site.btaMedia Review: October 18

PROSECUTOR GENERAL ELECTION PROCEDURE

Sega reports that legal institutions continue to oppose the procedure for the selection of a prosecutor general, which the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is currently conducting despite its expired mandate, with sole nominee Borislav Sarafov. On Thursday, all 27 bar associations in the country stated that they were calling on him to withdraw his nomination "in a procedure that is prejudicial, devoid of legitimacy and is about to finally destroy the institutional authority of the prosecution, the judiciary and the state as a whole". A protest is planned for October 25.

24 Chasa, Trud, Mediapool, Telegraph all quote a statement, issued by the SJC on Thursday, in which the institution defends the election procedure for prosecutor general and Supreme Administrative Court president as a fulfilment of its duties. The SJC argued that the calls not to elect two of the "big three" in the judiciary are actually requests to violate the Constitution, and noted that when they dismissed the previous prosecutor general, Ivan Geshev, from his post last year, there were no objections, despite the situation being similar. 

Mediapool criticizes the SJC, pointing out that "the same people elected Geshev as the prosecutor general, defended him with all their might and turned a blind eye to his actions for three years. Then they turned the tables and fired him after GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms signalled that they no longer wanted him in the post".

Meanwhile, 24 Chasa notes that Borislav Sarafov, who has been Acting Prosecutor General for the past year since Geshev's dismissal, is paying a working visit to The Hague to participate in the 18th meeting of the Consultative Forum of the Prosecutors General and Directors of Public Prosecutions of the EU Member States.

Mediapool notes that despite the dissatisfaction, the procedure for the election of Sarafov will continue as planned. The election is scheduled to take place on January 16. The procedure must continue, because it is not right for the heads of bodies to be with expired mandates and to be managed by temporary incumbents, said caretaker Justice Minister Maria Pavlova.

Military Appellate Prosecutor's Office head Colonel Elin Alexov said on the air of bTV on Friday morning that Sarafov's entire career is connected with the prosecution service so he most probably knows how best to lead the prosecution out of the not particularly easy situation in which it is now. Alexov has observed Sarafov as a professional who knows how to listen. "My personal observations are that there is no tension in the professional community of prosecutors and investigators from this nomination," he added, noting that it is a democratic breakthrough for the head of the prosecution to be from among the rank of the prosecuting magistracy. He also argued that the desire of the legislature to control everything does not always help in the interaction between the authorities.

24 Chasa, Trud quote Vice President Iliana Iotova, who argued that Bulgaria must form a strong political government in the upcoming early elections on October 27, as an expert cabinet is not a solution to the country's political crisis. She also noted that the procedure for the election of the prosecutor general is a direct result of the failure of the authorities to the judicial system.

OCTOBER 27 EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

On its morning programme, bTV hosted a discussion on the situation 10 days before the upcoming early parliamentary elections on October 27. Political PR expert Nidal Algafari argued that no one wants to form a government with anyone, and that the country will not have a regular cabinet. "Even if Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria and GERB embrace each other, their votes will not be enough. They will have rely on Slavi Trifonov, Grandeur or MECh, if they manage to get in. I think they wouldn't do that, because they have betrayed them several times before," said Algafari, adding that the question is whether they will ask for the support of MRF - New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski, but argued that no one would dare. Algafari also predicted that Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) will rather try to remain neutral, or else be a very bright and loud opposition, so that they can line up their ranks.

On the air of Nova TV, BSP MP candidate Valeri Zhablyanov said that after the elections are over and the results become clear the BSP will decide who they could support in government. The BSP would stand behind a government with a clear social and demographic commitment, which stands against the war in Ukraine and supports achieving a quick and just peace.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Trud, Mediapool, Trud report that Bulgaria and North Macedonia have reaffirmed their commitment to continue the construction of the railway Pan-European Corridor VIII. A meeting was held in Brussels between Bulgarian caretaker Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Biser Minchev, North Macedonia's State Secretary for Transport, Stefan Volkanovski the director of the railway infrastructure in North Macedonia Sinisha Ivanovski, Sinisha Ivanovski, Director of Railway Infrastructure in North Macedonia, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the Transport Community Secretariat. The eastern section of Corridor VIII connects North Macedonia and Bulgaria, and is part of the European corridor Western Balkans - Eastern Mediterranean. With EU financial assistance for the Western Balkans, North Macedonia and Albania are improving existing lines and building missing links along the corridor.

