Law in Bulgaria - Legal news

Up to 4 years work in the EU institutions

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:12:00 -0700

Bulgarian state employee could work in the European institution no longer than 4 years as the Parliament passed the Government official act’s amendments on second readings. For the period of work in the European institutions the Government official shall keep his legal relation in Bulgaria and also shall receive his salary in Bulgaria.

State employee who is in legal relation with a European institution shall be able to use one year unpaid leave.

It is stipulated that citizens of EU member states, European Economic area member states and Swiss citizens shall also be able to take positions in the Bulgarian state administration

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Russian expert: Bulgaria is most profitable for real estate investments

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:08:15 -0700

Bulgaria is one of the most profitable countries in Europe for real estate investments according to the proportion between price and quality and the annual real estate price increase, a Russian expert said. Patricia Ledeneva who is manager of the foreign investments section in IntermarkSavills real estate agency announced during a real estate investments conference in Moscow that Bulgaria among the other European countries is on the top of the list for investment redeemability.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Ministry of Labour suggested the average pension age to be 68 years

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:06:55 -0700

The average pension age shall be 68 years. This foresees the present work load strategy of the Ministry of Labour and Social Politics for the period 2008-2015.

By the end of the period the coefficient of work load shall reach 72%. Last year it was 61.7%. The work load coefficient for women shall reach 68% until 2015.

The efficiency of labour should increase from 35.7% to 50%, according to the strategy. Other designation of the strategy is all registered unemployed persons to be included in qualification programs in 6 months after registering in the labour bureau.

The unemployed youth should be included in the program in 4 months after their registration in the labour bureaus. According to the deputy minister most important is to invest in human capital and increase the work load.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

All sole proprietors’ income with legal acknowledged expense

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:04:47 -0700

Natural persons, registered as sole proprietors, pay legally recognized capital gain tax on their incomes coming from their subsidiary activities as announced by the National Revenue agency.

The Instruction is issued in connection with the numerous inquiries to the National Revenue agency and to unify the execution practice of the law in the country.

According to the Instruction, the clarifying of specific facts about the taxation of sole proprietors shall be executed in the course of control check or revision and not in the process of filing the annual tax declarations.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

The Parliament passed changes in the Forestry Act

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:08:23 -0700

The Parliament drastically increased the fines for non-observance of the order in procedures for changing the function of forests. The violators shall pay fines from 3 000 to 15 000 BGN when until now the fines were between 100 to 500 BGN.

The majority voted down the Democratic party's proposal for prohibition of substitution of land and forests included in the Forest fund for the purposes of private projects.

With the last amendments of the act was created the National fund "Bulgarian Forest" which shall be a steward of secondary importance with budgetary credits.

Additional changes in the Forestry Act foresee to create state forestry farms which shall be self-dependent juridical persons with statute of state enterprises. They shall be managed by the state forestry fund.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Amendments in the Road Traffic Act

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:07:05 -0700

Amendments in the Road Traffic Act passed on today's vote in the Parliament shall be promulgated in the State Gazette next week.

The amendments concern the so called replacement payments. The concessioner shall submit audited financial reports for the previous financial year on which base in month the state shall transfer to the concessioner's bank account the shortage for the previous year. After that the concessioner is obliged to return the transferred money to the state plus interests.

With the passed amendments in the Road Traffic Act the replacement payments have been legalized.

Other problem occurred is connected with the tol tax (or tax for travelled distance)
instead of the present vignettes. It is not very clear whether this system shall have reliable statistics of the transport flow. The tol tax shall be inducted in the beginning of 2010.

Probably there shall be also tax for the…

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

5000 BGN fine if inappropriate language used at the seaside

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:04:53 -0700

Inappropriate language shall be punished with a fine up to 5 000 BGN. This amendment is foreseen in the Regulation for public peace and security, proposed by the mayor of Bourgas Dimitar Nikolov. The amendment shall be voted today during the city council session.

According the new regulation it is also forbidden caring cold weapon on public places. The city police shall guard the provisions of the new regulation.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Fines under 100 BGN shall not be appealed

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:03:18 -0700

The new Administrative-penal code foresees that fines smaller than 100 BGN shall no longer be appealed in court. It is being prepared by the Ministry of Justice.

In the present conditions you cannot appeal against a sanction for 10 BGN and judges complain that they are overloaded with great amounts of claims for minimal monetary fines. A lot of the Bulgarian institutions and departments can fine administrative sanctions - Ministry of Interior, the municipalities, the National Revenue agency, Customs, etc.

