DNEWS 06:40:01 08-02-2022
TE0231DN.001 06:40
Daily News - Sofia, Tuesday, February 8, 2022, No.32
Sofia, Tuesday, February 8, 2022, No.32
PM Petkov Accepts Invitation to Be Questioned by Prosecution Service
Sofia - Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov told a news conference at the Council of Ministers on Monday that he is willing to be questioned by the prosecution service. He noted that he would like the prosecutors to shed light on high-profile cases and the actions taken on a number of them, among which are Barcelonagate (involving former prime minister Boyko Borissov), the investigation into money-laundering in the construction of the Hemus Motorway, and investigations against the Bulgarian individuals sanctioned by the US under the Global Magnitsky Act last year.
The Chief of the Prime Minister's Political Cabinet, Lena Borislavova, told the media that she had been served with a summons to appear at the Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office (SCPO) on February 9 in connection with a prosecutorial check.
Petkov's news briefing came hours after the prosecuting magistracy said they were launching a probe of a list of names that Petkov gave Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev when they met on February 4. The prosecution service said that Petkov and Borislavova, who also participated in the meeting with Geshev, will be summoned to the SCPO to provide a full list of the people who were named during the meeting and, respectively, evidence of criminal offences and violations that had been allegedly committed.
The February 4 meeting took place on Geshev's initiative to highlight the need for constructive dialogue between the judiciary and the executive. During the talks, the Prime Minister asked why action iw not taken against people who, according to Petkov, are at the basis of economic crime and criminal activity in Bulgaria. After the discussion, Geshev referred the matter to the prosecution service so that it can obtain and check the data presented by Petkov and Borislavova.
Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje Sends Note Deploring
Vandalism after Joint Commemoration of Revolutionary's Birth Anniversary
BTA correspondent Marinela Velichkova
Skopje
Following instructions from of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, the Bulgarian Embassy in North Macedonia has sent a note verbale expressing deep regret about an act of vandalism committed after a joint commemoration in Skopje on February 4 of the 150th anniversary of the birth of revolutionary Georgi (Gotse) Delchev, the Embassy told BTA.
The Bulgarian side expresses its deep resentment at the desecration of the state symbols, including the Bulgarian national flag, placed on the wreaths laid by the members of the official delegation led by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska, the note reads.
The incident involves tearing of the tri-colour ribbons of the wreaths laid by the Bulgarian delegation at Delchev's grave in the St Spas Church in Skopje. The act was carried out by unknown perpetrators immediately after the departure of the Bulgarian delegation.
A video of what happened was uploaded on social media.
The note says that the act violates the spirit of friendship and good-neghbourliness, and the two countries' efforts to invigorate the bilateral dialogue.
Bulgaria calls on the competent authorities in North Macedonia to track down and punish the perpetrators.
North Macedonia's Foreign Ministry said on its website later on Monday that the competent institutions had already taken all necessary steps and procedures to find the perpetrators of this unpleasant incident, which casts a shadow on the grave of Gotse Delchev and the reputation of this country and the delegation from Bulgaria who participated in this solemn act of homage to this great historical figure who is important for both countries and for the whole region.
Justice Minister Declines Anti-corruption Commission's Invitation
to Be Heard about Alerts against Prosecutor General
Sofia - Bulgarian Justice Minister Nadezhda Yordanova has sent a letter to the Anti-corruption and Criminal Assets Forfeiture Commission, refusing to appear in response to an invitation from the Commission to appear before it for a hearing on Tuesday, arging that "there is no legally justified reason for this," Yordanova's Ministry said in a press release on Monday.
Earlier in the day, the Commission said on its website that it had invited Yordanova to a hearing so as to check whether any alerts against Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev were held by the Justice Ministry.
On January 31, 2020, after statements in the media made by Yordanova, the Commission launched an investigation into such alertss. Yordanova was requested to provide notarized copies of the alerts as submitted and other relevant information.
To date, the requested materials have not been sent by the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, Yordanova was invited to appear at the Commission on February 8 and clarify the facts behind her statements to the media.
European Commission Continues Evaluation of Bulgarian Recovery and Resilience Plan
BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov
Brussels
The European Commission confirmed on Monday the ongoing evaluation of Bulgaria's recovery and resilience plan.
A Commission spokesman said that the evaluation deadline had been extended twice so far by one month. Bulgaria first submitted the plan on October 15, 2021.
The spokesman added that there is constructive dialogue between Bulgaria and the Commission. The evaluation is based on 11 indicators and will be presented when the Commission is ready, the spokesman said. The current postponement expires on February 15.
Prosecuting Magistracy
Launches Investigation into
"Golden Passports" Scheme
Sofia - The Supreme Administrative Prosecution Office has launched an investigation into the so-called "golden passports" scheme, acting on an alert from an MP of the opposition Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), the prosecution service said in a press release on Monday.
The MRF referred to the prosecution office an alert they have received about suspicious cases of granting Bulgarian citizenship or residence permits in exchange for investments. According to MRF Deputy Floor Leader Hamid Hamid, the alert named over 120 persons, mainly Chinese (including some working for the Chinese special services) and Russians, who had obtained residence permits in the 2015-2021 period under false pretences. They remitted an identical amount of money through a particular bank and were granted residence just by submitting photocopies of these statements of account, Hamid told a news briefing at Parliament on Friday.
