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| 3 Feb 2012, Issue 3313 · USD: 1.49368 EUR: 1.95583 · Sofia: min -3°, max 0° Varna: min 2°, max 3° · |
| BUSINESS POLITICS WORLD SOCIETY SPORTS FORUM |
Belgium's KBC Denies Plans for Sale of Bulgarian Insurer DZI
 Belgium's KBC has firmly denied that it seeks to shed Bulgarian insurance subsidiary DZI, as claimed by local media reports.
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Bulgaria's Ex President Parvanov Back to Socialist Party
 Bulgaria's
former President Georgi Parvanov, who completed his second 5-year term
on January 22, 2012, has already re-joined his native Socialist Party.
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Bulgarian Anti-Mafia Court Denies Attempt to Censor Media
 The Chairman of the Bulgarian anti-mafia tribunal, Georgi Ushev, declared Thursday he has no intentions to censor local media.
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BULGARIAN ISP, USER NGOS STRIKE ACTA RESERVATIONS DEAL WITH GOVT
Two Bulgarian NGOs – of Internet users and Internet service providers – have reached a handshake deal with the government in which Prime Minister Boyko Borisov promises that Bulgaria will ratify the ACTA with reservations. On Thursday, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov met with representatives of the local IT sector, Internet Service Providers and MPs with his ruling centrist-right GERB to discuss the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which was signed by the Bulgarian Cabinet last week without any public mention. Bulgaria will express its reservations upon ratifying ACTA and it will be explicitly written down that the country will not amend its legislation as far as Internet is concerned, key GERB lawmaker Valentin Nikolov said after the meeting.. A deal with the Bulgarian Association of Users of Telecommunication and Internet Services and the Association for Electronic Communications reached Thursday that Bulgaria's authorities' reservations with provide for applying the existing Bulgarian legislation instead of the ACTA when it comes to controlling Internet traffic. Yanaki Ganev, head of the Users' Association, described the deal with Borisov as a "gentlemen's agreement." "The ACTA to be ratified by the Parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria, with a reservation on the articles imposing control on Internet traffic that the currently existing Bulgarian legislation will be applied," says handwritten text by Borisov as part of the agreement. "Nobody controls Internet traffic in Bulgaria at the moment. There is no equipment for controlling the users. The ACTA is too general which creates prerequisites for it to be interpreted in a potentially dangerous way," explained Neven Dilkov, Chair of the Association for Electronic Communications. He explained that the reservations accepted by the Bulgarian Prime Minister refer to a few ACTA articles on Internet service provides. In additional to freedom concerns, the ISPs in Bulgaria were worried that it would be tremendously expensive for them to purchase the equipment for following Internet traffic. Bulgarian Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov reiterated on Wednesday that ACTA was not a final agreement and is in the process of ratification where Bulgaria can hold debates and express reservations about it. The agreement has already stirred international outcry, since it is expected to enable the entertainment industry to exert pressure on every Internet actor under threat of criminal sanctions. In order to become effective in Bulgaria, ACTA must first be ratified by the European Parliament and then by the Bulgarian Parliament, which is expected to happen no earlier than June. Bulgarian Internet users and ISPs alike have voiced their concern over the potential ratification of ACTA by the Bulgarian government, with a prostest being scheduled in Sofia on February 11. On Thursday, the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BASSCOM) came up with a statement opposing "the adoption of АСТА (The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) amid a total lack of transparency and no public dialogue on the document's impact on the economy and society". The ACTA agreement will breach users' rights and change the course of internet evolution, argued a branch union of Bulgarian ISPs Wednesday. "ACTA aims at obliterating anonymity and entirely transform the structure of the global network," said the Bulgarian Union of Independent Internet Providers. In addition, Bulgarian ISPs argue that the agreement will breach privacy of users and will go as far as reverse the presumption of innocence. Last Thursday, Bulgaria became one of 21 EU member states who joined countries such as the USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, South Korea and Switzerland as signatories to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. The intergovernmental treaty stipulates that downloading content such as music and movies from sites not sanctioned by rights owners, such as torrent trackers, is similar to product counterfeiting. ACTA further will have such actions be subjected to criminal, and not civil proceedings, as has been up to now. 
