BTA :: Media Review: August 19

HEADS

Monday’s news media was dominated by speculation about the composition of caretaker Prime Minister Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva’s cabinet and the death of French actor Alain Delon at the age of 88 on August 18.

24 Chasa begins with an interview with Bulgarian Defense Chief Admiral Emil Eftimov, who comments on the country’s commitments to NATO and the outcomes of the 2024 Washington summit, the modernization of the armed forces, Bulgaria’s investment in an IRIS-T air defense system, and much more.

Trud And Telegraph start with stories about unlicensed nursing homes, which became a hot topic after a fire broke out in a nursing home last week, leaving one dead and three injured. Trud writes that nearly 300 organizations offering residential care for the elderly have had their licenses revoked since 2021, when the Agency for Quality of Social Services at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy was established. Despite this, nursing homes continue to operate illegally. A check by Telegraph shows that the costs at these places are generally between BGN 890 and BGN 2,000 per month.

Duma‘s top story is headlined: “Hundreds Gather in Protest Over Water Shortage.” The newspaper reports that residents of four villages in Svishtov Municipality (north-central Bulgaria) — Hadzhimitrovo, Gorna Studena, Morava and Kozlovets — blocked the main road between Pleven and Ruse over the weekend because of the lack of drinking water. The story also names other municipalities affected by the problem, including Smyadovo, Georgi Damyanovo, Montana, Bolyarovo, Elhovo and Chepelare. Telegraph The story also covers this topic under the headline: “People protest water rationing.”

POLITICS

President Rumen Radev on Monday refused to appoint a new interim cabinet proposed by prime minister-designate Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva over the nomination of Kalin Stoyanov for interim interior minister. Radev gave her until 3 p.m. the same day to propose a different interior minister, but the prime minister-designate said she had made a considered 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 composition of the interim cabinet on the morning program of Bulgarian National Television (BNT).

Former GERB MP Dani Kanazireva, journalist Vladimir Yonchev and sociologist Kolyo Kolev were guests of the morning program of Nova TV, where they talked about whether there is a way out of the political crisis. The topic was also discussed by journalist Stoyana Georgieva and political analysts Slavi Vassilev and Tsvetanka Andreeva in the morning program of bTV. This part of the program was entitled “Why the tension between President Radev and Delyan Peevski is escalating”.

Trud has an article with the headline “Kozhareva’s cabinet uncertain until the last moment”.

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In an interview on 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 purposes and even destroy it. The outcome is clear.” “This model must be ended. Just as the MRF should evolve without (one of its two chairmen) 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 reads that the extractive industry contributed BGN 800 million to the state budget in 2023. Speaking at the event, BCMG Board Chairman 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 the goals set by the European Union require a well-developed and functioning mining sector, adding that the demand for extractive raw materials in the EU is expected to grow up to six times by 2030 and up to fifteen times by 2050.

BCMG Honorary President Nikolay Valkanov cited the sector’s biggest problem as: Trud that no new permits for the exploration and extraction of mineral deposits are granted.

24 Chasa has a nine-page section devoted to Bulgaria’s mining sector, entitled “Industry that invests wisely in people and technology”. A total of 18,857 miners, geologists and mining engineers contribute 5% to Bulgaria’s GDP.

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Quoted by 24 ChasaEvelina Miltenova, President of the Bulgarian Association of Supplementary Pension Insurance Companies, says that the Financial Supervision Commission and private pension insurers are currently discussing changes to the social insurance legislation.

HEALTH

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

SPORT

Trud features a two-page interview with Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov, who recently accepted the invitation of FIFA President Gianni Infantino to join his team. Stoichkov, who is also the vice-president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, commented on the Olympic Games in Paris and the performances of the athletes representing his country. When asked whether his career as a football commentator for the TUDN TV channel is over, he said that he cannot give a definite answer and added that it is unlikely that he will be able to cover major football events given his new job at FIFA.

CRIME

Trud is making headlines with a story about eight arrests for a nightclub brawl that escalated into a shooting in the resort of Chaniotis (Chalkidiki, Greece) late on Friday night. The incident, involving Bulgarian nationals, left three people injured, one seriously. The incident was reportedly caused by a delayed order, Trud writes, adding that the arrested Bulgarians are said to have strong ties to the Bulgarian mafia. Mediapool.bg also reports on this story, quoting BNT as saying that according to the latest media reports, which cite unofficial police sources, the authorities believe that the nightclub was used as a front for money laundering by the Bulgarian mafia. It is also believed that the brawl was orchestrated in order to close the restaurant during the tourist season, as it is quite profitable and harms the interests of its rivals. The story is also covered by other daily newspapers and in the morning programs of Nova TV and bTV.

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Trud also writes that the Sofia District Court will decide whether to release or detain businessman Rumen “the Wolf” Gaytanski, who has been charged in connection with an investigation into a non-performing loan of around BGN 150 million from the Bulgarian Development Bank to the company Roadway Construction, which is linked to him. Gaytanski turned himself in on Friday and was held for 72 hours. Former spokesman for the Union of Judges in Bulgaria Ivan Georgiev, who was arrested on Thursday in the same case and charged as an assistant, was released the next day on BGN 50,000 bail. Former BDB director Stoyan Mavrodiev, who is charged with gross official embezzlement, is still wanted.

The high-profile embezzlement case was discussed by former Deputy Finance Minister Georgy Kadiev. “These loans could not have been granted without political guidance. Stoyan Mavrodiev did not act alone. These people would probably not have put themselves at risk if they had not been subjected to political pressure and coercion,” Kadiev said. He noted that one of the two MRF chairmen, Delyan Peevski, and GERB leader Boyko Borissov had influence over the Bulgarian Development Bank.