Heavy Rains In East Bulgaria - Not Good For Grape Cropping

Having driven my Lada to Burgas just a couple of days ago, I’m glad it wasn’t in this weather. IU was tucked up in my village through the torrential rain that we also had there some 100 kilometres away. Not headline news by any means, but the rains came on the weekend when the harvesting of grapes takes place by many thousands of grape growers. A wet and muddy affair for those who still went ahead with it.

Heavy downpours flooded Sunday numerous streets in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Burgas, the local Civil Defense reports.

Civil Defense teams are pumping the water from three locations. The rain is also the most likely culprit causing a heavy duty truck to flip over near Burgas. The driver has suffered light injuries.
Several cars have been stranded in high waters in the Black Sea capital Varna, the Varna Civil Defense further reports. Efforts to free the cars are underway. Traffic is seriously impeded by the heavy rain and slippery roads.

Rain was reported all over Eastern Bulgaria all through the night. In addition to the floods, the downpours caused falling of tree branches at numerous locations. There are no reported fatalities, injuries or serious material damage.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=108472

Higher Cigarettes Prices In Bulgaria - Contingency Plans From Smokers

All the talk at work today was about the price of cigarettes that will effectively double next year. Will this mean that many will give up? No, they will just get contraband cigarettes from other Balkan and non-EU countries. This is what will happen here and with my ear to the ground and working with Bulgarian smokers, I don’t doubt it.

Bulgaria's Finance Ministry plans to raise the excise duty on cigarettes to 76 euros for 1,000 cigarettes from January 2010.

If this plan goes ahead, cigarette prices in Bulgaria would increase by 30 per cent, on average. Currently, the rate is 52.3 euros for 1,000 cigarettes, Bulgarian-language Dnevnik daily reported.

One of the most popular brands, Victory, which is currently sold at 3.40 leva (1.70 euros) a packet, could reach 4.50 leva (2.3 euros) while Marlboro, currently sold at 3.90 leva (1.99 euros), could cost five leva (2.5 euros).

The ministry plans to include the new cigarette excise duty rates in the draft bill on the 2010 state budget, that will have to be tabled in parliament by the end of October.

Bulgaria has an agreement with the European Commission to raise the current cigarette excise duty to 64 euros for 1,000 cigarettes in 2010, from the current 52.3 euros, which is one of the lowest rates in the EU. Now, however, the ministry is apparently revising its intentions.

"The idea for a higher excise duty comes as a surprise, because until a few days ago we were discussing an excise duty of 64 euros," the state-owned Bulgartabak tobacco company, which holds half the cigarette market in Bulgaria, told Dnevnik.

Dnevnik spoke to producers and importers, who said that the increased excise duty would stimulate contraband and illegal cigarette production.

Source: www.balkaninsight.com
Image via Wikipedia

More Bulgarian Gas Bills Now Wiil Not Be Paid

Bloody typical and increase in gas price when the winter looms and from people who can ill afford it. The reason? - Problems collecting money from gas users. Is this going to solve the problem? No it will just mean more people won’t pay because they can't afford it! A bit short-sighted Mr Traikov. Well actually not really this is just a front for more money and effectively more tax. If everyone paid their bills would they put the price down again?

The Bulgarian State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR) approved Wednesday a 2,49% increase of natural gas prices from October 1, 2009.

However, the price increase in the last three month of 2009 will not affect the central heating prices at least until the end of the year, the DKEVR announced.

From October 1, the natural gas will cost BGN 374,13 per 1 000 cubic meters (no value added tax-VAT, inclueded), which is BGN 9,10 more expensive than the previous three months.

On Wednesday, Bulgaria's Economy and Energy Minister, Traicho Traikov, stated that the state owned natural gas distribution company, Bulgargaz, has difficulties in collecting money from its debtors, which is the reason for increasing prices.