The new code shall replace the Administrative violation and punishment act which has been amended multiple times since its coming into force in 1969. The code entries a new penalty for administrative violation - detention up to 30 days in the police arrest along with socially useful work. Temporary deprivation of practicing profession or activity, fine and social reprobation are the rest of the administrative penalties for physical persons. Juridical persons and sole proprietors shall be inflicted with real property sanctions.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Change bureaus shall register in the National Revenue agency from April 1st

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:01:13 -0700

From April 1^st change bureaus shall register at the National Revenue Agency. Change bureaus were previously registered at the Financial investigation agency. The alteration is caused by the amendments of Ordinance No. 4/08.08.2007 about the conditions, procedures and requirements to change bureau's activity for entering in the register.

Applications shall be filed in the central office of the National Revenue Agency.

Change bureaus registered until 31.03.2008 at the Financial investigation agency remain their registration and shouldn't re-register at the National Revenue Agency

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Public council improves the Trade register

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:42:33 -0700

Several business organizations united and founded a Public council for company registration to work together and try to improve the Trade register administration as announced yesterday by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce. Initiators and founders of the council are the American Chamber of Commerce, the Association of industrial capital in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bulgarian forum of business leaders and the Confederation of employers and industrialist in Bulgaria.

The members of the council got their idea from the minister of justice's opinion for revision of the Trade register Act. In its letter to the minister of justice the Public council declares its wish to be institutionalized with a certain change of the Trade register Act and also offer their own bill/project of the Trade register Act.

Enclosure to the bill the Public council adds a data inquiry amongst 114 users of the Trade register for the period between 7-18 February who rate its "work" as unsatisfying.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

The 3 year term for a divorce by mutual consent drops off

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:40:34 -0700

Divorce by mutual consent will be possible any time now and not after 3 years of marriage as ruled before in the old Family Code.

If having a divorce by mutual consent the spouses are not obliged to proof the impossibility of common living which saves the inconvenience of revealing personal relations. Besides the court taxes are lower/smaller.

The marriage settlement gives the opportunity for the spouses to come to terms with situations not foreseen by the law such as the acquired before or during the marriage property, the distribution of the property, the common home, the participation in the expenses and duties/obligations, the alimony of the spouses and the children during the marriage and after its dissolution.

The new Family Code will also make adoption procedures run faster. Parents will lose their rights if they do not seek/look for/after their children in 6 months. Children for adoption will be registered in a national register. The regulations will apply also for foreign citizens with habitual residence in the country. For adoption abroad will be children who haven't found/couldn't find a Bulgarian family. The children will have the last word on matters that directly affect them.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

The government voted abolition for the Duty free-shops

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:37:30 -0700

The members of the Parliament voted changes in the Free Zone Trade Act. The duty free-shops and gas stations on the Bulgarian borders with Turkey, Macedonia and Serbia will be closed.

They will stay open for 3 more months but will sell only goods with excise labels. The abolition of the duty free-shops is under demand of the European Commission.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

New passports with a microchip – 4 times more expensive

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:34:57 -0700

The new passports shall be 4 times more expensive than the present ones.

Passports with a microchip will be issued at the end of this year or in the beginning of the next year. The issuance should have already started in November last year as announced in the summer of 2007 by the Ministry council.
Yesterday the Minister of Interior Rumen Petkov explained that maximum clarification is needed for the smooth run of the whole procedure. At the same time there are a lot of questions from companies on the exact requirements for the new passports which is also slowing the process.

The biometrical personal documents will be approximately 4 times more expensive than the present passports. The price will be between 100 and 120 leva. For comparison now the international passport costs 30 leva. Having a new passport will not be obligatory but when the old one expires a new one with microchip shall be required.

The new documents will have a special chip integrated in the back cover. On the microchip will be recorded personal data of the owner such as finger prints and special pictures of the face containing unique for each person characteristic marks.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

The Government accepted the bill of a new Family code

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:32:07 -0700

The Government approved the new Family Code bill. The matrimonial contract and factual marital cohabitation is regulated for the first time in the Bulgarian law.

The factual marital cohabitation between a man and a woman shall have its legal significance in the presumed by the law cases such as defining fatherhood/paternity, disposition of property/possessions, etc. It /factual marital cohabitation/ will be registered after filling an application from both partners to the mayor or the city hall in the place of domicile. The institutionalization of the factual cohabitation responds to the social necessity and the wide spread practice of marital cohabitation without actually having a wedlock.

