The Only English-Language Daily in Bulgaria Sofia, Saturday, January 25, 2014, No.21 Bulgarian BSEC Chairmanship-in-Office Bulgaria, Turkey to Sign Outlines Priorities Gas Interconnector Construction Sofia/Istanbul - The Bulgarian Chairmanship-in- Agreement in March Office of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Sofia - In March Bulgaria and Turkey are expected Cooperation (BSEC) Thursday outlined its priorities for to sign an agreement on the construction of a gas the January-June period at a meeting at the BSEC interconnector so that it can become operational two headquarters in Istanbul, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry years from now. This transpired at a news briefing held said. Under the motto "Better Synergy for Enhanced Com- petitiveness", Bulgaria will seek to boost multilateral cooperation among BSEC Member States in order to make the Black Sea region more attractive to foreign investors and businesses. Sectoral priorities include pro- moting interaction in transport, youth and sports, health care, agriculture, IT and communication technology, fight against organized crime and advancing contacts between businesses in BSEC Member States. Public- private sector cooperation in the implementation of spe- cific projects will be paid special attention. Establishing synergy between the BSEC and other regional cooperation formats will be among the goals of the Bulgarian Chairmanship. The adoption of a prag- matic approach between the BSEC and the European Economy and Energy Minister Dragomir Stoynev (left) and Turkey's Union, finding the points of convergence between BSEC Minister of Natural Resources Taner Yildiz BTA Photo and EU priorities and identifying specific projects of here on Friday by Bulgarian Economy and Energy mutual interest in environment, tourism, education, mari- Minister Dragomir Stoynev and visiting Turkish Energy time policy and other key areas will be at the core of the and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz. Chairmanship's efforts. The gas interconnector will have a total length of 114 The Bulgarian Chairmanship calendar includes a km and a capacity to carry between 3 and 5 billion cubic number of high-level events in various areas of coopera- metres of gas annually. tion, such as: Stoynev commented that his session with the Turkish - the 30th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Minister made it possible to talk of genuine diversification Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States; of gas supplies to Bulgaria. - a Meeting of Ministers of Transport of the BSEC The contractor on the Bulgarian side will be the State- Member States; owned gas transmission and storage operator - a Meeting of Ministers in Charge of Youth and Sport Bulgartransgaz. Stoynev noted that picking this company of the BSEC Member States; is the fastest way to go ahead with this project. - a Meeting of the Ministers of Interior of the BSEC The cost of the project is yet to be assessed, as is the Member States. Continued on page 2 Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin on Friday unveiled an exhibition marking the BSEC Bulgarian Chairmanship-in-Office at the INSIDE: Mission Gallery of his Ministry's State Institute of WSJ on Penal Code Draft .................... 3 Culture. Attending the ceremony were Sate Insti- tute of Culture Director Lyudmila Todorova, Dip- Borissov bTV Interview ........................ 4 lomatic Institute Director Tanya Mihailova, Sofia Customs Agency: 2012 Report.............. 5 University Rector Prof. Ivan Ilchev, exhibition curator Stefan Peykov, and Primorsko Mayor Parliamentary Monitor ......................... 6 Dimiter Germanov. Daily News January 25, 2014, Page 2 GERB Urges Resignation of Deputy Environment Minister, Environment Ministry Political Leadership Sofia - GERB urges the resigna- opened an infringement procedure pointments of people close to the tion of Deputy Environment and against Bulgaria in connection with Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Water Minister Chavdar Georgiev the master plan of Tsarevo Munici- GERB does not rule out a motion of and the political leadership of his pality. Ivanov added that under no confidence in the Government over Ministry, GERB MPs Ivelina Georgiev as deputy environment min- its widely criticized environment poli- Vassileva and Stanislav Ivanov said ister between 2005 and 2009, the EC cies. However, Vassileva said that the in Parliament on Friday. Vassileva suspended payments under Opera- reasons will be specified later. said that Bulgaria is faced with mil- tional Programme Environment over On Thursday, the For the Nature lions of euro in fines after the Euro- ineligible projects." He is politically coalition of environmental organiza- pean Commission took Bulgaria to convenient, is not an expert, and the tions and civil groups said that on court for its failure to bring landfills whole political leadership should resign December 13 Georgiev withdrew an into conformity with EU require- with him," said the MP. opinion on the need of an environ- ments. GERB warned that Bulgaria could mental impact assessment of