The UDF is established as a joint stock company by Societe Generale Expressbank, Elana Holding, Elana Investment and Balkan Advisors, namely the members of a Consortium led by Société Générale Expressbank, to invest approximately EUR 18.8 million of JESSICA funds and approximately an additional EUR 37.6 million of its own funds (in total EUR 56.4 million) in the next four years into urban projects located in the cities of Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Ruse, Stara Zagora and Pleven.

EIB Vice-President Wilhelm Molterer commented: “In addition to lending operations, the EIB provides professional expertise in the framework of the JESSICA initiative, an innovative instrument focused on a more efficient utilization of EU Structural Funds, which aims to create revolving funds investing in sustainable urban development projects”.

On the basis of their specific experience and know how, the Consortium partners are expected to fulfill the main objectives of the UDF, namely to support sustainable urban transformation investments aimed at more competitive, socially inclusive and sustainable urban areas fostering better quality of life and welfare, as well as improved accessibility to basic public and private services. The JESSICA investment portfolio in the abovementioned six major cities may include projects with the following scope: rehabilitation of deprived urban areas, basic infrastructure works, energy networks and energy efficiency in the context of a wider urban development plan, etc.

The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (“Managing Authority”) established a JESSICA Holding Fund (“HF”) within EIB with the aim to deploying EU Structural Funds for revitalization investments in city areas. The respective Funding Agreement was signed on July 29 2010.

Source: EIB

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These funds will contribute to the continuation of safe decommissioning of the nuclear power plants Kozloduy, Ignalina and Bohunice. This new financial assistance should support the efforts of the three Member States who are ultimately responsible for nuclear safety, including the financing of decommissioning.

EU Commissioner for energy Günther Oettinger said: "It is in our citizens’ interest, that these reactors will be safely decommissioned and that they will never be restarted again. This additional financial support will help the three Member States to timely progress in defueling and decommissioning of these nuclear reactors. This is a clear expression of solidarity of the EU, which has put nuclear safety as a priority."

The Union assistance for decommissioning of nuclear power plants aims at reaching an irreversible state in the decommissioning process and eliminating the major source of radiological hazard. The proposal foresees for Bulgaria additional €185 million until 2020, for Lithuania €210 million until 2017 and for Slovakia €105 million until 2017 (in 2011 prices).

Before the Union financial support will be provided, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Lithuania will have to meet certain conditions:

• EU legislation on nuclear safety and on the management of nuclear waste has to be fully implemented.

• The Member States have to create legal frameworks for the timely accumulation of national financial resources to cover the remaining financial needs. This will make sure that the Member States will be able to gradually take over the necessary financing responsibilities.

• Revised detailed decommissioning plans have to be submitted to the Commission. Those plans will be the basis for monitoring the implementation of the financial assistance from the Union.

Source: Europa.eu

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The two countries hold the only viable populations of wild sturgeons in the European Union (EU), but five of the six native sturgeon species in the Danube are critically endangered and sturgeon fishing there has been banned.

According to the new report, a total of 14 seizures of illegal caviar originating from Bulgaria (27.5 kg in five seizures) and Romania (25 kg in nine seizures) were reported by EU Member States between 2000 and 2009. Neither Bulgaria nor Romania reported illegal caviar seizures themselves.

“It is of concern that Bulgaria and Romania reported no seizures of caviar, while other EU Member States registered several seizures where those two countries were implicated,” said TRAFFIC’s Katalin Kecse-Nagy, author of the report.

“The detected quantities are not very high, but we must bear in mind that the real volume of illegal trade is likely to be considerably higher and any illegal trade poses an unacceptable risk to these highly threatened species,” said Kecse-Nagy.

Kecse-Nagy also points out that in 2007, both Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, meaning any illegal trade was within the Union, and therefore harder to detect and prevent.

In addition, due to their geographical position, the two countries are potential gateways for illicit caviar trade from the Caspian Sea, the most important sturgeon fishery in the world.

In 2009 German authorities seized caviar smuggled into the EU and labeled as Bulgarian farmed caviar. Bulgaria and Romania are only permitted to trade in farmed-caviar, but isotope analysis demonstrated the caviar had originated from the Caspian Sea.

