site.btaMedia Review: December 20

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Capital Daily writes that with the votes of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) the amendments to the constitution were voted on second reading on Tuesday. Their final adoption is due on Wednesday, 20 December. Between second and third reading, provisions cannot be amended, only technical corrections are made. The main focus of the constitutional amendments are the texts related to the judicial reform, along with them, however, others have been pushed through. A significant new provision is the text proposed between the first and second readings, according to which reads that science, education and culture are national values and that the state shall take care to preserve the national historical and cultural heritage.

The idea for constitutional changes has its origins in the judicial reform sabotaged by GERB and MRF in 2015. That is why the main focus of the amendments were the texts in the judiciary section. The finalized texts relate to several aspects.

The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is divided into two separate councils for judges and prosecutors. The quotas proposed by the Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria to ensure judicial independence and prosecutorial accountability are retained. Thus, the Judges Council will have 15 members - the presidents of the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Supreme Administrative Courts, eight judges elected by peers, and a five-person quota, elected by the National Assembly. The aim is to guarantee the independence of the court. The new Prosecutors Council will consist of ten members – the Prosecutor General, two representatives elected by prosecutors, one by the investigators and six from the legislature. This increases the public quota in the Prosecutors Council, and the aim is to avoid a domination of the Prosecutor General.

The mandates of the Councils will last four years. For the Prosecutor General - five, for the presidents of the Supreme Courts - seven.

The President's power to appoint and dismiss the presidents of the supreme courts and the prosecutor general remains. In the original draft this was taken away from the powers of the head of state, but after much criticism, the government abandoned its plans. A text was adopted according to which, if the president does not issue a decree appointing the presidents of the supreme courts or the prosecutor general within seven days, the decision will be promulgated and the appointment will become effective. Such a provision effectively blocks the President from obstructing the appointments of the three most senior magistrates for a long period of time.

The prosecutor general will continue to set a uniform standard for cases in the pre-trial phase. Such a power is essential as it stands precisely because of the uniform standard across the country. However, the chief prosecutor will have their powers for oversight of legality restricted. Through this power, the chief prosecutor has so far been able to interfere in practically every sphere of government.

Among the other amendments are the texts that amend the institute of the caretaker cabinet. Caretaker prime ministers will be appointed by the president and, choosing from among seven officials. The president of the Supreme Court of Cassation has been dropped from the original list of possible caretaker prime ministers.

Thus, the president will have a choice for caretaker prime minister from among the chair of the National Assembly; the President of the National Audit Office or his deputies; the Governor and the Deputy Governors of the central bank; the Ombudsman or his deputy. If all of the above refuse to assume the office and the President is unable to appoint a caretaker cabinet, one will be elected by the National Assembly. Parliament will no longer be dissolved by the President and will sit until a new one is elected.

The National Assembly also voted on a provision allowing dual citizenship for MPs (and therefore ministers). The original draft stipulated that they must have lived in the country for the last 18 months. This amendment also allows dual citizenship for ministers, but there will be no residence qualification for them.

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Speaking on the morning programme of Bulgarian National Television, former president Rosen Plevneliev (2012-2017) said that the changes in the Constitution are in the right direction and are sustainable.

"These changes in the Constitution were so difficult to achieve. It's as if the lessons we learned led us to them."

Regarding developments in the National Assembly and the scenes that were provoked mainly by the MPs of Vazrazhdane, as well as Rumen Radev's criticism that this government should not change the Constitution, Plevneliev said that there is "a lot of propaganda and little sense" in the actions of both the president and "his avatars" in the parliament.

Plevneliev was referring to the representatives of Vazrazhdane and There Is Such a People. "Let us not forget how they swear eternal allegiance to the notorious president who fights for absolute power and stops at nothing. With his fist raised high, he serves one certain part of society and tramples over the other," Plevneliev said, adding that to date Rumen Radev violates the Constitution.

According to him, two very big issues have led to these changes. One of them is the absolute power of the Prosecutor General. "We had to find a democratic way to make the prosecutor general accountable and not just a person with absolute power," Plevneliev said. The second big issue for him is the caretaker government. "How is it possible for a president to hand a mandate - in the case of Nikolay Denkov, and say to him: 'You should not make a government'. This is an act not only of misunderstanding the constitution, but also of undermining its foundations," Plevneliev said.

SOVIET ARMY MONUMENT 

Sega.bg writes that the court has halted the dismantling of the Soviet Army Monument in central Sofia at the request of Vazrazhdane and Rise BG. The court argues that no administrative act or contracts had been submitted which made it clear what would happen to the figures after dismantling, where they would be taken, how they would be stored, whether restoration of the monument was to be undertaken, what proportion of the funds allocated was to be spent on dismantling, what proportion on storage and security and what proportion on the restoration and subsequent installation of the monument, and which officials were to supervise those activities. The ruling can be appealed within three days.

Earlier, the regional administration in Sofia managed to come up with legal arguments that it did not violate the Cultural Heritage Act when dismantling the bronze figures and the bas-relief from the monument. After receiving an order on December 13 to immediately suspend the dismantling due to non-compliance with the coordination procedures with the Ministry of Culture, the regional administration circulated a legal opinion to the media saying that the Specialized Expert Council for the Arts had refused to issue an opinion as the dismantling of the monument was not subject to consideration by the council.

A careful reading of the Council's position, however, shows that it did not rule as the submitted documents did not meet the standards for a normal consultation procedure. The project documentation was made available immediately before the meeting and the members did not have time to read it. According to the council members the documentation was incomplete and lack the signature of the contracting authority, i.e. the regional administration.

