site.btaSofia, Wednesday, February 16, 2022, No.39

DNEWS 06:40:02 16-02-2022
TE0142DN.001 06:40
Daily News - Sofia, Wednesday, February 16, 2022, No.39

Sofia, Wednesday, February 16, 2022, No.39


Consultative Council on National Security Agrees
about Need to Overcome Defence Capability Deficits
Sofia - The Consultative Council on National Security (CCNS) has achieved consensus on the need to overcome capability deficits and develop a modern defence potential in the Bulgarian Armed Forces in the framework of the EU and NATO.
President Rumen Radev broke the news on Tuesday, emerging from a five-hour CCNS meeting which discussed the current risks and threats to Bulgaria's national security and the condition of the country's Armed Forces. The meeting was also attended by Parliament Chair Nikola Minchev, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, Defence Minister Stefan Yanev, Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov, Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska, Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Evtimov, representatives of the parliamentary groups and the security services.
Summing up the results of the meeting, the President said the pace of modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces does not match contemporary challenges, and the projects to upgrade the armed services are not implemented in a balanced way. He noted that the implementation of the agreement to acquire eight US F-16 jet fighters for the Air Force has been delayed. The procedure for the acquisition of combat vehicles for the Land Forces has been cancelled, he added.
The CCNS participants rallied around the view that mounting tensions in the Black Sea region, ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Asia, international terrorism and migrant flows pose major challenges to Bulgaria. The countries in the region are allocating ever larger resources to re-arm with new types of weapons and develop innovative defence technologies. The process of acquiring new capabilities and maintaining high-tech armed forces is ever more tangible, the President said.
According to Radev, the CCNS approved several proposals about how to offset existing deficits:
- The government should propose - and the National Assembly is asked to consider - legislative amendments to speed up the procedures for upgrading the individual armed services;
- The government should propose an investment programme to upgrade the individual armed services and should analyze the possibilities to increase defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP as soon as possible;
- The government should consider updating the National Plan to Increase Defence Spending until 2024;
- Funding should be secured for the maintenance of defence equipment;
- Delays should be offset and the acquisition of new equipment under effective contracts should be stepped up, the Land Forces modernization project should be launched;
- The government should weigh the possibility to set up a targeted fund for Armed Forces modernization;
- The executive branch should take steps for Bulgaria to become a full member of the NATO Innovation Fund and make full use of its participation in NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).


January Annual Inflation
at 9.1% - Statistics
Sofia - According to preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute released on Tuesday, the monthly inflation in January 2022 compared to the preceding month was 1.5 per cent. The annual inflation in January 2022 compared to January of last year was 9.1 per cent.
The annual average inflation measured between the months of February 2021 and January 2020 and compared to the previous 12 months (February 2020 and January 2021) was 4.1 per cent.


January Annual Inflation
at 9.1% - Statistics
Sofia - According to preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute released on Tuesday, the monthly inflation in January 2022 compared to the preceding month was 1.5 per cent. The annual inflation in January 2022 compared to January of last year was 9.1 per cent.
The annual average inflation measured between the months of February 2021 and January 2020 and compared to the previous 12 months (February 2020 and January 2021) was 4.1 per cent.


Defence Minister Yanev to Take Part in Meeting
of NATO Ministers of Defence on February 16-17
Sofia - Bulgarian Defence Minister Stefan Yanev will take part in the meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence on February 16 and 17 in Brussels, Yanev's Ministry said in a press release.
The participants in the forum will discuss a number of key issues on NATO's agenda in the context of the tense situation in Ukraine, current topics concerning NATO's deterrent and defence potential, the next strategic concept and the provision of the necessary resources to the Organization. The meeting will also discuss a forthcoming summit of heads of state and government leaders of NATO member states in June in Madrid.
Other topics on the agenda of the meeting are the fair sharing of burdens and responsibilities in NATO, the progress in the implementation of the Defence Investment Pledge, and the cooperation between NATO and the EU.


European Parliament Refuses to
Waive Elena Yoncheva's Immunity
BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov
Brussels/Strasbourg
The European Parliament has refused to waive the immunity of MEP Elena Yoncheva. The decision had been taken in a secret vote, 418-264, with 11 abstentions on Monday evening. The results of the vote were announced on February 15.
In 2019, the Bulgarian prosecution service requested that Yoncheva is stripped of immunity on money laundering charges. The EP report states that Yoncheva had been heard by EP's legal affairs committee and that according to her the request to be stripped of immunity aims to undermine her activity as a politician and MEP.
The report notes that Yoncheva's work is related to the activity of EP's Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, including as part of a delegation which visited Bulgaria to monitor the rule of law situation. The report takes stock of the fact that the case against Yoncheva was brought to public attention by two of her political opponents and proceedings were opened in 2018 eight years after the time when the alleged infringement took lace without any convincing explanation for the delay,
The report takes into consideration an opinion by the Union of Bulgarian Journalists that this is an attack on the freedom of speech of a political opponent and phone conversations in which Yoncheva's name is mentioned and experts have established that one of voices is that of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.