“This case demonstrates how permitted caviar farming was exploited to launder illegally sourced caviar into legal trade,” said Kecse-Nagy.

Analysis of legal trade data indicates a large increase in aquaculture production in Bulgaria for export, including within the EU.

“This means it is more vital than ever to regulate closely the caviar trade within the region to ensure illicit trade is not posing a threat to wild sturgeons.”

The TRAFFIC report recommends both Romania and Bulgaria raise awareness among enforcement agencies of the illegal caviar trade and strengthen their capacity to control and monitor the trade.

“The EU has a major responsibility to regulate the caviar trade because EU member states are the largest consumer of caviar from Romania and the second largest consumer of caviar from Bulgaria,” said Jutta Jahrl, Sturgeon expert at WWF.

“The EU must close every loophole in order to save sturgeons from extinction.”

However, according to Jahrl, consumer awareness in Europe about the threat posed by illegal caviar trade is low, while even genuine traders know little about the requirements for labelling legal caviar.

“It is crucial that traders and consumers do not buy unlabelled caviar – this simple act would strike a major blow against the illegal trade.”

The report, Trade in Sturgeon Caviar in Bulgaria and Romania, was funded by The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, DBU (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt) and WWF.

Source WWF

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The people died when the overcrowded double-decker craft sank in a wide bend of Europe’s longest river on 10 July.

The Bulgaria tragedy has raised larger questions about not only the country’s commercial vessels but its military fleet as well, Svobodnaia Pressa reported.

Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office determined that unlicensed work occurred aboard the flagship of the Northern Fleet, the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Petr Velikii. After a long trek to Vladivostok and back, the ship underwent scheduled preventive maintenance in Murmansk by the ZAO Spetsialnaya Proizvodstvenno-Tekhnicheskaya Baza Zvezdochka joint-stock company.

According to the General Prosecutor’s Office investigation, ZAO Spetsialnaya Proizvodstvenno-Tekhnicheskaya Baza Zvezdochka General Director Barashko signed a report stating that the repairs and upgrades had been completed and the funding had been received and spent as designated. General Prosecutor’s Office investigators determined however that ZAO Spetsialnaya Proizvodstvenno-Tekhnicheskaya Baza Zvezdochka had in fact only spent just $3.6 million of the designated funds to repair the Petr Velikii, while the remaining $9.56 million designated for the repairs had in fact apparently been stolen.

By. Joao Peixe, Deputy Editor OilPrice.com

Source: OilPrice.com

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“This is the first time Bulgaria has banned sturgeon catching in the Danube”, said Ivaylo Simeonov, Head of Unit Management and Monitoring of Fisheries at Bulgaria’s National Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture. “We did have a ban on sturgeon catching in 2008, but only in the Black Sea”.

Jutta Jahrl, sturgeon expert at WWF welcomed the Bulgarian declaration.

“What this means is that Bulgaria is really giving the sturgeons a break, joining Romania in this very important measure,” said Jahrl.

“The Romanian moratorium came into force in April 2006, but considering that the Danube serves as a national border between Bulgaria and Romania, a one-sided ban cannot have any impact if fishermen on the other side are still catching the fish”.

Most sturgeons are anadromous – the adults live in estuaries and coastal waters but swim upstream to spawn. The Black Sea is one of the most important sturgeon fisheries in the world, second only to the Caspian Sea. The Danube, as one of the major feeder rivers and estuaries of the Black Sea, is crucial for sturgeons.

The one-year ban on the part of Bulgaria is a prelude to a five-year ban which is planned to start in 2012.

“At the Fisheries Agency we have already prepared the terms of the five-year ban”, Ivaylo Simeonov said. “Under the terms of the proposed ban, various activities in support of sturgeon populations will be carried out, for example restocking of fish populations and monitoring of the status of sturgeons”.

An information campaign among fishing communities and better enforcement of the ban are also in the pipeline for 2012.

The caviar connection

Until the 19th century, giant Beluga sturgeons migrated from the Black Sea up the Danube as far as Germany and were important mainstays for many fishing communities. Originating 200 million years ago, sturgeons have outlasted the dinosaurs, but today most species are critically endangered according to the IUCN red list.

