site.btaPress - Review
NW 01:06:01 18-05-2020
MY0105NW.101
101 BULGARIA - PRESS REVIEW
Press
-
Review
Sofia, May 18 (BTA) -
POLITICS
Standart quotes Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov as telling Nova TV in an interview that Bulgaria's hospitals were prepared in advance for the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that thanks to the proper measures taken, Bulgaria ranks among the three countries with the least coronavirus deaths. According to him, the measures taken in this country against COVID-19 were not the strictest in Europe and there is nothing the Government can be criticized for in this regard.
Commenting loans, Karakachanov says there is no free lunch. "We are trying to contain the crisis without resorting to serious external debt and loans. This money will have to returned by someone at a later time". Commenting the text message screenshots released by runaway gambling mogul Vassil Bojkov, in which Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov's name is involved, Karakachanov notes that it will be difficult to shake the Government some ten months before the end of its term. That is unless Cabinet torpedoes itself, in his words. There will be other attempts against the Government, Karakachanov says, explaining that people can see this and trust the Cabinet.
Darik quotes Agriculture Minister Dessislava Taneva as telling Nova TV that
there is no discrimination and quotas. She was commenting a letter of formal notice sent by the European Commission to Bulgaria last week regarding discriminatory measures imposed on retailers, obliging them to favour domestic food products.
This is a cause for complaint for a very small part of the operators, who are covered by this (Bulgarian Government) decree, Taneva says. The Agriculture Minister notes there is a requirement for providing access to small and unorganized local farmers, adding that there is nothing extraordinary in the formal notice. Everything is a matter of communication. "We will make all efforts to protect what was done," Taneva says.
***
Troud quotes Transport Minister Rossen Jeliazkov as saying that Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Serbia will discuss when the borders will be opened and how crossing will be organized, as well as whether there will be any restrictive measures for travellers, such as quarantine. He said that this week Bulgaria will negotiate with its neighbours the conditions for travelling, adding that Prime Minister Boyko Borissov will talk with his colleagues from those countries. Greece was the first to bring up the question of travel agreements a while back, hoping to revive its tourism sector.
ECONOMY
24 Chassa's main story is an interview with former finance minister Simeon Djankov (2009-2013), headlined "States Will Either Write off Debts or Enter into Businesses". Djankov says he expects the COVID-19 crisis to bring the State back on the market. This is happening all over the world and not just in Bulgaria. Both businesses and households are looking towards the state for help. When the crisis is over, all economies will have much more "state" in them than at the beginning, Djankov notes. After the crisis, there will be businesses indebted to the state, which will have two options - to either write off the debt or enter into businesses, the former finance minister is quoted as saying. According to him, now is not the time for political turmoil, as the difficult economic times are yet to come. Djankov also believes it would be best to tailor the measures to the different sectors, instead of applying a general approach.
Douma runs a front-page story about unemployed people demanding the creation of a public solidarity fund. The newspaper quotes Stenli Topalov, a master chef from the coastal city of Varna who lost his job amidst the COVID-19 crisis, as saying that people across the country who lost their jobs to the pandemic are demanding the establishment of a public solidarity fund that can distribute funds to households with members who lost their jobs or were placed on unpaid leave, freelancers, as well as people working in the tourism industry who will not have work this summer season. An association of the unemployed as a result of the state of emergency has been set up, the newspaper writes. They have sent a petition with proposals to Parliament, the President and the Prime Minister. One of their demands is a one-time 1,000 leva financial aid to all who have lost their income. Such one-time grants are already being given out across Europe and special funds have been set up for that purpose, while workers in Bulgaria are offered loans, which is an insult, Topalov argues.
***
Troud frontpages a story about the upcoming summer season. The first reservations for summer holidays in Bulgaria have already been booked. There is high demand for guest houses with own swimming pools and hotels with their own beach strips. In order to attract customers, hotels are offering 15-20 per cent discounts for the start of the summer tourist season. The large expenses and lack of foreign tourists might force some hotels to remain closed this summer. Camping sites along the coast, on the other hand, expect a boom in visitors. There is increased interest and no cancelled reservations by those who wish to camp out in a tent or in a recreational vehicle.