Refusal to Investigate Ex-Interior
Minister Reversed
Sofia - Specialized Prosecution Office (SPO) President Valentina Madjarova on Tuesday confirmed reports that the Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office (SCPO) has reversed the SPO's refusal to institute pretrial proceedings against former interior minister and current GERB MP Hristo Terziiski.
The case against Terziiski concerns his stint as national police director, when senior police officers were allegedly involved with a criminal group. He headed the Interior Ministry after that.
The SCPO found that the refusal to institute pretrial proceedings was unfounded. The supervising prosecutor is expected to order an additional check into the case file and then to pronounce himself in substance, Madjarova added. She declined to comment on the criticism in the SCPO statement.


Prison Staff to Stage
Protests on Feb. 20
Sofia - Those employed in the Bulgarian prison system will stage protests on February 20, their trade union told BTA on Tuesday. The decision was taken at a general meeting of the trade union where the participants voiced support for the demands of police officers.
The police officers have already announced a protest on February 20 over the money allocated to the security sector in the 2022 State Budget Bill.
Among the main demands of prison staff is an indexation of salaries.


Stefan Asparuhov Appointed Deputy Minister
of Regional Development and Public Works
Sofia - Stefan Asparuhov was appointed as Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, said the Council of Ministers here Tuesday.
Asparuhov is an Associate Professor at the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Sofia (UACG). Since 2009 he has been working as an architect project designer and consultant in the construction field. Between 2016 and 2020, he served as the Chief Architect of Elin Pelin Municipality, located near Sofia.
In 2009 he received his Master's degree in Architecture from the UACG. He also has a Master's degree in Economy from the University of National and World Economy, Sofia.
By order of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, Daniela Milanova-Gorcheva was relieved from her duties as Vice President of the State Agency for Metrological and Technical Surveillance.


Employment Agency Reports
Increase in Open Jobs in Real
Economy at Start of 2022
Sofia - The open jobs declared in January 2022 numbered 11,788, up by 3,821 from December 2021 and by 410 from the like month of 2021, show data for the start of the year released by the National Employment Agency on Tuesday. The biggest share of open jobs in the real economy were declared in the processing industry (29.3 per cent), followed by trade, motor vehicle and motorcycle repairs (12.9 per cent), the hotelier and restaurateur business (10.8 per cent), administrative and auxiliary activities (10.7 per cent).
The occupations most in demand last month were: machine operators of stationary machines and equipment; workers in the mining and quarrying industry, construction, and transport; personal services personnel; sellers.
The unemployed who found a job in January numbered 11,885, down by 2,282 from December 2021 and by 2,420 year-on-year. Another 154 pensioners, students and employed found a new job through labour offices last month.
A total of 2,403 unemployed from risk groupds were appointed at subsidised job positions, of whom 65 under employment programmes and measures and 2,338 under schemes of Operational Programme Human Resources Development.
The registered unemployment in Bulgaria stood at 4.9 per cent in January 2022, up by 0.1 percentage points from a month earlier and down by 2.1 percentage points from January 2021.
The unemployed registered at labour offices numbered 162,322 last month, which is an increase by 5,039 from December 2021 and by 67,428 year-on-year. The newly registered unemployed totalled 25,592, up by 4,087 from the previous month and down by 9,434 from January 2021.


Income per Household Member Up 12.8%, Expenditure Down 12.1% in Q4 of 2021
Sofia - The total income average per household member during the last quarter of 2021 was 2,037 leva, an increase of 12.8 per cent compared to the same period of 2020. The total expenditure average per household member was 1,885 leva, up by 12.1 per cent, said the National Statistical Institute on Tuesday.
The highest relative share of income within the total income was from wages and salaries (55.7 per cent), followed by income from pensions (31.3 per cent), and self-employment (4.9 per cent). Compared to the last quarter of 2020, the relative share of income from wages and salaries increased by 1.6 percentage points. Income from pensions increased by 1.2 percentage points, and income from self-employment decreased by 1.3 percentage points.
In nominal terms year-on-year, the average per capita income by source changed as follows: income from wages and salaries increased from 976 to 1,135 leva (by 16.2 per cent); self-employment income decreased from 112 to 100 leva (by 11.2 per cent); income from pensions increased from 544 to 637 leva (by 17 per cent); income from social benefits decreased from 50 to 46 leva (by 8 per cent).
The relative share of household income within the total income was 99.4 per cent, and income in kind was 0.6 per cent.
In the structure of total expenditure, expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for the largest share (29.3 per cent), followed by expenditure on housing (19.2 per cent), taxes and social insurance contributions (12.6 per cent), and transport and communication (11.3 per cent).
Year-on-year, the relative share of expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 0.5 percentage points and on housing, by 1 percentage point. The share of expenditure on recreation, culture and education shrank by 0.6 percentage points. Expenditure on healthcare decreased by 0.3 percentage points.
Year-on-year, in absolute terms the average expenditure per household member by group in the last quarter of 2021 grew: from 485 to 552 leva (by 13.7 per cent) on food and non-alcoholic beverages; from 71 to 78 leva (by 10.3 per cent) on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products; from 64 to 76 leva (by 18.3 per cent) on clothing and shoes; from 306 to 362 leva (by 18.1 per cent) on housing (utilities, furniture, maintenance); from 117 to 126 leva (by 7 per cent) on healthcare; from 189 to 213 leva (by 12.5 per cent) on transport and communication; from 216 to 238 leva (by 10.1 per cent) on taxes and social insurance contributions. The average expenditure per household member by group shrank on recreation, culture and education, from 61 to 56 leva (by 8.1 per cent).