 24 Chasa quotes Vice President Iliana Iotova who urged North Macedonia to have "a deeper understanding of the European values, because the main first chapter [in EU accession talks] is fundamental rights, which accompany the whole negotiation process". She added that the accession talks will not be finished if any country believes that human rights of representatives of different nations and ethnicities, are not respected.

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Trud reports that President Rumen Radev is on an official two-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina at the invitation of Denis Becirovic, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On Thursday met with Bosnia High Representative Christian Schmidt, as well as with members of the two chambers of the Bosnian Parliament. "As soon as possible, Bulgaria must restore its leading role in The Balkans. Not to react, not to follow common policies, but to generate them," Radev stressed. Mediapool's title reads: "Radev Sets Out to Revive Bulgaria as a Balkan Lion".

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Telegraph, Trud quote caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, who said during a meeting of the heads of state and government in the European Council in Brussels, that currently the situation on the Bulgarian-Turkish border is relatively calm. Migration pressure for the nine months of 2024 is 70% lower compared to the same period of the previous year. The topic of establishing outsourced centres where the migrants can be accommodated is yet to be discussed, but the Bulgarian Prime Minister supports the idea. In this context, Glavchev stressed the key role of Bulgaria's good relations and cooperation with Turkiye.

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Trud quotes Polish MEP from the European People's Party Tomáš Zdechovský, who said that the vote for Ekaterina Zaharieva in the European Parliament for the role of next Bulgarian European Commissioner is not certain. He explained that negotiations are still underway for her, because of fears that the European People's Party (EPP) will not support the candidates of the socialists and liberals. He stressed that Zaharieva has the support of the EPP. 

Trud quotes Romanian Liberal Party leader

Nicolae Ciuca, who said that the final declaration of the EPP summit stipulated that Romania and Bulgaria deserve and should be supported for full entry into the Schengen area. His statement came after attending a meeting with EPP leaders in Brussels.

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Sega reports of a meeting between caretaker Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov and his Ukrainian counterpart Herman Halushchenko in Paris during the conference on nuclear security of Ukraine. The two discussed topics of key importance for Ukraine's energy security during the upcoming winter season, such as the need to increase the input capacity to the country's electricity transmission network, as well as Bulgaria's opportunities for assistance to the Ukrainian people by providing electricity for winter. Bulgaria does not have a direct infrastructure connection through which it could directly export electricity to Ukraine. This could be done through Romania and Moldova. Malinov and Halushchenko also discussed the deal to sell the reactors from the Belene NPP to Ukraine.

HOME AFFAIRS

Trud, 24 Chasa, Sega, Telegraph, Mediapool report that with three votes in favour and two votes against, Milen Mitev was elected for a second term as Director General of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) at Thursday's meeting of the Council for Electronic Media (CEM). Mitev's main priorities will include updating the media's financing model and developing a mobile application. 

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Sega, Trud, Mediapool, 24 Chasa, as well as Bulgarian national television, report that the national early warning system BG-Alert's did not work as expected during its general test run on Thursday. In order to receive the trial test alert message, users have to do adjust the settings on their devices. This is the second attempt to check the technical readiness of the system. The first attempt was supposed to take place on October 1, but the test was postponed due to the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and fears of unnecessary tension.

JUSTICE

Trud, 24 Chasa, Sega, Telegraph, Mediapool report that on Thursday, the prosecution service released data on the warrants obtained against magistrates at its request. After a judge's permission, special surveillance means (SSM) were applied to 15 magistrates: 11 prosecutors, 3 investigators, 1 judge, for suspicion of crime in office, bribery, favouritism, possession of narcotic substances, etc. The data was publicized after statements by judge Vladislava Tsarigradska in recent days that there is a "huge amount of requests for the use of SSMs against magistrates", yielding zero results , which "raises the question of what this information is used for and whether the judges are independent of the prosecution". 

