Sat, Jul 04 2009
These are some of the top headlines in Bulgarian newspapers on July 24 2008. The Sofia Echo has not verified these stories and cannot vouch for their accuracy.
Politics
- For the first time in history, the European commissioners left spokespersons present the reports on Bulgaria and Romania and to answer journalists' questions, Dnevnik daily said. This was European Commission's (EC) way to illustrate what was written in the report, that the EU member states were increasingly unsatisfied with the lack of results from their contacts with Bulgarian administration, the daily said.
- EC's report concluded that Bulgaria had achieved very few results in the fight against corruption and organised crime, Dnevnik said. The laws, which had been approved, and the institutional changes looked good on paper, but did not lead to real change.
- The fight against organised crime will lead to visible results in the next six months, Prosecutor-General Boris Velchev said, as quoted by Dnevnik. The statement was an answer to the EC's report on Bulgaria.
Social
- State Agency for National Security would investigate the crisis with the uncollected refuse from the central streets in Sofia, Sega daily said. The refuse on the streets in four neighbourhoods in the capital remained uncollected, because employees if the refuse-collecting companies resigned in droves.
- At least 17 companies for scrap metal had made suspicious deals with the Chelopechene ammunition warehouses, where ammunitions exploded on July 3 2008.
Economy
- Gas company Bulgargaz would cut off gas supplies for the heating companies in Sofia, Bourgas, Vratsa, Pleven and Shoumen if they fail to pay their debts in time, Dnevnik said.
In a blow against a problem that has been plaguing Bulgaria’s elections, State Agency for National Security and Interior Ministry say several people in a ‘major criminal organisation’ have been arrested for vote-buying, on the eve of the July 5 vote.
Barometer Info survey on July 3 2009, just ahead of the eve of Bulgaria’s national parliamentary elections, gives GERB 27.05 per cent and Sergei Stanishev’s Coalition for Bulgaria 19.09 per cent.
The exact number of people sacked from duty out of the 600 who refused to go to work on Monday is undisclosed, although reports claim that as of June 3 at least four people were told they were surplus to requirements.
Open your mind and face the unknown: the 2009 general elections in Bulgaria.
City halls have the power to decide the time frame of the ban on alcohol in stores, bars and restaurants