10-09-2010/19:05 Brussels/Sofia - Bulgaria hails the EU plans for drafting an international contractual framework taking into account European investors' interests, Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister Traicho Traikov said on Friday quoted by his Ministry. He took part in a meeting of the EU trade ministers within the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.Traikov stressed the importance of the future EU investment policy based on the EU strategy for sustainable growth and competitiveness, Europe 2020.
10-09-2010/19:04 Sofia - The Finance Ministry will ask external experts to analyse the effect of the external debt swaps in the 2002-2003 period, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov said. The analysis will be completed by the end of 2010, the interested parties will be notified of the results and the data will be submitted to the National Assembly, said Djankov.
10-09-2010/19:04 Sofia - The leadership of the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) views the tax increases proposed by the government as contradicting its consistently stated political will not to raise taxes in crisis, BIA said in a press release on Friday.
10-09-2010/19:03 Varna, on the Black Sea - Passengers from Russia and Poland handled by Varna Airport this year have increased more than 20 per cent from 2009, Airport Director Dimiter Kostadinov said on Friday. Overall, the number of passengers serviced by the facility has remained unchanged.The news came as Varna Airport welcomed its 1,000,000th passenger this year. That was Jacqueline Mae from Birmingham, UK, who received presents from the authorities.
10-09-2010/19:02 Sofia - The downward trend in unemployment has been persistent. In August unemployment fell to 9.14 per cent, 0.09 per cent down from July, the Employment Agency said.The jobless registered with the employment offices totalled 338,520, down by 3,478 from July; 2,576 working persons, 1,834 pensioners and 657 students were registered as job seekers, too. The jobless registered in August were 28,938, including 26,758 newly registered ones. Their number dropped by 12,868 from July.
10-09-2010/19:01 Sofia - The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) on Friday urged all its members and all Bulgarian citizens to stage protests against the pension reform, beginning on September 16 with a tent camp outside Parliament. A national rally will be held there on October 7, CITUB Vice President Plamen Dimitrov told a news conference after a meeting of the union's Coordination Council.
10-09-2010/19:00 Sofia - The Managing Authority of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) will request from the European Commission a considerable increase of compensations for farmers of less-favoured areas. A proposal to this end was discussed and unanimously adopted by the participants in a standing working group under Axis 2 of the Programme's Monitoring Committee, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food said.
10-09-2010/18:58 Sofia - Labour Minister Totyu Mladenov denied any disagreement on the issue of the minimum working wage, adding that the Development Council with the Council of Ministers and the government will make the best decision. Mladenov was asked by journalists to comment on the Finance Ministry's position that the minimum working wage could not be raised from next year. Recently, Mladenov put up a proposal for increasing the minimum working wage from 240 to 270 leva.
10-09-2010/18:57 Sofia - Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov received members of the Glas Civic Association on their initiative to discuss current issues related to the country's social and economic development, the President's Press Secretariat said on Friday.The association presented its analysis of the economic situation in Bulgaria and set forth a package of ideas for its improvement. Glas proposed working out an anti-poverty strategy, holding discussions on the financial rights of Bulgarians and their protection, and debating the tax system and a gradual transition from flat tax on personal income to progressive tax.
10-09-2010/18:55 Sofia - The latest rotation of the Bulgarian contingent in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan was completed. The 18th contingent, composed of 222 servicemen, returned to Bulgaria early on Friday, being replaced by the 19th one, the Defence Ministry press centre said. Company 2 of the 18th contingent was attached to the defence zone of Kabul Airport. The Bulgarian troops acted as a convoy escort, patrolled the area and provided assistance for reforms in the security sector.
10-09-2010/18:53 Sofia - Bulgaria welcomes the UN General Assembly resolution, adopted on September 9 by consensus, acknowledging the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legality of the Kosovo independence declaration, Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vessela Cherneva wrote in a statement on Friday.
10-09-2010/15:23 Sofia - Transport, Information Technology and Communications Minister Aleksandar Tsvetkov met with Armenian President Serzh Sargsian within the framework of a two-day working visit to Yerevan, Tsvetkov's ministry said Friday. The sides discussed measures for the promotion of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
10-09-2010/14:43 Sofia - The system for processing of ID papers will be put in place by the end of September, said Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov during Question Time in Parliament on Friday. An annex has been signed between the Interior Ministry and the contractor Siemens to extend the initial time frame by six months.
10-09-2010/12:39 Sofia - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov confered with the visiting Bavarian Landtag delegation, the government information service said Friday. The delegation is paying a two-day visit at the invitation of National Assembly Chair Tsetska Tsacheva and is headed by Landtag President Barbara Stamm.