Dams such as the Iron Gates between Serbia and Romania that have cut off the migration routes of sturgeons, the consequent loss of spawning habitats and especially over exploitation of the fish, driven by caviar consumption, are the main human activities that threaten and impact sturgeon populations.

“Overfishing – principally for caviar – is the biggest cause for concern, but habitat alteration, including hydropower, and pollution are contributing causes”, said Colman O’Criodain, Wildlife Trade Officer at WWF.

Trade in sturgeon caviar is an extremely profitable business. Caviar is one of the most expensive wildlife products, fetching retail prices of EUR 6,000 and up per kilogram. Among the sturgeon species native to the Danube basin is the Beluga sturgeon famous for its expensive caviar.

Until 2007 quotas for caviar export existed and were distributed among Lower Danube countries. But in 2007 it was realized that population numbers had dropped drastically and Lower Danube countries could not fulfill even half of their respective quotas. This led to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) banning caviar export from natural fish populations – as opposed to farmed fish – from all Lower Danube countries.

Unfortunately the ban has led to cases of illegal trade and although actual amounts of illegal trade are unknown, they are estimated to be significant. Between 2000 and 2005, authorities seized over 12 tonnes of illegal caviar in the EU.

Officially, most of the caviar from Lower Danube countries in circulation today is from aquaculture stock.

“In an effort to stop illegal trade, CITES parties agreed on a comprehensive chain-of-custody labeling, which aims to track caviar from its origin to the end consumer”, said Colman O’Criodain.

According to international regulations, all caviar containers must bear a label that has a specific set of information. Any caviar on sale without this label is illegal.

“Although international regulations are good, there are still loopholes. Caviar for personal use is excepted from any requirements. Furthermore, there is no general rule for the printing of labels, no general design (apart from the code) or any obligatory safety feature. In a few countries labels are printed by the state but usually the companies print them themselves, so it’s easy to forge them”, Jutta Jahrl said.

“On top of this, consumer awareness in Western Europe seems to be rather low. Even legal traders of caviar do not know much about labeling requirements. It is crucial that traders and consumers are more aware of the issue and do not buy caviar without labels. This would be a strong force against illegal trade”.

“The EU, which is a major producer and consumer market, can solve this by amending the legislation to close all the loopholes”, Jutta Jahrl said.

Source WWF

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How People Arrived Here:

caviar labeling regulation

The Black Sea Strategy needs a specific EU budget line, which should prioritize funding for small-scale development projects and cross-border co-operation, says a report by Traian Ungureanu (EPP, RO). Other top priorities should be the stabilizing the region, ensuring respect for human rights, managing migration, improving energy security and promoting environmental and social development.

MEPs also suggest enhancing the visibility of the strategy’s future action plan, by holding regular ministerial meetings between the EU and Black Sea countries (Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). Turkey and Russia would be very welcome partners in this regional co-operation, they add.
The EU’s three Black Sea Member States are Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.

Conflict prevention

Parliament suggests that the EU should develop “a conflict early warning system” which would help to build confidence in the region and prevent the escalation of violence. This system would focus on specific issues, such as public disclosure of arms sales and naval military activities. Here MEPs voice particular concern about the extension of the lease for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea.

Source: europarl.europa.eu

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The end of economic crisis?

Certainly something that everybody will like to see in 2010 is an end to the powerful economic crisis that is reaping havoc on the international economy. Unfortunately 2010 is a decisive year in economy but with a double potential: to show the end of recession or to provoke another catastrophic fall. The economic dates are far away from a promising future. The US economy still has to face the consequence of a real estate market that is suffocated by offers but also in lingering demand because of the strict policy applied by banks. Also the financial sector proved its vulnerability to external pressure when the so called Dubai World bubble burst in November 2009, the New York Stock Exchange suffered a fall of 8 %. This vulnerability to foreign markets will still be a major factor influencing US economic recovery. Crushing stock markets in Asia or Middle East will sure happen in 2010 as the international banking system is slow in offering collateral and credit to pharaoh type projects that where started before the crisis and need financing to be completed. These big projects are a double edged sword, if they are not completed investor confidence will fall and as a result we will see depreciating values of stacks and bankruptcy if they are completed they will find a market already saturated and they might collapse.

