site.btaSofia, Saturday, February 12, 2022, No.36

DNEWS 06:40:01 12-02-2022
TE0254DN.001 06:40
Daily News - Sofia, Saturday, February 12, 2022, No.36

Sofia, Saturday, February 12, 2022, No.36


Delegations from Bulgaria, North Macedonia Fly to
Skopje with First of Renewed Flights between Capitals
BTA special correspondent Ivan Lazarov
Skopje
A joint government delegation from Bulgaria and North Macedonia flew to Skopje Friday with the first of renewed direct flights between the two countries' capitals. On board the plane of Bulgaria's GullivAir airline were Bulgarian ministers Nikolay Sabev of Transport and Communications and Hristo Prodanov of Tourism, and parliamentary Tourism Committee Chair Ilin Dimitrov, and North Macedonia's ministers Blagoj Bocvarski of Transport and Communications and Goran Milevski of Local Self-Government, and Razmena Durovic, State Secretary at the Economy Ministry.
BTA Director General Kiril Valchev was also on board.
The delegations were welcomed at the international airport in Skopje by Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi and Bulgarian Ambassador to North Macedonia Angel Angelov.
Tourism Minister Hristo Prodanov said that the launch of the air service was not a political act but an economic project with high potential. He recalled that in the pre-COVID year 2019 over 500,000 citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia visited Bulgaria. "As many Bulgarians visited North Macedonia, which is a sign of the great potential," said Prodanov.
Later on Friday, the delegations held bilateral political and business meetings, which were also attended by tourism business representatives.
The newly launched air service between Sofia and Skopje will begin to operate regular flights from March 27 2022, said North Macedonia's Transport Minister Blagoj Bocvarski. "Macedonian and Bulgarian tour operators will begin to work jointly for the launch of other destinations. Looking at the way of cooperation between the two countries, I believe that they will be successful too," said Bocvarski.
Bulgarian Transport Minister Nikolay Sabev said after a three-way meeting between the operators of the airports in Sofia and Skopje and the owner of GullivAir, which will operate the flights between the two capitals, that an agreement was reached for the two airport operators to support the air service by reducing fees.
The air fare is yet to be determined.
After a meeting of the joint government and business delegations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia Sabev said that every effort will be made to complete the road to the Klepaloto boder crossing by the end of 2022. The Bulgarian stretch will be 13 km long but its construction should be approved first by the Environment Ministry.


Four Spanish Air Force Fighters Land at
Graf Ignatievo Air Base for Joint Air Policing
Sofia - Four Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon II jet fighters of the Spanish Air Force landed at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base near Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria) on Friday, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said in a press release.
Until March 31, 2022, a hundred and thirty Spanish servicepersons will be executing enhanced air policing assignments jointly with the Bulgarian Air Force in line with a decision adopted by the Bulgarian Council of Ministers on January 24, 2022.
During the joint air policing assignments, the Bulgarian jets on standby will be used on a priority basis. The mission implements measures to guarantee security of the NATO eastern flank member countries and will follow the plans and procedures of the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS).
A media day is to be held at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base on February 17.


PM Speaks in Parliament about His List of 19 Persons
Responsible for Big Corruption and Major Offences
Sofia - Prime Minister Kiril Petkov was in Parliament Friday to answer questions about his idea that 20 individuals are responsible for big corruption and serious criminal and economic offences in Bulgaria. His explanations caused an intense back-and-forth between him and the opposition Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).
Petkov (pictured on first photo as he speaks to the legislature) described to the MPs being summoned by the Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office (SCPO) as Prime Minister after his remarks in Brussels about the 20 individuals, and handing them publicly available information from media publications about 19 people.
Petkov said his "list of 19 names was delivered to the 20th person", implying that Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev was among the biggest corruptors and offenders.
In Petkov's words "from now on Bulgarians' taxes will not be spent by certain people as if it were their own".
Then, MP Yordan Tsonev of MRF (speaking in Parliament on second photo) asked Petkov how he had filtered the names on the list he delivered to the prosecution service and whether business owner and media publisher Ivo Prokopiev was among them.
The Prime Minister said that if somebody has an alert about offences by anybody, including Ivo Prokopiev, he would be glad to receive it. He stressed everybody will be equal before Bulgarian law.
On Wednesday, when he went to the SCPO to be questioned about names he had mentioned during his meeting with Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev on February 4, Petkov told the press that these names had never been heard officially by the SCPO, and according to him, had only been spoken of in corridors and journalistic investigations.
He has made it clear in remarks on a number of occasions that his list includes former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov (after the leaked photos of wads of euro notes and gold bars on his nightstand), former investigator Petyo Petrov, business owner Roumen Gaytanski, and MRF MP Delyan Peevski, who was designated under the US Global Magnitsky Act in 2021 for involvement in major corruption but the Bulgarian prosecution service has not found him responsible for any wrongdoing.
During the Friday hearing, Petkov went on to speak about the procedure the US followed before sanctioning Peevski and five other Bulgarians under the Magnitsky Act. He said: "There is always a chance that the whole US administration has made a mistake, but I have more trust in them than in the [Bulgarian] prosecution service at the moment because it is inefficient and is run in a nontransparent way".
Prosecutors forward PM's list to Interior Ministry
In a related development, the prosecuting magistracy said Friday it has forwarded to the Interior Ministry the media reports provided by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov about 19 persons claimed to have committed serious criminal and economic offences. The list was sent in order to obtain full information about these individuals, as well as about any actions taken by the law enforcement bodies in accordance with their powers.
The prosecution service also said that the journalists who authored the reports will not be summoned regarding the contents of their articles.
Prokopiev sues MRF deputies
In a statement to the media, Capital weekly's publisher Ivo Prokopiev said that he is filing defamation lawsuits against MPs Mustafa Karadayi, Yordan Tsonev, Hamid Hamid, and Stanislav Atanasov, all of them of MRF, concerning media accusations against him in recent weeks and days. Prokopiev urged the four MPs to give up their immunity and prove their accusations in court.
MRF accused him of using communist tactics and said that the legal action was aimed to silence them.
MRF to sue Finance Minister for Peevski audit
In another development, MRF leader Mustafa Karadayi said that they will refer Finance Minister Assen Vassilev to the prosecuting magistracy for the latter having exceeded his powers by ordering an audit of MRF MP Delyan Peevski, given that such an audit has already been completed. "Two days ago, we warned about threats made by the Finance Minister towards MRF representatives, while today [Friday] we learned from the media that they have materialized," he said, explaining that the case concerns "an audit of already completed audits of Delyan Peevski. Maybe they don't like the results and it's important for the audits to continue endlessly, regardless of the legality," Karadayi commented.
According to him, this is a form of political repression and an attempt at dealing with a political opponent in an arbitrary fashion. "It is precisely these illegal acts by the Minister of Finance that we will refer to the prosecuting magistracy," the MRF leader said.
MP Yordan Tsonev said that Vassilev does not have the powers to order such audits. The Tax and Social Insurance Procedure Code permits such audits to be ordered only by the National Revenue Agency's heads of territorial directorates, and only given that new circumstances have emerged concerning completed audits, Tsonev explained.