WINTER DISRUPTS BULGARIAN AIRLINES, DANUBE NAVIGATION The airport authority at Sofia International reports that some flights are delayed Thursday over the new heavy snow that hit the capital. Runways are being cleaned round-the-clock and are closed for cleaning for about 30 minutes after each departing and landing aircraft. Flights of the national carrier "Bulgaria Air" to Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam and Berlin are all delayed. The City Hall's services have cleaned several times already the main roads and those used by public transportation, which is running with delays. Huge traffic jams occured in the capital in the early hours Thursday Meanwhile, it was reported that the Danube River's freezing over is expanding, obstructing navigation even further. The floating ice has reached Thursday 30% and 50% of the river's surface at the Bulgarian Danube cities of Ruse and Silistra respectively. The banks and port facilities in both cities are also reported to be sheathed with ice. Vessels and pontoons continue to be hauled aground due to the freezing. Thursday morning, 15.6 degrees C were measured at Ruse, another record low for this date - the lowest in the last 50 years. KRAFT FOODS BULGARIA CEO ANTOINE COLLETTE: BULGARIA MOVES IN RIGHT DIRECTION, SHOULD BE FASTER Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136309 DEPOSITS IN BULGARIA BANKS HIT NEW RECORD HIGH Banks in Bulgaria have been recording consistent and significant growth in deposits throughout 2011, a trend which peaked in the last quarter of the year, official data shows. The deposits of citizens in local banks increased by BGN 768 M only in December last year, according to data of the central bank BNB. Thus the total amount of deposits of citizens hit a record-high BGN 31.9 B at the end of 2011, marking an annual increase by 21% over 2010. From October to December 2011 deposits increased by BGN 1.4 B, which is the largest growth compared to the previous quarters and coincides with growing concerns over the economic situation in the eurozone. The central bank however provided no break-down of the figures into Bulgarian and foreign-owned accounts. There has been recently a noticeable trend among Greek and Romanian citizens and businesses, who prefer to open deposit accounts in Bulgarian banks, bankers have commented. The Bulgarian banks stability and their more attractive interest rate policy are the main reasons for the interest of Greek and Romanian citizens and companies, according to the bankers. Meanwhile a survey has shown that over the last five years only 45% of Bulgaria's population disposed of sufficient incomes to be able to put aside regular savings, predominantly small sums of BGN 100 per month. A recent analysis by Bulgaria's biggest bank UniCredit Bulbank showed an interesting trend – in times of crisis people with larger deposits tend to increase the amounts in the bank accounts, while those with smaller savings have them downloaded. Moreover, it appeared that over two thirds of the money deposited in banks are in the hands of just 5% of the households in the country. BELGIUM'S KBC DENIES PLANS FOR SALE OF BULGARIAN INSURER DZI Belgium's KBC has firmly denied that it seeks to shed Bulgarian insurance subsidiary DZI, as claimed by local media reports. Bulgaria remains an important market for KBC and therefore it plans to continue to develop its business in the country through DZI and CIBank, which it owns too, reads a statement by the financial group. Belgium's KBC has put up for sale Bulgarian insurance subsidiary DZI and the deal is expected to be concluded by the end of the year, local media reported earlier this week. The reports emerged shortly after the banking and insurance group KBC sold its Polish insurance unit Warta to Germany's third-largest insurance company Talanx for EUR 770 M. Talanx, which owns a 50.2% stake in the world's third-biggest reinsurer, Hannover Re, is also said to eye the acquisition of the Bulgarian insurer DZI. The other potential bidder is Achmea, a large Dutch financial services company, part of the Eureko insurance group, according to the reports. At the end of last year Belgian financial services group KBC raised its stake in the insurer to 95.75%, gaining the right to delist it from the Bulgarian bourse. KBC launched a public tender offer on its Bulgarian insurance subsidiary DZI in October last year, when it held a 90.35% stake. The bid price was set at BGN 71 per share, while the maximum total consideration amounted to BGN 26.5 M (approximately EUR 13.5 M). KBC bought the DZI shares on the Sofia bourse at BGN 71 a piece on November 30. "The transaction fits within KBC's ambition to further implement its bancassurance business model in Bulgaria, while at the same time increasing corporate governance and optimising DZI's shareholder structure," the group said in a statement. DZI, the former Communist-era state monopoly, is one of the leading companies on the Bulgarian insurance market, competing with the local unit of Germany's Allianz and Bulstrad, owned by Vienna Insurance Group. KBC finalized the acquisition of 70% stake in Bulgarian insurer DZI Insurance from Bulgarian firm Kontrakt Sofia for EUR 185 M in the middle of August 2007 and launched shortly after that a public bid for the remaining minority stake. As part of the deal, KBC also acquired DZI INVEST, a securities broker active on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange. DZI Insurance was created as a state insurer in 1946 and has more than 60 years of experience, knowledge and understanding of the markets and customers in all insurance segments. The insurer and the DZI Bank were part of the financial group built by banker Emil Kyulev who was shot dead October 2005. His spouse Vesela Kyuleva sold her majority stake in the bank to Greece's Eurobank EFG Ergasias for EUR 158 M. GREEK MIN: IF YOU WANT TO BECOME BULGARIA AND BE FINISHED, JUST DEFAULT! A Greek minister has resorted to a comparison with Bulgaria to describe the nightmare his country would face in the wake of further austerity austerity measures. "If you cut salaries, incomes, pensions, you cut everything, the demand decreases, and then consumption decreases rapidly. All the policies are part of a vicious circle," Greek Development Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said, as cited by Washington Post. "Wage cuts don't help demand, they don't help growth. If you want to become Bulgaria, you don't need the troika. It's very simple . . . you default and you're finished." The newspaper comments that Europe has started to acknowledge that its austerity-driven policies elsewhere have not done enough to lift the continent out of its economic troubles and leaders are showing a new willingness to consider economic stimulus policies. But Greece, so far, remains an exception. Meanwhile the banks' negotiations with Greece for a debt write-off deal reached a critical point. An agreement could be finalized within days, according to media reports. Late Tuesday, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said that a deal with private creditors could be submitted to parliament by February 13, and would see banks writing off "over 70 percent" of Greece's debt. BULGARIAN RIGHT WINGERS RISE AGAINST SHALE GAS FRACKING BAN Several MPs with the right-wing Bulgarian Blue Coalition have prepared a draft resolution against the recent ban imposed on the use of hydraulic fracturing in the country. The lawmakers, including former PM Ivan Kostov (1997-2001), have demanded that the recently implemented ban on hydraulic fracturing in the research and/or extraction of gas and oil in Bulgaria should be lifted, adding that legislative amendments should be created in order to ensure environmental protection and effective control. Researchers from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences' Geological Institute have supported shale gas research in Bulgaria if state-of-the-art technologies and scientific methods are used and if strict environmental control is established, Ivan Kostov pointed out on Thursday, as cited by BGNES. It would be unwise for Bulgaria to miss the opportunity to research into its shale gas resources, Kostov added. He stated that the Bulgarian geologists have found no scientific proof of potential environmental dangers in shale gas research. In a letter cited by the Blue Coalitions, they have said the research of natural resources should not be considered less of a priority than preserving the environment. However, the scientists have added that they would not engage in coming out with an expert opinion concerning the use of hydraulic fracturing in shale gas extraction. On January 17, the Bulgarian government revoked a shale gas exploration permit granted to US oil giant Chevron for deposits in Northeastern Bulgaria, citing the insufficient proof of the environmental safety of hydraulic fracturing. On January 18, the Cabinet imposed an indefinite ban on hydraulic fracturing, a method which involves injecting a mix of water, sand and chemicals at very high pressure deep underground to crack rock and release oil and gas. On January 14, thousands of protesters gathered in 11 Bulgarian cities to demand a moratorium and a subsequent statutory ban on shale gas drilling in the country. 
