site.btaMedia Review: January 24

REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA TENSION

Most publications on Monday focus on the political situation between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia after the secretary of a Bulgarian culture club in Ohrid, Hristian Pendikov, was assaulted on January 19.

Duma, Trud and Telegraph report that after being transported to Sofia, Pendikov had jaw surgery and his condition has been stabilized. Trud adds that Pendikov was reportedly scared of how he would return home to North Macedonia, as he continues to receive threats on social media. He shared as much with North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani when Osmani visited Pendikov in Sofia's Military Medical Academy along with Bulgarian chief diplomat Nikolay Milkov on Sunday. Osmani stressed that Pendikov is a citizen of North Macedonia and that North Macedonia must have zero tolerance for hate speech, otherwise it will never end.

24 Chasa also quotes Osmani, who stressed that Bulgarian cultural clubs in his country will have to change their names. The Bulgarian community in the Republic of North Macedonia is in a period of integration into society, and the names of the Bulgarian clubs are currently experienced as a provocation, he explained on bTV.

24 Chasa quotes Petar Kolev from the Civil Democratic Union, an organization of Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia, who said that politicians in North Macedonia instil systematic hatred and stimulate such behaviour towards Bulgarians. Kolev argued that the attack was an attempted murder, and that the police were not sent out to the scene. "I have a request to the Bulgarian MEPs to inform their colleagues in the European Parliament what is happening in Ohrid," Kolev also said.

24 Chasa also notes that caretaker Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov has informed his colleagues in the Council of the EU of the increasing pressure against the Bulgarian minority in the Republic of North Macedonia. After the meeting in Brussels, Milkov expressed to journalists his expectation that the EU would take a stand.

Trud quotes Prof. Spas Tashev from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, member of the Joint Historical Issues Commission between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, who argued that the arrival of North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani was aimed at calming down the Bulgarian reaction to the assault, so that it does not become extremely harsh in front of the international community. "North Macedonia tried to talk about reciprocity because we have also been aggressive and provoked a similar reaction," he said stressing that he is not aware of any case of a citizen of North Macedonia being assaulted by Bulgarians because of their ethnicity.

Telegraph, Trud, Sega, Mediapool and 24 Chasa report that Bulgaria has summoned its Ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia, Angel Angelov, for consultations in the capital regarding the escalation in hate crimes against Bulgarians in recent months. The purpose of the consultations is to discuss the possibilities of stopping this dangerous tendency and the prospects for further development of bilateral relations.

Telegraph, Sega and Mediapool report that the Republic of North Macedonia is considering banning one Bulgarian MEP and other Bulgarian politicians from entering the country. The latest events in relation with Bulgaria were the focus of Monday's meeting of the Security Council of the Republic of North Macedonia. President Stevo Pendarovski said that the council submitted a proposal to the government to ban a Bulgarian MEP and several other politicians who are suspected of being connected to the Russian intelligence services.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Trud, Telegraph and 24 Chasa report that President Rumen Radev welcomed Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who arrived on a working visit to Bulgaria on Monday. Caretaker Prime Minister Galab Donev also met with Nehammer, as did GERB-UDF leader Boyko Borissov. Borissov wrote on his Facebook page that during the meeting he expressed hope that the common European commitment to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people will continue. "Karl and I were adamant that the parties of the European People's Party should always support each other. We are confident that only together we can solve the problems of Europe and the challenges facing the democratic world," wrote Borissov, quoted by 24 Chasa.

Sega, Mediapool and 24 Chasa added that after getting acquainted with the way of protecting the Bulgarian-Turkish border, Nehammer expressed gratitude for Bulgaria's efforts because "the protection of the Bulgarian-Turkish border is actually also the protection of the border of Austria". At the same time, he made it clear that there is no change in Austria's position regarding the expansion of the Schengen area. Nehammer stressed that a European-wide effort is needed to deal with the migrant pressure, including aid to the frontline countries. That is why Austria will support before the EC the 2 billion euro requested by Bulgaria for the purchase of additional technical equipment, helicopters, off-road vehicles and improvement of the infrastructure in the border area.

Trud writes that about 80 mayors of municipalities from the Balkans are attending the B40 Balkan Cities Network Summit in Athens between January 22 and 24. Bulgaria is represented by the mayors of Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Kardzhali, Belitsa, Karnobat, Dimitrovgrad and Veliko Tarnovo.

Sega writes that the extension of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria has not yet been implemented. It expires on February 24, and the decision to be taken by the government has apparently been left for the last minute. On January 10, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee urged the cabinet to tackle the task, recalling that in mid-October the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council announced that the protection would be extended by two six-month periods until March 2024. On January 16, the government information service told Sega that an extension is planned, but details can be provided at a later stage. In the conditions of this still unfulfilled "stage", the nerves of the Ukrainians are stretched to the limit, the publications stresses.

