advertisement
Tue, Feb 07 2012
We are solving Bulgaria's demographic crisis - Bozhidar Dimitrov
Photo: Julia Lazarova
"Due to amendments [we made] to the Bulgarian Citizenship Act (BCA), soon we will be able to process 30 000 applications a year and solve one of the biggest problems in this country; its demographic crisis," Bulgarian Minister without Portfolio Bozhidar Dimitrov was quoted by Focus news agency as saying.
During 2009, 9400 applications had been processed, compared to 7113 the previous year, Dimitrov said at a presentation on emigration data on January 4 2010.
The old laws had many deficiencies and were out of touch with reality, according to Dimitrov. "And this created corruption," he said.
"There was a mafia that dealt in Bulgarian citizenship. As intermediaries, as described in the law, they would collect the documents of 150 people and, against payment, would present these documents to the Justice Ministry. Because no deadline was fixed in law by which applicants would hear a yes or no, this created room for civil servants, together with the intermediaries, to delay applications for years," Dimitrov said. "In the end, prices could reach between 10 and 20 000 euro a person," he said.
Apart from the exclusion of intermediaries from the application process and the introduction of deadlines in the law, the amendments also moved responsibility for checking documents, that would prove Bulgarian ethnic lineage, to the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad.
Before, these documents were checked by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the Interior Ministry.
"At least now, when there is corruption, we know where it is," Dimitrov was quoted by Focus news agency as saying.
Changes to the BCA concerned about 2.5 million Bulgarians in the so-called historical communities, including communities in Albania, Greece, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russia and the former Soviet Republics as well as Ukraine and Turkey, according to Dimitrov.
"A large part of these people want to have Bulgarian passports for different reasons and want to have the protection that a Bulgarian passport provides them in their home countries. An even larger part, about 70 per cent, want to come to Bulgaria. The Bulgarian passport allows them to buy real estate, to find work and so on," Dimitrov said.
During 2009, 9400 applications had been processed, compared to 7113 the previous year, Dimitrov said at a presentation on emigration data on January 4 2010.
The old laws had many deficiencies and were out of touch with reality, according to Dimitrov. "And this created corruption," he said.
"There was a mafia that dealt in Bulgarian citizenship. As intermediaries, as described in the law, they would collect the documents of 150 people and, against payment, would present these documents to the Justice Ministry. Because no deadline was fixed in law by which applicants would hear a yes or no, this created room for civil servants, together with the intermediaries, to delay applications for years," Dimitrov said. "In the end, prices could reach between 10 and 20 000 euro a person," he said.
Apart from the exclusion of intermediaries from the application process and the introduction of deadlines in the law, the amendments also moved responsibility for checking documents, that would prove Bulgarian ethnic lineage, to the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad.
Before, these documents were checked by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the Interior Ministry.
"At least now, when there is corruption, we know where it is," Dimitrov was quoted by Focus news agency as saying.
Changes to the BCA concerned about 2.5 million Bulgarians in the so-called historical communities, including communities in Albania, Greece, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russia and the former Soviet Republics as well as Ukraine and Turkey, according to Dimitrov.
"A large part of these people want to have Bulgarian passports for different reasons and want to have the protection that a Bulgarian passport provides them in their home countries. An even larger part, about 70 per cent, want to come to Bulgaria. The Bulgarian passport allows them to buy real estate, to find work and so on," Dimitrov said.
-
Print
-
Send via email
- Translate to
-
Share:
Comments
To post comments, please, Login or Register.
Please read the The Sofia Echo forum comments policy.
Bulgaria’s population shrinkage slows – official
Bulgaria’s population at the end of 2009 was 7.5 million, according to the National Statistical Institute, a decrease of 0.6 per cent from 2008; the average age is 41.8 years – and the average duration of a marriage is 14 years.
The visa business
Top official helped foreigners stay in Bulgaria with fraudulent documents, prosecutors say
2000 foreigners received Bulgarian citizenship in January 2010 - Minister
Approvals of Bulgarian citizenship doubled in January 2010 compared to the year before. "Still much work to be done," Dimitrov says.
Bulgarian citizenship applications to be sped up
Among Cabinet proposals for amendments to the Bulgarian Citizenship Act is the introduction of a one-year deadline of a yes or no decision on the application.
Bulgarian PM gives minister Bozhidar Dimitrov final warning after Turkey statements
Dimitrov, who soured bilateral relations by reviving Bulgaria's Balkans Wars-era claims against Turkey, now says he was wrong.
Bulgaria's Interior Ministry reveals its numbers
Interior Ministry releases details about its staff numbers and reveals plans to merge departments in order to boost efficiency
Debate about Bulgaria’s leverage over Macedonia
With Bulgaria angered by what it sees as Macedonia’s territorial claims, some say that Sofia should use EU membership hopes as leverage against Skopje; but minister for Bulgarians abroad Bozhidar Dimitrov says Macedonia’s elite does not really want the country in the EU.
Bulgaria speeds up granting passports to ethnic Bulgarians - minister
In just one month, a total of 1075 ethnic Bulgarians have been granted Bulgarian citizenship, with 500 applications rejected.
My Bulgaria: The battle for Spaska
Prime Minister Boiko Borissov won one of his first victories abroad after Spaska Mitrova was released from a Macedonian court on October 8.
Spaska Mitrova was not Bulgarian when I married her, ex-husband says
Voislav Savic speaks out in his first ever interview with Bulgarian media on the Spaska Mitrova case, which caused diplomatic row between Bulgaria and Macedonia
Macedonians made fun of Bulgaria, PM Borissov says of Mitrova's release
I don't understand a system which sends a mother of a newborn to prison, Boiko Borissov says, ahead of his meeting with Spaska Mitrova.