BULGARIA'S EMBLEMATIC COSMETIC FACTORY TO BE LISTED FOR SALE Bulgaria's cosmetics factory "Alen Mak," functioning since the times of the Socialist regime, will be listed for sale in just days. The news was reported Thursday by the factory's syndic, attorney Stefan Georgiev, cited by Darik Radio. Georgiev said that the expert evaluation of the factory's assets and liabilities is expected in a couple of day. The minimum price will be EUR 10 M which should cover the bond loans and expenses. "Alen Mak" has outstanding debt of EUR 5.7 M to a large number of creditors such as retirement and mutual funds, two banks, suppliers and even workers with unpaid salaries. Machines, other equipment, buildings, the land and the brand names of the factory will be sold only together. Creditors have asked the patent institutions to terminate "Alen Mak's" right on five brand names which include a baby shampoo, whitening lotion, toothpaste, shaving foam, and hair color. The attorney team, working on the licenses revocation, informs the brand names will be reinstated by the end of March. According to electronic registries data, cited by dir.bg, the rights on some of these brand names belong partially to the offshore company VVPP Investment, registered in Lichtenstein, with headquarters in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. GERMANS, BRITS TOP SOFIA'S HOTEL VISITORS People from Germany, the UK, Greece, Italy and France were the most frequent foreign hotel visitors in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, according to Sofia City Hall's official data. Most foreigners visited Sofia's hotels in September (over 76 000), October (over 75 000) and March (over 62 000). Among Sofia's four and five-star hotels, Kempinski Zografski registered the higher total number of hotel nights in 2011 (86 005), followed by Dedeman Princess (72 435), Hilton (59 178), Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan (55 139) and Rodina (47 365). Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan observed the highest bed utilization rate in 2011 (84%), followed by Hilton (67%). Over the last four years, a steady growth has been registered in the number of nights spent in Sofia's four- and five-star hotels, reaching 64% of all Sofia hotel nights in 2011, while the one- to three-star hotels have seen a decrease for the same period. BULGARIA MULLS WAYS TO ATTRACT MORE ROMANIAN TOURISTS A large-scale business forum is held Thursday and Friday in the central Bulgarian city and old capital Veliko Tarnovo focusing on ways to attract more Romanian tourists. The forum is attended by a number of Romanian companies from the travel sector to hear presentations on Bulgaria as a year-round tourist destination, the largest private TV channel bTV reported Thursday. The event is organized by the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism, with the help of the Union for SPA Tourism and the Association of Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Owners. Organizers are quoted saying that their goal is to promote Bulgaria on the Romanian tourist market, which is one of the priorities of the sector. Hotel owners have recently noted and reported some alarming exodus of Romanian tourists from the northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast, which had been the main destination for visitors from the country's northern neighbor. UK NEW ENVOY TO BULGARIA TAKES OFFICE ARMED WITH RICH LOCAL EXPERIENCE Jonathan Allen, the new UK Ambassador to Bulgaria, handed in his letters of accreditation on Thursday after living for a month with an average local family. Ambassador Allen officially assumed office following a ceremony at which newly elected Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev welcomed him. The British diplomat spent the first month of the year in the second-biggest city of Plovdiv, getting to know the country and its people firsthand, as well as making an impressive progress into his studies of the Bulgarian language, a real challenge for any foreigner. During his stay in Plovdiv, Jonathan Allen was accommodated by the family of a consultancy owner and an English language teacher. The couple has a ten-month son. The ambassador's only requirement, as far as their flat was concerned, was to have a room of his own – which the hosts gladly offered. The location of the flat remained top secret, but it was said not to be in the luxurious districts of the city. In this experiment the diplomat has not been joined by his wife Liz, according to media reports. Jonathan Allen took up his appointment during the second half of 2011. He succeeded Steve Williams who took up a new appointment outside the Diplomatic Service. On his appointment as Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Republic of Bulgaria, Allen said: "I am thrilled to be appointed to be Ambassador to Bulgaria. The UK and Bulgaria need to work together in the EU, in NATO and on a range of country to country issues. I look forward to helping the thousands of Brits who holiday in Bulgaria and the British companies who trade there. My wife, Liz, and I are excited at the prospect of exploring this beautiful country and at making new Bulgarian friends." Jonathan Allen served previously as Head of the East Africa and Great Lakes Department of the FCO. Prior to that he established and led RICU, a cross-Government Counter-Terrorism communications unit, and was Assistant Director in the Home Office's International Directorate with responsibility for Bulgarian and Romanian entry into the EU. He began his career on EU issues and has been posted to Cyprus and Brussels, where he was Government Spokesman during the UK Presidency in 2005. BULGARIA ECONMIN TO GIVE HEED TO GERMAN STANCE ON ACTA Bulgaria's Economy Minister Traicho Traikov will get acquainted with Germany's stance on the controversial ACTA trade agreement during the Bulgarian-German Cooperation Council in Germany. Last week, Bulgaria became one of the 21 EU member states to sign ACTA, while Germany is among the five bloc members that have not inked it. Upon asked whether Bulgaria will take into consideration Germany's position ahead of ratifying the agreement, Traikov told Deutche Welle that "the procedures in Germany are to take longer before the initial signing, while the discussions in Bulgaria will be carried out before the ratification." ACTA, abbreviation for Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, mandates that signatory countries implement legislation to criminalize certain types of downloading content such as music and movies, from sites not sanctioned by rights owners, such as torrent trackers. According to the agreement, such actions will be classified as similar to counterfeiting, and will carry heavier sanctions, including confiscation. The agreement has already stirred international outcry, since it is expected to enable the entertainment industry to exert pressure on every Internet actor under threat of criminal sanctions. In order to become effective in Bulgaria, ACTA must first be ratified by the European Parliament and then by the Bulgarian Parliament, which is expected to happen no earlier than June. Bulgarian Internet users and ISPs alike have voiced their concern over the potential ratification of ACTA by the Bulgarian government, with a