A ghost is troubling the continent: Unemployment.

We all remember K. Marx beginning of Capital: a ghost is wondering the continent: communism. Well now another ghost is showing its ugly face from New York to London: unemployment. The latest data from the United States are crippling any hope of recovery, with 85.000 jobs lost in December the economy of US is in severe shape and with more than 600.000 people relinquishing any hope for finding a new job the prospects seem dim. In Europe the situation is even greyer, the German Federal Government admitted in November that the figures showing the German economy out of recession are exaggerated, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia face national bankruptcy and Spain, Italy, Ireland are following closely and with national bankruptcy looming over Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria it is still clear that Europe’s economy is continuing its downfall rapidly.

China and India: how long the miracle can last?

This year the only good news from the world economy came from India and China that relied on a huge internal market (more than 1 billon each) to continue to grow during the down fall year. But this maneuver can not be sustained for 2010 economists predict. There are two main reasons: the growth of internal market demand can only be sustained by an increase in wages that will affect both China and India’s competitiveness in external markets. The second reason is that the internal market is not producing hard currency (dollars or Euros) that both India and China need for their developing economy but they only acquired more of their one currency with no value on international market. China and India’s continuous grow could only be sustained by cutting their economy from international market and this will be another catastrophe for the international economy.

In conclusion 2010 will be decisive in shaping the way for a recovery or for another crisis.

Pakistan: between civilian rule and military intervention.

Pakistan’s situation is dire: the economy fell by 20% percent, unemployment is huge (more then 18%) and the banking system is showing sign of collapse. With the army engaged in frontier battles at its border with Afghanistan and with a continuous line of interior attacks the last things Pakistan needs is a political crisis. But this is exactly what 2010 will bring.  The embattled president Ali Zardari was forced to relinquish nuclear arms control to his prime minister and also to face corruption charges that could lead to his downfall. The only civilian personality that could take his place is former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But we must not forget that Mr. Sharif was deposed in a bloodless coup d’état in 1996 by the military and replaced with General Perwez Musharaf. Bringing him back to power will just mean that the history will be re-write. In any case if there will not be a political solution to Pakistan’s economic and political crisis the military will step in and this time with the accord of Washington that is eager to see stability at the front door of Pakistan at any cost in order to defeat the insurgency in Afghanistan. A general that will promise Washington tranquility at the southern border of Afghanistan will be acclaimed just as Perwez Musharaf was in 2001 after September attacks.

Latin America.

2010 also witnessed another tension flaring up: in Honduras a coup d’état mounted by the military in convergence with right wing politicians toppled the legitimate president: Manuel Zelaya, crushed any civilian resistance and despite international condemnation consolidated there regime in illegal elections. This became a study case in the United States and the region where many want to see left wing politicians as shuch Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez and Rafael Correa overthrown. The Honduras success receipt will be surely repeated in another Latin America country this year. The question is where?

In Bolivia where a so called independent state in the center of the country has elected a parliament and a government and tries to overthrown Evo Morales in a civilian and military coup ? Or in Venezuela where Hugo Chavez is now under Columbian army pressure, irregular militia that crossed the border from Columbia to attack Venezuelan objectives on a daily bases and where United States just opened up military bases?

Finally Rafael Correa of Ecuador is also on the black list; Ecuadorian military trained and grown by United States is also showing sign that could change lines. Where will be the next CIA backed revolution in Latin America?   Newsweek citing informed sources from CIA announced that Venezuela is the prime candidate for a ‘freedom’ operation.

China`s decision.

2010 will also be a decisive year for China that will be presented in the Security Council with a sanctions proposal for Iran and Sudan. Both countries are strong allies of China, suppliers with gas and oil for increasing Chinese demands and both countries have a tense relationship with the United States. China will have to decide; to give the go ahead to future sanctions could clear the road for war. Everybody remembers in the Security Council, the 2002 resolution against Iraq that threatened the Baghdad regime with serious consequences if they don’t comply. United States decided that serious consequences could mean war and launched the attack on Iraq. A similar resolution today imposed on Tehran will be just a final step to war. China seemed to be aware of this and will have to choose between open opposition to the United States agenda or temporary acceptance of US demands. The present strategy of China of temporization could no longer work in 2010.