The prosecution service also approached the State Agency for National Security, the Justice Ministry, the InvestBulgaria Agency and the Interior Ministry Migration Directorate, which, too, will have to investigate the alert. If irregularities are found, the prosecution service will alert the President, as he has jurisdiction to cancel Bulgarian citizenship through naturalization.
On February 2, the National Assembly Legal Affairs Committee approved on first reading a bill abolishing the passports of convenience scheme.
Most foreigners who allegedly have bought Bulgarian "golden passports" have only deposited money in an account in a bank in Bulgaria, which they can withdraw immediately after getting the proof of citizenship. Nobody has bought a real business. Some have purchased government securities which, too, qualify as an eligible investment for naturalization purposes, and many of them have sold back the securities, while those who kept them have received dividends.
Bulgarian passports are attractive to non-EU citizens because they enable them to travel freely in the EU.
Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, Argentina's National Directorate
for Antarcticq Sign Cooperation Agreement
Sofia - The Bulgarian Antarctic Institute (BAI) and Argentina's National Directorate for Antarctica (DNA) concluded a cooperation agreement at the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia on Monday. The document was signed by Prof. Christo Pimpirev, Director of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, and Guillermo Carmona, Secretary for the Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic at the Argentine Foreign Ministry. The Rector of the St Kliment Ohridski University, Prof. Anastas Gerdjikov, and the Ambassador of Argentina to Bulgaria, Alfredo Atanasoff, also attended the ceremony.
The agreement follows up on a 15-year-old Antarctic cooperation agreement between the two countries, Prof. Pimpirev said.
The Argentine Embassy in Sofia and BAI also opened a photo exhibition at the Sofia University celebrating 30 years of cooperation in Antarctica between Bulgaria and Argentina.
Carmona thanked Prof. Pimpirev, the BAI members and Ambassador Atanasoff, who is descended from a family of Bulgarian migrants to Argentina, for the Antarctic cooperation between Bulgaria and Argentina.
"The Argentine Antarctic programme is a priority of our foreign policy", Carmona stressed, adding that Argentina has been exploring Antarctica since 1904.
"Our national Antarctic programme is based on strong cooperation with all countries with Antarctic bases, including Bulgaria," Carmona said. He added that the starting point for Antarctica is Ushuaia in Argentina and it is extremely important for his country to renew cooperation with Bulgaria.
Prof. Gerdjikov thanked Argentina for helping the Bulgarian polar explorers to reach their base on Livingston Island.
Later on Monday, Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova conferred with Guillermo Carmona, the President's Press Secretariat reported.
"Not only Antarctica connects our two countries and peoples, but also the big Bulgarian diaspora in Argentina who are well integrated into our society," Carmona said.
The sides agreed on the need of strengthening bilateral relations in various fields. Iotova said that the Bulgarian community in Argentina can be the natural means of strengthening the cooperation.
The Vice President thanked Argentina for providing all the conditions for safeguarding Bulgarian identity and culture. She said she was proud that the Bulgarians there are a respected community.
Discussing bilateral cultural contacts, the Argentine Ambassador in Sofia Alfredo Atanasoff, who is of Bulgarian descent, spoke about the programme of the Culture Ministry of Argentina for translation of Argentine fiction into Bulgarian. So far, about 160 Argentine books have been translated into Bulgarian.
Bulgaria, UNICEF Continue Partnership in Developing Policies for Children, Family
Sofia - Overall development of children- and family-oriented policies, improving the child care in foster homes and residential social services, improving healthcare, measures to prevent child abuse and early school leaving are among the priorities in the new partnership programme between the Bulgarian Government and the UN Children's Fund for the 2023-2027 period. Bulgarian Labour and Social Policy Minister Georgi Gyokov and UNICEF's Ambassador to Bulgaria Christina de Bruin reached this understanding during a meeting, Gyokov's Ministry said in a press release on Monday.
Tthe Bulgaria-UNICEF partnership will focus on implementing the European Commission's European Child Guarantee as a key initiative for reducing child poverty and social exclusion at a European level. Deputy Labour and Social Policy Minister Ivan Krastev, who also attended the meeting, said that over 140 million euro will be invested in that area in the coming seven years under Operational Programme Human Resources Development and Education.
De Bruin praised Bulgaria's leadership in implementing the European Child Guarantee. She also lauded the country's progress in preparing the framework of secondary legislation for the Social Services Act. The sides also discussed the results of the reform seeking to deinstitutionalize childcare.
"The partnership between UNICEF and the Labour Ministry is an example of long-term, successful and effective cooperation aimed at supporting children and families," said Gyokov.
Avtomagistrali EAD to Have New Management, Will Be Audited
Sofia - The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works has announced a competition for the three representatives of the State on the Board of Directors of Avtomagistrali EAD, the Ministry said on Monday. The remaining two members of the five-member board of the state-owned construction company are nominated by the Public Enterprises and Control Agency.
Applicants have to present their concepts of the company management over a five-year period and file documents for entry in the competition by February 17, 2022.
The present management will remain in office until the competition.
Also on Monday, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Grozdan Karadjov commissioned an audit of Avtomagistrali. The in-house audit will be conducted by the Ministry's own specialized directorate and will cover the period from the conclusion of the first in-house contracts in 2018 until the end of 2018.
The Ministry's auditors will analyze and assess the company's financial management and will check the implementation of in-house contracts to establish the legality of cost-related managerial decisions.