prostest being scheduled in Sofia on February 11. BASESCU ANGERED BY DUTCH 'ABUSE' AGAINST ROMANIA, BULGARIA Romanian President Traian Basescu has criticized the Netherlands' "abuse" against Romania and Bulgaria, answering the Dutch stance against the two EU newcomers' Schengen bids. During a press conference in Brussels dedicated to his country's fifth anniversary as a EU member, Basescu revealed that he has tackled the Dutch stance on Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen entry bids at the recent European Council summit in Brussels. "Romania would have deserved to be in the Schengen zone now," the Romanian President said, adding that his country has covered all technical criteria. Basescu has also expressed his concern over what he perceives as a growing influence of "anti-European" parties in several EU governments. "The risks of internal abuse and discrimination caused by the presence of anti-European parties in European governments should not be underestimated," the Romanian President further stated, as cited by BGNES. Bulgaria and Romania were expected to enter Schengen in the spring of 2011, but their entry was blocked by countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, who had worries that problems with organized crime and corruption might jeopardize safety in the Schengen Area. At present only the Dutch government has remained in opposition of a phased-in Bulgarian and Romanian Schengen membership. BULGARIA SAYS IT WON'T RATIFY ACTA UNCONDITIONALLY Bulgaria will ratify the ACTA trade agreement, but the country will keep its current legislation in the field of Internet services, it emerged on Thursday. On Thursday, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov met with representatives of the local IT sector, Internet Service Providers and MPs with his ruling centrist-right GERB to discuss the controversial agreement. Bulgaria will express its reservations upon ratifying ACTA and it will be explicitly written down that the country will not amend its legislation as far as Internet is concerned, key GERB lawmaker Valentin Nikolov said after the meeting.. Bulgarian Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov reiterated on Wednesday that ACTA was not a final agreement and is in the process of ratification where Bulgaria can hold debates and express reservations about it. The agreement has already stirred international outcry, since it is expected to enable the entertainment industry to exert pressure on every Internet actor under threat of criminal sanctions. In order to become effective in Bulgaria, ACTA must first be ratified by the European Parliament and then by the Bulgarian Parliament, which is expected to happen no earlier than June. Bulgarian Internet users and ISPs alike have voiced their concern over the potential ratification of ACTA by the Bulgarian government, with a prostest being scheduled in Sofia on February 11. On Thursday, the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BASSCOM) came up with a statement opposing "the adoption of АСТА (The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) amid a total lack of transparency and no public dialogue on the document's impact on the economy and society". BULGARIA'S EX PRESIDENT PARVANOV BACK TO SOCIALIST PARTY Bulgaria's former President Georgi Parvanov, who completed his second 5-year term on January 22, 2012, has already re-joined his native Socialist Party. Parvanov was the leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (technically the descendant of the Bulgarian Communist Party) between 1997 and 2001, when he quit since he got elected to the Bulgarian Presidency, which paved the way for his successor Sergey Stanishev (Prime Minister of Bulgaria in 2005-2009) to take over the Socialist ranks. Parvanov has rejoined the party by signing up at the local party unit in the Municipality of Kovachevtsi near his native city of Pernik. Parvanov was born in the village of Sirishtnik, which is part of the Kovachevtsi Municipality. He is said to have received his party papers on Sunday, January 29, without any publicity, the 24 Chasa daily reported Thursday. Thus, Parvanov has refused the invitation of the BSP unit in the Krasno Selo Quarter in Sofia to return to the Socialist Party as one of their members. Commentators in Bulgaria expect a leadership struggle in the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the main opposition formation vis-a-vis the ruling center-right party GERB, between Georgi Parvanov and his former protege, Sergey Stanishev. Both Parvanov and Stanishev are expected to set out on tours around the country, meeting with local BSP units. Parvanov is further expected to reveal his political plans on February 4, Saturday, at a conference dedicated to the 15th year since February 4, 1997, when, amidst an all-out banking, economic, and moral crisis under the Socialist Cabinet of PM Zhan Videnov, in his capacity as BSP leader Parvanov and then Interior Minister Nikolay Dobrev refused a mandate to form a new government, thus paving the way for early elections, which brought to power the rightist opposition Union of Democratic Forces and a government led by Ivan Kostov. BULGARIA INTERIOR MINISTER SENDS MIXED SIGNALS ABOUT JUDICIARY Speaking at a seminar on combating corruption, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has yet again sent mixed signals about the work of the judiciary. In his Thursday statement, Tsvetanov said that there were many honest magistrates, but there were also many examples which pointed to a poorly done job. The Interior Minister assured that his words were aimed at sharing existing problems, rather than picking arguments with the judiciary. "I hold talks with many prosecutors and judges on a daily basis. I see many honest representatives of the judiciary and I can assure you that our cooperation is rooted in the rule of law and the interests of the community," Tsvetanov stated. The Interior Minister went on to list several examples of failures on the part of magistrates. Tsvetanov cited the case of Marin Stoyanov, who had masterminded a EUR 270 000 fraud scheme and had been released on a BGN 500 bail by the court of second instance. "A verbal note from Germany and the German Ambassador to Bulgaria followed, drawing attention to the double standards of the judiciary," Tsvetanov added. He went on to mention a theft and a rape of two girls committed in 1998, where the investigation lasted four years, while the years between 2003 and 2007 had resulted in 23 court sessions and no final decision. As a result, the 15-year statute of limitations for the theft charges had expired. "Can you imagine what this family believes about the judicial system, about what we are supposed to be doing together," Tsvetanov exclaimed. The Interior Minister also spoke about a BGN 16 M VAT fraud which ended in a suspended sentence, despite the presence of sufficient incriminating evidence acknowledged by the court. Tsvetanov argued that the establishment of the specialized criminal court was a positive development and voiced hopes that it would propel landmark corruption cases forward. He said that he had agreed with Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev on the importance of continuity in the good cooperation between the Interior Ministry, the