This are just of the few decision that international policy and market decision makers will be confronted in this decisive year between peace and war, crisis or recovery , coup d’état or liberty. The answer will be decided in the next 12 month. We will live with the consequence.

by  Professor Anton Caragea PhD, MA, FINS – European Council on International Relations

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Travelers arriving in the UK by commercial sea or air transport from a non-EU country can now bring in up to £390 worth of goods for personal use (excluding tobacco and alcohol, which have separate allowances, and fuel) without paying customs duty or VAT. Those arriving by other means, including by private plane or boat for pleasure purposes, can bring in goods up to the value of £270.

Individuals who buy goods over the internet or by mail order from outside the EU will now only be charged customs duty if the value of the package is above £135, and the actual amount of duty due is over £9.

Although the duty limits have changed, import VAT is still due on packages valued at over £18.  However, if a package is received as a ‘gift’, VAT will only now be charged if its value exceeds £40.

With regard to excise duty on tobacco products, the remaining quantitative restrictions on personal imports of cigarettes from Bulgaria, Romania. Lithuania and Estonia (and smoking tobacco from Estonia) have now been lifted. This means that since 1 January 2010 private individuals traveling from these Member States can now bring back unlimited amounts of these goods for own use, thereby enjoying the same benefits as those traveling back from other Member States.

Source: HM Revenue & Customs

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End of confrontational vision.

The first announcement made during visits in Ukraine and Georgia between 20 and 24 July was the end of the confrontational vision at Black Sea that former US President G. Bush supported. Even the visit in those two countries was left to Joe Biden, vice-president while Barack Obama selected Moscow as the main step on his diplomatic journey. This was a gesture never made by the previous administration which only visited Moscow after visiting Romania, Poland or Baltic states in order to send an unambiguous signal that relations with Russia are determined by Russia policy in Eastern Europe. No such signal came from the Obama administration, sending the vice-president was itself a sign of downgrading relations with the region.  Joe Biden also announced to policymakers in Tbilisi and Kiev that now is the time to have better relations with Russia and pressured US allies like Georgia’s Saakashvili to open society and to embrace democracy reform, which was seen as a favorable moved toward pro-Russian opposition which is regularly accusing President Saakashvili of dictatorial ambition. Also in Kiev, Biden didn’t miss the opportunity to meet Victor Janucovici the Kremlin backed main contender for president Victor Yushcenko for presidential bid in 2010 Ukrainian elections. A striking difference from the previously unwavering US support to orange revolution leaders in Ukraine and Georgia.

End of the missile shield.

Between 20 and 23 of October vice-president Biden was in a new diplomatic journey to Eastern Europe visiting Poland, Romania and Czech Republic in order to officially announce the US policy change with regards to the Missile Shield Plan. Announced in 2007 by Bush administration, the Missile shield was seen by many as a continuation of Reagan Star Wars, that help bring down Soviet Union economy and communism system. This time the shield, publicly oriented against Iran, was universally regarded as a pressure against Putin`s Russia. All the leaders of the region have seen this sign of US commitment to the Eastern Europe in the face of a new assertive Russian power. The Obama administration decision to build a small shield, a dedicated counter Iran ballistic system, on the Black Sea in Turkey and Israel and maybe Azerbaijan, was looked at as a further signed of US disengagement in the region. Joe Biden’s visit was projected with the purpose of calming eastern European fears and to build a new relation between the US and Eastern Europe.

A new U.S. strategic vision.

Joe Biden explained in Warsaw, Bucharest and Prague  that: US is not seeing Russia as an enemy and the Cold War perception  of Moscow as a foe that must be isolated under an Iron Curtain is over . The result of this assertion was that the US will not tolerate and support rebellious actions as Georgian-Russian war in summer of 2008 or Ukraine pressure on Russian navy or Romanian plans to counter Russian influence at Black sea and Polish pressure in Belarus. All these actions of harassment backed by previous US administration must end.