Last June, then Regional Development Minister Violeta Komitova dismissed the current management of Avtomagistrali after the Bulgarian National Audit Office detected irregularities and revealed that the company had been making unwarranted advance payments for planned work on the Hemus Motorway. A new interim management was appointed and registered in earlu July 2021.
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Indignant at Amount
of Subsidy Budgeted for Academy for 2022
Sofia - The General Assembly of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) voiced its indignation at the amount of the subsidy budgeted or the Academy for 2022. "This political decision ranks scientists working at BAS last in the system of education and science in the country," the Seventh General Assembly of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences said in a declaration prompted by the planned budget subsidy for 2022, the Academy said in a press release on Monday.
Council of Ministers Decree No. 371 of 17 December 2020 set a minimum monthly salary of 1,300 leva for the lowest academic position of assistant professor at public universities. By comparison, the minimum salary of an assistant professor at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in 2021 was 946 leva, i.e. 72 per cent of the remuneration of a colleague in the same position at a state higher school. Moreover, the basic salary of a professor at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is lower than the basic salary of an assistant professor at a state higher school, the declaration states.
The document points out that discrimination against the Academy continues in the planned budget subsidy for 2022, which will once again demotivate young people to opt for a career at BAS. Young people do not want to pursue one of the most difficult careers and after 15-20 years of hard work to draw less than the national average wage.
BAS invariably supports the State with its expert capacity: it maintains 14 monitoring networks related to the seismic situation, the state of the ionosphere and the radiation background, the Black Sea, etc., it participates in national and international expert bodies, contributing strategic documents and expert opinions. BAS is an integral part of addressing society's problems, especially in crisis situations. A case in point is the involvement of key experts from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in the management of the current COVID-19 crisis.
"The Academy has a key role in the implementation of national research programmes, the National Roadmap for Scientific Infrastructures, in the implementation of Centres of Excellence and Centres of Competence, where BAS successfully partners with universities. These are long-term strategic projects. However, due to the systematic underfunding of human resources, there is a real danger that they will be left without researchers and without engineering staff, i.e. without the creators of science and ideas!'' the declaration reads, calling on the authorities for urgent dialogue before the scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences take long-term effective protest actions.
Low-interest Loans to Be Available to Hospitality Industry
from Bulgarian Development Bank
Varna, on the Black Sea - The Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) will support hotel and restaurant owners with low-interest loans, BDB Executive Director Vladimir Georgiev said here on Monday. Georgiev and National Assembly Tourism Committee Chairman Ilin Dimitrov presented a 40-million-leva programme for support to the sector during a meeting with tourism business executives from the Northern Black Sea coast at the Golden Sands resort near Varna.
Georgiev said the idea was to make the loans as affordable as possible and to design them in such a way so as to cover as many opportunities and needs of the sector as possible. Under the programme, hotel owners will be eligible to apply for loans of up to 750,000 leva, and restaurateurs for loans of up to 500,000 leva. The grace periods will be 18 months and 12 months, respectively. The interest rate will depend on the borrower's credit rating.
Georgiev noted that the new BDB management will work towards shifting the focus of support to small and medium-sized enterprises. Before the appointment of BDB's current Board of Directors, nearly 80 per cent of the bank's loan portfolio, or about 2 billion leva, had gone in the hands of a few big borrowers.
Varna, Bourgas Airports Handle 17,000+ Flights in 2021
Varna, on the Black Sea - In 2021 Varna and Bourgas airports welcomed more than 2 million passengers to the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and handled more than 17,000 flights of 70 Bulgarian and foreign airlines, Fraport Twin Star Airport Management (the German-Bulgarian owner of the concessions for the two airports) said on Monday. Compared to 2020, passenger traffic through the two airports increased by 89 per cent.
In 2021, 50 airlines flew to 67 destinations from Varna. The airport handled a little over 1 million passengers, most of them from Germany, Bulgaria, Poland, Britain, and Austria. Varna Airport handled 9,239 flights, of which 6,853 were scheduled and 1,275 charter.
Bourgas Airport handled 947,000 passengers in 2021, 129 per cent more than in 2020. Forty-nine airlines flew to 70 destinations from Bourgas. Most of the arrivals at Bourgas Airport were from Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, and Britain. In 2021, Bourgas Airport handled 8,295 flights, 4,702 of which were scheduled.
The number of passngers grew significantly in January 2022 from January 2021: 339 per cent for Bourgas Airport and 133 per cent for Varna Airport. Most air passengers arriving in Bourgas were from Russia, Britain and Bulgaria, while most of those arriving in Varna were from Germany, Bulgaria, Britain, Austria, and the Netherlands.
Chief of Defence Annual Defence Conference to Open on Tuesday
Sofia - The Annual Conference, held by the Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov, will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said on Monday. The topic this year is "Adapting the Armed Forces Structure, Planning, Preparation and Deployment to the Requirements of the NATO Concept of Deterrence and Defence in the Euro-Atlantic Area".
The forum will be attended by Defence Minister Stefan Yanev, MPs, government officials, members of the senior command of the Bulgarian armed forces, directors at the Defence Ministry, and chiefs and commanders directly reporting to Yanev. The Chief of Staff of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Joachim Ruhle is also expected in Bulgaria for the event.
