observes that the phone call came several hours after the Turkish Foreign Ministry circulated a declaration to say that Turkey is following closely the matter. MP Lyutvi Mestan (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) is quoted saying in Parliament's debating chamber that the referendum idea is "dangerous and harmful for Bulgaria".

"Standard News" comments that Parliament "has gone crazy" and made the Turkish-language newscasts a top item on its agenda. "For 20 years now the population was put through all kinds of experiments without being asked once whether it agreed or not, and now all of a sudden they decide to ask its opinion about a 10-minute newscast on BNT as a proof that direct democracy rules in Bulgaria. It is not hard to imagine the preparatory campaign that awaits us: maps with minarets and crescents, videos showing bearded Islamists. Bulgarians and [ethnic] Turks will be set to vote against one another - as if the people of the two ethnic groups don't have the same problems!"

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In a "Troud" interview, Vesselin Metodiev MP (Blue Coalition) observes that MRF is trying to pull itself away from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). He says that the MRF leadership is known for its capacity to change allegiance to survive. "MRF has proven to erode any government in the name of its own ambitions and survival. [MRF leader] Ahmed Dogan called "stupid" the aspirations to make Bulgaria an energy hub in the Balkans, and "a patriotic adventure" the Belene N-plant project, and that shows an attempt for separation with BSP and the very same people it shared the power until recently," says Metodiev. He says Bulgarians have a problem with MRF and often mix up their attitude to MRF [as the party that is seen to represent ethnic Turks in Bulgaria] with their attitude to the Turkish-language newscasts. "I believe that very few will vote against the rights of Bulgarian Turks but this is not the issue," he says.

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A front-page story in "Sega" says that the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) "rewarded itself" with the equivalent of 2 monthly wages, or 5,300 leva, in a year-end bonus. The author notes that the outgoing year for the Supreme Judicial Council was dominated by an influence trading scandal, outrageous recruitment decisions and progressively diminishing public confidence in the judiciary. The decision comes as a surprise since two weeks ago the SJC said everybody in the judiciary was going to get a bonus, but not the SJC members, the story goes.

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"Troud" reports an unsightly exchange between Ataka leader Volen Siderov and Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) leader Yane Yanev in Parliament Thursday: Siderov urged Yanev to admit his homosexuality and Yanev declated being heterosexual and suggested that Siderov sent to him his wife to verify that. The exchange took place before the eyes of EU diplomats who were there for a meeting with the OLJ deputies. Parliament Chair Tsetska Tsacheva called an emergency meeting of Parliament's leadership over the incident and they decided to refer the case to the parliamentary ethics committee.

ECONOMY

The government could use money from the reserve to pay up to companies for work they have done under public procurement contracts, "Dnevnik" writes. The story quotes Finance Minister Simeon Djankov as saying that money from the fiscal reserve could be used early next year to pay a portion of the government's outstanding liabilities to businesses. Djankov reportedly discussed this option Wednesday with Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev and construction associations.

The exact amount of the government's debt to businesses remains unclear and various sources put it somewhere between 1 and 1.5 billion leva.

BULGARIA - EU

"Pari" reports that Brussels is giving Bulgaria 37 million euro in subsidies for projects in the area of renewable energy sources, water management and the dairy sector. The funding was approved on Bulgaria's request, with no objection. The 37 million is part of a 200 billion euro package that the EU set aside late last year as an anti-crisis measure.

Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:

· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/

Most discussed topics of the day – November 30, 2009

· It is snowing in almost all parts of the country. There is already big thick snow-cover in many places. The traffic is hard and slow almost everywhere. Sofia was again faced with the traditional problems when snowing - heavy and slow traffic, including public transport, as well as uncleaned streets, which hampers the traffic further.
The Bulgaria Minister for Regional Development and Public Works, Rosen Plevneliev, has stated that the situation over winter road cleaning is critical in 9 regions of Bulgaria.

· Bulgaria's Parliament resolved on a suspension of the disposition of land tracts and corporeal immovables restituted or given as compensation to the heirs to the former kings Ferdinand I and Boris III. The vote was 106 in favour (GERB, Ataka, The Blue Coalition and the independents), two against (Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), and 13 abstentions (the rest of the MRF and Coalition for Bulgaria (CfB).