Also US is ready to sponsor a detente in the Eastern Europe- Russia relations based on economic and cultural relations and on a new vision of a common economic space between Russia and Europe. This vision of peaceful cooperation is not shared in the region , the 22 former leaders wanted a tougher stance towards the Kremlin: “When it comes to Russia, our experience has been that a more determined and principled policy toward Moscow will not only strengthen the West’s security but will ultimately lead Moscow to follow a more cooperative policy as well”. The US response is a startling: No! to this vision.

A space of economic cooperation.

Instead of political confrontation from the Baltic to the Black Sea, Joe Biden is wanting to see economic cooperation and more precisely: energy cooperation. In Poland he has spoken about energy routes in the Baltic linking Russia and Europe closer, in Romania he spoke about the Trieste- Constanta gas pipeline and a liquid gas terminal at Constanta, based on Qatari gas transported to Romania and from here to Western Europe.  Also Biden expressed support not for the EU backed Nabucco pipeline, destined to override Russia as a gas supplier to Europe but to South Line, a Russian sponsored gas pipeline.  To measure what a disappointment this speech will be for Eastern Europe leaders I quote one more time from their letter: „Central and Eastern European countries should lobby harder … for diversification of the energy mix, suppliers, and transit routes, as well as for tough legal scrutiny of Russia’s abuse of its monopoly and cartel-like power inside the EU. But American political support on this will play a crucial role. Similarly, the United States can play an important role in solidifying further its support for the Nabucco pipeline”.

Finally Joe Biden signaled in all the capitals his wish for a new generation of leaders in Eastern Europe capable to understand the necessity of a new policy towards Russia, in Bucharest, he was paying a lot of attention to opposition leaders in order to signal the US disinterest in the fate of Romanian president Traian Basescu, a former darling of Bush administration, and the play was repeated over and over in Warsaw and Prague.

Lessons of Joe Biden visits and Obama speeches.

First it is interesting  to point out that Biden avoided going to Baltic States , shattered by economic crisis , isolated in EU and pressured by Russia, a sign that the Baltic States must first end their anti-Russian stance and normalize relations with the Kremlin.  Also Biden didn’t visit Bulgaria that already switch to a more conciliatory stance with Russia accepting Russian pipelines on his territory, supporting Russia in Kosovo, Serbia and Balkans relation and opened for strategic business partnership with Russia. Also Hungary that signed a 10 billion agreement on gas, energy and oil with Russia to become Russia`s main energy partner in the region was avoided. For Bulgaria and Hungary the new Washington vision was already in place; make business not war was the tune from the White House. This was a visit to the last remaining pro-Bush strongholds: Poland, Romania and Czech Republic designed to signal that the US is withdrawing support for a confrontational vision. Cohabitation with Russia is a must for the new leaders of the region. The final push into this direction was made by President Obama at Copenhagen when at Copenhagen climate summit announcing a deal on nuclear armaments proclaimed that any confrontation with Russia is detrimental to US interest. Clearly 2009 was the year of a radical change in a 50 year policy with Russia.

by  Professor Anton Caragea PhD, MA, FINS – European Council on International Relations

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The 2010 budget is the last one agreed under the Nice Treaty rules. The payments figure represents 1.04% of EU gross national income (GNI).

“If we want Europeans to feel more secure in 2010, we have to implement this budget cleverly”, said rapporteur László Surján (EPP, HU) in the debate preceding the vote. “This is why we are enhancing energy security, supporting the creation of jobs, introducing the microfinance facility. We support research and development and life-long learning. We want to help the milk sector and mitigate the harmful effects of climate change.”

He added that there was an urgent need for a proper review of the EU’s long-term budget (the financial perspective), originally planned for this year but now postponed until next year: “We haven’t got enough room for manoeuvre. There are headings where there are no reserves. Thus, a mid-term review of the multiannual budget plan is inevitable.”