After the end of the conference, Admiral Eftimov will present an "Analysis of the Condition and Readiness of the Armed Forces in 2021" on Thursday. President and Supreme Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces Rumen Radev is invited to the presentation.
Bulgarian Head of Government to Pay Official Visit to Serbia
Sofia - Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov is leaving on an official visit to Belgrade on February 8 at the invitation of Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, the Government Information Service said on Monday. The sides are expected to focus on the European integration of Serbia and the Western Balkans, bilateral relations, energy cooperation, infrastructure and economic matters of shared interest.
During his trip Petkov will have a one-to-one session with Brnabic and will join his official delegation for plenary talks with the hosts. He is also scheduled to confer with President Alexander Vucic and Parliament leader Ivica Dacic.
Petkov's delegation includes Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov and Deputy Foreign Minister Vassil Georgiev.
Nikolov is scheduled to confer with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic.
BTA to Cooperate with Wine Makers Organizations to Popularize Bulgarian Wine
Sofia - The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) on Monday concluded a cooperation agreement with five wine industry organizations, vowing to popularize Bulgarian wine. The document was signed by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and the leaders of the Bulgarian Association of Independent Winegrowers, the Bulgarian Association of Wine Professionals, the National Vine and Wine Chamber, the National Association of Bulgarian Vine Growers, and the Black Sea Regional Vine and Wine Chamber.
BTA undertakes to popularize the Bulgarian wine sector, raise awareness of the quality of Bulgarian wines by providing systematic coverage of the industryr, and help promote wine tourism.
Valchev said that later in 2022 BTA will host a General Assembly of the Association of Balkan News Agencies (ABNA - SE), and the partners under this agreement will have an opportunity to organize wine tours for the participants in the event and thus potentially reach new and wider markets.
In partnership with the wine organizations, BTA will hold at its press clubs across the country events to present this country's wine regions, wineries and wines. The BTA External Service will make sure the information reach an international audience.
National Vine and Wine Chamber President Yordan Chorbadjiiski said that it was time Bulgaria returned to the global wine map where it belongs. He also said that the State should follow BTA's example and adopt a national policy on wine. "The Government should pay attention to and help this sector because otherwise it will die," he said.
Bulgarian Communities Abroad Want
to Open 21 New Bulgarian Language Schools
Sofia - Twenty-one organizations of Bulgarian expatriates in 11 countries are seeking State budget funding for the opening of Sunday schools to teach migrants' children Bulgarian language, literature, geography and history.
The largest number of applications, six, is from the UK. Applications have also come from expat organizations in Germany, Albania, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Canada and the US, among other countries, the Education and Science Ministry said on Monday.
This school year, 373 Bulgarian Sunday schools operate in 43 countries on six continents, with an aggregate enrolment of over 35,000 in grades 1 to 12.
The number of children attending Bulgarian Sunday schools has nearly decupled over the last 10 years.
The Education Ministry provides the schools with organizational and methodological support. In addition to teaching the core school subjects in Bulgarian, these schools also organize activities aiming to preserve Bulgarian traditions, folklore and culture.
The Education Ministry has special programmes for training Sunday school teachers and produces online materials for them.
Sunday school pupils can take an exam and obtain a Bulgarian language proficiency certificate, which they can use to apply for admission to university in Bulgaria.
Sunday schools may be opened by diplomatic missions, expatriate, organizations that are registered under local legislation to carry out cultural and educational acticities, and Orthodox religious communities.
Q4 New Residential Buildings in 2021 Up by 43.2%, Year-on-Year
Sofia - According to preliminary data released by the National Statistical Institute, 1,329 residential buildings were newly built in the last quarter of 2021, comprising 6,430 housing units. Compared to the same quarter of 2020, the number of residential buildings increased by 401 or by 43.2 per cent. The number of housing units increased by 2,121 or 49.2 per cent.
The largest share of new residential buildings, 76.3 per cent, were reinforced concrete, 20.5 per cent were brick-built, 0.8 per cent were plattenbau, and 2.4 per cent were other.
Newly built houses accounted for the largest share of residential buildings (73.9 per cent), followed by condominiums (18.7 per cent). The number of new houses, condominiums, weekend houses and others increased compared to the last quarter of 2020.
The largest number of new residential buildings was built in Sofia City (235 buildings with 2,173 housing units), Plovdiv (175 buildings with 460 housing units), and Varna (162 buildings with 1,186 housing units).
Two-room apartments (41.9 per cent) took up the largest share, followed by three-room apartments (32.8 per cent). Apartments with six rooms or more were the smallest share (3.9 per cent).
The useful floor space of new residential buildings in the last quarter of 2021 totalled 618,400 square metres or 48.5 per cent more than in the comparable period a year earlier. The living area increased by 53.7 per cent, reaching 492,100 sq m.
The average useful floor space of a new building in the last quarter of 2021 was 96.6 sq m, nearly unchanged from 96.2 sq m in 2020.
Volunteers for COVID-19 Hospitals Can Apply Online
Sofia - As of Monday, February 7, the Bulgarian Health Ministry is launching an online application system for volunteers to assist medical facilities in the fight against COVID-19, the Ministry said. The Health Ministry together with Information Services created the system because of the numerous inquiries from members of the public about opportunities to help medical specialists in their effort to tackle the pandemic and hospitals' need of extra front-line staff.
All citizens who wish to help hospitals can state their intention to volunteer on the Bulgarian National Health Information System website at https://www.his.bg/ or at https://coronavirus.bg/.