Drafting a new Family code is determined by the substantial changes in the public-economical and social relationships. The present Family code is from 1985 and has only been changed once in 2003 when adoption matters were rearranged.

In the new code are initiated a lot of changes like: the monetary deposit will no longer be a part of the common property, the spouses will be able to use a mediator for the consequences of the divorce and the 3 year term for mutual consent for divorce will no longer apply.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

The Health Insurance Act passed second readings

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:29:01 -0700

From 1^st of July, 2008 pensioners will pay 1 lev consumers' tax for medical examination and for one day stay in a hospital. The rest of tax - 2,20 leva, shall be paid by the state budget. Authors of the amendments are Todor Kumchev and Donka Mihailova - both from the Bulgarian Socialists' Party.

The work group proposed removal of taxes for all citizens from year 2009. However, this proposal has not been accepted yet.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

The Parliament shall ratify the Treaty of Lisbon

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:26:02 -0700

The National Assembly shall discuss the bill of ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon. The contract foresees creating institutions of a President of the EU and a Minister of Exterior. The document shall enter into force in 2009 if ratified by the Parliaments of all 27 countries members of the EU.

Invitations for the session of the National Assembly were received by the President of Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov, the Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev, all members of the Ministry Council and other supreme magistrates. Guests of the sessions shall be also members of diplomatic corps, leaders of the syndicates and editors in chief of the media.

What is the Treaty of Lisbon?

On the 13^th of December, 2007 the 27 countries members of the EU made an important step towards strengthening the authority of the European institutions. They met in Lisbon to sign a treaty by the means of which shall be created institutions of a President of the EU and a Minister of Exterior. This treaty is expected to unify the international politics in the EU.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

The Government submits for ratification two agreements between Bulgaria and the USA for improvement of the justice system in Bulgaria

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:20:22 -0700

The Government endorsed the signed on the 19^thof September, 2007 agreements between Bulgaria and the USA for extradition and legal help in criminal cases and offered the National Assembly to ratify them.

The Extradition agreement eases the mutual pursuit of criminals who has deviated from penal prosecution or escaped punishment inflicted with enforceable judgment. The document is in conformity with the Bulgarian legislation and the European standards.

The Agreement for legal help foresees that Bulgaria and the USA shall collaborate on prevention, distortion and pursuit/prosecution of crimes and also on legal proceedings of criminal cases.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

The state shall guarantee 100% of students credits

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:18:06 -0700

The purpose of the low interest student loan is to expand the access to education and also to encourage births. That is the main idea behind the bill that shall be discussed in the Parliament. In the present moment it is harmonizing between the different departments.

The main problem complicating the credit is the amount of state deposit guarantee/warranty. According to the Ministry Of Education's proposal the amount of state guarantee should be 100%. In the last version of the bill is stipulated that if the debtor does not pay the owing amount until 90 days after the date of payment the bank shall activate the state guarantee and the state shall start seeking the amount from the improper payer. The debated interest for students is 4.58 % which is equal to the main interest /основния лихвен процент /.

Banks shall grant credits not only for education but also for child support if during the studies students have a baby/ a baby is born. The child support shall be the minimum monthly salary but shall be paid at once during the semester. Other hypothesis is foreseen for remition/release from the credit - when a student has second baby in 5 years after the gratis period expires the rest of the credit shall be remitted. The purpose of the act is to encourage young and smart/ambitious Bulgarians to give birth.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

New improvement in the Trade registry procedures – option for online payment of the obligatory state taxes

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:15:14 -0700

The Registry agency announced that users of the information system of the Registry agency shall have the opportunity to pay the due taxes online as filing the application from 08.04.2008. For that clients must be registered in the electronic payments' section - www.eBG.bg, and also shall be registered in the website of the Trade registry - www.brra.bg.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

The Parliament discussed decrease of the VAT for medicines

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:12:26 -0700

The National Assembly discussed on today's session on first readings two bills proposing changes in the Value Added Tax Act which stipulate decrease of the VAT for medical goods. Now the tax stake on medicines is 20%. In the bill it is foreseen to be 5%.

The Budget and Finance Commission's report marks that the Ministry of Finance does not support the bill.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Changes in the Trade Register Act shall ease the registration and re-registration procedures

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:09:33 -0700

The Government approved the bill of Change and Addition of the Trade register Act. It should elaborate some law provisions which shall ease the bureaucratic registry procedures. The bill represents proposals of employers' and business organizations as well as bar's, the Minister of Justice Miglena Tacheva announced.