Public Consultations Launched on Latest Recovery Plan Draft
Sofia - Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev launched a series of public councils for consultation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The first public council took pace on Friday at the Finance Ministry and was dedicated to projects in connection with healthcare, transport infrastructure and energy.
HEALTHCARE
Key healthcare projects involve reform of the 112 emergency system, supply of five emergency helicopters and equipment for hospitals, labs and primary care facilities. Support under the Plan will be implemented through six projects of the Health Ministry which aim to boost the capacity and accessibility of healthcare facilities, reduce death rates and train and recruit healthcare professionals. The main components are modernizing child care, building a national radiation therapy centre for cancer patients and ten high-tech cerebrovascular diagnostics and treatment centres across the country.
The Health Ministry proposes modernization of psychiatric care in the country. The country has 11 state psychiatric hospitals, 12 psychiatric health centres, and 22 clinics and hospital departments, but among the main problems are the outdated facilities and the lack of integrated diagnostics and treatment.
TRANSPORT
The Transport Ministry has prepared projects which can be implemented by final date June 30 2026. The first project is for the purchase of S-Bahn multiple units to service areas near big cities. The project is worth 373 million leva and there is a contribution from the state budget. The next project is for the purchase of electric trains similar to intercity trains which can reach speeds of 200 km/h. Eighteen electric locomotive cars will be purchased for shunting at train yards.
The plan envisages the construction of an intermodal terminal in Ruse, which will be awarded under concession and which will help the turnover of goods in North Bulgaria.
Another large project which is well under way is for the extension of the third metroline in the capital Sofia by 3 kilometres and three stations.
ENERGY
At the consultation it transpired that Bulgaria did not make a commitment to shut down energy facilities in order to receive money under the plan but only to reduce CO2 emissions. The discussion highlighted the importance of the coal-fire power plant Maritza East 2 because it balances the energy system of the whole region.
However, Vassilev said that Bulgaria has to close facilities which do not meet ecological standards because it will be unable to tap funding under the plan. The construction of a steam/gas generating plant in the Maritsa Basin won't be funded under the plan.
According to Vassilev, a plant for energy storage batteries can be built near Stara Zagora.
Bulgaria has two centres for electricity production: in Kozloduy (nuclear power) and in Stara Zagora (coal power). The transmission of energy generates huge losses. Halving these will be equal to building a new reactor in Kozloduy, said Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov.
Nuclear power projects cannot be included in the plan and hydro power plants are difficult to include because the projects have to be completed by June 2026.
Possibilities for deriving energy from geothermal sources were discussed.
Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association Chairman Vassil Velev said that currently it is possible to raise over 4.5 billion leva in loans and equity on the domestic and international markets. However, for a third consecutive year there is no direct support for innovations and investments. The businesses proposed that the procedure for direct support for investments and innovations is launched immediately regardless of the fact that the Plan hasn't been approved yet, because the costs are admissible from January 2021. "The was consensus on this issue," added Velev.


Government's Security Council Meets
over Russia-Ukraine Tensions
Sofia - The government's Security Council was convoked by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov Friday over the Russia-Ukraine tensions, said the government's press office. "We must be prepared for all kinds of scenarios and make sure the national security strategy is implemented in the best possible way," said the Prime Minister.
He is also quoted as saying that a clear strategic action plan must be prepared for Bulgaria to follow in the event of escalation of the conflict.
He said that Bulgaria will remain a loyal and predictable member of NATO.
The Security Council members discussed possible measures in the event Russia responds to possible new sanctions with action in the energy sector, said the government press office.


Foreign Ministry Experts from Bulgaria and North Macedonia Hold Fourth Meeting
Sofia - A fourth round of expert talks between the teams of the foreign ministries of Bulgaria and North Macedonia took place on Friday, said the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. They are involved with dialogue on the package of political issues. The meeting discussed the latest proposals by Skopje, sent last year in response to proposals by Bulgaria, presented at the third round of expert consultations that took place in September 2021 in Skopje.
Details of Skopje's response are not disclosed in the press release.
The ministries' teams confirmed their commitment to maintaining active dialogue aimed at finding mutually acceptable decisions about the key issues on the bilateral political agenda, the Foreign Ministry says.
Fridays' meeting was agreed by Foreign Ministers Teodora Genchovska and Bujar Osmani at a joint meeting of the two governments on January 25.
The next round of experts talks which are expected soon will take place in Skopje, the Foreign Ministry said.


Parliamentary Monitor: Friday
Sofia - At its plenary sitting on Friday, Bulgaria's National Assembly transacted business as follows:
- Adopted on first reading Government-proposed amendments to the Corporate Income Tax Act, transposing rules of an EU directive.
- Adopted conclusively revisions to the VAT Act, according to which food vouchers will attract to VAT in compliance with the requirements of an EU directive.
- Heard a declaration from There Is Such a People (TISP), read by MP Andrey Tchorbanov, in memory of Prof. Luc Montagnier, the Nobel Prize-winning French discoverer of the HIV virus, who died on February 8. Tchorbanov noted the virologist's role in freeing six Bulgarian medics from Libya, who were falsely charged with infecting children there with HIV virus during Muammar Gaddafi's regime. "Largely thanks to Montagnier's efforts, the Bulgarian medics were acquitted and released," the MP recalled, noting that the French professor took a public stance against the restrictive measures introduced against the spread of COVID-19.
Question time
Deputy Prime Minister and Economy and Industry Minister Korneliya Ninova: We do not intend to separate any of the subsidiaries of the State Consolidation Company (SCC) from it or dissolve any of them. The SCC has many subsidiaries, including VMZ Sopot, Kintex and Montagi. Their assets are a part of the SCC's capital, and the SCC has obtained loans from the Bulgarian Development Bank on that basis.
Deputy Prime Minister and Regional Development and Urban Planning Minister Grozdan Karadjov: The Asparuhovo Bridge in Varna is currently in a safe operating condition and does not pose a danger to cars or pedestrians. Six of the bridge's eleven structural units were overhauled during the 2016-2020 period. The technical planning for major renovation of the rest of the bridge units will start in 2022-2023.
***
The Vazrazhdane Party is preparing to stage a new protest against the green certificate requirements within ten days, the party's leader Kostadin Kostadinov said in Parliament, specifying that the date and form of the protest will be decided next week.
Kostadinov noted that his party will not agree to anything else but a lifting of the certificate requirement.
Later on Friday, the Parliamentary Committee on Health rejected a draft resolution that would have obliged the Health Minister to order the lifting of the green certificate requirement.
Kostadin Kostadinov of GERB-UDF said that he supports the scrapping of the green certificate requirement, which he described as a Bulgarian version of the European COVID-19 certificate. He said, however, that his parliamentary group supports the European certificate. He said that the illicit trade in green certificates poses a health risk for their holders, adding that some 30 per cent of green certificates are fake.
Elena Guncheva of Vazrazhdane insisted that the green certificates be scrapped, which she described as discriminatory.
Georgi Mihaylov said does not accept that the green certificate has been crippled or is not working.
Hasan Ademov of MRF said that his party will not participate in the discussion or vote.