One More Airline Expected to Offer Direct
Air Service between Madrid and Sofia
Sofia - Preparations are underway whereby one more airline, Iberia, will offer direct flights between Madrid and Sofia, which will increase the options for tourist connections and trips, Spanish Ambassador to Sofia Alejandro Polanco Mata said during a meeting with Bulgarian Tourism Minister Hristo Prodanov. The two discussed the bilateral cooperation in tourism.
The Spanish Ambassador said he will be glad to cooperate with the Bulgarian Tourism Ministry for the development of specialized tourism forms for which Bulgaria has splendid opportunities, for example, golf tourism at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and in Mallorca and Malaga in Spain. The diplomat also sees potential for hunting tourism which belongs to high-end holidays.
Prodanov said that the ambition of his Ministry is to restore the tourist flows between Bulgaria and Spain at their pre-pandemic levels.
The two officials also discussed the question of organizing and holding journalistic tours in the two countries, cooperation in the training of hospitality staff, and holding working meetings of tour operators from Bulgaria and Spain.
Bulgaria expects to receive support from Spain in its bid to host the 68th meeting of the regional Commission for Europe of the UN World Tourism Organization in 2023.


Embassy of Moldova in Bulgaria
Presents Virtual Exhibition of Memorable
Events from History of Bilateral Relations
Chisinau - The Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Bulgaria presents an online exhibition entitled "30 Years of Bilateral Diplomatic Relations" to mark the anniversary in February.
Bulgaria was among the first countries to recognize Moldova's independence, the Bulgarian Embassy in Chisinau recalls. The three decades of diplomatic relations between the two countries are marked by dynamic development underpinned by respect and mutual interest.
The bilateral relations continue to expand in various areas: politics, economy, culture, education, scientific research, as well as at the level of the local public administration in the two countries.
The presence of a Bulgarian community in Moldova that dates back to several centuries ago has a big influence on the spiritual and personal development and contributes to the strengthening of the traditional friendship between the two countries and peoples.
In a Facebook post the Bulgarian Embassy in Moldova says that the marking of the 30th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations provides an opportunity to voice an assurance that the dialogue will continue in the future, including at the level of regional and international organizations. Both countries remain fully committed to expanding the diplomatic dialogue and developing mutually beneficial relations in various areas of common interest, the post says.


Sofia's University of
National and World Economy
to Cooperate with St. Petersburg
State University of Economics
Sofia - Sofia's University of National and World Economy (UNWE) and the St. Petersburg State University of Economics signed a memorandum of cooperation, UNWE said in a press release here on Tuesday.
The rector of UNWE, Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, stressed that the partnership with the St. Petersburg State University of Economics will contribute to the development of research and will provide new opportunities to exchange scientific information, students and faculty, and both sides will benefit from it.
The two universities will establish educational, professional and multicultural cooperation with each other and will partner in research and development, scientific publishing and exchange of information. The memorandum also envisages exchange of good practices, students, faculty and scientists who will participate in lectures, scientific discussions and conferences, UNWE reported.


Q4 Producer Price Index in Agriculture Up by 24.4% in 2021
Sofia - The producer price index in agriculture in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 24.4 per cent in comparison with the same quarter of 2020, the National Statistical Institute said on Tuesday.
The price index of crop output increased by 28.5 per cent and the animal output increased by 5.6 per cent. In comparison with the previous year, the prices of agricultural products went up by 31.8 per cent, as in crop output they increased by 37.7 per cent, and in animal output - by 4.1 per cent.
In the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter of 2020, higher were the prices of: cereals by 32.3 per cent, industrial crops by 33.3 per cent, fodder crops by 3.8 per cent and fresh vegetables by 14.1 per cent.
Compared to the corresponding quarter of 2020, the prices of live animals decreased by 1.9 per cent as a result of drop in the prices of pigs by 11.8 per cent, and goats by 4.5 per cent.
In the prices of animal products increase was registered by 14.4 per cent, which was in result of higher prices of cow milk by 9.7 per cent, buffalo milk by 19.7 per cent, sheep milk by 15.8 per cent, goat milk by 11.3 per cent, and hen eggs for consumption by 20.1 per cent.
Compared to 2020 in the fourth quarter of 2021 higher were the prices of: cereals by 43.9 per cent, industrial crops by 46.3 per cent, fodder crops by 6.6 per cent, and fresh vegetables by 3.4 per cent.


