Bulgarian press review, December 7, 2009

Press Review
Sofia, December 7 (BTA)

HOME SCENE

The death of the three boys of the care home for children deprived of parental care in Kroumovgrad (Southeastern Bulgaria) was caused by an old mine, "Troud" writes in a frontpage story. It exploded at 14 hrs on Saturday and killed on the spot Djengiz Djemal, 15. His roommates Sunai Muhtar, 16, and Djengiz Haaumi, 13, died of their wounds in hospital. The boys reportedly thought that they were connecting the wires of a loudspeaker. They took the device from the yard of heating technician Hamdi Ali. "There is information that a person having served at the Kroumovgrad military unit smuggled anti-tank mines from the facility," Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov says quoted by the same paper.

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Draft amendments to the Defence Act propose that the Chief of the Defence Staff is elected among all general rather than among the ones assuming eight high-ranking positions in the army, as is the case now. This is what Defence Minister Nickolay Mladenov says in an interview for the "Troud" paper. Besides the draft amendments envisage an increase of its term in office from three to four years. If excessive property is not sold, the Ministry will have to pay 24 million leva for its security, the Defence Minister notes. Mladenov says that 2010 will be dedicated to financial provision of the overseas missions.

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There should be an emergency department in every hospital that should operate round-the-clock throughout the whole week. According to "Standart News", this is envisages in the healthcare reform, which is expected to be launched as of 2010. The hospitals will be distributed into three categories depending on the services they offer.

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The Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) withdraws its confidence from the Health Minister and would not participate in the negotiations for National Framework Agreement 2010 anymore, "Douma" writes citing BMA President Dr. Tsvetan Raichinov. According to him, the new Government does not have a clear strategy about the development of healthcare; there is chaos in the system, from which both patients and doctors are suffering. "BMA: There Is Chaos and Lobbyism in Healthcare," reads a headline in "Zemya".

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In interviews granted for "Klassa" and "Novinar", Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rosen Plevneliev voices concern over the appointment of a chief of the Road Infrastructure Agency due to the lack of interest in the position. Answering a question of the "Novinar" reporter about a "friendly circle", Plevneliev says he is proud of his friends because they have stopped calling him since his appointment as cabinet minister.

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The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) will withdraw its representatives from the leadership of all parliamentary committees, BSP leader Sergei Stanishev says quoted by "Douma". This decision has been prompted by the political scandal involving ex-social minister Emilia Maslarova. In early November Prosecutor General Boris Velchev asked Parliament to strip Maslarova of parliamentary immunity enabling the taking of legal proceedings on charges of misusing funds under the Beautiful Bulgaria project. Maslarova responded by waving her immunity.

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President Georgi Purvanov and former agent of the State Agency for National Security Aleksei Petrov are behind the disintegration of the parliamentary group of Order, Lawfulness, Justice, "Ataka" writes.

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In an article in the "Troud" paper political analyst Andrei Raichev says that there are two signs of the disintegration of democracy: lack of free elections for its strong form and taking away the power from the National Assembly for the light form. Bulgaria is not threatened by the first option but it is heading decisively towards the second one, according to the author. The main task of National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva is to guard the power away from Parliament rather than guard Parliament's power. In Raichev's review it is ridiculous that the MPs are barred from forming new parliamentary groups.

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"Standart News" reports about high tension in the Customs Office given that some 600 of its employees will be laid off in the next ten days.

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Only Rumiana Jeleva likes her portfolio at the European Commission, says former foreign minister Ivailo Kalfin in an interview for "Douma".

ECONOMY

Bulgaria's rating was changed from negative to steady just a few days ago, Bulgarian National Bank Governor Ivan Iskrov says in an interview for "24 Chassa". "If we keep on like this there will be also a drop of the banks' interests." He categorically dismisses the possibility of a hyperinflation. "We are all unanimous that the currency board and the fixed exchange rate will be preserved until the introduction of the euro," he notes. Taking a question Iskrov says that his wife's and his saving are in leva-denominated accounts held in Bulgarian banks.

The average interest rate in Bulgaria is three-fold lower than that in Romania, "Klassa" writes. As at end-September 2009 the average interest rate in Bulgaria was 8.4 per cent, compared to 4.9 per cent in the Czech Republic, 14.5 per cent in Hungary, 12.5 per cent in Lithuania and 26.5 per cent in Romania, the paper says.

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Prime Minister Boyko Borissov promised that the agreement on the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project will be publicized, the dailies report. "We will publicize the document so that you could see that it does not contain clauses allowing any of the parties to withdraw," Borissov reportedly said in Bourgas cited by "Troud". According to the Prime Minister, the pipeline would create ecological problems in the region and the agreement was formulated in such a manner that Bulgaria could be but a defaulting party on it.

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"We would like that Bulgaria clarifies its position as soon as possible," says Russian Ambassador here Yury Isakov before "Troud" taking a question on whether there is delay of the Belene N-plant, South Stream and Bourgas-Alexandroupolis projects. "If you ask me where the problem is, I would say that the Bulgarian side should confirm its political readiness and resolve to implement these projects jointly with Russia."

Cited by the "Troud" paper, US Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar, who was on a visit here, voices disagreement with statements that South Stream is a more realistic project than Nabucco. In his view South Stream is expensive and there is no clarity about how it would be supplied with gas. If it simply replaces the Ukrainian deliveries, it would not necessarily be a strong competitor of Nabucco. He advises Bulgaria not to rush and to consult internal and external experts so as to take the right decision.

"Pari" writes that Bulgaria has not paid its shareholder interest in the project for 2009 to the amount of 5 million euro. The country did not keep its promise to tell the Russians by November 1 whether it will participate in the project either.

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In an interview for "Telegraf" Bulgarian Industrial Association President Bozhidar Danev says that the business is burdened with 1,094 fees.

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS

"24 Chassa" writes that Foreign Minister Jeleva ordered urgent investigation of the Bulgarian mission in Brazil due to reports that a disco club has been operating on the territory of the embassy.

Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:

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

Most discussed topics of the day – December 7, 2009

· Bulgaria prosecutors have raised charges of manslaughter by gross negligence against 4 of those arrested over the tragedy in Krumovgrad on Saturday in which three teenagers died. A total of six people have so far been arrested for the deadly blast, which was caused by an explosive device that went off in one of the rooms of the social care home. Prosecutor Svetlozar Lazarov said that more arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.

· Charges of document fraud have been brought against Gyunai Sefer MP and Mithat Tabakov MP of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, the prosecuting magistracy said on Monday. In the period between October 16 and November 28, 2006 in Doulovo, Silistra Region, together with Rossitsa Milcheva they received 373,723.87 leva from the Public Investment Projects company without legal grounds through the use of counterfeit documents. Sefer and Tabakov have been placed under recognizance not to leave.

· Emerging from a meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to discuss the predicament of the parliamentary group of his Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ), OLJ leader Yane Yanev said that "the only solution in this situation" is to have the OLJ group restored before Wednesday morning. The OLJ group is faced with what seems like imminent disbandment due to the walkout of one MP, Mario Tagarinksi, which left it smaller than the required minimum of ten MPs for a parliamentary group to exist. Tagarinski has since refused to speak to OLJ and OLJ blamed all of this on a GERB conspiracy.