Economic recovery plan

The €5 billion European economic recovery plan covers the years 2009 and 2010 and supports energy projects and broadband development in rural areas. When it was agreed earlier this year, the financing for the second year (€2.4 billion) was not settled. After the last month’s negotiations, the EU institutions have agreed on how to finance it: by using unspent funds and margins (mainly for agriculture and administration) for 2009 and 2010, and by the Member States adding €120 million in fresh money.

Among projects in Britain and Ireland set to receive EU financial support under the recovery plan will be electricity interconnections between Ireland and Wales, the development of offshore wind energy projects in the North Sea and carbon capture and storage projects in a number of locations in the UK.

Parliament’s influence on the budget

The fresh money for the recovery plan, a figure of €300 million in emergency support for the dairy industry and €75 million in funding to help decommission the Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria were among points in the budget that were significantly influenced by Parliament.

MEPs also voted to back a series of pilot projects and preparatory actions, ranging from the recovery of obsolete fishing vessels to surveillance and protection for Community vessels sailing through areas where piracy is a threat.

Source: europarl.europa.eu

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Irina Bokova, Bulgaria’s permanent representative to UNESCO, has been chosen by the body’s executive after five rounds of voting. Her nomination will be put to the UNESCO General Conference on October 15, when she is expected to be confirmed the first woman to head the organization.

“Libya does not agree with the election of a Bulgarian citizen to the post of UNESCO director general and is planning to stop all cooperation with this organization and pull out from all UNESCO committees,” Libya’s JANA news agency quoted Abdelkebir Fakhri, the head of the Libyan General People’s Committee on education and scientific research saying.

Bokova, 57, beat out front-runner Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, whose candidacy had caused outrage over a comment last year in which he said he would burn any Israeli book he found in Egypt’s Library of Alexandria, Austria’s Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European commissioner for external relations and European neighborhood policy, and another two candidates.

The longtime Bulgarian diplomat, who in the past served as the country’s foreign minister, studied at the prestigious Moscow State Institute for International Relations.

Experts have linked Libya’s tough stance on the Bokova issue with a scandal involving five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who were found guilty of infecting more than 400 children with the deadly HIV virus in a Bengazi hospital in the late 1990s.

The medics were found guilty and sentenced to death twice, first in 2004 and then in 2006 after a court appeal.

Bulgaria, the European Union and the United States insisted that the defendants were being used as scapegoats to deflect attention from the poor state of Libya’s health service.

Foreign experts, backed up by international scientific reports, testified in court that the infections began before the medics’ arrival, and were caused by poor hygiene in the Bengazi hospital.

Libya’s Supreme Court overturned the last possible appeal in July 2007, upholding the death sentences, but the Libyan High Judicial Council’s ruling later commuted the foreign nationals’ sentences to life imprisonment, and the Libyan authorities suggested that deportation to Bulgaria was a possibility.

Bulgaria made an official request for Tripoli to repatriate the medics to serve their sentences in Bulgaria. Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov pardoned the medics immediately upon their arrival in the country.

Compensation totaling $1 million for each infected child has been paid to the 460 children’s families. Fifty-six of the children have died. The cash was raised by an international fund financed mainly by the EU and the United States.

Source African Press Agency

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The festival is an annual 10-day film event that showcases feature films, short films, documentaries and hosts a number of workshops as well as a variety of exciting events that feature film and other artistic genres.

As one of the biggest international film festivals in Africa, outside South Africa, ZIFF is a flagship for filmmakers to promote their product.

Participating at this year’s festival are filmmakers from Nigeria, South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Bulgaria, United States, Greece, China, Iran, Indonesia, Germany, Russia, Japan, Portugal and Canada.

The organizers said the workshops would include seminars on film editing, an overview of Malawi’s industry as told by visiting Malawian filmmaker Charles Shemu Joyah, and a session on the state of the film industry in Iran.

Source African Press Agency

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Sunday’s parliamentary poll in Bulgaria comes after the country lost access to millions in European Union aid for allegedly failing to deal with endemic corruption.

Surveys show that most voters will likely vote against the Socialist-led coalition, which has been plagued by financial scandals, including money laundering, dubious expenditures, and fraud.