PM Petkov Discusses Government's Strategic
Infrastructure Projects with EBRD, EIB Officials
Sofia - Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev discussed the Government's strategic transport and energy infrastructure projects with officials of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Government Information Service reported on Friday.
The sides considered the possibility of these projects that are important for society to be implemented with the assistance and under the rules of the international financial institutions within the possibly shortest time limits and in conditions of maximum transparency.
An emphasis was also laid on the Government's intention to attract young educated Bulgarians at home and abroad to transfer their international experience and good practices to the implementation of the projects programmed by the Cabinet.
The EBRD and EIB officials expressed support for financing an initiative by Prime Minister Petkov for the establishment of a Stambolov Fund, which would contribute to the return to this country of successful Bulgarians who have obtained world class education.


Plovdiv Airport to Service
14 Flights per Week as of
March - Executive Director
Dima Shopova of BTA
Kroumovo, South Central Bulgaria
Plovdiv Airport will be servicing 14 flights a week as of March, Plovdiv Airport Executive Director Plamen Spasov said in an interview for BTA on Friday. The regular flights to and from the airport are currently 13 per week, while prior to November 2021 they were only three.
The flights are operated by low-cost carriers Ryanair and Wizz Air.
There were no charter flights this winter, because not a single flight was planned from Moscow and those planned from Israel got cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spasov said.
Statistics show that Plovdiv Airport serviced 4,903 passengers in November 2019 and 16,821 passengers in January 2022.
The most popular destination is London (Luton and Stansted airports), with the flights between it and Plovdiv Airport always being fully booked. There are two flights per week to Germany's Memmingen Airport and Dortmund Airport. Lately there have been flights to Dublin as well, which turned out to be quite a popular destination, Spasov said.
He is not concerned about a drop in passengers, as he believes the pandemic is going away and people are beginning to travel more.
He told BTA he has set himself the very important task to convince an airline, including Bulgaria's, to launch a flight service to Varna Airport. The flights should be available year-round, trasporting tourists to the seaside in summer and to ski resorts in winter.


Innovations Minister Lorer:
Funding under EU-backed
Programmes Will Be Invested
Instead of Being Absorbed
Sofia - The money under EU-backed operational programmes won't be absorbed, but will be invested in the economy in order to make up for the delay in the past decade when it hasn't been used efficiently to generate economic growth, said Innovations Minister Daniel Lorer on Friday. He was participating in a meeting of the National Council of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), the Economy Ministry said on Friday.
The meeting discussed the new programming period 2021-2027, focusing on the dialogue with employer organizations and the Programme for Economic Transformation under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Minister Lorer said that the mission of the Ministry of Innovations and Growth is to catch up for the delay through generating economic growth and creating favourable conditions for the development of innovations in Bulgaria. "Growth through innovations is the most sustainable growth. When we can create new things which will drive the economy ahead for years and not operations which can be relocated easily," said Lorer.
According to him this can be achieved through providing fast and transparent access for the business to various financial instruments. "Their consolidation in one place will help create uniform standards, improved efficiency and control over spent funds," he added.
Lorer said that together with the employer organizations will work so that EU funds are not received through consultants and very difficult procedures and to improve the efficiency of the programmes.
BICA Chairman Vassil Velev said that the Association called for a state authority in charge of innovations and said that they welcomed the establishment of the new ministry.


Declarations Pour In against Lukov March
Sofia - Plans for a traditional commemoration of controversial WWII Bulgarian general and Defence Minister Hirsto Lukov triggered a wave of protest declarations from the government and political parties. The event - a torchlit procession which has been taking place annually in February since 2003, is organized by the Bulgarian National Union (BNU).
Lukov (1888-1943) was a popular military commander but was also known for his close links to the Third Reich and his activity as leader of the far-right Union of Bulgarian National Legions. Lukov March commemorates the anniversary of General Hristo Lukov's execution-style murder by two Communist militants.
The Foreign Ministry expressed full sympathy with the efforts of various institutions to prevent the so-called Lukov March in 2022, the Ministry said in a position. "The streets of the Bulgarian capital must remain free of manifestations that are incompatible with the values, traditions and interests of the Bulgarian people. Anti-Semitism, racism, intolerance, discrimination and hatred have no place in our country," the Foreign Ministry said. According to them, events such as the so-called Lukov March "harm the image of Bulgaria, presenting it undeservedly in a negative light and distracting attention from the achievements of our country and the traditionally tolerant nature of our society," the statement said.
Parliament heard declarations from the parliamentary groups of Continue the Change (CC), BSP for Bulgaria, GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) against the Lukov March plans. CC said that "Bulgaria's democratic present and future precludes such manifestations of xenophobia and hate speech. Provocations to violence, propaganda of racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, sexism - have no place in Bulgarian society," the statement said.
According to GERB, "worship of people like General Lukov is not a tribute to the glorious history of Bulgaria, but on the contrary - a return to some of the darkest years of it, desecration of the feat of the entire Bulgarian people, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, prominent politicians, public figures and intellectuals who confronted the most terrible evil and prevented their brothers and sisters from being doomed to certain death. " GERB calls on all competent institutions to strongly oppose and not allow Sofia to become the arena of such a shameful event again, which leaves an undeserved disgraceful mark on the Bulgarian people.
The BSP said that "they have long been tired of raising this issue again and again every year, every year again and again to ask the big questions of Bulgarian democracy and every year in some strange way this procession is allowed and every year these dark forces march on the streets to Sofia''. BSP stressed the need to strongly oppose this.
The MRF said that they had been condemning Lukov march for 30 years. "However, we have been alone for 30 years, and we are alone in the counter-protest against Lukov March, unfortunately." According to them, the Ministry of Interior has absolutely all the resources to stop Lukov March: "Let's see if they will do it".
In their announcement for Lukov March, BNU recalls that the court has lifted the mayor's ban from last year and that the march can be held in the planned format.
The event will take place on Saturday afternoon. An anti-fascist march was planned earlier in the day.


