24 Chasa Daily

Sofia citizens, residing in the quarters of Mladost, Lyulin, Ovcha Koupel, Vitosha and part of Triaditsa will have to temporarily dispose of their waste in bags until the containers are replaced, "24 Chasa" writes referring to Sofia Municipal Council Chairman Andrei Ivanov. The measure has been prompted by the fact that the concession contract of the company, which is currently in charge of the waste collection, Novera, expires on March 1. Chistota Iskur will collect the waste in Lyulin and Triaditsa for one year while the waste of the other three quarters will be collected by Titan.

Telephone conversations and on-line communication will be bugged only in case of serious and/or computer crimes, "24 Chassa" reports. The operators will keep the data in the course of one year and this term will not be extended even on request by the competent authorities. This is envisaged in texts of the Electronic Communications Act passed conclusively by the MPs on Thursday. They turned down Interior Ministry's proposals about easy access to telephone conversations, e-mails and other Internet data.

"24 Chasa" runs an analysis under the headline, "No Witness III". The author tells the story of architect Georgi Yanev, who became known after submitting a report against Lyubomir Lilov and Ivan Vladimirov, officials of the National Road Infrastructure Fund (NRIF), who subsequently resigned. The two men were arrested on January 24, 2008 for soliciting a 50,000-lev (25,000-euro) bribe from architect Georgi Yanev for a  request to re-categorize a plot of land near the northern Bulgarian city of Veliko Turnovo so that construction work could be undertaken there. Now, 13 months later, one of the officials is served with a suspended sentence and the other appeals his sentence, the author of the article writes. Meanwhile, the investor has deprived Yanev of the opportunity to keep on working on the project and the authorities would not refund the 10,000 leva, which were used to implicate the two officials, to Yanev. The tax authorities have been after Yanev for outstanding debts and he is beginning to lose his clients. He pays a dear price for his bravery, the author states adding that witnesses in Bulgaria do not receive any support from the state. If the state does not take measures so that witnesses be carefully guarded and respected, it would lose the fight against corruption and crime in such a crucial moment, the author concludes.

"We are on constant alert regarding a  possible new gas crisis," Economy and Energy Minister Peter Dimitrov says in an interview for "24 Chassa". No alarming reports have been received so far but the authorities are doing their best so as not to be unprepared, he observes. Asked whether Bulgaria would develop protectionism because of the world crisis, Dimitrov replies that he does not like that word but, however, outlines power engineering, information technologies, tourism, biotechnologies and agriculture as sectors that should be given priority in the conditions of a crisis.

Trud Daily

Boiko Velikov, Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Combatting Corruption, is quoted by "Trud" as saying that a large-scale check into the operation of the Customs Agency has been carried out. "According to us, there are conditions for corruption in the customs services," says he. Asked whether the scandal with the VAT scams will shake the Government and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), he voices hope that this case would not affect the tax collection rates or shake seriously BSP and the coalition. Asked about the demands of Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski's resignation, Velikov comments that political responsibility should be assumed, when there is sufficient evidence, regardless of the level at which the offences have been established.

"Trud" reports about new standards for the production of traditional Bulgarian dairy products, registered by the National Veterinary Service. The purpose is to restore the quality of the Bulgarian yoghurt, white cheese and yellow cheese. The standards are not binding but the products, manufactured in compliance with them, will bear special signs.

"Trud" publishes a story by British Minister for Europe Caroline Flint. She recalls that Friday the Commission will publish its report on the EU enlargement and the benefits and challenges, which it entails. According to her, the old Member States have benefited from the hitherto enlargements. In her view the future enlargements would bring the same benefits given that the candidate-countries strictly comply with the conditions for the accession. The motivation for membership is a driving engine behind the reforms in the countries, willing to join the Union.

Klassa Daily

A memorial ceremony at the monument of Vassil Levski marked the 136th anniversary of the death of this Bulgarian hero and freedom fighter on Thursday. "May we, modern politicians, learn from Vassil Levski and the respect he had towards the united forces of our people because this is the key to prosperity of modern Bulgaria," President Georgi Purvanov said in his speech cited by "Klassa". Attending the ceremony were also National Assembly Chairman Georgi Pirinski, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, cabinet ministers and public figures.

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