the mas- The non-compliant EU Member expect more infringement procedures ter plan of Tsarevo Municipality and State pays a lump-sum fine of 700,000 regarding environment. subsequently the Supreme Adminis- euro with a subsequent fine for each The opposition reported mass dis- trative Court reversed an earlier rul- day of non-compliance, potentially missals of heads of the regional ing against the plan, thus paving the reaching millions of euro. inspectorates of the Environment way for building development in parts Vassileva recalled that the EC Ministry and dubious political ap- of the Strandja Nature Park. Bulgaria, Turkey to Sign Agreement... Continued from page 1 believes that both countries will be able to capitalize on their strategic geographic location. price of the gas that it will be carrying. Stoynev's only "Turkey is beginning to build nuclear power projects comment was that he expects the price to be reasonable. and Bulgaria has experience in this field which Turkey "We believe that the interconnecter can be built within could use," Yildiz pointed out. two years," said the Bulgarian Minister. He stressed the shared support for the South Stream He added that a joint venture is to be set up between project and the importance of the future Bulgaria-Turkey Bulgaria's National Electric Company (NEK) and a gas interconnector. Turkish partner company to streamline NEK's electricity He also said that his country wants to see progress in exports to Turkey. The future company will be registered trade in electricity and that Turkey us ready to buy at least in Turkey. 600 MW, which could increase to 1,400 MW at a later Stoynev hopes that increasing electricity exports to stage. Turkey will help the troubled NEK improve its financial Asked to comment on his country's plans to build a standing. nuclear power plant near the border with Bulgaria, he In his remarks, Yildiz stressed the strategic impor- said that the Igneada site is one of five options that are tance his country attaches to relations with Bulgaria. He being considered. Later in the day, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Development Daniela Bobeva and Taner Yildiz con- curred that there is untapped potential for the promotion of bilateral trade and economic relations, the Government Information Service said. Besides energy, they singled out tourism and infra- structure development as the sectors holding out pros- pects for larger investments and benefits for both coun- tries. Bobeva, who is Governor for Bulgaria at the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB), empha- sized the Bank's untapped potential for promoting re- gional projects in the private sector and trade between the founding members. Bobeva recalled that in 2014 Bulgaria will host three Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski and three ministers held a major events of the Organization of the Black Sea meeting with the mayors of Stara Zagora Region attended by MPs Economic Cooperation (BSEC): the BSEC's regular of the Bulgarian Socialist Party. Before that Oresharski met with session; the Annual Meeting of the BSTDB Board of Governors; and the meeting of the Central Bank Gover- representatives of the Remotex machine-building company, who nors' Club of the BSEC Member States. She said that handed him a letter asking to help them get long overdue wages these meetings could be used as a platform to present the and have their company restarted BTA Photo advantages of BSTDB financing, as well as to encourage businesses from the Member States to implement joint projects. Daily News January 25, 2014, Page 3 The Wall Street Journal: Bulgaria Faces Criticism Over New Crime Bill Critics Say Criminal Code Bill Restricts Human Rights Sofia - The Bulgarian government faces criticism censorship". over a new Criminal Code Bill which critics say restricts Kashumov said that in his view the controversial human rights, The Wall Street Journal wrote in a story elements of the bill do run contrary to the EU convention Thursday. The controversial new bill could see the on human rights, namely to the guarantees of free speech, former Eastern bloc member clash with the European the right to public information and freedom of expression. Union over human rights, the story says. EU representatives werenÒt immediately available The Criminal Code Bill, which is currently being for comment, but BulgariaÒs justice ministry denied that debated by lawmakers in Sofia after being approved by the bill attacks freedom of speech. the cabinet last week, would hand the police discretion- "The Ministry of Justice will not comment on political ary powers to prevent crime and public disorder in certain assessments of the document. We are confident that the public places. new draft Criminal Code in its current form is a profes- It would curtail civil servants from criticizing gov- sional and expert opinion of leading Bulgarian lawyers," ernment policies and from participating in protests, the ministry reportedly said. and it would encourage people to anonymously report The story deaws a parallel with the situation in Russia petty thefts and other acts of public disorder.