Bulgarian press review, February 4, 2010

Press Review
Sofia, February 4

THE HOME SCENE

In an interview for "Troud", President Georgi Purvanov says he will stay in politics after the end of his second term. Purvanov believes that the left and right end of the political spectrum in Bulgaria will be reshaped at any rate because some political formations have run their course during the transition period. The end of the crisis will spawn other modern political ideas, which will most likely find expression in the respective political projects. "My priority is to sustain political stability, as this is a key condition for emerging from the crisis. In a volatile political situation we all know how economic and social processes can escalate," warns Purvanov. He underscores that in the aftermath of February 4, 1997, Bulgaria missed its chance to develop and endorse the idea of a government based on a broad consensus on key issues. The confrontation, born at the time, has been poisoning the social climate ever since.

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"24 Chassa" carries an analysis by politician Georgi Markov on GERB's six-month government, headlined "Strong Prime Minister, Weak Parliament." Markov says that in its 20 years of democracy Bulgaria has never had such strong prime minister during the first six months in office. Several very strong political moves of Borissov come to the fore. The first is the crackdown on organized crime. Borissov succeeded in winning over very experienced and tough politicians like Ivan Kostov [Democrats for Strong Bulgaria leader] and Volen Siderov [Ataka leader] and made them involved with government without a coalition agreement. Parliament is one of GERB's weaknesses. In its six months it has not passed a single act that commands respect and admiration. Parliament suffers from a shortage of smart legislative ideas and good political rhetorics.

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"Sega" runs an analysis on GERB's change of heart on the issue of GMOs.Within days Bulgaria will have a new act on genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). However, it is unclear what provisions it would set out. Non-governmental organizations are protesting, MPs are confused and have been put under pressure to denounce GMOs. It is a mystery whether the chaos is deliberate or it is just a peculiarity of the GERB era. However, one thing is clear: the strict ban on GMOs at present will be scrapped. The question is whether the new law will open the door to GMOs just for the sake of appearances or mutant foods will take over Bulgarian soil.

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In an interview for 24 "Chassa", Konstatin Trenchev, leader of Podkrepa Labour Confederation, advises Prime Minister Boyko Borissov never to give a definite answer, because the top command should speak last, as its statement may block the whole structure. Trenchev takes into consideration the fact that Borissov's government took power at a very difficult time. He says he is patient because the incumbents are inexperienced but honest. "Honesty is the rarest commodity in the state. When those in power are honest, they are looking for the right decision," adds Trenchev.


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"Sega" runs a commentary that the feud between Borissov and Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan will help MRF's development. The commentary takes note of the fact that lately the Prime Minister has been attacking the Movement. However, these attacks are rash and ill-judged.The MRF and the Turkish minority will continue to be political synonyms. And any politician, who wants to put an end to that, should be very careful. One of the reasons for Dogan's political longevity is that for 20 years he has been under fire from all sides, which is a sure proof way to endorse the so-called ethnic model.

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"GERB Rebels Silently against Borissov," reports "Troud". Seven months into the tenure of the 41st National Assembly, the first sparks of discontent in GERB have flown. Self-descriptions by GERB MPs ranged from "expensive button pushers", to "figure heads" and "puppets", after Prime Minister Boyko Borissov promised President Purvanov to back his veto on two acts.

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In an interview for "24 Chassa", Dimiter Abadjiev, deputy leader of Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) confirms that he is leaving the party, as he feels he is no longer useful. Abadjiev says that his role was to win international support. After OLJ failed to win any seats in the European Parliament, opportunities for doing that greatly diminished. Abadjiev says that he has no ambitions for political posts, and he will continue to work as lawyer and look after his children.

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"24 Chassa" runs an analysis on the arrest of the first police officer, known to have helped the kidnapping ring, dubbed the Impudent. The article highlights that very strong internal security departments are set in place to prevent the fusion between police and crime. In the past couple of years there have been attempts by the Bulgarian police at building such departments. Plans have been drawn up, human resources have been committed, but no funding has been secured. The author proposes that these departments should be shaped after the Anglo-Saxon model, with their own network of informants and alerts from within the ranks of the police.

ECONOMY

Interviewed by "Klassa", Tsvetan Simeonov, President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says that the business will pull Bulgaria out of the crisis, but the state should not be interfering. Simeonov admits that the government may fail to sustain a balanced budget, which is to be expected given the difficult economic conditions. Simeonov puts the emphasis on honoring commitments made to businesses, as they generate GDP and pay taxes. He says that on paper the timeframe for recovery of input VAT tax was reduced, however budgetary payments to businesses are still delayed.

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"EU Slap for Swaps of Three-party Coalition”highlights"Troud". Brussels could fine Bulgaria 55 million euro for forests swaps. If the purpose of the land has been changed, sanctions my reach 126 million euro. The government received Tuesday an inquiry by the European Commission into whether forests swaps constitute state aid. The letter follows alerts by non-governmental organizations, said Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. "We have to reply within 20 days. I will not try to disprove it, as we all know how the Tsar [Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha], Stanishev and Dogan gave out the forests," said the Prime Minister. He stressed that those responsible should be held accountable, as this land had been acquired illegally.

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"Pari" writes that corruption and not swap deals are a threat to forests. The 20-year transition period in Bulgaria has proved that whatever laws and ordinances are put in place there will always be loopholes. According to the author, swaps are part of market mechanisms, and the real problem is that society is too tolerant to corruption.

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"Standart News" reports that Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov will put in place an urgent action plan to save funding under the Rural Development Program. On January 26, Naydenov received a letter from Brussels that Bulgaria may be excluded from the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development after it failed to implement EU directives for funds absorption. The Programme will disburse a total of 3,200 million euro until 2014.

BULGARIA-EU

"24 Chassa" reports on the approval of Kristalina Georgieva, the Bulgarian Commissioner-designate, right after she passed her confirmation hearing with flying colours in Brussels. Georgieva displayed class and experience in her designated portfolio for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. During the three-hour hearing Georgieva showed good reactions and a sense of humour. Shortly after the hearing, all coordinators of political groups announced that they supported Georgieva's nomination.

Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:

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

Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, February 4, 2010

· An explosion in a Bulgarian munition factory has resulted in injuries to three male employees, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry said late on February 4 2010.
The explosion occurred inside the Midjur munition factory in the village of Gorni Lom, northwestern Bulgaria.
The fire brigade received a distress call at about 6.30pm on February 3 saying there was a fire in the complex.The first explosions shook the privately owned factory in the late afternoon of February 3 and continued until the morning on February 4. Reportedly, there are more than 10 tons of explosive materials stored in the factory warehouses, as well as mines and other ammunition.The region surrounding the Gorni Lom village was sealed off by Bulgarian authorities. The safety perimeter extends about four km around the site. The Interior Ministry said that the local population is not in danger.


· One of Bulgaria's top ski destinations, Pamporovo, has fallen under the jurisdiction of Bulgarian Border Police and would be subject to security patrols from that department. The regional directorate of Border Police Smolyan said that the as of January 2010, the regulation has been amended, whereby the "frontier" area, previously encompassing anything and everything inside a 15km distance from the border, has now been extended to 30km.
Reportedly, in 2009, there had been a sharp increase of crimes perpetrated around the Bulgarian – Greek frontier, commissioner Todor Georgiev from the Border Police was quoted by Investor as saying. Allegedly, criminal activity in the area rose by around 25 per cent.