Six Times More Men Newly Registered with
HIV than Newly Registered Women in 2021
Sofia - In the past year, the number of newly registered men living with HIV is more than six times higher than the number of newly registered women, said the press service of the Ministry of Health on Friday. In 2021, 93 per cent of newly registered people became infected with HIV sexually, and 6 per cent - through injection drug use. The 30-39 age group is the most affected by the infection, followed by the 20-29 age group.
In 2021, more than 250,000 people were tested and found out about their HIV status. From the beginning of this year until February 4, 19 new HIV-positive people were identified.
From 1986 to 2021, 3,721 people with a HIV infection were registered in Bulgaria. As of December 31, 2021, 1,950 HIV patients were being followed up in treatment facilities for HIV / AIDS patients, and 1,921 of them were receiving modern antiretroviral therapy.
On the occasion of February 14, Valentine's Day, the second stage of the National ANTI-AIDS campaign will begin. Due to the pandemic of COVID-19 and the anti-epidemic measures introduced in the country, this year the initiatives that are part of the campaign will be conducted mainly online. Detailed information about the initiatives is published on the Bulgarian Red Cross website.


Six Persons Detained in Anti-drug Operation
Sofia - Six persons have been detained during an anti-drug operation, the Interior Ministry said Friday. The previous night, a check of a car on Trakia motorway near Ihtiman (Western Bulgaria) found 10 kg of heroin in a secret compartment. The driver was arrested, and later another five persons were detained.
The prosecution service in Varna (on the Black Sea) is conducting the investigation.
In another operation, officers found a marijuana grow facility in Sofia. They seized 228 plants in various stages of development, lamps, filters and other equipment. Two persons were detained on site, one of whom with a police record for drug-related crimes.


Total Export Up 24%, Import 27.5% in 2021 Y/Y
Sofia - Last year, the total value of all goods exported from Bulgaria stood at 67,933.5 million leva, up by 24 per cent from 2020, show data released by the National Statistical Institute. In December alone, the total exports of goods added up to 5,948.5 million leva, which is an increase by 32.5 per cent compared to December 2020.
In 2021, the total value of all goods imported into the country was 76,684.4 million leva (at CIF prices), or 27.5 per cent more than in 2020. In December 2021, the total imports of goods increased by 41.1 per cent year-on-year to reach 7,324.8 million leva.
Last year, the total foreign trade balance (exports FOB - imports CIF) was negative and amounted to 8,750.9 million leva. In December 2021, the total foreign trade balance (exports FOB - imports CIF) was also negative and added up to 1,376.3 million leva.
In 2021, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to third countries increased by 19.6 per cent in comparison with 2020 and added up to 22,648.3 million leva. Bulgaria's main trade partners were Turkey, China, the United States, Serbia, the United Kingdom, the Republic of North Macedonia, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which accounted for 59 per cent of the exports to non-EU countries.
In December alone, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to third countries grew by 15.5 per cent compared to the same month of 2020 and amounted to 2,054.4 million leva.
In 2021, imports of goods to Bulgaria from third countries increased by 29 per cent in comparison with 2020 and added up to 30,369.7 million leva (at CIF prices) The largest amounts of goods were imported from Turkey, the Russian Federation, China, and Ukraine. In December alone, imports of goods from third countries grew by 42 per cent year-on-year to 2,847.5 million leva.
The foreign trade balance of Bulgaria (exports FOB - imports CIF) with third countries in 2021 was negative and added up to 7,721.4 million leva. In December, the foreign trade balance with third countries was also negative and amounted to 793.1 million leva.
In January-November 2021, the exports of goods from Bulgaria to the EU increased by 24.9 per cent in comparison with the same period of 2020 and added up to 41,391.1 million leva. Bulgaria's main trade partners were Germany, Romania, Italy, Greece, France, and Belgium, which accounted for 69 per cent of the exports to the EU Member States. In November alone, exports to the EU grew by 32.5 per cent year-on-year to 4,384.3 million leva.
In January-November 2021, the imports of goods from the EU increased by 25.3 per cent in comparison with the same period of 2020 and added up to 41,837.4 million leva (at CIF prices).
In November alone, the imports from the EU went up by 27.4 per cent year-on-year to 4,519.2 million leva.
In January-November 2021, the foreign trade balance of Bulgaria (export FOB - import CIF) with the EU was negative and added up to 446.3 million leva.


Nearly Lv 102 Bln on Deposit in Bulgarian Banks by End of 2021
Sofia - At the end of the last quarter of 2021, the number of deposits of non-financial corporations, financial corporations, households, and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs) decreased by 2.6 per cent on an annual basis, while their amount rose by 9.1 per cent, the Bulgarian National Bank reported. The total amount of deposits was 101.907 billion leva at the end of 2021.
There were 608,000 deposits of non-financial corporations at the end of December, an increase of 3,6 per cent compared to December 2020. At the end of the last quarter of 2021 these deposits amounted to 31.767 billion leva, marking an 8.5 per cent annual increase. The three economic activities with the largest shares in the total amount of deposits of the sector were: trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (25.5 per cent); manufacturing (13 per cent); and construction (9.9 per cent). The deposits over 1 million leva had the largest share (49.2 per cent) in the total amount of deposits.
There were 6,900 deposits of the financial corporations sector which was an increase of 1.5 per cent compared to the same month of 2020. At the end of 2021 they amounted to 3.6 billion leva, marking a 16.9 per cent annual increase. At the end of December 2021, the deposits over 1 million leva held the biggest share in the sector with 87.7 per cent.
At the end of the las quarter of 2021, there were 9.084 million deposits of the households and NPISHs sector, which was an annual decline of 3 per cent. The amount of these deposits increased by 9 per cent on an annual basis to reach 66.54 billion leva. At the end of December 2021, the deposits between 50,000 and 100,000 leva formed the largest share with 17.5 per cent.