***
Douma quotes Economy Minister Emil Karanikolov as saying that building a network of state-owned gas stations will take at least two years. Gas stations will be built in areas where there are currently none and the plan is for the State to quickly enter the market and be loyal competition. "We had no idea about the State's plans to enter the fuels market by creating a state oil company with a chain of gas stations, the newspaper quotes Zhivodar Terziev, who heads the Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association, as telling bTV. According to him, the sector must find out what the state-owned enterprise's goals will be. He also voices concerns about the State's small fuel reserve and whether there will really be loyal competition on the market.
***
24 Chassa quotes Bulgarian football legend Nasko Sirakov as telling bTV that he is ready to take ownership of the struggling PFC Levski's shares. Sirakov says he has talked with Vassil Bojkov and Georgi Popov, telling them about his readiness to take ownership of the troubled football club.
COVID-19 - SPREAD
24 Chassa quotes hospital directors as saying that one of the main causes for turning hospitals one of the three main COVID-19 hotspots are those physicians who are migrating from one hospital or unit to another, the long stays in units where COVID-19 patients are treated and examining patients before they're tested. The other two hotspots of the outbreak are nursing homes and Bulgarians returning from abroad. So far, 240 front-line healthcare professionals have been infected with the disease. Sofia's Pirogov emergency hospital is the hardest hit with 51 cases.
In another article, the newspaper quotes Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev, Director of the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases and a member of the National Coronavirus Taskforce, as saying that there is a decrease in the morbidity, bringing hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The number of new cases registered on Sunday is 36, bringing the total of 2,211. A total of 6 per cent of all cases are children.
***
In a front-page story, Monitor quotes Kantardzhiev as saying that where possible, shopping malls should be equipped with special AC filters like the ones in hospitals, which filter out pathogens like COVID-19. Air vents in shopping malls are a problem, as they transfer air from one place to another, which is precisely what must be prevented, Kantardzhiev says. The newspaper dedicates two pages to the measures the authorities will be taking to ensure that precautions are taken across gyms, shopping malls and other facilities that open after the anti-COVID-19 restrictions are softened. Some of the measures are that health care inspectors will see if clothes are disinifected in fitting rooms across malls and gym-goers will have to bring own towels.
/МЙ/
MY0105NW.101
101 BULGARIA - PRESS REVIEW
Press
-
Review
Sofia, May 18 (BTA) -
POLITICS
Standart quotes Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov as telling Nova TV in an interview that Bulgaria's hospitals were prepared in advance for the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that thanks to the proper measures taken, Bulgaria ranks among the three countries with the least coronavirus deaths. According to him, the measures taken in this country against COVID-19 were not the strictest in Europe and there is nothing the Government can be criticized for in this regard.
Commenting loans, Karakachanov says there is no free lunch. "We are trying to contain the crisis without resorting to serious external debt and loans. This money will have to returned by someone at a later time". Commenting the text message screenshots released by runaway gambling mogul Vassil Bojkov, in which Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov's name is involved, Karakachanov notes that it will be difficult to shake the Government some ten months before the end of its term. That is unless Cabinet torpedoes itself, in his words. There will be other attempts against the Government, Karakachanov says, explaining that people can see this and trust the Cabinet.
Darik quotes Agriculture Minister Dessislava Taneva as telling Nova TV that
there is no discrimination and quotas. She was commenting a letter of formal notice sent by the European Commission to Bulgaria last week regarding discriminatory measures imposed on retailers, obliging them to favour domestic food products.
This is a cause for complaint for a very small part of the operators, who are covered by this (Bulgarian Government) decree, Taneva says. The Agriculture Minister notes there is a requirement for providing access to small and unorganized local farmers, adding that there is nothing extraordinary in the formal notice. Everything is a matter of communication. "We will make all efforts to protect what was done," Taneva says.
***
Troud quotes Transport Minister Rossen Jeliazkov as saying that Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Serbia will discuss when the borders will be opened and how crossing will be organized, as well as whether there will be any restrictive measures for travellers, such as quarantine. He said that this week Bulgaria will negotiate with its neighbours the conditions for travelling, adding that Prime Minister Boyko Borissov will talk with his colleagues from those countries. Greece was the first to bring up the question of travel agreements a while back, hoping to revive its tourism sector.