Early Notification System for Pollen Release to
Operate in Three Bulgarian Cities by Spring 2022
Veliko Tarnovo, Northern Bulgaria - An early notification system for flowering trees and pollen release will become operational in the cities of Veliko Tarnovo, Sofia and Plovdiv (Southern Bulgaria) this spring, agronomist Roman Rachkov, Head of the non-governmental Bulgarian Association for Biological Plant Protection (BABPP), told BTA.
The project aims to help both those who have pollen allergies and all interested in natural processes such as fruit-growers, beekeepers, farmers, among others. Its purpose is to notify people when trees are flowering so that they take measures about it, Rachkov said.
The early notification system is based on the analysis of the sums of the effective temperatures in the growth phases of each tree. Three international meteorological stations provide information on the temperatures. Based on averaged data, a coefficient is calculated to determine at what stage of development the tree/plant species is, Rachkov explained.
The early notification system data will be published at pollen.sbs. Traditionally, hazels are among the first bloomers flowering in the beginning of March. They are followed by poplar trees, and, at the end of spring, by lindens, the agronomist added.
In 2021, BABPP's project won the City Lovers contest, sponsored by Capital.bg and the British Embassy in Sofia.


COVID-19 Colour Codes Updated
Sofia - The list that determines the rules for arrivals from foreign countries according to colour codes has been updated, the Health Ministry said here Tuesday.
The changes take effect starting February 17.
France, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Cyprus, the Maldives, Belarus, Russia and Japan are reclassified as red zones.
The Netherlands, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Cayman Islands, Bahrain, Georgia, and New Caledonia enter the dark red zone.
The full list of countries and their colour codes can be found on the website of the Bulgarian Health Ministry.


Universities Ease COVID-19 Restrictions
Sofia - As of February 21, universities can hold in-person lectures and seminars under eased COVID-19 restrictions by order of Health Minister Asena Serbezova, said her Ministry on Tuesday. A Green Certificate is needed as evidence of recovery, vaccination or a negative test, as well as adherence to several requirements.
Universities are required to introduce a schedule that prevents the mixing of student groups as well as live group gatherings for seminars or practical exercise at more than 50 per cent capacity. The higher education establishments will also have to make sure lecture halls are not filled beyond their 50 per cent capacity.
Students and lecturers are still required to wear a mask. The lecture halls must be ventilated and disinfected on a regular basis.


COVID-19 Update: 6,130 New Cases,
Test Positivity Rate at 17.3%
Sofia - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bulgaria reached 1,042,954, after 35,342 tests identified 6,130 new infections on Monday, 77.32 per cent of which were of unvaccinated persons, according to data posted on https://coronavirus.bg/. The test positivity rate now stands at 17.3 per cent.
Sofia City Region tops the list of new cases with 1,216 positive tests, followed by Varna with 617 cases and Plovdiv with 556.
The active cases are 256,767. Currently, the hospitalized patients number 5,954, including 605 in intensive care. Of the 939 hospital admissions, 85.94 per cent were not vaccinated.
The infected medical staff have reached 22,460.
Another 7,426 COVID-19 patients recovered over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 751,596.
One hundred and eighty-seven fatalities were reported (84.49 per cent unvaccinated), and the death toll now adds up to 34,591.
With 3,813 new inoculations over the last 24 hours, 4,249,259 vaccine doses have been administered so far, 2,028,663 people are fully vaccinated, and 656,760 have received a booster jab.