Applicants can choose the medical facility where they would like to volunteer. If they do not select a facility in advance, regional health inspectorates will refer the volunteers to the hospital that are most severely understaffed.
All applications will be processed entirely online.
Bulgarian Hospitals Report 18.3% COVID Lethality in 2021
Sofia - The COVID-19 lethality rate at Bulgarian hospitals was 18.3 per cent in 2021, according to the Gallup Hospitals Index. The index is based on the reports that the hospitals submit to the Health Ministry electronic information system. Of the 155,422 COVID patients treated at 215 hospitals last year, 28,379 passed away. ICU patients totalled 16,033, which accounted for 10.31 per cent of the patients diagnosed with coronavirus.
The COVID lethality at Bulgaria's hospitals is comparable to the rate in other countries, the analysts say.
The 18.3 per cent was the average lethality rate, but it varied widely by hospital, from 0 to 35 per cent. The actual rate reflects the profile of the hospital: those with high lethality had dedicated COVID units, and those with low lethality specialize in treating various other health conditions and reported COVID as co-morbidity.
Comparable hospitals, however, reported widely different lethality rates. In those cases the difference was due to the gravity of the patients' condition and the hospitals' capacitys.
Among the top 20 COVID hospitals, the lethality rate ranged from 13 to 33 per cent. It was lowest at the Military Medical Academy and highest in the Pirogov Emergency Hospital, both of them in Sofia.
In 2021 the COVID lethality increased from its 11 per cent level in 2020. The reason was that the pandemic did not reach a full-blown stage in Bulgaria until 2021 and the first serious wave was registered in late 2020, followed by several bad waves in 2021.
This is confirmed by the number of hospitalized patients: 62,299 in 2020 and 155,422 in 2021.
The top ten hospitals for COVID patients are state-owned. This largely reflected the government policy to put the biggest public hospitals in the frontline of the battle with COVID, the analysts say.
COVID-19 Update: 2,181 New Cases,
Test Positivity Rate at 17%
Sofia - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bulgaria reached 995,436, after 12,838 tests identified 2,181 new infections on Sunday, 76.80 per cent of which were of unvaccinated persons, according to data posted on https://coronavirus.bg/. The test positivity rate now stands at 17% per cent.
Sofia City Region tops the list of new cases with 622 positive tests, followed by Varna Region with 308 cases and Burgas Region with 153. The active cases are 259,523. Currently, the hospitalized patients number 6,238, including 593 in intensive care. Of the 215 hospital admissions, 88.8 per cent were not vaccinated.
The infected medical staff have reached 21,486.
Another 2,245 COVID-19 patients have recovered over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 702,143.
Fourty-two fatalities were reported (92.9 per cent unvaccinated), and the death toll now adds up to 33,770.
With 1,629 new inoculations over the last 24 hours, 4,205,893 vaccine doses have been administered so far, 2,012,154 people are fully vaccinated, and 633,133 have received a booster jab.
Environmentalists and Textile Artist Team Up to Offer Way of Dealing
with Textile Waste by Creating Something Beautiful
Pernik, Southwestern Bulgaria - Environmentalists and a textile artist have teamed up for a project aiming to show how the problem with the mountains of textile waste can be addressed by creating something beautiful. They use discarded old jeans, T-shirts, knitwear and other textile waste to weave one-of-a-kind rugs and wall art.
They have already produced 17 colourful rugs.
The project uses mostly cotton, flax and wool textiles. Two containers have been up - one in Sofia and one in the Black Sea city of Varna, to collect the inputs. "That is all material that would have otherwise ended up in the city dump," says Pernik-based Gergana Kodjebasheva-Kantardjieva, who is among the founders of the project.
Every third Saturday of the month they empty the containers. The collected textiles are sorted, disinfected and separated into categories. The soiled pieces are discarded, and those with minor flaws are mended for re-use. The rest are cut into strips to be woven. The strips are batched by colour and content.
Making a 90 by 150 cm rug takes between 2.5 kg and 10 kg of textile waste.
The project collected 17,160 kg of material until November 2021.
Textile artist Maria Ganeva designs the rugs and wall art. She earned her bachelor's degree in textile art from the Sofia Academy of Fine Art and went on to study in China. Maria says weaving, which is a traditional Bulgarian technique, makes great contemporary art.
The project gives her a chance to experiment with unconventional materials - which is what textile waste is for her - and upcycle it. The designer says the environmental aspect of the project and knowing that one is doing something for the planet gives her a sense of fulfilment.
The project is intended to demonstrate that as much as 95 per cent of the textile waste can be upcycled. Kodjebasheva calls it "circular economy in action".
It can reduce the amount of waste that is collected and deposited by the garbage trucks, and it opens a new market niche and creates jobs.
Kodjebasheva believes that the project also has a great social potential because it can potentially involve residents of social care homes at all stages of the operation and give them a source of income. The project team are holding talks with local government officials in Pernik and Varna about that.
Bulgaria generates some 166,000 t of textile waste every year, and another 10,000 t come from the textile companies. A large part of that is incinerated after being added to refuse-derived fuel. The cleaner stuff is turned into textile padding or industrial textiles.
All EU Member States are required to have separated textile waste collection after January 1, 2025.
BTA's Pernik correspondent Elka Robeva contributed to this story.