Appellate Specialized Prosecution Office, Prosecutors Association
Criticize Closure of Specialized Jurisdictions by Draft
Amendments to Judicial System Act
Sofia - Bulgaria's Appellate Specialized Prosecution Office (ASPO) said on Friday that it had sent the Justice Ministry a negative opinion on a bill amending and supplementing the Judicial System Act, drafted by the Ministry, which provides for the closure of the specialized jurisdictions.
The opinion, signed by ASPO Administrative Head Ivaylo Angelov, will be copied to the European Commission and the European Parliament in connection with the European Rule of Law Mechanism.
The document notes that within several years they were established, the specialized jurisdictions "earned substantial international recognition", among other things as taking credit for the progress in combating international crime, which has been acknowledged in the European Commission's reports under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.
"The closure of specialized justice will be a mistake that cannot be corrected later on," Angelov argues. In his opinion, a law closing down a court would be unconstitutional. The ASPO chief adds that a serious analysis is needed of the achievements and shortcomings so far as well as of the impact of the closure on combating organized crime and corruption, ''especially at places where there are local interdependencies, vested interests, etc."
"Magistrates are on the receiving end of all criticism about slow justice, but the root cause is precisely the excessive formality and the abuse of procedural rights by the accused and the defendants and, often, by their defence lawyers, too," the prosecutor points out. In his words, the efforts to increase the effectiveness of criminal justice should target serious actions to purge the Criminal Procedure Code of unnecessary formality rather than opening or closing judicial authorities, replacing magistrates and transferring cases from one court to another. According to Angelov, the formality in the law results in chronic overwhelming of the preliminary proceedings authorities and the court.
In a position circulated to the media on Friday, the Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria also took a stand against the closure of the specialized jurisdictions, arguing that this move "is not based on the actual public needs and runs counter to the modern European trend of magistrates' specialization with a view to achieving tangible results in combating particular types of specific crime."
The organization notes that discontinuing the operation of the specialized judicial authorities is being "rushed". The prosecutors also resent the short 14-day period for public consultation on the amendments. They believe that the lack of results from the operation of the specialized jurisdictions, alleged in the reasoning of the bill, is not backed by arguments.
"A genuine reform in the public interest can only be carried out after a real, in-depth and honourable professional debate which should take into account the different viewpoints," the Association said.
Critics of the specialized courts and prosecution offices argue that powerholders use them as "bludgeons" to eliminate their political and business opponents. Proponents insist that the specialized jurisdictions were set up acting on recommendations from the European Commission and the Council of Europe and that their closure is likely to wreck the Bulgarian judicial system, throwing the cases of serious organized crime figures and oligarchs back to square one, releasing them from custody, and giving them back their seized assets totalling 3.5 billion leva.
Democratic Bulgaria, which is part of the government coalition and whose representative Nadezhda Yordanova is Minister of Justice, prioritizes a judicial reform in which a closure of the specialized courts and prosecution offices figures prominently.
The first-instance Specialized Criminal Court was set up in 2011 to try organized crime offences, and its jurisdiction was later on expanded to cover corruption offences as well. The instruments issued by the Specialized Court are subject to intermediate appellate review before the Appellate Specialized Criminal Court. This structure is parallel?d by a Specialized Prosecution Office and an Appellate Specialized Prosecution Office.


MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk Meets with
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
Sofia - MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakci, said Kyuchyuk's office on Friday. The meeting agenda included EU-Turkey bilateral relations, tackling illegal migration, and EU-Turkey connectivity, which the three politicians agreed must include education, economic and human contacts.
"The Bulgaria-Turkey goodneighbourly relations are of great importance to the region. The bilateral relation between the EU and Turkey should lead to better productivity, cooperation and stability," said Kyuchyuk during the meeting. Minister Cavusoglu expressed happiness with the dynamic bilateral economic and investment partnership.
According to Kyuchyuk, visa liberalization is the basis of good EU-Turkey relations. The two parties need an updated customs agreement, he added. He and the Turkish Minister concurred that Bulgaria and Turkey being neighbouring countries are good partners in many fields.


French Companies Interested in Shifting Production from Asia to Bulgaria
Sofia - The French EU Presidency provides a possibility for achieving a consensus solution to the Russia-West tension, the Chairman of the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFB), Stephane Delahaye, told BTA here on Friday.
Stephane Delahaye is Chairman of the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Director General of Havas Group Bulgaria. Established in 1835, Havas is among the largest communication groups in the world.
Foreign companies are attracted to make investments in Bulgaria not only because of its flat tax rate of 10 per cent but because of the optimized administrative process when registering an enterprise, and the functionality of the justice system, as well, Delahaye said.
The only difficulty the French industrial enterprises face when making investments in Bulgaria is to find workers, he noted, adding that the big question is how many Bulgarians will stay in Bulgaria until 2050. Despite that, Delahaye is optimistic, as the CCIFB is cooperating almost daily with the Bulgarian government in the economic field.
As a NATO member, Bulgaria will eventually be involved in the crisis between Russia and the West, CCIFB Chairman said, adding that not only Bulgaria but the whole region will lose a lot if a military conflict breaks out in Ukraine.
Commenting on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the activity of French companies in Bulgaria, Delahaye said that the enterprises are relatively safe. According to him, the coronavirus caused more difficulties with Asia. There is an increase in transportation costs and therefore, spike in the prices of raw materials.
The upcoming introduction of minimum tax rate of 15 per cent for big companies (decision of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) will not affect the Bulgarian-French economic activity, the CCIFB Chairman argued. There are 130 countries in OECD which signed an agreement to introduce a minimum tax rate of 15 per cent only for companies with revenue of over 150 million dollars. The minimum tax rate of 15 per cent will not be imposed on the rest of the smaller enterprises and every country can have its own tax system, putting aside the companies with revenue of over 150 million dollars. This means that Bulgaria can keep its current tax system and future relations with French enterprises may remain relatively the same, Delahaye explained.
He stressed that Bulgaria's corporate tax rate of 10 per cent is very low. It is much lower than the Netherlands, Cyprus or Ireland which are considered to be tax havens within the borders of the European Union. Bulgaria is more attractive compared to Cyprus, for example, and yet is not regarded as a tax haven, which is strange, according to Delahaye. The companies are attracted by the optimized administrative process when registering an enterprise and the functionality of the justice system, combined with the low corporate tax rate of 10 per cent, he added.
There are some big French companies which have invested in Bulgaria, such as Latacoere, a manufacturer of airplane doors used by Boing and Airbus who opened a factory near Plovdiv (Central Bulgaria). There are also Schneider (near Plovdiv), Montupet (near Ruse, Northern Bulgaria) and Solvay Sodi (near Devnya, Northeastern Bulgaria), Delahaye told BTA.
In his words, all of these companies praise the quality workforce in Bulgaria. There is a huge interest among big French enterprises for nearshoring - they shift their production in Asia to somewhere nearer to the European union.
CCIFB Chairman stressed that the nearshoring is Bulgaria's true economic opportunity. However, the only setback in the near future could be the lack of workforce, he noted, adding that even now there are a lot of industrial enterprises which do not have enough factory managers or engineers and this could be a disaster for Bulgaria until 2050.
Once more, Delahaye emphasized on CCIFB's cooperation with Bulgaria's new government and especially with Innovation and Growth Minister Daniel Lorer who is a francophile. Delahaye said that he meets and discusses economic topics with Lorer almost daily.