prosecution, the State Agency for National Security (DANS) and the National Revenue Agency (NRA). Tsvetanov further specified that he had never leveled personal accusations against Miroslava Todorova or implied that she ought to be subjected to an investigation. "This is a possible hypothesis which anybody could have come up with on the basis of the large number of cases involving organized crime," Tsvetanov explained. In a series of media appearances two weeks ago, Tsvetanov claimed that Todorova, a judge at the Sofia City Court and Chair of the Bulgarian Judges Association (BJA), was incompetent in doing her job and was patronizing organized crime. He argued that she had delayed the issuing of written motives for verdicts against high-profile criminals, including drug lord Vasil Manikatov. Todorova countered the accusations by saying that the delay had not allowed anybody to evade justice because the offender had been behind bars during the period. She further threatened to file a libel lawsuit against the Interior Minister. Tsvetanov's accusations caused the indignation of three former BJA Chairs, who insisted that the Chief Prosecutor check the credibility of the Interior Minister's assertions or else hold him accountable for malfeasance. On Thursday, Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev made it clear that the prosecution would not examine Tsvetanov's controversial allegations. Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov against Miroslava Todorova, a judge at the Sofia City Court and Chair of the Bulgarian Judges Association. "The prosecution checks facts and you are asking me to comment on statements. If the police have information about a crime, they submit it to the prosecuting authority. If this is all about evaluations, please stop bothering me about it," Velchev told journalists. BULGARIAN ANTI-MAFIA COURT DENIES ATTEMPT TO CENSOR MEDIA The Chairman of the Bulgarian anti-mafia tribunal, Georgi Ushev, declared Thursday he has no intentions to censor local media. One day earlier, the governing body of Bulgaria's newly established specialized criminal court asked print and electronic media to submit to it materials covering the activity of the institution for "verification" before making them public and to stop referring to the court by any other name, for instance "anti-mafia court," which is the most popular substitution. In the aftermath, Ushev called the morning political talk show of TV7 to explain this has been a sheer misunderstanding and the directions sent to media Wednesday were actually a reply to a request for an interview with the magistrates, who sealed a plea bargain between four of the defendants and the prosecution in the Court's first trial. When asked by host Nikolay Barekov what the qualifications of the tribunal's spokesperson were, Ushev explained that "she only had a high school degree and the institution actually does not yet have a press attaché." This prompted Barekov to offer his services free of charge. The host invited the tribunal to send the drafts of their press releases so that he and his team can edit them. The Chairman thanked Barekov and praised TV7 for being one of the few media to always and only use the Court's official name. "We will not ask the press to coordinate their publications with us. We simply tried to improve our media relations. We never pressured any journalist. I apologize to all of them if they felt offended by the letter," Ushev concluded. On Wednesday, the leadership of the special Court made another attempt to tone down the outrage by releasing a second clarification that it had no intentions of censorship. Later, Ushev told Capital weekly that "we must have some mechanism so that titles and headlines reflect what we really want to say." But at the end, he apologized for the mistake and stressed he would not want to read articles before their publication. PROSECUTION WASHES HANDS OF BULGARIAN TOP COP-JUDGE CLASH Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev has made it clear that the prosecution will not examine the allegations of Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov against Miroslava Todorova, a judge at the Sofia City Court and Chair of the Bulgarian Judges Association. In a series of media appearances two weeks ago, Tsvetanov claimed that Todorova was incompetent in doing her job and was patronizing the mafia. He argued that she had delayed the issuing of written motives for verdicts against high-profile criminals, including drug lord Vasil Manikatov. Todorova countered the accusations by saying that the delay had not allowed anybody to evade justice because the offender had been behind bars during the period. She further threatened to file a libel lawsuit against the Interior Minister. Tsvetanov's accusations caused the indignation of three former BJA Chairs, who insisted that the Chief Prosecutor check the credibility of the Interior Minister's assertions. They went on to inquire whether Tsvetanov had notified the prosecution if he was aware of any wrongdoing on the part of Miroslava Todorova. Meanwhile, judges from the Penal Division of the Sofia City Court (SCC) came up with a statement in support of Todorova. "We believe that by declaring our support for Judge Todorova we are backing the idea for a constructive change in the judiciary - a system created to function on the basis of impartiality and professionalism," SCC staff wrote. "The prosecution checks facts and you are asking me to comment on statements. If the police have information about a crime, they submit it to the prosecuting authority. If this is all about evaluations, please stop bothering me about it," Velchev said on Thursday, as cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA). Velchev further assured that if the problem at stake was within the competence of the prosecution, it would resolve it. He admitted, however, that the Manikatov's case indicated a pronounced lack of coordination among prosecutors supervising different, yet related, proceedings. The Chief Prosecutor told journalists that he had already issued guidelines to remedy the situation. SOFIA CITY COURT CHAIR GETS REPRIMAND FOR 43 DELAYED TRIALS Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) has penalized Vladimira Yaneva, Chair of the Sofia City Court (SCC), with a reprimand, the lightest form of disciplinary action, for 43 delayed trials. The penalty was approved with 17 votes in favor and 2 abstainees. After the vote, a VSS member explained that Yaneva had only committed insignificant delays by 2 or 3 months. Two months ago, the VSS penalized Vladimir Astardzhiev, a judge at the SCC, with a 10% pay cut for 31 delayed trials. In the summer of 2011, the VSS Inspectorate ordered an inspection at the entire Penal Division of the Sofia City Court after it emerged that Yaneva had flouted deadlines in the embezzlement trial against the former executives of the controversial municipal real estate company Sofiyski Imoti. In May 2002, the current SCC Chair, who had just been appointed Junior Judge, sealed a contract for the purchase of two pieces of property from Sofiyski Imoti as a proxy for a company owned by her father. Eight years later, Yaneva was assigned the embezzlement trial against the management of the municipal real estate