The Roma Beyond the Stereotypes
Lora Metanova of BTA
Sofia
The Roma do not have as many children as people imagine and, just like ethnic Bulgarians, they also seek their fortunes abroad and are becoming to realize the value of education, shows a study conducted by Sociologist Assoc. Prof. Alexey Pamporov of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences' (BAS) Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, about the residents of the Nadezhda Roma neighbourhood in the southeastern town of Sliven. The study was commissioned by Doctors of the World [Medecins du Monde] and its results were presented to BTA.
There are not many Roma households with large numbers of children, said Pamporov, who has been working on the topic of Roma integration for over ten years. The study, conducted in 2021 among Nadezhda residents, shows a decline in birth rates and increased family planning. Roma families usually want to have two or three children.
"We are imagining huge households living on social welfare, but in reality these welfare benefits are negligible and insufficient," he said. The Roma, according to statistics, have an average of one child more compared to ethnic Bulgarian families. The average Bulgarian family has 1.5 children, compared to 2.5 children in the average Roma family, he explained. Roma women typically deliver their children in a hospital and two-thirds of them are satisfied with the quality of medical care they have received. The youngest first-time mother registered in the study was 13, while the oldest one to have her last child was 38 years of age.
Around 60 per cent of the adult Roma population in Sliven's Nadezhda neighbourhood does not have health insurance, the study shows. A total of 42.5 per cent of males have health insurance, compared to 36.5 per cent of women, which shows a gender gap. Religion also plays an important role, as 77.6 per cent of non-religious Roma residents are not insured.
According to Pamporov, the big problem in Roma neighbourhoods that have been studied is that there are areas of extreme poverty which is very hard for people to escape from. "This is a form of capsulating poverty that replicates itself, while no measures are taken and there's no way for these families to 'surface'," he said. Of roughly 2,000 households in Nadezhda, there are around 120 that live in extreme poverty, which adds up to around 5-6 per cent. The average living area of these households is 41 sq m, he said, adding that he believes a way can be found to support these families.
Extreme poverty is among the reasons for Roma children to not attend school. Some of these children don't even have clothes or shoes, there is no electricity or running water in their homes, their parents cannot afford to buy school supplies or pay for their transportation to school, Pamporov explained. According to him, poverty is the most severe factor impeding the Roma children's access to education. The other factor is that the Roma are also plagued by fears and biases, such as that they will not be accepted, that they will be beaten or rejected, which is often the case. Many pre-school age children have never been outside the ghetto and do not speak Bulgarian well, which prevents them from becoming part of the education system right away.
A dramatic increase in migration among the Roma population is observed. According to the study, the Roma neighbourhood in Sliven has 9,552 residents, of whom only 7,667 live there, while 1,885 are abroad.
Pamporov gave as an example Ireland, Spain and Italy, where there are literally whole villages populated by Bulgarian Roma, who have permanent employment, their own homes and only return to Bulgaria in the summer.
The sociologist noted three main steps needed for the Roma's integration. The first one is educational integration. According to Pamporov, the Roma should be treated as people whose mother tongue is not Bulgarian and should receive additional language learning support. The second step is to stop hate speech by politicians and such statements to be sanctioned, as is provided under the Penal Code. The third step is connected to housing policies. According to the results of another study, on which Pamporov also worked, there is a shortage of social housing, but there are options and alternatives to find normal living conditions, if the appropriate measures are taken.
Support for the Roma and vulnerable groups will be the main topic of the 8th discussion organized by BTA as part of the Bulgarian Voices for Europe initiative, on February 17 at the News Agency's press club in Sliven.


New Butterfly Identification
Guide Published
Sofia - The National Natural History Museum with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has published a new contemporary identification guide for the butterflies in Bulgaria, the Museum said.
The 353-page book, entitled "Butterflies in Bulgaria: A Photographic Field Identification Guide," was compiled by Assoc. Prof. Mario Langourov. The guide presents, in Bulgarian and in English, all varieties of butterflies found in Bulgaria, that is 218 varieties of six families, as well as butterflies from neighbouring areas which can be spotted in this country.
The electronic version of the guide is available with free access at the Museum's website: https://www.nmnhs.com/downloads/e-pubs/e-bbg.pdf.
The information in the guide is presented in a way easily understood by pupils and young nature explorers who can use the book as a stand-alone source for entomological study methods and practices.


French Language School in
Plovdiv Receives Prize for Multicultural Education and Tolerance
Plovdiv, South Central Bulgaria - The Antoine de Saint-Exupery French language school in Plovdiv has received a prize for multicultural education and tolerance in the name of Simone Veil, the press office of MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk said on Tuesday. The school is the first one to receive the prize established on the initiative of Kyuchyuk and his adviser Valentin Tonchev, who is among its graduates.
The prize will be presented at an official ceremony on February 18 at the French language school.
Simone Veil is a notable French politician of Jewish origin, who served as France's health minister and became the first woman president of the European Parliament in 1979. In 1944 her family were arrested and she was deported to the Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp where she spent 13 months.


Bird Houses Placed in Sofia's South Park
Sofia - Fifty bird houses were placed in Sofia's South Park on Tuesday, Sofia Municipality said. The houses were donated by Sofia resident Erwin Pachi [name might be misspelled], a doctor interested in local bird life.
Sofia Municipality has coordinated the locations of the bird houses with experts of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB). The little houses will create better nesting conditions, which is particularly important during the breeding season.
The best time to place bird houses is in the January-February period.
According to BSPB data, 65 bird species can be found in Sofia's South Park, including kingfisher, common coot, water rail, and long-eared owl. Here is also where the first birding route was marked by the BSPB years ago.


29th Vinaria 2022 to Be Held in Plovdiv March 9-13
Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria - The 29th edition of Vinaria, the most prestigious event for premieres in the vine growing and wine producing industry in Southeast Europe, will take place from March 9 to 13 at the International Fair Plovdiv.
The international exhibition showcases a rich selection of wine - authentic Bulgarian and foreign brands, combination of old and contemporary techniques, modern technology and materials.
The Association of Wine Producers and Exporters of Azerbaijan joins Vinaria 2022 for the first time in 2022. In pavilion 11 of the fair town are expositions of quality wineries from Italy, winemakers from Portugal and Slovakia, a boutique winery from Slovenia. Vinaria 2022 includes a wide range of quality terroir wines from Germany, Austria and France.
The production of boutique wineries from different regions of Bulgaria will illustrate the country's updated wine list. All exhibitors will compete in the "Consumer's Choice" competition.
Vinaria 2022 will display the industry's future with the new grape varieties, methods and inventory for processing, and quality control systems. These innovations will be presented in the technology zone.
The exhibition is organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry with the support of the National Vine and Wine Chamber.