COVID-19 Update: 6,278 New Cases Confirmed, Test Positivity Rate at 22.4%
Sofia - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bulgaria reached 1,025,129, after 27,998 tests identified 6,278 new infections on Thursday, 76 per cent of which were of unvaccinated persons, according to data posted on https://coronavirus.bg/. The test positivity rate now stands at 22.4 per cent.
Sofia City Region tops the list of new cases with 1,298 positive tests, followed by Varna with 743 cases and Plovdiv with 613.
The active cases are 261,909. Currently, the hospitalized patients number 6,238, including 601 in intensive care. Of the 681 hospital admissions, 84.43 per cent were not vaccinated.
The number of infected medical staff has reached 22,150, with 138 new cases detected.
Another 6,645 COVID-19 patients have recovered over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 728,992.
Seventy-six fatalities were reported (85.53 per cent unvaccinated), and the death toll now adds up to 34,228.
With 8,320 new inoculations over the last 24 hours, 4,235,020 vaccine doses have been administered so far. A total of 2,023,316 people are fully vaccinated and 648,967 have received a booster.


Ancient Helmet Returns to Bulgaria after Massive
International Investigation Led by New York District Attorney
Sofia - An ancient helmet originating from modern-day Bulgaria was returned to this country by US authorities, said the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior. That was possible thanks to the New York District Attorney's Office leading a massive international operation to neutralize a criminal scheme for trafficking artefacts of cultural and historical value. Law enforcement agencies from 11 different countries (Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Turkey) took part in the operation.
The helmet was seized from one of the world's largest collections of ancient artefacts after US investigators were able to prove that it had been imported through illicit trafficking. The headgear dating back to 500-400 BCE has an estimated worth of USD 200,000. It is made of iron, silver, bronze, and organic materials. Experts believe its place of origin is close to the village of Pletena, Southwestern Bulgaria and speculate it may have been worn by Philip II of Macedon.
On February 10, an official ceremony at the Consulate General of Bulgaria in New York marked the return of the antique. The Consul General Maya Hristova offered a letter of thanks from Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov to the heads of the US agencies who led the operation while partnering with the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime and the International Operational Cooperational Directorate with the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior.
In her speech Consul General Hristova said that this event strengthened the already excellent cooperation between the two countries law enforcement and judicial institutions.
The U.S. Embassy is Sofia announced on Friday the awarding of an USD 80,000 Cultural Property Agreement Implementation Grant (CPAIG) to create a pilot digital registry to prevent the trafficking of Bulgarian antiquities. Under the terms of the grant, the Bulgarian Fulbright Commission, together with the Balkan Heritage Foundation, the Bulgarian National Police, the National Archaeological Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM BAN), and the Pazardzhik Regional History Museum, will work to address the ever-growing threats of the theft of antiquities from Bulgarian museum collections The project, titled "Bulgarian Museum Collections at Risk: Digitization and Prevention", will create theft prevention tools: a risk assessment toolkit to identify at-risk artifacts, a data-sharing system for museums, and a registry of trafficked artifacts returned to Bulgarian museums. Various expert groups will work on the creation of these tools and will then train museum staff and police officers to use them.
Bulgaria and the United States have a long history of working together to protect Bulgaria's cultural heritage, including through professional exchanges, trainings, law enforcement cooperation, and restoration projects, the US Embassy said, recalling that cooperation in this area was boosted by the signing of the Bilateral Memorandum of Understanding for the Protection of Bulgaria's Cultural Property in 2014, which was renewed in 2019. Through programs like the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, the Embassy has spent more than USD 1.1 million (1.8 million leva) on preserving and protecting some of Bulgaria's most historic and endangered cultural sites.
"I welcome the return of this invaluable artifact to Bulgaria and applaud the efforts of the law enforcement groups from the United States and Bulgaria that made it happen," said U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria Herro Mustafa. "The U.S. government is committed to working with our Bulgarian partners to defend and preserve your country's rich past through the CPAIG grant, the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, and more," Ambassador Mustafa is quoted as saying by her Embassy.


Nikos Vertis to Give Concert in Sofia on March 30
Sofia - Greek musician Nikos Vertis will give a concert at Sofia's Arena Armeec Hall on March 30, the organizers said. He will arrive with a 35-member team, of whom 25 will be musicians to join him on stage.
Nikos Vertis will perform his greatest hits and some of his latest pieces.
Due to the pandemic and the constantly changing restrictions, the event was postponed twice.
Nikolaos Arvanitidis, better known by his stage name Nikos Vertis, was born in the Netherlands on August 21, 1976. His family moved to Thessaloniki when he was 6.
He began taking bouzouki lessons, and took up singing when he turned 15. Since then he has been composing, playing music and singing.
He is now the most famous performer of laiko, a mixture of traditional Greek music, pop and dance. One of his latest hits, "S'Agapao", has over 23 million views on YouTube.