10-09-2010/11:58 Sofia - The government will extend an additional 65 million leva to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), Finance Minister Simeon Djankov said during Question Time in Parliament Friday. Djankov was speaking in response to a question of MP Yanaki Stoilov (Coalition for Bulgaria) concerning increasing the budget of health care.
10-09-2010/11:57 Sofia - The optimal forecast for 2011 VAT revenue is 2,900 million leva and 3,900 million leva from excise duties,Customs Agency Director Vanyo Tanov stated at a hearing before the National Assembly Committee on Anti-Corruption,Conflict of Interests and Parliamentary Ethics Thursday.
10-09-2010/10:48 Sofia - Two earthquakes were felt on the territory of Sofia Friday morning. The National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy, and Geography with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences said they were registed at the same time - 10:08 hrs - and had a magnitude of 3.5 and 3.3 on the Richter scale. Both struck on the territory of Sofia.
10-09-2010/09:57 Sofia - A light earthquake with a magnitude of 3.4 on the Richter scale was registered at 3:43 hrs local time on Friday, the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy, and Geography with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences said. The tremor was epicentred some 130 km southwest of Sofia, outside the territory of the country and was not felt in Bulgaria.
10-09-2010/00:10 Sofia - Question Time in Parliament.
10-09-2010/00:10 Sofia - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov confers with Bavarian Landtag President Barbara Stamm who leads a German parliamentary delegation to Bulgaria. The German guests are also scheduled to meet President Georgi Purvanov.
10-09-2010/00:10 Sofia - Labour and Social Policy Minister Totyu Mladenov opens a national meeting entitled, "Childhood for All". The event, to be attended by children without parents, children from the Children's Council with the State Agency for Child Protection, representatives of state institutions, local powers, social partners and NGOs, is within the European Year of Fighting Poverty and Social Exclusion.
10-09-2010/00:09 Sofia - Sofia hosts an international conference discussing employment and poverty in Bulgaria.
09-09-2010/18:45 Sofia - Bulgaria's National Assembly and the Bavarian Landtag have almost identical problems and challenges. This was the conclusion drawn Thursday by National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva and visiting here Landtag President Barbara Stamm. She is leading a parliamentary delegation on a two-day visit here at Tsacheva's invitation.
09-09-2010/18:44 Sofia - State-run gas supplier Bulgargaz has proposed that natural gas cheapens by 1.36 per cent in the last quarter of 2010, the company said on Thursday. In August Bulgargaz said that it plans to up the gas price by 3 per cent as of October 1 to adjust it to the pricing factors, changing its outlook later.
09-09-2010/18:43 Varna - Bulgaria may supply products to Moscow using river sea ships, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said here on Thursday. He attended the opening of a newly built Raduga Children's Rehabilitation Camp in the Kamchiya Resort Complex. Such possibilities were discussed during his meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who reportedly approved of the idea.
09-09-2010/18:10 Sofia - There has been an increase of VAT revenues compared to 2009; the Customs Agency budget target for the 2010 revenues is sure to be met, the Agency's Director Vanyo Tanov said on Thursday. He presented the forecasts for the implementation of the Agency's budget before the National Assembly Budget and Finance Committee.
09-09-2010/17:18 Sofia - On Thursday the National Assembly ratified an interim agreement on economic partnership between the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire and the European Community. The document will provide Cote d'Ivoire with better access to the Community market and will promote regional integration, economic cooperation and good management of West Africa.
09-09-2010/16:51 Sofia - Norway would be happy to increase its commodity exchange with Bulgaria, Norwegian Ambassador in Sofia Tove Skarstein told Bulgarian Agriculture and Food Minister Miroslav Naydenov on Thursday, Naydenov's Ministry said. The two expressed their readiness to seek ways to boost two-way trade. They discussed matters related to the implementation of the common EU agricultural policy.
09-09-2010/16:00 Varna, on the Black Sea - The Bulgarian ship Panega had been released by Somali pirates, said Friday Prime Minister Boyko Borissov in the Kamchia seaside resort. In his words, all Bulgarian sailors are well. They are expected to arrive in Bulgaria on September 15 on an aircraft specially committed by the Prime Minister. The ship was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden in May.
09-09-2010/15:59 Varna, on the Black Sea - Some 11,000 Russian children and 3,500 veterans will be accommodated at the Kamchiya resort (on the Black Sea), Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said at the inauguration of the newly built Raduga Children's Rehabilitation Camp Thursday.
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