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Speaking on bTV, lawyer Valya Gigova said that the ruling applies only to the dismantling, which must be stopped immediately. "This court does not say whether these actions are lawful. The dismantling should be stopped. From now on, the questions to be answered are what are the consequences of it, and if it was carried out without legal justification and who bears what responsibility," Gigova said. She is adamant that the court's decision does not mean that the monument should be assembled back.

LIFESTYLE

24 Chasa reports the findings of a poll, commissioned to Trend, that for the first time in four years, two-thirds of Bulgarians are happy, and 50% believe in the future. 2023 was a better year for Bulgarians compared to the previous three years. Nearly two-thirds say they felt happy in the past year. Forty per cent expect 2024 to be a better year for Bulgaria.

In 2023, the upward trend in Bulgarians' assessment of their personal happiness will continue, so the level recovers to that before the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first time since December 2020 that there has been a positive change in the country's assessment of the past year. Although the proportion of pessimists again is a majority (57%), it is down by over 20% from the previous three years. At the same time, since 2020, an average of 12% define the year as good, while 2023 is defined as such by 28%. Nearly 6 out of 10 Bulgarians (59%) rate the year as a good one in personal terms. This is the highest since 2019. For less than a third (30%) the past year was bad.

Both the country's and personal assessment is highest among the youngest (18-29), who are traditionally more optimistic, while negativity intensifies as age rises.

Expectations for the coming year 2024 are rather positive. Some 40% are of the opinion that Bulgaria will have a better year, while 29% foresee a worse year. Again, personal expectations are more optimistic - 49% expect 2024 to be better for them personally, while 17% are sceptical. Again, the age of respondents has an impact on these attitudes - nearly seven in ten of those under 30 expect a better year, while among those over 70 only three in ten say this.

In comparative terms, Bulgarians give the highest rating in the past year to their personal life - 53% say the balance is good. By comparison, 32% rate 2023 as rather good for their professional life.

ONLINE SALES

Bulgarians spent EUR 2 billion online in 2023, with the market doubled in 4 years, writes Capital Daily. In 2023, annual growth in internet commerce is 19% and the average annual online basket is EUR 680, according to a report by the Bulgarian E-Commerce Association (BEA). This compares to an online market volume of EUR 0.9 billion in 2019. The data is from the 6th edition of the "Passport 2023 of the e-commerce industry in Bulgaria", prepared by the Bulgarian e-Commerce Association.

"The trend is upward and the main reason for this is the convenience of e-commerce. The convenience of e-commerce is the new loyalty," BEA Chair Janet Naydenova, told Capital.

Over 53% of internet users in the country shop online. The average annual online basket in the country is 680 euros, and the most active in remote purchases are residents of the Southwestern region (51.8%), where the capital Sofia is located, according to the analysis. The majority of online orders ca made by women.

The most ordered items on the internet are clothes - sportswear and clothing, and accessories - bags, jewellery, etc (83%). Next comes accommodation - from hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, private individuals (30.5%). Twenty-seven per cent of online shoppers, on the other hand, have shopped for cosmetics and accessories, while 26% have ordered food online, BEA reports.

Nearly 95% of online consumers made purchases from Bulgarian shops, 32% - from shops in EC countries and 18% - from non-EU platforms.

The most preferred payment option is cash on delivery, used by 60% of customers. Credit or debit cards are used by 31.2% of consumers.

The most common way of receiving the order is doorstep delivery (53.3%), followed by doorstep delivery to a business office (42%). Only about 2.86% of online shoppers choose to pick up the item from a store, and only 1% use a door-to-door service.

The top 10 Bulgarian online stores (eMag.bg, Ozone.bg, Technopolis.bg, Jysk.bg, eBAG.bg. RemixShop.com, IKEA.bg, Ardes.bg, SportDepot.bg, Zora.bg) hold a combined 19.1% of the total market volume in 2022, which shows that the future of online commerce is in the big platforms, not in niche stores, the BEA study highlights.

LOCAL AUTHORITIES
 
24 Chasa writes that 1,519 municipal projects will receive money from the budget. This was decided by the parliamentary budget committee, which in record time approved the requests of local authorities in an annex to the 2024 State Budget. The total amount of the projects exceeds BGN 1 billion. The committee accepted the Finance Ministry's proposal to update the list in March 2024. There can only be an advance payment of up to 20% provided a contract is signed. The conditions also stipulate that the deadline for implementation is 31 December 2026.

There are limits depending on the size of the municipality. For a population of over 180, 000 people the ceiling is BGN 100 million. For smaller settlements the amount varies between BGN 6 and BGN 50 million.

The list is public and anyone can control it, said MP Venko Sabrutev. He urged people to monitor the implementation of the projects and if there are any that do not meet their needs, to ask for their replacement.

A review of the list showed that the majority of projects were for road and street repairs and improved water supply. There are also those seeking funding to build bike paths, renovate municipal buildings, hospitals, and even build dog shelters.

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In a Bulgarian National Radio interview Ventsislav Spirdonov,- Chairman of the Association of Chairmen of Municipal Councils in Bulgaria and chairman of the Municipal Council in Veliko Tarnovo said that Sofia and Sliven can’t elect chairs of their municipal councils. “We are still antagonized in view of the past elections and the preceding campaign,” he said. "People want solutions, they don't need the endless procedural grips and hassles. We don't need this kind of behaviour because in the end voter turnout won't be 20%, but 10%". According to him, it would not be good to have new elections for Sofia City Council. The only way to work in the municipal council is through talks and concessions, he said. Spirdonov is adamant that business interests should not be allowed in local politics.