Macedonian Americans' Petition Calls to Stop
US Congress Resolution, Restore Historical Truth
Washington, D.C. - The Macedonian Patriotic Organization (MPO) in America and Canada has launched an online petition at thepetitionsite.com to stop the proposed House Resolution 741 of the 117th US Congress, expressing support for the designation of the month of September 2022 as "Macedonian American Heritage Month" and celebrating the Macedonian language, history, and culture of Macedonian Americans and their incredible contributions to the United States.
"This document is based on falsifications and manipulations and it aims at using the US Congress as a tool to re-write history and legitimize the claim that a 'Macedonian' ethnicity and language existed before 1944," the petition states. It argues further that adopting this resolution would be equivalent to an official approval by the United States of the policy of the USSR, the Communist International (Comintern) and Joseph Stalin personally to annihilate the millennia-old history and presence of Bulgarians in the geographic region of Macedonia and to create a "Macedonian" ethnic group out of the Bulgarians living in the geographic region of Macedonia.
"The real instigator of the resolution - the organization 'United Macedonian Diaspora' (UMD) - is a foreign agent organization, funded and directed from abroad with the aim of influencing the United States public opinion and institutions. The UMD skillfully uses the opportunities offered by the American democracy to peddle lies about the 'history' of the 'Macedonians', taking full advantage of the limited knowledge in the American society about the history of the geographic region of Macedonia. Actually, the UMD is trying to legitimize concepts and policies from the darkest times of the communist totalitarian regime, developed by the USSR under Joseph Stalin's leadership and enforced with reckless brutality by communist Yugoslavia. These policies cost the lives of tens of thousands of Bulgarians in the geographic region of Macedonia. Many more were compelled to leave their ancestral lands in order to save their lives.
"Now the UMD and its collaborators try to make the US Congress justify retroactively the results of the physical and cultural genocide of the ethnic Bulgarians that was carried out in the geographic region of Macedonia for the better part of the 20th century. This is morally unacceptable for millions of Bulgarians and for the Americans who are descendants of Bulgarians from Macedonia who immigrated to the United States in the search of a safe heaven. If the United States is to keep its moral high ground, it should be unacceptable for the US Congress too."
The petition also comments on "some of the bombastic historic falsifications contained in draft Resolution 741".
"Paragraph 3 of Resolution 741 states that after 1880 tens of thousands of 'Macedonians' fled to America. This deliberately fails to explain that until 1944 there were no ethnic 'Macedonians'. Until 1944, a 'Macedonian' meant somebody who came from the region of Macedonia, regardless of his or her ethnicity. A 'Macedonian' could be an ethnic Bulgarian, Turk, Greek, Albanian or Vlach. And it is an indisputable scientific fact that the biggest ethnic group in the multiethnic geographic region of Macedonia was the Bulgarian. This is easily verifiable in contemporary sources, including those originating in the United States.
"One cannot omit the laughable claim that 'Macedonian presence' in the United States dates back to 1492. It is an easily verifiable historic fact that neither any Europeans reached the lands of today's United States in 1492, nor any ethnic 'Macedonians' existed prior to the start of the communist policy to create them in the 20th century, the petition says further.
"Furthermore, the majority of the 'prominent Macedonians' mentioned in Resolution 741, have unequivocally declared and demonstrated their Bulgarian ethnic origin during their lifetime. Changing posthumously the ethnicity of an individual is an unimaginable crime in a democracy but a routine practice in a communist dictatorship. The US Congress should not be associated with such Stalinist practices.
"There is no reference in the draft resolution to the oldest organization of people from the geographic region of Macedonia in the United States - the Macedonian Patriotic Organization (MPO), established in 1922 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Since its foundation, the MPO defends the historic truth about the Bulgarian character of the majority of the population coming from the geographic region of Macedonia and opposes its forceful denationalization. From 1927 to this day, the MPO has published the Macedonian Tribune newspaper. Until 1992 the newspaper was published in the Bulgarian language. The MPO and its archives are the true history of the Americans from the geographic region of Macedonia, who are still very proud of their Bulgarian roots. These facts cannot be found in a document like draft Resolution 741, carefully prepared by foreign agents like UMD."
In conclusion, the document states that the signatories ask the House not to support draft Resolution 741 in the spirit of moral integrity, freedom, democracy, human rights, rule of law and historical truth.


Today's Observances:
February 16
The world:
- National Day of Lithuania (Lithuania State Reestablishment Day, 1918).
On this date in Bulgarian history:
1872: Metropolitan Antim of Vidin elected first Bulgarian Exarch by Convention of Clergy in Constantinople.
1887: Pro-Russian military officers organize mutinies in Silistra and later, on February 19, in Rousse, against anti-Russian policy of Regent Stefan Stambolov. Three mutiny leaders are sentenced to death and executed on February 22, 1887.
1898: BTA releases its first news bulletin, hand-written by Telegraph Agency's Director, Oskar Iskander. The four-page bulletin has seven news items: on stock and commodity exchange prices, events in Balkans and health of Princess Clementine of Orleans, Prince Ferdinand I's mother. BTA celebrates its birthday on February 16.
2005: National Assembly passes Criminal Assets Forfeiture Act.


