REFUSE CRISES AHEAD
Slavcho Atanassov, mayor of Plovdiv, rejected the Cabinet’s suggestion to store 120 000 cu m of Sofia refuse in Plovdiv’s refuse dump near the village of Tsalapitsa.
Plovdiv city hall received a letter explaining that moving the baled refuse was part of the plan to move some of the refuse currently stored in Sofia, Bulgarian news agency BTA said.
Bulgaria faces court action and financial penalties from the European Commission because of Sofia’s inadequate waste management infrastructure and for storing refuse in two illegal dumps in Sofia.
The deadline for finding a new storage for the refuse expires in September.

AN ATAKA WELCOME
The ultra-nationalist party Ataka tried to interrupt the official welcoming ceremony of new US ambassador to Bulgaria Nancy McEldowney and new Russian ambassador in Sofia Yuri Isakov. On August 26, when the two presented their credentials to President Geоrgi Purvanov, Ataka supporters blasted music in the square outside the presidency building, where the party has staged an on-going protest against the Government.

DIFFERENT AGENDAS
Podkrepa trade union bloc and the Confederation of Trade Unions in Bulgaria told the opposition that they would stage protests, but only on certain concrete agendas, and would not call for general protests against the Government because it was not clear yet whether there was an alternative to the current Government. The three major right-wing parties in opposition – the Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) and the Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB) – were asked to come forward with ideas to gain the support of the two most powerful trade unions in Bulgaria in their quest to bring down the Government.

YET ANOTHER STATE AGENCY
At one of its upcoming sessions, the Cabinet will make a decision on the setting up of a food safety agency, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Svetla Buchvarova was quoted as saying by Focus news agency on August 26. The current units in the Regional Inspectorates for Prevention and Control of Public Health and the National Sanitary Veterinary Agency will preserve their governance functions, while co-ordination, scientific activity and methods of examination will be governed by the new agency. The new unit could be set into operation at the beginning of the next year, she said.