Macedonia releases Bulgarian national
Spaska Mitrova, whose imprisonment caused a diplomatic row between Sofia and Skopje, was released from prison on October 8 2009.
Between three and four million Bulgarians live abroad
Legal amendments provide for expediting the procedure to grant Bulgarian citizenship to ethnic Bulgarians
More in this category
Floods in Bulgaria: Evacuation of district in Svilengrad
Code Red declared in Haskovo and Smolyan. Weather warning that situation will worsen. European Commission ready to help, while Bulgaria’s Cabinet is to vote help to people in Haskovo region.
Eight dead in floods after dam bursts in southern Bulgaria: Updated
People missing, houses damaged and more than 50 evacuated from the village of Bisser in southern Bulgaria as harsh weather crisis continues in the country.
Bulgarian firms fined for underperformance in clearing winter roads
Eleven companies face fines of a total of more than 400 000 leva.
More than 3.5M leva up for grabs in Bulgarian state lottery jackpot
Draw due on February 9 2012.
Village flooded in southern Bulgaria amid latest winter weather woes
Code Red weather warning declared in two districts on February 6, while nine others – including Sofia – are under a Code Orange warning. International train traffic disrupted.
© 2000-2012, Sofia Echo Media Ltd.
Web Design by RIZN
Sofia Echo Media is part of the Economedia Group.
The news and information content on this website is provided by our editorial team and is copyrighted.
Any unauthorised reproduction or use of it is strictly forbidden. Reproduction of this website's content is permitted only
with prior written permission from the Editor-in-Chief, should be propertly acredited and provide an active link back to our site.
Comments posted by the website's visitors are independent of the editorial materials and do not represent the views of sofiaecho.com.
Sofia Echo Media cannot be held responsible for the statements contained in visitor comments.
The percentаge change in the shares' prices are based on the price of the last transaction of the current session compared to the
price of the last transaction of the previous session. Bulgarian Stock Exchange data is not real-time, but updated every 15 minutes,
and should not be used as a basis for decisions about buying or selling stock options.
- Economedia Group portfolio:
- In Bulgarian:
-
Business:
Капитал,
Кариери,
Пазари,
Ho Re Mag,
Регал,
Градът.bg,
Одит,
Foton.bg,
Online shop
- News: Дневник, Европа, Foreign Policy - България
- IT: IDG.BG, Computerworld, PC World, CIO, Networkworld
- Entertainment: Бакхус
-
In English:
The Sofia Echo
Evan,there are no Bulgarians in Aegean Macedonia.There are indigenouse Macedonians and the foreign so-called "Pontious"or Christian Turks since 1926-30 when the exchange of population took place between Greece and Turkey. Here are some rescent news; "Greece will not wait for the decision of the International Court of Justice in the Haque and will probably ask for non-legal resolution of the name dispute over violation of the temporal agreement" According to experts in the process Greece knows it can loose the case and thus to loose its Authority.This means Greece would agree under conditions Macedonia to become NATO member State under [...]
Read the full comment the name FYROM and the country to forfeit the Process". This recomendation was filed by;Ambassador Georgios Sawaidis,foreign ministry legal counsel Maria Telalian and a team of ministry diplomats and legal experts assigned the case. This development came out on January 20th 2010. So you see Evan,Macedonians were and will not be Bulgarians nor Greeks.But, you do have a right to dream and believe in mythology.
Има ли вариант на български не разбрах
what is alarming is that a new round of nationalistic rhetoric is being set-up in the Balkans.The Bulgarian minister is looking for minorities living in neighboring countries.So,macedonians are truly bulgarians,northern Greeks supress indigenous Bulgarians,Turks must pay compensation or they cannot enter the EU.Haven't we in the Balkans learnt enough already?Are we still in the 19th century?I expected more of a modern,European country
how does a passport "afford" protection? :)
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained foul, abusive or discriminating language
Weldone ! Bravo !
For the first time in the last 10 years I am really interested in BG politics and I am proud of what is happening in my country . The BG trash that like Bozher and the other slimeball are representative of "mud in the minds and hearts " that needs to be cleared though ...
I agree with sal.
Gonzo, Bozher and the other one are part of BGs problems.
You left BG because BG didn't "do anything for you", or because you didn't have what it takes to succeed in BG and had to go to more organized countries.
You being in the UK is your personal failure, as much as that of BGs inability to offer you the future you think you deserve.
While you were gone, many got rich in BG;)
You are still the foreign "job taker"...
this is a good first step towards trying to bring more real Bulgarians into the fold. It helps them be proud to be Bulgarians regardless of where they now live or have been forced to live by political or historical forces. Long Live Veliko Bulgaria
I bet Bulgaria's glad to have you three (commentators) out of the country! LOL!
Bulgaria should be glad it got rid of much of its criminals, unfortunately they were all dumped on England where all professional criminals live and are warmly welcomed by the mafia government.
Gancho, Ganchence, Ganio...
Can't you see the obvious?!!!
Most of the capable/relatively young people left Bulgaria and made the World their home, exactly because of idiots like Ganio.
"At least now, when there is corruption, we know where it is," What a laugh ... it is everywhere... Someone once wrote:
"Kal. Kal v dushite na xorata. Kal everywhere." or something similar...
No chance am I or any of my friends coming back!!! What a laugh!
Processing applications does not solve the problem. I have citezenship from 2 EU countries and do not live in either of them, but in a third country. So how does giving me citizenship from the 2nd country solve the problem, given I do not live there!