COVID-19 in the Balkans
Sofia - While the situation related to the management of the COVID-19 crisis in the Balkans remains complicated, a general positive trend was observed and most children attend school in person.
Albania
Registered a declining number of new infections at a daily average between 600 and 800, down from the up to 1,000 last week. Fatalities average about six a day. Over 41 per cent of Albanians are fully vaccinated.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Continues to report a relatively high number of daily infections at 1,300-1,500. Fatality is quite high, with 78 cases reported on February 7. A total of 25.8 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.
Greece
Also reported a relatively high number of new infections - nearly 23,000, as well as 108 fatalities. On Thursday, however, there was a slight decline, with 19,154 new infections reported. Anti-epidemic measures remain unchanged, slightly eased in relation to catering establishments. As of February 7, 300,000 people in Greece who have not had a booster dose are considered unvaccinated. They can go to work after a mandatory rapid test. Non-compliance carries a fine of 150-300 euro. Employers who do not submit a special document relative to the status of their employees are liable to a 2,000-euro fine. The fine jumps to 10,000 euro if the document is incorrect. Last week Greek scientists reported the invention of a 100 per cent protective face mask. The item sterilizes both incoming and outgoing air.
Cyprus
Reports declining numbers of new infections, at an average 3,000 a day. The Health Ministry said the situation in the country is improving gradually. Just seven fatalities were reported on February 8. A total of 53 per cent of the population is vaccinated.
Kosovo
Has registered 220,000 infections since the onset of the pandemic, as well as 3,058 fatalities. A total of 43.5 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated.
Romania
Registered 36,269 new infections and 184 fatalities on February 8. As of this week, unvaccinated can visit supermarkets in malls without digital certificate scanning, but via special access corridors provided by the malls. Client numbers should also be controlled. Face masks remain mandatory for all public spaces, both indoors and out. The government extended the state of emergency on February 7 by another 30 days. A total of 41.5 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.
North Macedonia
By February 10, North Macedonia had registered a total of 282,147 infections and 8,658 fatalities. The Commission for Infectious Diseases has proposed extension of the validity of certificates after recovery from COVID-19 from 45 to 180 days after the date of the positive PCR test. The government will consider the proposal at a regular meeting. This week the Health Ministry announced negotiations with Pfizer were under way for delivery of the company's drug against COVID-19.
Slovenia
Reported a decline of new infections, a stable situation in hospitals and a weakening of the fifth wave of the pandemic. A total of 57.8 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated.
Serbia
Has registered 1.81 million infections and 14,171 fatalities since the onset of the pandemic. A total of 54.2 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated.
Turkey
Registered 98,602 new infections on Thursday, as well as 264 fatalities and 87,932 recoveries. On February 8, though, Turkey registered the record 111,096 new infections. A total of 84.72 per cent of the 18+ population is vaccinated with two doses and 92.70 per cent - with one. A total of 25,978,778 have been administered a booster jab. So far, 143,645,420 doses of vaccine have been administered in Turkey. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the domestic Turkovac vaccine is already available in all 81 provinces in the country. It is administered in 95 vaccination centres at city and university hospitals. In-class education in Turkish schools continues. Classes under quarantine are less than 1.0 per cent.
Croatia
Registered 6,341 new infections on February 10 and the number of active cases thus reached 46,346. Currently, the hospitalized patients number 2,131, including 173 in intensive care. Forty-eight fatalities were reported. Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said that at this point Croatia will not rescind COVID certificates. Some 55 per cent of the population in Croatia is fully vaccinated.
Montenegro
Eased anti-epidemic measures and the situation in the country is returning to normal. On Thursday, the country reported 460 new infections and two fatalities. The total number of cases since the onset of the pandemic is 225,000 and that of fatalities - 2,624. A total of 44.8 per cent of Montenegrins are fully vaccinated.


Today's Observances:
February 12-13
February 12
On this date in Bulgarian history:
1910: Coastal artillery formed in Varna (on the Black Sea).
1945: Council of Ministers adopts Statutory Ordinance on most recent Bulgarian spelling reform (gazetted February 27, 1945).
1947: Association of Bulgarian Composers and Music Historians is established (renamed Union of Bulgarian Composers in 1954).
1947: Diplomatic relations with UK are restored at legation level (upgraded to embassy level on December 3, 1963).
1990: First issue of "Demokratsiya" daily, established by Union of Democratic Forces, comes out (folds on June 29, 2002).
1991: National Service for Combating Organized Crime is established.
February 13
On this date in Bulgarian history:
1954: Diplomatic relations with Hungary are upgraded to embassy level (established on August 9, 1920, at legation level).
1998: Bulgarian National Bank releases coin commemorating centenary of Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).
2003: Council of Ministers designates March 10 as Holocaust Day, marking anniversary of halting deportation of first groups of Bulgarian Jews to Nazi death camps in 1943.


Weather Forecast
February 12: Considerable cloud in the afternoon. Moderate northwesterly wind, east-northeasterly in the evening. Showers in some parts in the evening, snow above 1,300 m. Lows: minus 1-4 C in most parts, around minus 0 C in Sofia. Highs: 9-14 C, around 9 C in Sofia.
Black Sea coast: Variable cloud, considerable in the afternoon. Wind up to moderate, northeasterly. Highs: 8-13 C.
Mountains: Mostly sunny before noon with light northwesterly wind. Increasing cloud and easterly wind in the afternoon. Light snow in some areas, rainfall below 1,300 m. Highs: around 5 C at 1,200 m, around minus 1 C at 2,000 m. February 13: Mostly cloudy, light snow and rain showers in some areas in the west. Light to moderate east-northeasterly wind. Highs: 4-9 C.
Source: NIMH.


Exchange - Rates

Sofia, February 11 (BTA) - The Bulgarian National Bank sets the
rates of foreign currencies against the Bulgarian lev applicable
from 5 p.m. on February 11 to 5 p.m. on February 14, 2022. The
central rates are used for the purposes of accounting,
statistics, customs valuation and remittances. The commercial
banks set the exchange rates at which foreign exchange is bought
and sold.
______________________________________________

CURRENCY SWIFT CODE FOR LEVA
_______________________________________________
Australian Dollar AUD 1 1.228
Brazilian Real BRL 10 3.30025
Canadian Dollar CAD 1 1.34903
Swiss Franc CHF 1 1.85264
Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY 10 2.69532
Czech Koruna CZK 100 8.01405
Danish Krone DKK 10 2.6288
British Pound GBP 1 2.32953
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 10 2.19623
Croatian Kuna HRK 10 2.59697
Hungarian Forint HUF 1000 5.53464
Indonesian Rupiah IDR 10000 1.197
New Israel Shekel ILS 10 5.29203
Indian Rupee INR 100 2.2781
Icelandic Krona ISK 100 1.37929
Japanese Yen JPY 100 1.479
South Korean Won KRW 1000 1.43423
Mexican Peso MXN 100 8.38753
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 10 4.08896
Norwegian Krone NOK 10 1.94162
New Zealand Dollar NZD 1 1.14476
Philippine Peso PHP 100 3.34433
Polish Zloty PLN 10 4.32667
Romanian Leu RON 10 3.95453
Russian Rouble RUB 100 2.27806
Swedish Krona SEK 10 1.85334
Singaporean Dollar SGD 1 1.27507
Thai Baht THB 100 5.24604
Turkish Lira TRY 10 1.26948
US Dollar USD 1 1.71309
South African Rand ZAR 10 8.83182
Gold price (per troy ounce) XAU 1 3144.49


Press - Review

Sofia, February 12 (BTA)

FOREIGN RELATIONS

"Spyware Prowls Bulgaria," goes the main headline in Trud. The daily says that the Sofia City Prosecution Office started a probe on Friday to ascertain whether the Bulgarian secret services use spyware for wiretapping and surveillance. The controversial software program Pegasus, developed by Israel's NSO Group, is in the main focus of the investigation. The program can penetrate people's smartphones like a computer virus and send back data from the camera, the microphone or the contacts.