company, delaying her pronouncement for several months and eventually calling the case closed and returning it to the Prosecutor's Office. Bulgaria's Commission for Prevention and Ascertainment of Conflict of Interest eventually acquitted Yaneva of conflict of interest charges and the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office upheld the ruling. The VSS Ethics Committee did not find any problem with Yaneva's conduct either. The inspection at the Penal Division of SCC showed that Miroslava Todorova and Vladimira Yaneva had the largest number of delayed trials, 57 and 43, respectively. Two weeks ago, the VSS penalized Miroslava Todorova, who is also Chair of the Bulgarian Judges Association (BJA), with a 15% pay cut for a period of two years due to a "systematic failure to observe deaslines". Ivan Koev, a judge at the SCC, was also given a reprimand for a total of 32 delayed trials. Yaneva, who is a close family friend of Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, was appointed SCC Chair in end-May. Her appointment stirred a scandal due to her scant four years of experience, two of which had been spent on a maternity leave. Velcihka Tsanova, the other candidate for the post, challenged the outcome of the VSS vote and filed a lawsuit, claiming that VSS had applied unclear criteria. The saga triggered several protest resignations and accusations of unauthorized intervention on the part of the executive in affairs of the judiciary. At the same time, two parallel protest campaigns urging the "totally discredited" VSS to collectively resign were organized by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and by the bivol.bg website for investigative journalism. The appointment was initially canceled by a three-judge panel of VAS on November 03. On January 12, a five-judge panel of VAS conclusively declared the appointment procedure lawful. BULGARIAN SOFTWARE COMPANIES SLAM ACTA TOO The Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BASSCOM) has come up with a statement expressing support for an adequate protection of copyright and related rights, the fight against counterfeiting and the adoption of international standards on the enforcement of intellectual property rights. BASSCOM, however, opposes the adoption of АСТА (The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) amid a total lack of transparency and no public dialogue on the document's impact on the economy and society. BASSCOM reminds that it has, alongside a number of other business entities, repeatedly stated its disapproval of the provisions of ACTA. "Our opinion is that ACTA's provisions fail to solve many of the problems surrounding the protection of copyright and intellectual property rights and also create a number of other serious disadvantages. By stipulating that Internet service providers (ISPs) and online service providers shall be held liable for infringements by their clients, the document places a question mark over the legal certainty, the opportunities for development and the very existence of companies operating in a number of innovative sectors with a high added value," BASSCOM says. The organization believes that ISPs must not be held liable for data they transmit or content they host to an extent that necessitates the preliminary monitoring and filtering of such data. "Over the past years, free sharing of information has become a standard in Internet services and must not be interpreted as a copyright infringement," BASSCOM notes. "We are convinced that if the European Parliament adopts ACTA in summer, this will reduce the chances of the European Union of fulfilling its goals in the sphere of innovation development and of competing successfully with other regions in the world. The document will hamper the growth of start-ups in a number of key innovation spheres and will place the firms in these sectors in the conditions of legal uncertainty, thereby slowing down their development," the association says. BASSCOM adds that it expressed concern over ACTA's provisions and the total obscurity surrounding the attempts to adopt it back in May 2010 within a large-scale initiative of the PIN-SME (The Pan European ICT & eBusiness Network for SMEs), of which BASSCOM is an active member. "We remind that the EP rejected the agreement at that point. This is why we are even more concerned that the latest new attempt to pass ACTA is yet again taking place without any public debates in Bulgaria and the other European countries, despite the mounting social pressure against this document," the organization stresses. The representatives of BASSCOM and PIN-SME are adamant that if passed, ACTA will hurt Internet openness and the legal certainty of the companies in the IT sector. BASSCOM was set up in 2001 and currently brings together over 45 leading software companies. BULGARIA'S 'FIRST LADY' RESENTS NATIONAL SECURITY 'WATCH' Bulgaria's "First Lady," Yuliyana Plevnelieva continues to refuse to comply with the National Security Services, NSO, and with her new status. The information was reported by the Bulgarian "Standard" daily, writing that Plevnelieva insists on picking herself groceries and produce for her husband and children and cooking for them and resents the constant checks of her purchases and meals by NSO. NSO, however, continue to firmly refuse to allow husband and new President, Rosen Plevneliev, to take even a bite from any food without first checking it. "I cannot comment on this subject at all because we are talking here about the safety and security of the Bulgarian Head of State and his family," the NSO Chief, Dimitar Dimitrov, told "Standard." Plevneliev's staff had reminded that even before the inauguration, the services have checked all gifts he had received, including those from foreign diplomats and all fruit and drinks he had gotten over the Christmas holidays. Plevnelieva also remains firm that her and her three sons should continue to live their normal everyday lives, including remaining in their home, instead of using the State "Boyana" residence. She is using her own car to personally take her children to school and extra-curricular activities, "Standard" writes, adding that "the stubbornness of the First Lady is saving Bulgarian taxpayers expenses on food, and staff such as cooks, gardeners, drivers, and other help," which Plevneliev's predecessors have used. According to NSO rules, security guards and State vehicles are not mandatory for the President's family if they are not under imminent threat. Plevnelieva made headline news when she did not show up at January 22 inauguration ceremony of her husband. Her reluctance to make public appearances has raised eyebrows, as her opponents have accused her of negligence towards protocol rules and the representative function of the Head of State, but others have defended her right of choice. It also emerged in the aftermath that she harbors a dislike for Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, and his ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, after media dug some of her postings on Twitter such as "We do not need a Boykometer, we need a Boyko-launcher," and "Dozens of stray dogs are happily barking...they are celebrating Fandakova's victory (in the Sofia mayoral race)." BULGARIAN WEATHER SERVICES THREATENED BY BUDGET