Telegraph reports that after the directors of theatres in Smolyan and Razgrad were charged with gross embezzlement, the Ministry of Culture began carrying out inspections and discovered discrepancies with theatres in Plovdiv, Pleven and Varna. The results of the inspections indicate that the Ministry of Culture has not created conditions for the implementation of effective control in the determination of subsidies and distribution of costs in cultural institutes in the field of performing arts.

Trud, Sega, Telegraph, Mediapool write that the Sofia City Court set a cash bail of BGN 250,000 for Rumen Gaytanski, accused in the investigation of a loan granted by the Bulgarian Development Bank. The court's ruling is not final and is subject to appeal and protest. Gaytanski, dubbed "The Wolf", was placed under house arrest due to a deteriorating health condition.

Sega reports of a case where Bulgarian court ruled regarding the rights of an LGBT family consisting of a Russian and a Belarusian citizen seeking asylum in Bulgaria, deciding that they are not legally bound to each other in the eyes of Bulgarian law. The Belorussian citizen was denied the asylum. The couple has submitted a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights that Bulgaria violates the right of the family to live together. 

Mediapool reports of a 10-year-old case for vote-buying which was finally concluded this week, after being launched around the 2014 parliamentary elections. On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Cassation said that three people, Ildanay Ahmedov, Gencho Konov and Emil Antonov, have been sentenced, but with no prison time. Furthermore, the final decision states that the penalties should be reduced because of the prolonging of the case.

ECONOMY

Trud, Mediapool, 24 Chasa report a sharp decline in foreign investments in Bulgaria by EUR 2.4 billion, or by 77.5% compared to the same period last year, according to Bulgarian National Bank data. The contributions of foreign companies to the capital of Bulgarian companies and payments on real estate transactions amounted to EUR 236 million for the period January-August, EUE 339 million less than the previous year. The net flow of investment by foreign nationals and companies in real estate was negative at EUR 3.1 million, compared to a negative net flow of EUR 11.2 million a year earlier. This means that foreigners have sold properties in the country to Bulgarians.

24 Chasa, Trud write that the European Commission approved a grant of EUR 84 million in state aid to Bulgarian producers of grain and oil crops, as well as nearly EUR 85 million to animal farmers. The support is related to the repercussions of the war in against Ukraine.

Telegraph, Sega, Trud, Mediapool report that a contract to establish a world-class joint research laboratory in Bulgaria between LB Bulgaricum EAD and Meiji was signed on Thursday at an official ceremony in the presence of the Minister of Economy and Industry Petko Nikolov and Japan's Ambassador to Bulgaria Michigami Hisashi. The main objective of the laboratory will be to further investigate the beneficial ingredients of Bulgarian sourdough starter and to look for new scientific evidence of the healthy characteristics of Bulgarian yogurt.

Duma, Trud report of a proposal presented by BSP-United Left, which envisages one more unit of the state-owned TPP Maritsa-East to be included in the regulated market. Thus, a total of three units will operate on the regulated market, after two units of the thermal power plant were included at the proposal of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) earlier this year. 

Mediapool writes that housing prices in the country continue their tendency for increase. Although there is a double-digit growth, there is still a slowdown in the price increase on an annual basis. Housing prices in the regional cities increased by an average of 14% in the third quarter on an annual basis, at 21% compared to the same period in 2023, shows data by the Bulgarian Properties real estate agency.

Bulgarian Food Bank Executive Director Tsanka Milanova said on the air of bTV on Friday morning that when it comes to food, every country has a surplus and food waste is generated everywhere. For Bulgaria, for example, each person wastes an average of 93 kg of food per year, or a total of 614 million kg. This means that each person throws away approximately BGN 520 on average per year.

CULTURE

BNT reports that the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) are organizing steam locomotive train trips on the routes Sofia - Pernik - Sofia and Sofia - Radomir - Sofia on the occasion of the city holiday of Pernik on Saturday, October 19, and the day of the boza drink (a traditional wheat malt fermented drink) in Radomir on Sunday, October 20.