“They cannot deal with their debtors, and that is why they want to rise prices... The main issue here are the central heating utilities, but they have no other way to pay their debt, except having cases against their clients. People must understand that they have to pay their bills”, Taikov said.

In his words, there will not be a 24,5% increase in the natural gas prices from the beginning of 2010. The Energy Ministry has agreed with Bulgargaz the company to try find internal reservs in order to make the price increase smoother.

Source: www.novinite.com

Mafia Trial Delay - Why Aren't We Surprised?

Sounds to me like Mafia influence all the way along the long here. Who is Mafia and who isn’t is quite vague, yes even in the courts. How long can this façade go on for? Indefinitely it seems from what has gone on before. Bet your last dollar the is another reason for the postponement to extend the delay or even get them acquitted somehow. Mark my words.

Sofia City Court postponed once again the case against Bulgaria's mobster brothers, Krassimir and Nikolay Marinov, due to the poor health condition of another defendant in the same trial - Ivo Karageorgiev.

Over the last two years several hearings have been postponed and rescheduled over the same reason - failure on the part of the defendant Ivo Karageorgiev to turn up in the court room due to serious illness.

Karageorgiev's attorney - Lyubomir Vladimirov stated before the Court that his client suffered a heart ailment, not allowing him to appear in person for legal proceedings. According to the lawyer, Karageorgiev's hearth condition could only be cured via bypass surgery, to which he should personally agree.

Vladimirov further stated that Ivo Karageorgiev's brother Svetlin, also a defendant in the trial, had the same heart condition and the decease ran in the family. Svetlin suddenly passed away in his home in August 2008.

The mobster brothers Krassimir and Nikolay Marinov AKA "the Marguins" are considered two of the most influential underworld figures in Bulgaria.

The Marguins were arrested in October 2005 over the alleged plot to murder the businessman Nikola Damyanov, retired general Lyuben Gotsev and underworld boss Ivan Todorov, nicknamed Doktora (the Doctor).

Ivan Todorov was shot dead in broad daylight in central Sofia on February 22, 2007, while the other alleged target, Nikola Damyanov died of a sudden hearth attack on his way to the hospital in October 2007.

The Marguins are also charged with illegal ownership of guns, participation in organized crime, and money laundering.

Each of the brothers was released on BGN 20,000 bail at the beginning of December 2007. Before the bail the Marguins were kept under home arrest.

Source: www.novinite.com

10% Unemployment Expected In Bulgaria by 2010

Yet another set of disturbing figures, yet no real surprise to what I see on a day-to-day basis here. There is no disposable income form Bulgarian people and no spending going on in restaurants, shops and consumer goods. This leads to bad business and more unemployment; a vicious spiral that continues to impress itself in the Bulgarian economy. 2010 seems to be the truing point, but at the moment I can’t see how that will improve beyond this.

Unemployment in Bulgaria could exceed 10 per cent by the end of 2009, and is not expected to drop again before the end of 2010, according to the National Employment Agency. On September 29 2009, the Economic and Social Council met Labour and Social Policy Ministry leadership to present the council’s analysis of Bulgaria’s unemployment situation.

Youth unemployment emerged as a serious issue, with a quarter of people aged between 15 and 25 neither working nor studying, while the number of people currently unemployed was close to double that for which labour market support measures had been provided, Labour and Social Policy Minister Totyu Mladenov said. Mladenov said that his ministry would propose further measures such as a three-month addition to the current period during which unemployment benefits were paid, but only those who registered for training courses would be eligible to benefit.

The Economic and Social Council report said that some measures provided for by the Employment Promotion Act because they were ineffective, Dnevnik reported. Plamen Dimitrov of the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions said that ineffective programmes included one to give people younger than 29 training in computer skills, when most of them already had the basic knowledge required. The council report said that additional funds should be allocated to the Labour and Social Ministry’s anti-crisis programme, because funds allocated for the programme for this year had been used up.

Source: www.sofiaecho.com