CUTS Weather forecasts prepared by the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) several times a day may be suspended due to lack of financing and state budget cuts. BAS Chair Nikola Sabotinov, reiterating a warning from October 2011, announces that he had once again asked Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, for help and is insisting on a personal meeting with him. Meanwhile, the BAS management has promised to conduct a financial analysis on the activities of the Institute to find out if there are any possibilities remaining to cut on expenses. It will also seek additional funding from those who are using the weather updates. "Everyone wants economic effectiveness, but every dollar invested in weather forecasts yields profits which are 8 times higher," Sabotinov says. Back in October, Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, stirred new outrage among BAS employees when he said he did not care if weather forecasts would be suspended because "Bulgaria can also get them from CNN." In addition to anger, these words triggered wide-spread ridicule with researchers and weather people countering that CNN gets these forecasts from the national weather services of each country. The BAS Geophysical Institute is plagued by the same financial worries, meaning that seismic activity monitoring on the territory of the country could also be discontinued. BAS' budget for 2010 and 2011 was slashed by some 40%, which caused massive protests of BAS researchers and university professors. BULGARIA WAKES UP TO FRESH SNOW Bulgaria wakes up Thursday to freezing cold accompanied by a fresh snow cover, but without new record low temperatures. The mercury ranges between minus 19 degrees Celsius to minus 5 across the country with cloudy skies and strong winds in the regions of Montana, Varna, Vidin and Razgrad. Snow is falling in the regions of Montana, Pazardzhik, Dobrich, Haskovo, Sofia, Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Kardzhali, Smolyan, Vratsa, Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo and the mountain passes in the Stara Planina range (Balkan). In mountain passes there is a ban on tractor trailers and all vehicles must have tire chains. The Road Infrastructure Agency informs that the roads are passable under winter weather conditions, however, drivers must exercise caution because there are icy spots and snow drifts. The snowfall is impeding traffic more seriously in the regions of Varna, Dobrich and Silistra. Only 10 Bulgarian regions remain under code orange. Code orange means intense weather situations with potential damage, injuries and casualties. STOICHKOV NAMED AMONG WORLDâ��S 25 WORST COACHES Bulgaria's former Barcelona striker Hristo Stoichkov has "earned" a mention in Bleacher Report's list of 25 worst coaches of all time. Stoichkov, who recently took over Bulgarian champions Litex Lovech, has indeed failed to impress in his career as a coach, his last club being South African Mamelody Sundowns. "Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov was a great player and rivaled some of the best in the game. However, he was an awful manager, and his attitude drove players on the Bulgarian National team to refuse to play for their country under him," Blacher Report has reminded, referring to Stoichkov's unsuccessful time as coach of Bulgaria's National side that ended in 2007. Roy Keane, Ruud Gullit and Bryan Robson are also among those featured in the 25 worst coaches list. BULGARIA EX VP MAY END UP AT CONSTITUTIONAL COURT Bulgaria's top court is planning to approach the constitutional court to have the final say on the controversy over the legitimacy of the country's former vice president. "We are expecting the presidency to officially confirm the lack of a decree that authorizes Angel Marin for his second mandate, after which we will approach the constitutional court," Georgi Kolev, chairman of the Supreme Administrative Court commented on Thursday. A day earlier a three-member panel of the top court ruled that the presidency should provide a written document, stating whether former Vice President Angel Marin has been authorized for his second mandate or not. The decision of the supreme court is final and is not subject to appeal. It has recently emerged that former President Georgi Parvanov failed to issue a decree authorizing the second mandate of the Vice President from 2007 to 2012. This has led many to state that Marin's decrees to pardon prisoners, grant and strip of citizenship can be challenged in court as invalid and in violation of the Constitution. Meanwhile it became clear that Angel Marin pardoned mainly murderers and culprits of other grave crimes during his two terms in office. The country's new President Rosen Plevneliev tried to play down the scandal, but now the top court has forced him into producing irrefutable proofs. The issue of Marin's alleged illegitimacy was taken to the court room by no other than Interpol-sought Russian mafia thug Konstantin Tsiganov, who is believed to be the head of the Russian crime group Uralmash. Tsiganov is said to be the head of the Russian crime group Uralmash and has been wanted by the Russian authorities since 2003 and by the Interpol since 2006. He was granted Bulgarian citizenship in 2001. Ten years later, he was expelled from Bulgaria, stripped of Bulgarian citizenship and banned from re-entering the country for 10 years. Earlier this year the anti-government Galeria weekly released an article, featuring a photo of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov playing football with the Russian mafioso. The article informed that the match had taken place on August 27, 2008, when Boyko Borisov was mayor of Sofia. The publication triggered a heated debate in parliament and questioned, yet again, the prime minister's integrity and the transparency of his links to allegedly underworld figures. SERENA WILLIAMS SPOTTED DATING BULGARIAN TENNIS HOPEFUL - REPORT Former women's No 1 Serena Williams has been reportedly spotted out on a date with Bulgaria's rising young tennis pro Grigor Dimitrov in Paris. The pair had lunch in the L'Avenue restaurant before heading for "a romantic stroll" on the streets of Paris, according to New York Post. Williams has an apartment in the "city of love". Dimitrov, 20, and Williams, 30, have been also spotted visiting the Eiffel Tower, allegedly "laughing and enjoying each other's company". Williams and rapper/actor Common dated on and off for a few years before splitting in 2010. Williams was back in Boston late on Wednesday for Fed Cup matches against Belarus. Dimitrov, who won the boy's singles titles at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships and the 2008 US Open, is currently ranked No 83. BULGARIA CALLED TO ACCOUNT FOR WARTIME TREATMENT OF JEWS Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136297 ROMANIA LOSES 2.6 MILLION PEOPLE IN 10 YEARS Bulgaria's northern neighbor Romania seems to be hit just as hard by a demographic crisis, having lost 2.6 million of its population in the past decade. Preliminary census results of the Romanian Statistical Institute released Thursday show that Romania's population declined from 21.68 million in 2002 to 19.04 million in 2012. In comparison, Bulgaria, which completed its last census in February 