Philip Koutev Ensemble to Begin Celebrating 70th Anniversary with Three Concerts
Sofia - The Philip Koutev Folklore Ensemble will celebrate its 70th birthday by three unique concerts at Hall 1 of Sofia's National Palace of Culture, the organizers said. On February 18, the first event titled "The Beginning" will feature music and dance that the company used to perform until 1985, including the emblematic production Thracian Wedding.
On February 19, "The Road" will have the ensemble show off their great dance choreography, with three new productions being staged. The concert will also feature guests from Ensemble Pirin and Ensemble Trakia.
The last of the three concerts, "The Heritage", is scheduled for February 20. As the title suggests, the audience will be able to experience the folklore heritage of the Bulgarian people.
The jubilee concerts will take place under the auspices of President Rumen Radev. They will set the beginning of a series of shows that will be touring the country throughout 2022.
The ensemble was founded in 1951 by composer Philip Koutev, after whom it was named. Koutev sought to revive, conserve, interpret and popularize traditional Bulgarian music. Today the ensemble consists of a three-part choir, an orchestra playing traditional Bulgarian instruments, and a dance group. Their show has toured across Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. The ensemble's most popular stagings are the product of great talent and in-depth knowledge of Bulgarian folklore. Incredible artists have been a part of it, such as composer Philip Koutev and dance choreographer Margarita Dikova. The tradition is kept alive to date by artists like Elena Kouteva, Georgi Andreev, and Ivaylo Ivanov.
INSIDE THE BALKANS
Greece Vying for Its Place under the IT Sun
Petar Kadrev of BTA
Sofia
Most people associate Greek economy with seaside or cultural tourism, and even those who know the country a bit better usually think of shipping as another leading sector. While Greece no doubt intends to retain its hold in these fields, it is increasingly looking for prospects in the technological sector that would extract it from the European economic fringe and enable it to move closer to global processes.
Speaking during his visit to the offices of Viva Wallet, one of a series of Greek startups that have found a global niche, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece was not just a country that lived by tourism and its wonderful beaches, but also had human resources in technology which made him optimistic that technology would generate an increasing share in the country's GDP. The bank's interest was attracted precisely by the technological profile of the Greek company which offers its payment services platform internationally.
Such interest in the Greek technological sector is not isolated. Recently, it emerged that Facebook's parent organization, Meta Platforms, is in advanced talks on setting up an outlet company in Greece to transfer in future activities currently based in other countries. In an even more exciting development, Meta intends to acquire Accusonus. According to Kathimerini, Meta will acquire 100 per cent of the shares in the Greek software company from its founders and the other shareholder, Big Pi Ventures, at a price reported to be 70 to 100 million euro. The Greek startup is set to provide the audio solutions required for the virtual reality developed by the American technological giant. Established in 2013, Accusonus provides products that are used by many Grammy-winning producers.
Another deal that recently drew media attention was the acquisition of Greek market research provider Pollfish by Prodege of the US. As moneyreview.gr reported, the Greek company was sold for some 75-80 million dollars. Pollfish offers a DIY research platform to companies and organizations through mobile phone applications. Some 200 million respondents take part in the surveys that appear on the mobile applications and websites in cooperation with Pollfish.
As Kathimerini noted, the fact that Greece succeeded in attracting investments from technological giants like Microsoft, Amazon and Digital Reality was probably decisive in Meta's stepping in the country, which could probably also be said about other IT acquisitions. These companies also develop datacentres and last-generation cloud hubs, as well as offer the requisite infrastructure.
Particular attention was paid to Microsoft's plan to establish datacentres in Greece, unveiled by Microsoft President Brad Smith at the New Acropolis Museum alongside Mitsotakis in October 2020. The total financial effect of the investment is estimated at some 1.0 billion euro, and Microsoft plans to skill approximately 100,000 people in Greece in digital technologies by 2025. According to Microsoft, this will make Greece one of the key players in cloud services, for business included.
But what attracts IT sector investors to Greece? Several factors, according to startupper.gr. On the one hand, the Greek economy is recovering and the Government is quite supportive of the digital transition, already also visible in the rapid digitization of public administration. Confidence in the country is growing, and the successful management of the COVID-19 crisis helps overcome prejudices against it. Also, the Greek Recovery and Resilience Plan was among the first to be approved by the European Commission and is expected to bring in 32 billion euro, raise GDP by 7 percentage points, and create 180,000 jobs by 2026. Some 25 per cent of the plan will be channeled into digital transformation. The Government also took steps to replace the red-tape maze faced by investors with a red carpet, cut taxes on employed and capital, and reform industrial relations, among others.
Other advantages include the highly educated human resources of Greece. More particularly, Greeks rank fourth in the percentage of university graduates among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, 60 per cent speak at least one foreign language, and STEM (Science - Technology - Engineering - Mathematics) graduates are about the EU average.
Then again, there is the stabilization of the banking system, as well as the natural, cultural and historical assets that attract tourists, "digital nomads" and multinationals.
Definitely, Greece aspires to overcome the not necessarily fair but fixed stereotype of being a pleasant but sleepy country, with a slow pace and a slightly Oriental tinge to it. Time will tell whether its ambitions to become a technological leader in the region will be realized, but the drive in this direction is definitely showing the world a little-known Greece.
Today's Observances:
February 8
On this date in Bulgarian history:
1913: Bulgarian and Turkish troops engage in Battle of Bulair during First Balkan War (1912-1913).
