These are some of the top headlines in Bulgarian newspapers on August 4 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.
Politics
- The problem with current investigation service has to be resolved by the end of 2008, Justice Minister Miglena Ploughieva said as quoted by Dnevnik daily. One option is that the service will become completely part of the Prosecution. The other option was the investigators to obtain the right to become prosecutors.
- Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev warned the ministers that the summer would be “hot” and they should work hard to prevent the loss of hundreds of millions of euro from the European Union’s funding, Dnevnik said. Politicians from the tripartite coalition also spoke of a “hot autumn”, hinting changes in the Cabinet.
- At a news conference in the coastal city of Bourgas, Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria and Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria called on joint actions to provoke national boycott on the Cabinet and snap elections, Dnevnik said. The Union of Democratic Forces would also join the negotiations on the boycott, but the three parties would take part in the elections independently, Dnevnik said.
Social
- Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev promised Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) a more decent life and higher income in five years if BSP won the elections, Monitor daily said. Stanishev took part in the national socialist summit on Bouzludja peak on August 2.
Economy
- Scores of terrains and buildings, the owners of which were not clear, would beat down the price of municipal company Sofiiski Imoti, Municipal councillors from Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria said as quoted by Dnevnik daily. The legal analysis of the company showed that many of its assets were subject of trials.
- The European Commission had frozen funding for Bulgaria under two of its operative programmes, Sega daily quoted high-level source as saying. Although the Cabinet had denied it, it turned out that the EC had frozen funding under the operative programmes Transport and Regional Development, Sega said.