Weather Forecast
February 16: Light to moderate southwesterly wind. Lows: minus 1C to 4C, around 1C in Sofia. Highs: 11C to 16C, around 12C in Sofia.
THE COAST: Mostly cloudy, no rain. Light to moderate south-southwesterly wind. Highs: 9C to 13C. Seawater temperature: 6C to 7C. Sea waves: 2-3 degrees Douglas.
THE MOUNTAINS: Mostly cloudy, snowfall in isolated areas in Western Bulgaria, rainy below 1,500 metres. Highs: 7C at 1,200 metres, 0C at 2,000 metres.
Source: National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology.


Exchange - Rates

Sofia, February 15 (BTA) - The Bulgarian National Bank sets the
rates of foreign currencies against the Bulgarian lev applicable
from 5 p.m. on February 15 to 5 p.m. on February 16, 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 1.23101
Brazilian Real BRL 10 3.31626
Canadian Dollar CAD 1 1.35511
Swiss Franc CHF 1 1.86572
Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY 10 2.7176
Czech Koruna CZK 100 8.00946
Danish Krone DKK 10 2.62803
British Pound GBP 1 2.3349
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 10 2.2093
Croatian Kuna HRK 10 2.59773
Hungarian Forint HUF 1000 5.50426
Indonesian Rupiah IDR 10000 1.20821
New Israel Shekel ILS 10 5.34438
Indian Rupee INR 100 2.28905
Icelandic Krona ISK 100 1.38515
Japanese Yen JPY 100 1.49095
South Korean Won KRW 1000 1.44076
Mexican Peso MXN 100 8.46266
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 10 4.11814
Norwegian Krone NOK 10 1.93852
New Zealand Dollar NZD 1 1.14089
Philippine Peso PHP 100 3.36377
Polish Zloty PLN 10 4.34281
Romanian Leu RON 10 3.95837
Russian Rouble RUB 100 2.28745
Swedish Krona SEK 10 1.84968
Singaporean Dollar SGD 1 1.28125
Thai Baht THB 100 5.32575
Turkish Lira TRY 10 1.26414
US Dollar USD 1 1.72396
South African Rand ZAR 10 1.13865
Gold price (per troy ounce) XAU 1 3192.44


Advisory
to BTA's External Service
Subscribers

Sofia, February 16 (BTA) - Following are some of the main stories to be moved by BTA's External News Service on Wednesday:

- In Parliament: first reading of amendments to the BULSTAT Register Act; second reading of amendments to the Electronic Government Act and the Collective Investment Schemes and Other Undertakings for Collective Investments Act.

- The Council of Ministers discusses proposals for amendments to the Penal Code and the Agricultural Producers Support Act, among other items. DD


Press - Review

Sofia, February 16 (BTA)

Inflation, incomes and lower firewood prices are the focus of the print dailies, while the conclusions of a five-hour meeting of the Consultative Council on National Security (CCNS) with the President feature prominently in the online news media outlets.

ECONOMY

In a story headlined "Inflation Kills Wages, Pensions and Savings," Trud quotes official statistics showing that annual inflation hit 9.1 per cent in January. Although the average income per person rose by 12.8 per cent, high inflation eats up the households' savings and the pensions they will draw in the future, according to financial experts. They explain that pension fund yields are considerably lower than the current inflation rate and the contributions people pay now will depreciate by the time they retire.

Duma stresses that annual inflation hit a 14-year high in January, being the highest since November 2008. The main drivers of January inflation were food and soft drinks (11.2 per cent), transport (21.3 per cent) and utility bills (13.2 per cent). National Statistical Institute data for the last quarter of 2021 also show that meat, sausage and egg consumption increased from a year earlier, while bread, fruit and vegetable consumption dropped. No change was reported for cheese, beans and potatoes.

A headline in Monitor chooses to highlight what it calls a new trend: "Bulgarians Spend Less than They Earn".

***

24 Chasa leads on the opinion of nine social affairs ministers that the minimum pension should not rise too quickly. Labour and Social Policy Minister Georgi Gyokov sought the opinion of eight of his predecessors, who concurred that a rapid increase would be unfair to people who pay higher social security contributions. The ministers are unanimous that low pensions should be supplemented with social benefits.

***

The price of firewood will be halved when middlemen are eliminated and forestry farms start selling firewood directly to households. This statement by Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Kornelia Ninova and Agriculture Minister Ivan Ivanov features in a front-page story in Duma. The decision, which will benefit over 1.5 million households, was made after firewood appreciated by nearly 20 per cent this winter.

ARMED FORCES

In its coverage of the CCNS meeting with the President, Mediapool.bg says the conclusion was that the Armed Forces are short of personnel, materiel and financing.

Summing up the outcome of the meeting, a headline in 24 Chasa says: "Radev Arranged for the Military to Spend More and Faster on New Weapons".