The agriculture and environment ministries, both controlled by an ethnic Turkish party, and the construction and economic ministries, led by the Socialists, have been accused of some of the most notorious schemes in the past few years.

In 2008, watchdog Transparency International rated Bulgaria the most corrupt EU nation.  Brussels has criticized Sofia for not doing enough to stem corruption.

But Bulgarian authorities say they take organized crime seriously. Last week seventeen Bulgarians were detained on charges of distributing more than 16 million euros worth of fake banknotes across Europe.

Despite widespread corruption, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev says he should be re-elected. He says the Socialists and partner parties in other countries are the best equipped to tackle the global economic downturn, which has impacted Bulgaria, the EU’s poorest member state. “We are actually paying now the price for greed which was overwhelming, and for a lack of regulations and a lack of transparency, the number of financial institutions and their actions. We have to calm down and stabilize the situation and guarantee the stability of the financial system. The second stage is to prepare much better regulations which will guarantee the citizens, the taxpayers and the people that their saving are all right and that they will not suffer,” he said.

But opinion polls predict voters will back the center-right opposition party GERB headed by Sofia Mayor Boiko Borisov to lead them out of the financial crisis. He has campaigned on promises to jail corrupt officials and organized crime bosses.

Borisov’s center-right GERB looks set to receive about 30 percent of the ballots, versus 20 percent for the Socialists. But that’s not enough to form a government on its own. A party or coalition would need 121 of parliament’s 240 seats to form a government.

Besides corruption, the new prime minister will also have to address Bulgaria’s recession after 12 years of growth.

Economists have warned that the Balkan nation of nearly eight million people must act quickly to slash public spending, otherwise it will be forced to seek massive aid from the International Monetary Fund as other former Communist states, including Romania  Latvia and Hungary.

By Stefan Bos

Originally posted and written for VOA News

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According to the press officer, on January 31, a truck loaded with 20 camels from the Russian republic of Kalmykia was stopped by Ukrainian customs officials after crossing the Russian border.

“[Russian] customs agents checked all of the documents and cleared the truck containing the animals to leave Russia,” he said. “However, the truck was not allowed into Ukrainian territory.”

He said the decision had been taken in connection with laws prohibiting the transit of animals through Ukraine “in line with the struggle against African swine fever.”

The press officer also added that the situation had been complicated by the fact that the camels had already been cleared by Russian officials, and “if they are returned [to Russia], then they will have to be processed all over again.”

“Because of this situation, the question of transiting the animals through Turkey is now being looked into. If we reach an agreement, then the camels will be sent to the port of Novorossiisk [on the Black Sea],” he said.

He also said that the current temperature at the border crossing was just below freezing. However, hay and water have been brought in for the animals.

Source RIA Novosti

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“Economy and Energy Minister Petar Dimitrov handed Gazprom’s deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev an official request during talks in Sofia, insisting that Bulgaria be compensated for the crisis caused by cuts in gas supplies [from Russia],” the ministry said in a statement.

“As a result of unprecedented cuts in supplies of natural gas on January 6, 2009, the Bulgarian economy suffered enormous losses. Current estimates are at 500 million leva [$327 million],” the document said.

Russia suspended supplies to Ukraine on January 1 after the former Soviet neighbors failed to reach an agreement on a new gas contract for 2009. A week later, Gazprom cut off gas deliveries to the European Union, saying Ukraine was stealing gas intended for EU consumers.

Gazprom resumed supplies to Europe on January 20 following the signing of a new contract with Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine for 2009-2019.

According to the Bulgarian ministry, 123.8 million cu m of gas were not supplied to Bulgaria during the crisis.

Bulgaria listed three possible ways of compensation: to pay direct damages, supply the lost gas at preferential prices, or to allow Bulgaria to transport gas from third countries via Russian pipelines without paying transit fees.

“The future of relations between Bulgaria and Russia depends on restoring trust in Gazprom,” the ministry said.

Alexander Medvedev announced during talks in Sofia that Gazprom would fulfill all its contractual obligations with Bulgaria and would provide the Balkan country with additional supplies to restore the lost supplies at preferential prices, rather than pay compensation.

Bulgaria has yet to respond.

Source RIA Novosti

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