2011, lost some 600 000 people 2001 and 2011 – with its population declining from 7.9 million to 7.3 million in 10 years. Both Romania and Bulgaria seem to be suffering from a continued exodus of younger and better educated people, and low birth rates. According to the data of the Romanian Statistical Institute, 53% of the people in Romania live cities and towns, and 47% in villages. Romania remains the second poorest EU member state after Bulgaria. In 2009 and 2010, its economy shrank by a total of 8.4%; in 2011, it grew by 2.5%. NATO: AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES TO TAKE COMBAT LEAD BY 2013 NATO wants Afghan forces to take full responsibility for their country's security by mid-2013 so that the military alliance can wrap up its mission the following year as planned, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has stated. "We expect the last provinces to be handed over to the Afghan security forces by mid-2013," he told reporters ahead of a meeting with NATO Defense Ministers in Brussels. "From that time, Afghan security forces are in the lead all over Afghanistan. And from that time, the role of our troops will gradually change from combat to support," he added, as cited by DPA. German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that international combat troops will be "withdrawn incrementally" through the end of 2014, depending on how the situation in the country and the transition process evolve. De Maiziere was among those defence ministers who rejected suggestions that the alliance was accelerating the end of its operations by setting the 2013 date. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta assured reporters on his flight to Brussels that NATO's ensuing "train-and-assist role" would still involve 'providing a great deal of support and assistance to the Afghan army. "Everybody assumed that there would come a time, as we move towards the end of 2014, that we would be transitioning that role. We couldn't just kind of go right to the end ... with our combat role," he said, according to a transcript provided by the Pentagon. De Maiziere, meanwhile, described the change as NATO-led international soldiers simply moving "from the driver's seat to the passenger seat." "There is a difference between fighting in the driver's seat or, as a foot soldier, helping others who fight," he said. "We're sticking with a 2014 end of the mission." NATO Defense Ministers will discuss the support Afghan security forces should receive in the long term, ahead of a NATO summit in May at which leaders will 'make clear NATO's commitment to Afghanistan beyond 2014,' spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said. 'We are well aware that it's expensive to sustain a force and that the Afghan economy will not in and of itself be sufficient to do that,' said a senior NATO official, who asked not to be named. Other items on the ministers' agenda include the strained situation in Kosovo, the 'smart defense' concept NATO is pursuing in the face of budget cuts in its member countries, and the military alliance's plan to set up a European missile defense system. GASLAND' DIRECTOR ARRESTED AT CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ON FRACKING United States Capitol Police have arrested Joshua Fox, the creator of the "Gasland" documentary, for trying to film a hearing without proper media credentials. The Oscar-nominated filmmaker was detained during a Wednesday hearing in the House Energy and Environment subcommittee called to examine findings of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that hydraulic fracturing fluids had contaminated groundwater in the town of Pavillion, Wyoming, according to reports of Huffington Post. The website provides a video which shows that the journalist is not being disruptive and is not resisting arrest. "I was arrested today for exercising my First Amendment rights to freedom of the press on Capitol Hill. I was not expecting to be arrested for practicing journalism," Fox said in a statement to the press. Fox was charged with "unlawful entry", despite the fact that Congressional hearings are open to the public, and any citizen is free to attend. If the filmmaker had been found to be in breach of regulations on videotaping, his camera could have been confiscated or disabled without subjecting him to arrest. Unconfirmed reports initially suggested that an ABC News camera had also been prevented from taping the hearing but the TV network subsequently denied that they sent a crew to the event. "As a filmmaker and journalist I have covered hundreds of public hearings, including Congressional hearings. It is my understanding that public speech is allowed to be filmed. Congress should be no exception," Fox went on to say in his statement. Charged with unlawful entry, he has a hearing scheduled for February 15. EGYPT FOOTBALL RIOT LEAVES DOZENS DEAD An Egyptian soccer game between top-tier teams al-Masry and al-Ahly turned in to a tragic nightmare, as clashes broke out after the final whistle leaving at lest 74 people dead. At least 1 000 were reported injured as fans invaded the pitch after the match, the incident being described as the deadliest in the country since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. On Wednesday, Port Said side al-Masry recorded a rare 3-1 win against visiting side al-Ahly, one of Egypt's top football clubs. The atmosphere was tense throughout the match - since an al-Ahly fan raised a banner insulting supporters of the home team, BBC reports. As the match ended, their fans flooded onto the pitch attacking Ahly players and fans. Most of the deaths were caused by concussions, deep cuts to the heads and suffocation from the stampede, according to officials. "The events in Port Said are planned and are a message from the remnants of the former regime," Essam Erian, an MP with the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, said in a statement. BULGARIAN EX-PRESIDENT'S QUIET HOME-COMING Much to the indifference of many Bulgarians, the country's former President Georgi Parvanov renewed his membership in the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the formation in which he launched his political career. Was it the severely cold weather in Bulgaria or the biding ACTA threat in the country that overshadowed the former head of state's historical return? After all, analyzers have been predicting an epic party leadership combat between him and current BSP leader, former PM Sergey Stanishev. Well, I am inclined to believe that the reason behind the general lack of interest in Parvanov's latest maneuver is the simple fact that he is now merely a part of Bulgaria's political past. His future actions are likely to matter to fewer and fewer people. The expected clash between Parvanov and Stanishev is unlikely to results in anything besides an exchange of old party apparatchik tricks. They are both experienced in that, but they both belong to the past. The only relevant conclusion for anyone who is not a Bulgarian Socialist Party member is that the left-wing formation will continue being a futile alternative (if it even wants to be an alternative, that is) to the disastrous ruling GERB. |
Bulgarian Ex-President's Quiet Home-Coming
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