Dnevnik.bg says this was the fourth CCNS meeting on the Armed Forces' combat readiness since Rumen Radev first became President in 2017. The Council members Tuesday assigned seven tasks to the government and Parliament, most of which require additional financing for modernization. Parliament was set the task to revise legislation so as to ensure accelerated modernization. The cabinet was set the following tasks: to provide financing for maintenance of the existing equipment, the emphasis being on the defence of air and maritime space; to speed up the projects for acquisition of equipment for the Air Force and the Navy under already signed contracts; to start an investment fund for an upgrade of the Armed Forces through unused targeted funding and proceeds from the Defence Ministry's budget; to plan a programme which is to guarantee the Armed Forces' modernization until 2032; to increase defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP in 2023 instead of in 2024; and to take steps towards full membership of NATO's Innovation Fund and to fully tap Bulgaria's participation in NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).

A headline in Dnevnik.bg comments that opinions in the government coalition differ on the composition and role of a battalion-size battlegroup that could be set up in Bulgaria in case of a military conflict involving Ukraine. BSP for Bulgaria floor leader Georgi Svilenski said in a bTV interview that the Bulgarian Socialist Party is opposed to reinforcing the Bulgarian battlegroup with foreign troops and would not back the battalion's involvement in military action in Ukraine and Russia. Last week Defence Minister Stefan Yanev said the Bulgarian battalion-sized battlegroup cannot meet NATO standards without being reinforced with arms and equipment by the other NATO countries.

A story in 24 Chasa headlined "Russia Cannot Tell Us How Many Troops We Should Have" features Prime Minister Kiril Petkov's interview on the BBC's HARDtalk. He discussed the Bulgarian battalion, the need of de-escalation and sanctions against Russia, emphasizing that when NATO and the EU speak to Russia, they have to speak in one voice, wherein lies their strength. Petkov also discussed corruption and the accountability of the prosecutor general.

***

Trud has interviewed Atanas Zafirov, Chairman of the Parliamentary Defence Committee, who says the tension around Ukraine is being fanned by huge financial interests. The military-industrial complex is booming on a global scale. Ukraine increased its defence spending by 1.5 billion dollars to 11.3 billion in a year, and a similar process is going on in all countries of the region. There is also the surge in energy sources, from which the two global powers locked in the conflict have profited. Zafirov says the threat comes from numerous paramilitary and armed groups with unclear status as a possible source of asymmetric actions and provocations. He believes, though, that things will not escalate into a large-scale conflict, let alone a global one.

***

24 Chasa quotes Martin Dimitrov MP of Democratic Bulgaria who argues that the 2022 budget should not allocate 126 million leva for MiG-29 maintenance in Russia. He says Bulgaria's old fighter jets should undergo maintenance in NATO countries; it would be less costly to do this in Poland and Ukraine, which have a developed airspace industry.

BARCELONAGATE

The dailies cover the latest developments in a Bulgarian investigation into possible money laundering in Spain involving business owners and politicians and potentially linked to GERB leader and former prime minister Boyko Borissov.

The Specialized Prosecution Office (SPO) announced on Tuesday that it had sent two European Investigation Orders to Spain and that it received a 219-page report, which is yet to be translated from the Spanish, in reply to one of the orders. The information came in reply to questions put by the supervising prosecutor in Bulgaria about lifting of bank secrecy, cash flows and questioning of witnesses. The dailies quote SPO Spokesperson Hristo Krustev as saying that 90 per cent of the investigation has been completed. The information from Spain will be analysed since the money laundering allegedly took place there, meaning that the bank secrecy must be lifted by its authorities.

At the same time, the SPO Tuesday received a 26-page Spanish report in English which was first sent to the State Agency for National Security (SANS). SPO President Valentina Madjarova said this was the first time she had seen such a document - with an unspecified author or issuing department, with no signature or seal. Those 26 pages feature, among other things, photos and stories from Spanish and Bulgarian media. The SPO has asked SANS who requested the information, on what grounds, and who received it in Bulgaria.

Trud reports that the SPO received two 26-page documents in English (which may or may not be identical) from the Interior Ministry and SANS. The daily says that what the Interior Ministry and SANS termed a "Spanish police report" is just an anonymous malicious report made up of press clippings, which, according to the daily, "burst the Barcelonagate bubble". Trud devotes two inside pages to the investigation, to statements by Borissov and by Alexander Chaushev, the owner of an upscale property in Barcelona which is central to the allegations against Borissov. Chaushev says that the origin of his money was probed back in 2013 when he bought the house.

A headline in 24 Chasa affirms that "Spain Sent Bulgaria 219 Pages, Not 21, about the House in Barcelona".

SOCIETY

Telegraf and Monitor report that Sofia will have a law clinic for victims of domestic violence. City Hall is planning to allocate 68,000 leva for protection, psychological support and legal aid if the project is approved by the Municipal Council.

The start in March of US visa interviews for students who want to participate in the Summer Work and Travel Program fronts Monitor. The average hourly rate is 14-15 dollars but some employers pay 19-20 dollars per hour.



END





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