site.btaNational Ombudsman Looks Back on First Year in Office

National Ombudsman Looks Back on First Year in Office

Sofia, July 28 (BTA) - Looking back on her first year in office Thursday, National Ombudsman Maya Manolova said she has provided assistance to over 20,000 people and has talked personally with over 1,000 members of the public.

Manolova has received more than 8,000 complaints during those 12 months. This implies a near-doubling compared with previous years. More than 6,000 of these complaints have been received since January 2016.

The areas in which the Ombudsman has provided assistance to claimants include district heating, electricity supply, telephone services, matters concerning persons with disabilities, and healthcare.

"My hardest battle - a real swamp! - is the battle with district heating companies," she said. She will push for new legislation to ban the "racketeering" by such companies. A new round of the battle will begin on Monday, Manolova announced.

In August, she will continue working on proposals to streamline the practices of private enforcement agents, collection agencies and fast credit providers. She insists that the fees charged by private enforcement agents should be revised. "The fees should not be larger than the debts themselves," she noted. Manolova believes that the methods for freezing bank accounts and selling debtors' assets need improving as well.

She recalled that her office raised over one million leva in aid to retired people. The Ombudsman is also working to abolish VAT on donated food as of January 1. Arbitration courts are yet another priority for her.

Manolova noted that product charges are a "dubious affair" and should be scrapped. One example is the product charges collected for environmental purposes.

As an Ombudsman, Manolova has petitioned the Constitutional Court three times. The latest of these petitions was against an Election Code provision, she said.

Discussing the possibility of herself running for president of Bulgaria in this autumn's presidential elections, Manolova said: "There has been no talking about politics in my institution. I have no reason to change that."