1945: Soviet war cemetery is dedicated in Vidin (Northwestern Bulgaria).
1950: Diplomatic relations are established with Vietnam.
1980: Petar Popangelov becomes first Bulgarian to win Alpine Ski World Cup event (slalom in Lenggries, Germany).
1989: Podkrepa Independent Trade Union is set up (renamed Podkrepa Confederation of Labour March 18, 1990).
1996: Mass privatization officially launched in Bulgaria.
2015: Bulgarian mountaineers Doychin Boyanov, Nikolai Petkov and Alexander Shopov are first to climb Great Needle Peak (1,679.48 m) on Livingston Island, Antarctica's second-highest peak.
Weather Forecast
February 8: Rain and snow to stop during day, from West to East. Clear in West, cloudy in East. Wind moderate, northwesterly. Lows: minus 3C - 2C in most parts, minus 2C in Sofia. Highs: 3C - 8C in most parts, 4C in Sofia.
Black Sea coast: Cloudy. Rain and wet snow in morning, to stop later in day, last in South. Wind strong, northerly. Highs: 5C - 7C.
Mountains: Cloudy and snowy, with high likelihood for snowstorms. Wind storng to gale-force, northely. Highs: minus 3C at 1,200 m, minus 10C at 2,000 m.
Source: National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology.
Exchange - Rates
Sofia, February 7 (BTA) - The Bulgarian National Bank sets the
rates of foreign currencies against the Bulgarian lev applicable
from 5 p.m. on February 7 to 5 p.m. on February 8, 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 1.21503
Brazilian Real BRL 10 3.23059
Canadian Dollar CAD 1 1.34458
Swiss Franc CHF 1 1.85018
Chinese Yuan Renminbi CNY 10 2.68632
Czech Koruna CZK 100 8.0746
Danish Krone DKK 10 2.62729
British Pound GBP 1 2.30954
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 10 2.19259
Croatian Kuna HRK 10 2.60084
Hungarian Forint HUF 1000 5.53307
Indonesian Rupiah IDR 10000 1.18686
New Israel Shekel ILS 10 5.35155
Indian Rupee INR 100 2.2866
Icelandic Krona ISK 100 1.3639
Japanese Yen JPY 100 1.48631
South Korean Won KRW 1000 1.42578
Mexican Peso MXN 100 8.2962
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 10 4.08239
Norwegian Krone NOK 10 1.94304
New Zealand Dollar NZD 1 1.13198
Philippine Peso PHP 100 3.3162
Polish Zloty PLN 10 4.30496
Romanian Leu RON 10 3.95429
Russian Rouble RUB 100 2.25892
Swedish Krona SEK 10 1.87191
Singaporean Dollar SGD 1 1.27093
Thai Baht THB 100 5.18307
Turkish Lira TRY 10 1.25992
US Dollar USD 1 1.7086
South African Rand ZAR 10 1.10499
Gold price (per troy ounce) XAU 1 3,101.14
Advisory to
BTA's External Service
Subscribers
Sofia, February 8 (BTA) - Following are some of the main
stories to be moved by BTA's External Service on Tuesday:
Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov is leaving on an official
visit to Serbia for talks with Prime Minister Ana Brnabic,
President Alexander Vucic and Parliament leader Ivica Dacic.
Petkov's delegation includes Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov
and Deputy Foreign Minister Vassil Georgiev.
* * *
The Annual Conference of the Chief of Defence, Admiral Evtim
Evtimov, will open in Sofia. The topic this year is "Adapting
the Armed Forces' Structure, Planning, Preparation and
Deployment to the Requirements of the NATO Concept of Deterrence
and Defence in the Euro-Atlantic Area".
* * *
The Constitutional Court will determine whether the minister of
justice is empowered to propose an early dismissal of the
presidents of the two supreme courts and the prosecutor general
in case of a grave violation or systematic dereliction of
official duties, or actions damaging the prestige of the
judiciary. LG
Press
-
Review
Sofia, February 8 (BTA) -
HIGHLIGHTS
"Douma": Prime Minister Kiril Petkov responded to Prosecutor
General Ivan Geshev's decision to summon him for questioning by
a series of counter questions about the way the prosecution
service is handling some of the milestone scandals in recent
years. "I gladly accept the invitation to questioning," Petkov
told an extempore news briefing at the Council of Ministers.
While it was in progress, prosecutors phoned a server and told
him not to serve the PM with the summons for the questioning
"live on TV". The Chief of the Prime Minister's Political
Cabinet, Lena Borislavova, said she had been served while she
was going down the stairs for the news briefing.
"24 Chassa" devotes its entire page to the Geshev-Petkov
stand-off, continuing the story on two full inside pages. The
coverage details the 9 questions that the PM will ask the
Prosecutor General. A separate item tells about the dispute
between Justice Minister Nadezhda Yordanova and the
Anti-Corruption and Criminal Assets Forfeiture Commisison over
whether the Commission can question Yordanova about alerts
against Geshev. Another separate item reports a position issued
by Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Deputy Chairman Jordan
Tzonev, who challenged Petkov to prove his allegations against
MRF MP Delyan Peevski. Tzonev argued that they had approached
all competent State bodies and they had said that they did not
have information about any acts perpetrated by Peevski which
were referred to in the reasoning for his sanctioning under the
US Global Magnitsky Act.