ECONOMY
24 Chassa's main story is an interview with former finance minister Simeon Djankov (2009-2013), headlined "States Will Either Write off Debts or Enter into Businesses". Djankov says he expects the COVID-19 crisis to bring the State back on the market. This is happening all over the world and not just in Bulgaria. Both businesses and households are looking towards the state for help. When the crisis is over, all economies will have much more "state" in them than at the beginning, Djankov notes. After the crisis, there will be businesses indebted to the state, which will have two options - to either write off the debt or enter into businesses, the former finance minister is quoted as saying. According to him, now is not the time for political turmoil, as the difficult economic times are yet to come. Djankov also believes it would be best to tailor the measures to the different sectors, instead of applying a general approach.
Douma runs a front-page story about unemployed people demanding the creation of a public solidarity fund. The newspaper quotes Stenli Topalov, a master chef from the coastal city of Varna who lost his job amidst the COVID-19 crisis, as saying that people across the country who lost their jobs to the pandemic are demanding the establishment of a public solidarity fund that can distribute funds to households with members who lost their jobs or were placed on unpaid leave, freelancers, as well as people working in the tourism industry who will not have work this summer season. An association of the unemployed as a result of the state of emergency has been set up, the newspaper writes. They have sent a petition with proposals to Parliament, the President and the Prime Minister. One of their demands is a one-time 1,000 leva financial aid to all who have lost their income. Such one-time grants are already being given out across Europe and special funds have been set up for that purpose, while workers in Bulgaria are offered loans, which is an insult, Topalov argues.
***
Troud frontpages a story about the upcoming summer season. The first reservations for summer holidays in Bulgaria have already been booked. There is high demand for guest houses with own swimming pools and hotels with their own beach strips. In order to attract customers, hotels are offering 15-20 per cent discounts for the start of the summer tourist season. The large expenses and lack of foreign tourists might force some hotels to remain closed this summer. Camping sites along the coast, on the other hand, expect a boom in visitors. There is increased interest and no cancelled reservations by those who wish to camp out in a tent or in a recreational vehicle.
***
Douma quotes Economy Minister Emil Karanikolov as saying that building a network of state-owned gas stations will take at least two years. Gas stations will be built in areas where there are currently none and the plan is for the State to quickly enter the market and be loyal competition. "We had no idea about the State's plans to enter the fuels market by creating a state oil company with a chain of gas stations, the newspaper quotes Zhivodar Terziev, who heads the Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association, as telling bTV. According to him, the sector must find out what the state-owned enterprise's goals will be. He also voices concerns about the State's small fuel reserve and whether there will really be loyal competition on the market.
***
24 Chassa quotes Bulgarian football legend Nasko Sirakov as telling bTV that he is ready to take ownership of the struggling PFC Levski's shares. Sirakov says he has talked with Vassil Bojkov and Georgi Popov, telling them about his readiness to take ownership of the troubled football club.
COVID-19 - SPREAD
24 Chassa quotes hospital directors as saying that one of the main causes for turning hospitals one of the three main COVID-19 hotspots are those physicians who are migrating from one hospital or unit to another, the long stays in units where COVID-19 patients are treated and examining patients before they're tested. The other two hotspots of the outbreak are nursing homes and Bulgarians returning from abroad. So far, 240 front-line healthcare professionals have been infected with the disease. Sofia's Pirogov emergency hospital is the hardest hit with 51 cases.
In another article, the newspaper quotes Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev, Director of the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases and a member of the National Coronavirus Taskforce, as saying that there is a decrease in the morbidity, bringing hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The number of new cases registered on Sunday is 36, bringing the total of 2,211. A total of 6 per cent of all cases are children.
***
In a front-page story, Monitor quotes Kantardzhiev as saying that where possible, shopping malls should be equipped with special AC filters like the ones in hospitals, which filter out pathogens like COVID-19. Air vents in shopping malls are a problem, as they transfer air from one place to another, which is precisely what must be prevented, Kantardzhiev says. The newspaper dedicates two pages to the measures the authorities will be taking to ensure that precautions are taken across gyms, shopping malls and other facilities that open after the anti-COVID-19 restrictions are softened. Some of the measures are that health care inspectors will see if clothes are disinifected in fitting rooms across malls and gym-goers will have to bring own towels.
/МЙ/
news.modal.header
news.modal.text