site.btaMedia Review: August 19

HEADLINES 

Monday’s news media are dominated by speculations about caretaker prime minister-designate Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva's cabinet lineup and the passing of French actor Alain Delon at the age of 88 on August 18.

24 Chasa leads with an interview with the Bulgarian Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, who comments on this country’s commitments to NATO and the outcomes of the 2024 Washington summit, the Armed Forces modernization, Bulgaria’s investment in an IRIS-T air defence system, among others.  

Trud and Telegraph lead with stories about unlicensed nursing homes, which became a hot topic following a fire that broke out in a care home last week and left one dead and three injured. Trud writes that nearly 300 organizations offering residential care for elderly people have had their licenses revoked since 2021, when the Agency for Quality of Social Services at the Labor and Social Policy Ministry was set up. Despite that, nursing homes continue to operate illegally. A check made by Telegraph shows that fees at these places generally fall within the range of BGN 890 and BGN 2,000 per month.

Duma’s top story bears the following headline: “Hundreds Gathered in Protest over Water Supply Shortage”. The daily writes that the residents of four villages in the Svishtov Municipality (Northcentral Bulgaria) – Hadzhimitrovo, Gorna Studena, Morava, and Kozlovets - blocked the main road connecting Pleven and Ruse over the weekend because of the lack of drinking water. The story also lists other municipalities affected by the problem, including Smyadovo, Georgi Damyanovo, Montana, Bolyarovo, Elhovo, and Chepelare. A Telegraph story also covers the topic under the headline: “People Protest over Water Rationing”.

POLITICS

President Rumen Radev Monday refused to decree a new caretaker cabinet proposed by prime minister-designate Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva because of Kalin Stoyanov's nomination for caretaker interior minister. Radev gave her until 3 p.m. on the same day to propose a different interior minister but the PM-designate said that she made a well-informed decision and would not back down.

Following these developments journalists Mira Badzheva and Veselin Stoynev and social anthropologist Haralan Alexandrov exchanged views on the future caretaker cabinet lineup on the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) morning programme.

Former GERB MP Dani Kanazireva, journalist Vladimir Yonchev, and sociologist Kolyo Kolev were guests at Nova TV’s morning programme where they discussed whether there is a way out of the political crisis. The issue was also addressed by journalist Stoyana Georgieva and political analysts Slavi Vassilev and Tsvetanka Andreeva on bTV’s morning programme.  This segment of the programme was titled "Why tension between President Radev and Delyan Peevski is escalating".

Trud has a story headlined “Kozhareva’s Cabinet Up in the Air until Last Minute”.

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Interviewed on the Bulgarian National Radio, Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) expellee Timur Halilov said that there are people "who are trying to appropriate this party for their own personal ends and even destroy it. The outcome is clear". "This model should be brought to an end. Just as MRF should evolve without [one of the two chairpersons] Peevski so should Bulgaria," Halilov added.

ECONOMY

24 Chasa writes that Bulgaria ranks fifth in terms of GDP growth in the second quarter of 2024 with a growth rate of 2%, according to the latest Eurostat data. This country follows Poland (4%), Cyprus (3.7%), Spain (2.9%), and Slovakia (2.1%).

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Trud has a story about a conference of the Bulgarian Chamber of Mining and Geology (BCMG) that took place in Sofia on the occasion of Miners' Day, August 18. The headline says that the extractive industry has contributed BGN 800 million to the state budget in 2023. During the event, the Chairman of the BCMG Management Board, Dragomir Draganov, said that "more than three quarters of what we use in our daily lives is produced from extractive raw materials". He noted that targets set by the European Union require a well-developed and functioning mining industry, adding that demand for extractive raw materials in the EU is expected to grow up to sixfold in 2030 and up to 15-fold in 2050.

Identifying the sector’s main problem, BCMG honorary chairperson Nikolay Valkanov was quoted by Trud as saying that no new permits for exploration and extraction of mineral deposits are being granted. 

24 Chasa has devoted a nine-page section to the mining industry in Bulgaria, headlined: "Industry that Invests Wisely in People and Technology". A total of 18,857 miners, geologists, and mining engineers contribute 5% of Bulgaria's GDP.

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Quoted by 24 Chasa, Bulgarian Association of Supplementary Pension Security Companies chairperson Evelina Miltenova says that the Financial Supervision Commission and private pension insurance companies are currently discussing changes to the social insurance legislation.

HEALTH

Telegraph has an extensive interview with molecular biologist Sergey Ivanov. He says that street vendors’ failure to comply with basic hygiene requirements is why many people complain of food poisoning and infections, which are often put down to the summer flu. The food quality and safety expert comments on bad practices at public markets and street food stalls.

SPORTS

Trud carries a two-page interview with Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov, who recently accepted FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s invitation to join his team. Stoichkov, who is also Vice President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, commented on the Paris Olympic Games and the achievements of the athletes that represented this country. Asked whether his career as football commentator for the TUDN TV channel has come to an end, he said that he cannot give a definitive answer, adding that it is unlikely he will be able to cover major football events given his new job at FIFA.

CRIME

Trud gives frontpage prominence to a story about eight arrested over a nightclub brawl that turned into shooting in the resort of Chaniotis (Chalkidiki, Greece) on late Friday evening. The incident that involved Bulgarian nationals left three people injured, one of whom sustained serious injuries. The incident is thought to have been prompted by a delayed order, Trud writes, adding that the arrested Bulgarians are alleged to have strong ties to the Bulgarian mafia. Mediapool.bg also covers this story and quotes BNT as saying that according to the latest media reports, which refer to unofficial police sources, the authorities are working on the assumption that the nightclub has been used as a front for money laundering by the Bulgarian mafia. There is also an assumption that the brawl was orchestrated in order to close the restaurant during the tourist season because it is quite profitable and hurts the interests of its rivals. The story is also covered by other dailies and on the morning programmes of Nova TV and bTV.

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Trud also writes that Sofia City Court is scheduled to decide whether to release or remand in custody businessman Rumen "the Wolf" Gaytanski, who has been charged in connection with an investigation into a non-performing loan of some BGN 150 million from the Bulgarian Development Bank to the Roadway Construction company, which is linked to him. Gaytanski turned himself in on Friday and was detained for 72 hours. Former spokesperson of the Union of Judges in Bulgaria Ivan Georgiev arrested on Thursday in the same case and charged as an aide, was released on a BGN 50,000 bail the following day. Former BDB director Stoyan Mavrodiev, who is to be charged with major official embezzlement, is still wanted.

The high-profile embezzlement case was discussed by former deputy finance minister Georgi Kadiev. "These loans cannot have been granted without political guidance. Stoyan Mavrodiev had not operated alone. These people probably would not have put themselves on the line if they had not been subjected to political pressure and coercion," Kadiev said. He noted that one of the two MRF chairpersons, Delyan Peevski, and GERB leader Boyko Borissov have had influence over the Bulgarian Development Bank.