Pegasus was created to fight terrorism, but last year an international investigation found that it was being used primarily for wiretapping and surveillance of politicians, magistrates and journalists, the daily recalls.

* * *

Interviewed for BBC's "HARDtalk", Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said that if Russia responds with energy restrictions in the event of new Western sanctions, Bulgaria will have to limit its own electricity exports, SegaBG.com reports. Petkov added that he has discussed with the European Commission an action plan to deal with such a situation.

He said: "If this very bad scenario comes true, we will succeed, but we will be forced to limit electricity exports. The European single market will have to make an exception only for this period this time."

"Bulgaria is still a net exporter of electricity and there may be interruptions for a short period. We are currently building the gas connection with Greece very quickly, from where we can have access to other sources of natural gas. This connection is of the highest priority, we expect it to happen in the next 4-5 months. We are actively trying to reduce these risks, but it is important to note that they must be taken jointly by the European Union and NATO," Petkov said.

Bulgaria's position on the tensions between Russia and Ukraine is unequivocal, the Prime Minister said in response to a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin's attempts to find weaknesses among NATO members: "We have a strong voice in NATO and the European Union. Bulgaria is a very predictable member of NATO and I do not think that the word 'weakness' can be associated with us at all."

POLITICS

It takes 181 seconds (three minutes) for Internet search engine Google to show each of 11,400,000 search results for a list of 19 serious crime suspects which Prime Minister Kiril Petkov has submitted to Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, 24 Chasa says in its main story. The Prime Minister has admitted that many of the alerts against those people are based on material accessed through Google. In 1998, the engine would have had to dig for 228 days to achieve the same result, the daily estimates.

* * *

A feature about Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, his Canadian wife Linda Petkova (formerly: Linda McKenzie) and their three daughters appears in 24 Chasa, reproducing an item originally published in the National Post of Canada. The Canadian headline says, "Bulgaria Has High Expectations of Its Canadian First Couple", and the Bulgarian headline is, "Linda's Cakes Helped Win Votes for Husband Kiril Petkov". According to the story, the couple first met at the University of British Columbia. He is now Prime Minister of Bulgaria - and she now feels foreign in Canada.

* * *

Destruction of evidence, promises to influence lawsuits in exchange for pecuniary benefits, and a protective umbrella for certain political figures - these are the main violations by Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev identified in alerts against him which have been collected at the Justice Ministry over the last few months. The news has been reported by former caretaker justice minister Ivan Demerdjiev in an interview for the video series "(Op-)position," run by SegaBG.com. The video, dated February 10, features prominently on the news website.

Demerdjiev says in the interview that the alerts against Geshev are expected to warrant a request by Justice Minister Nadezhda Yordanova for the Supreme Judicial Council to remove the Prosecutor General from office. According to one of the tip-offs, Geshev has burned documents relevant to the role of businessman and MP Delyan Peevski in the 2014 collapse of Corporate Commercial Bank. Besides that, the Prosecutor General has tried unsuccessfully to disprove statements about his father's involvement in a shady deal.

* * *

Recent trials against news media show a dangerous tendency in the realm of free speech: what is allowed to one media can be forbidden to another, Capital.bg says in an analysis. It recalls a case in 2019, when, at the zenith of the local election campaign, both left and right wing politicians clearly indicated that there are lines which should not be crossed. They were outraged by Pik.bg publishing nude photos of the girlfriend of Borislav Ignatov, who was nominated for Sofia mayor by Democratic Bulgaria.

The then prime minister Boyko Borissov and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova (the latter still serving today) dissociated themselves from the website's policy, but members of their GERB party continued to give interviews for Pik.bg and to pour hundreds of thousands of leva into advertisements published on that website, Capital.bg says.

Ignatov's girlfriend filed a complaint, which, however, was rejected by the Sofia City Court. The court ruled that it is normal during an election campaign to look for information about the candidates' way of life. "Drawing moral conclusions on the basis of nude photos can be a topic for some Islamic publication in Afghanistan, if you'll forgive me. But in Europe?" lawyer Alexander Kashumov commented back then.

Exactly the opposite happened in another controversial case at the end of last year, which triggered international reactions, the analysis goes. The case concerns a 60,000 leva claim by the former president of the Sofia City Court (SCC), Svetlin Mihailov, against the MediaPool.bg news website, its Editor-in-Chief Stoyana Georgieva and journalist Boris Mitov. The claim was about media reports by Mitov related to Mihailov's bid to head the SCC. In December 2021, the SCC ruled in favour of Mihailov's claim. The court noted that "in all articles the claimant is described as scandalously notorious, a scandalous millionaire, a verifiably scandalous magistrate [...]"

Summing up, the author of the analysis says that the court sees nothing wrong about the publishing of photos revealing the private life of a mayoral candidate's girlfriend to prove that he is immoral. On the other hand, the media have no right to say that a judge is scandalous even if he has been described as such by a former president of the Supreme Administrative Court and a member of the Supreme Judicial Council as well as a constitutional judge.

ECONOMY

Part of the third line of the Sofia underground railway, the Metro, dropped out of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, although the original idea was to fund its construction using money from Brussels aimed to mitigate the effects of the COVID crisis, Trud says. Instead of asking for 360 million leva for the Metro, the country is now applying for just 217.5 million leva to finance the construction of the railway line from the Hadji Dimiter neighbourhood to the Vasil Levski neighbourhood, the Transport Minister's adviser Viktor Chaushev explained during a meeting at which the social partners were updated on the latest draft of the Recovery Plan.

Finance Minister Asen Vasilev said the changes have already been presented to Brussels, although they have not been discussed between the stakeholders, and the European Commission has even come up with an unofficial position, the paper notes.

The National Recovery and Resilience Plan is also discussed in a comment on Capital.bg, which says that the biggest changes the government has made to the Plan are in the energy sector. To put it in a nutshell, a request for one billion leva in funding for gas-and-steam power capacities in the Maritsa East basin has dropped out; there will be no commitment to close coal-fired power plants; the main part of the money is targeted at batteries; and there will be more geothermal power capacities.

* * *

One of 20 stories about "modern optimists" supported by the America for Bulgaria Foundation appears in 24 Chasa. The story is about Teenovator, a programme which helps school students of 10th and 11th grade to discover their passion and turn it into a profitable business project by encouraging their creative thinking and entrepreneurship and assist them in finding business mentors. The programme has been operational for four years and has representatives in 30 Bulgarian towns. This year, it employs 60 mentors who are working with 420 students.


END



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