"Monitor" leads on the Hospital Index statistics on COVID
hospitalizations and lethality. The story continues on two full
inside pages.
"Troud" reports an up to 15 per cent price hike of the most
sought after antibiotics and COVID medicines. Manufacturers
blame the appreciation on inflation and the more expensive
electricity. The largest number of medicinal products with
higher prices are over-the-counter ones, mostly those for cold,
flu or coronavirus symptoms.
"Telegraph": Some of the largest drug planters in Bulgaria have
abandoned Petrich and Sandanski and have started cultivating
marijuana in Spain, shipping the produce back to Bulgaria. From
there it goes to Turkey where demand by far outstrips supply,
investigators said. Sofia's drug market is controlled by 3 large
gangs, including one led by a criminal known as The Dumbbell.
All three gangs distribute amphetamines, cannabis and cocaine.
The amphetamines that have swamped the country are manufactured
from entirely imported ingredients by the best chemists mainly
in Sofia and Stara Zagora.
GOLDEN PASSPORTS
"24 Chassa" learnt from the Justice Ministry that, acting on its
alert, the State Agency for National Security is checking 67
recipients of Bulgarian "golden passports" and that a procedure
for deprivation of Bulgarian citizenship for six of them (4
Kazakhs, 1 Chinese and 1 Egyptian) is already in progress. In
all likelihood, one of the first laws that the 47th National
Assembly will adopt will amend the Bulgarian Citizenship Act to
abolish the option of foreigners becoming Bulgarian citizens in
exchange for investment. This option was proposed by the first
GERB cabinet and became a fact in early 2013. The daily has
learnt from one of the competent institutions that 116 people
received "golden passports" between 2013 and the end of 2021,
including 12 in 2017, 29 in 2018, 26 in 2019, 22 in 2020, and 9
in 2021. InvestBulgaria Agency Executive Director Stamen Yanev
explains the passport granting procedure in a sidebar.
GAS SCANDAL
"Douma" reports that the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission
is launching a probe into the natural gas transactions concluded
by Bulgargaz on the Balkan Gas Hub between February 1 and 7.
The regulator will try to find out whether, contrary to the
prohibition, insider information was used and the market was
manipulated. Also in this connection, Bulgargaz's former CEO
Nikolay Pavlov was questioned in a witness capacity for four
hours at the Sofia City Prosecution Office. The developments
come in the wake of statements by Interior Minister Boyko
Rashkov that Bulgargaz execs will be charged in connection with
the gas crisis and by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov that "people
want real arrests".
"24 Chassa" quotes Pavlov as saying after his questioning: "I
left Bulgargaz in a wonderful financial situation." The daily
reports that the 37,400 MWh of gas, sold by the public supplier
on the exchange at the end of last week at a bargain 150
leva/MWh, were probably purchased by licensed large traders for
immediate resale to Austria or Hungary. Bulgargaz explained
that, contrary to ex-energy minister Roumen Ovcharov's
allegations, the 18 transactions on the Balkan Gas Hub took five
hours
rather than 3 seconds.
POLITICS
In a page-long analysis in "Monitor", Ivan Tropankev warns that
Prime Minister Kiril Petkov's emancipation from President Rumen
Radev and the rifts in the four-party government coalition are
signs that the power-holders are "skating on thin ice". "The
conclusion invited by the actions of those who are trying to fan
up or who ignore the tensions between President and Prime
Minister is that we can witness yet another political zugzwang
in which neither will have the upper hand," the author writes.
Dr Lyubomir Kanov says in a two-page interview for "Troud" that
Prime Minister Kiril Petkov should immediately remove Interior
Minister Boyko Rashkov ("who acts arbitrarily, posing as both
prosecutor and judge") and Defence Minister Stefan Yanev (who
inadmissibly said that NATO soldiers will not be admitted to
Bulgarian territory). As regards NATO, Petkov is trying to
contain the damage inflicted by Yanev. As regards North
Macedonia, Petkov's approach is Western, optimistic, and he is
trying to be pragmatic, the psychiatrist says. He does not rule
a second cabinet formation attempt under the present parliament,
in which the President would probably wish to increase his
influence.
* * *
On its back page, "Troud" runs a profile of Agnesa Rusi, North
Macedonia's new ambassador to Bulgaria, under the title
"Mysterious".
INFLATION
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions Chief Economist
Lyuboslav Kostov says in a page-long interview for "Douma" that
inflation has "eaten up the growth of income in the first half
of 2021, has eroded households' purchasing power, and has
deepened poverty and social exclusion." The expert denies
employers' allegation that the largest number of minimum wage
earners are publicly employed, citing official figures according
to which 42,000 or just 8.5 per cent of the total of such
employees are in the public sector, compared to 451,000 or 91.5
per cent in the private sector.
EMERGENCY MEDICINE
In connection with the health authorities' plans to replace
doctors by paramedics in ambulance crews, "Monitor" reports that
134 paramedics are currently employed at Bulgaria's 28
emergency medical services centres, quintuple the 28 in 2020.
Over 700 were trained for this occupation in 2020, but very few
are practising.
BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
On two full inside pages, "24 Chassa" marks the 90th birth
anniversary of Academician Blagovest Sendov (1932-2020), eminent
mathematician, politician and diplomat. "Monitor" gives a
page-long prominence to the story. LG
END
/ТЕ/