24 Chasa reports that Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov and the Minister of Tourism of the State of Israel Haim Katz signed at an official ceremony an agreement between the two countries on cooperation in the field of tourism.

POLITICS

Trud, Telegraph, Sega, Mediapool and 24 Chasa report that on January 24, the There Is Such a People (TISP) Party will initiate a petition to hold a national referendum for a Grand National Assembly which will decide to change the form of government from parliamentary to a presidential republic. The committee consists of 12 people, including Andrey Chorbanov, Plamen Danailov and others, Ivaylo Valchev told reporters.

24 Chasa and Trud quote Vice President Iliana Iotova, who said that changing the governance model of a country is an extremely important topic that requires a calmer situation in order to conduct a real in-depth campaign with pros and cons. "It is not good when referendums are combined with elections. The driving motives of the political formations are completely different, and the wishes and expectations of the people are in a different direction," Iotova said, recalling that there will be at least two elections in 2023 - snap parliamentary elections and regular local elections.

In an interview on NOVA's morning programme, Toshko Yordanov from TISP said that big political changes are made during crises to set society on a new path. He argued that the parliamentary system reproduces people who want to benefit themselves and who want no oversight. This political system in its version is already exhausted and is not functioning well, Yordanov stressed.

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Duma quotes Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Korneliya Ninova, who said on bTV that awarding of the third government-forming mandate to the BSP was an attempt by President Rumen Radev "to regain the support and sympathy of the Bulgarian socialists he betrayed". The policies carried out by the caretaker cabinet are already very different from the BSP's ideology and policies, she noted, pointing out the purchase of the new eight F-16 fighter jets, the President's reluctance to veto the decision to send arms to Ukraine, which the BSP sent to the Constitutional Court, and the mass firings of socialists across the country as part of the presidency's policies that differ from the policies that socialists espouse. Ninova emphasized her support for Bulgaria remaining a parliamentary republic. Duma and 24 Chasa also write that Ninova reiterated that during her time as economy minister, to her knowledge Bulgaria didn't sell arms to Ukraine, and that caretaker Economy Minister Nikola Stoyanov is lying about her knowledge of this.

Duma quotes BSP Executive Bureau member Tasko Ermenkov, who said that the cardinal problem between the presidency and BSP is their divergence in policies. He argued that President Rumen Radev's behaviour was unbecoming of the presidential institution, as Radev delayed handing out the first government-forming mandate for a while after the elections, during which time he did not hold any talks with the parties to try to be a mediator, which is his duty under the Constitution. At the last moment Radev handed the mandate to the Bulgarian Socialist Party under the pretence that it is the most dialogic and will be able to form a government.

In a Bulgarian National Television (BNT) interview, Prof. Rumen Gechev from the BSP said that in the upcoming snap elections the BSP will seek a partnership to form a regular government on the basis of the four priorities outlined at last week's leadership meeting: the Recovery and Resilience Plan bills, Budget 2023, Bulgaria's accession to Schengen and judicial reform. BSP, GERB-UDF, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and Bulgarian Rise participated in the meeting. Gechev noted that a traditional coalition between BSP, GERB-UDF and MRF after the elections is hardly possible, but a compromise must be found that would lead to regular government. He pointed out that the division between the BSP and Continue the Change in terms of foreign policy and defence is very large, despite the similarities in the social policies of the two parties. Gechev noted that this country should not enter the eurozone without meeting the Maastricht criteria, and at the moment they have not been met. Therefore, it is better to postpone the adoption of the euro until economic indicators improve. According to Gechev, it is not too late to revive the Belene NPP project.

In a bTV interview on Tuesday morning, Alexander Marinov, chairman of the Strategic Council to the President and advisor to caretaker Prime Minister Galab Donev said that the biggest threat to the parliamentary republic are the parties with their inability to perform their functions. Marinov was adamant that President Rumen Radev does not have a problem with the Bulgarian Socialist Party, but has deteriorated relations with one part of the leadership of the BSP and with its leader.

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24 Chasa reports that the Central Election Commission has successfully conducted experiments with secure ballot paper for machine voting, in accordance with the Election Code Amendment Act. The aim was to verify that the specialized devices for electronic machine voting could be compatible with secure paper that would comply with the requirements of the Election Code.

The deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission Tsvetozar Tomov said on NOVA's morning programme that if the snap parliamentary elections are scheduled on March 26, there may be a major issue with producing enough paper ballots, but if they are on April 2, the situation would be manageable. Constitutional Judge Prof. Plamen Kirov also said on bTV that April 2 is the most suitable date for early parliamentary elections.

HOME AFFAIRS

BNT's morning programme reported that employees of Bulgarian Posts are preparing for protests, which are expected to lead to a stoppage of work at post offices. The reason is low remuneration, as well as poor working conditions. On December 20, 2022, the employees of the company announced the beginning of their protests.

Duma reports a protest in a village next to Pavel Banya, South-central Bulgaria, where representatives of three settlements gathered to declare that they are against the construction of a formalin production plant. People are worried that this will bring huge environmental damage to the Rose Valley. BSP for Bulgaria Deputy Floor Leader Georgi Svilenski and BSP MPs Ivan Chenchev, and Georgi Gyokov also participated in the protest.

Trud, Sega and Mediapool report that a court fee of BGN 70, which was not paid on time by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA), turned out to result in the private company Eurolab 2011 continuing to use the BFSA premises at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint. Because of the unpaid fee in November, the Administrative Court in Sofia rejected the request of BFSA to cancel the company's contract, and on Monday the Supreme Administrative Court confirmed this decision as completely justified. Eurolab 2011 carried out phytosanitary control at the border check point but last spring the Kiril Petkov cabinet announced that it was ending the "private border" and would return control to the state. However, Eurolab 2011 has fought off in court absolutely every attempt of BFSA to regain control so far.

ECONOMY

Telegraph reports that the necessary net monthly income to support the life of a working person for the fourth quarter of 2022 was BGN 1,351, which an increase of 2.4% per month and by 17.7% on an annual basis. The necessary monthly amount for a three-member family is specified by the National Statistical Institute as BGN 2,432. The daily notes that not many Bulgarians earn that much and that there is no current income policy, nor is there likely to be such a policy anytime soon. The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions' chief economist Luboslav Kostov told BNT that that average incomes in Bulgaria do not lead to an average standard of living, they cover only urgent needs and are grossly insufficient for leading a normal life.

NOVA's morning programme features a discussion on necessary monthly household income in Bulgaria which has increased significantly over the past year. Banker Levon Hampartzumyan and economist Evgeny Kanev commented on the topic and agreed Bulgaria does not have the efficient market of the member states of the eurozone and Schengen. They highlighted the positives of membership and explained why it reduces the prices of goods in Europe.

Sega, Mediapool and Trud write that Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva called on the mobile operators Yettel and Vivacom not to raise the prices of their subscription contracts from February due to the great public dissatisfaction and numerous complaints from citizens. The two telecoms said that from February 5 they will index prices due to the inflation of the previous year according to the general conditions of the contracts. Yettel announced that the price increase will be 15.4%, which is the average annual inflation for 2022, and Vivacom is raising monthly subscriptions by BGN 2.

Sega writes that in December, imports of Russian oil into the EU went down by 270,000 barrels per day to 900,000 barrels per day compared to November, according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The decrease in quantities is due to the restrictions on the import of Russian oil that came into force on December 5, imposed by the West because of Russia's aggression in Ukraine. But Bulgaria was exempted from the embargo and since January has been the only EU Member State that has the right to receive supplies by tankers. Thus, this country turned out to be a key port for Russian oil. In December, 160,000 barrels out of a total of 230,000 barrels bound by sea for Member States arrived in Bulgaria, two tankers were unloaded in the Netherlands and one in Italy, according to the IEA's monthly report.

BNT reports that used car prices continue to rise. Representatives of the departmental organizations in this country report a 30% increase in prices just last year, which will continue into 2023. 

Duma reports that low-quality pork from Western Europe has flooded the market in Bulgaria. Due to a shortage of Bulgarian pork, almost all the sausages in stores were imported, and the quality of the raw material was inferior. At the same time, the prices of meat products are going up. Bulgarian pork accounts for only 30-40% of consumption in the country and is mainly used for fresh consumption. Raw materials from Spain, France, Denmark, Germany and Belgium are mainly used in the production of sausages.

HEALTHCARE

Trud warns that within a week, the whole country will be in a flu epidemic, quoting Prof. Iva Hristova, director of the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. She said that after this period there will be a decline in morbidity. The new version of Omicron is the most contagious to date, but it is mild, Prof. Hristova also said.

Duma reports that the availability of antibiotics in pharmacies is gradually normalizing. A large number of the missing medicines were found in bulk warehouses. There is still a lack of several types of insulin and other medications for people with diabetes. Antibiotics for adults from various companies are already reaching pharmacies. There is also an increase in the quantities of children's antibiotics.

Mediapool writes that the Ministry of Health's centralized electronic auction for cancer drugs, which has been blocked by appeals for the second year in a row, means that the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) continues to pay radically different prices for some drugs in individual hospitals. At the last meeting of the NHIF Supervisory Board, before he was released as head the fund, Prof. Petko Salchev warned that this practice would continue in 2023. The reason is that after fruitless correspondence with the Ministries of Health and Finance, the institutions failed to devise a mechanism to end this vicious practice.