Appointing more officials is necessary for speeding the registry procedures.

Other serious problem is removed - solicitors will be able to sign and file applications into the Registry agency without notary verification of their signature. A power of attorney shall be enough.

The reservation of a company name shall last to 6 months.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

1,1% is the inflation for February

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:26:05 -0700

Prices in Bulgaria have grown with 13,2% for a year

The index of the consumers prices for February 2008 in comparison with January is 101,1%, meaning that the inflation is 1,1%. The average growth of the consumers’ prices from the beginning of the year (February 2008 in comparison with December 2007) is 2,5%, and for February 2008 towards February 2007 is 13,2%. The inflation for the period January - February 2008 towards the same period last year was 12,8%.

In February the prices of food and soft drinks have increased by 1,7%, alcohol and tobacco products (cigarettes) have increased by 0,3%, clothing and shoes – decreasing by 0,5%, water, electricity, gas and other fuels – increasing by 0,5%.
During February also have increased the prices of rise - by 1,5%, flour - by 0,7% and bread - by 0,3%.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Bulgaria with excellent macro economical indicators according to a representative of the World bank

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:29:31 -0700

Bulgaria is with excellent macro economical indicators announced the manager for Central, South central Europe and the Baltic countries in the Europe and Central Asia region of the World Bank – Orsalia Kalandzopulos. Orsalia Kalandzopulos is responsible for the programs of 11 countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, The Check Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, The Slovak Republic and Slovenia. She is on her first visit in Bulgaria after she took up post. Kalandzopulos met with the deputy chairman of the National Assembly Mr. Lyuben Kornezov, the deputy chairman of the Budget and Finance Commission Mr Martin Dimitrov and with the member of the Economical Politics Commission Siyana Fudulova.
During conversations was discussed the implementation of the World Bank strategy for partnership with Bulgaria for the period of 2008-2009. Matters for development of the
Politics of institutional reforms in the social sectors and applying the project for municipality infrastructure were also discussed. Orsalia Kalandzopulos pointed that Bulgaria is second in place among European countries for harmonizing its legislation with the EU legislation. She approved the newly formed sub-commission to the Commission for economical politics of the National assembly, which is engaged monitoring the assimilation/absorption of the European funds.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Bulgarian Registry Agency

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:34:11 -0700

One of the newest changes concerning the Bulgarian trade legislation is the establishing of a centralized Bulgarian Registry Agency. The agency’s trade register started functioning on form the 01.01.2008 as an endeavor of the Bulgarian government to centralize and simplify the Bulgarian company formation procedures.

The Registry Agency is an executive agency to the Minister of Justice, providing its services according to the Law on Cadastre and Property Register, Statute Entries Book, RA Organizational Statute, and other pertinent Bulgarian legislation.

Registry Agency consists of General Administration and Specialized Administration.

It is led by the following principles while providing services:

• Legality for seeking and receiving administrative services;
• Equal rights and opportunities to everyone;
• Timeliness and equity;
• Transparency, reliability and completeness;
• Information rights protection;
• Personal information protection;
• Avoiding discrimination and Conflict of interests.
‘Registry Offices’ Activity
“Registry Offices” perform the following activities:
• entries ;
• marks and deletions ;
• Verbal inquiries services ;
• Certificates and copies .

The request, for accomplishment the above mentioned activities, is rendered through written request to the Judge Registrar only in the Registry Office upon property location.

Types of Entries

1. Real properties entry acts;
2. Claim entry requests and enactment decisions to them ;
3. Mortgages entry and pledges entry according to the Law on Special Pledges ;
4. Entry and deletion on foreclosures and other securities.
Written Request has to be submitted for:
a ) Notary deed – only the Notary who executed this Deed has to submit the written request;
b ) All other Deeds – from the participants included into this Deed, the Notary or person having interest to this entry;
Written Request must contain the following attributes:
a ) Description of the Deed that will be entered;
b) Description of the property;
c ) The right data about the property owner/owners;
d ) Content description of the attached documents.
To your Written Request mandatory has to be attached:
а) Document for paid state fee;
b ) Documents included into your Written Request.
If your Written Request does not contain any of these necessary requisites or does not attach the above mentioned documents, it will not receive Registry Office’s register number and will not be proceed further – until it is not corrected.

Verbal Inquiries

Verbal Inquiries are submitted upon Verbal or written request made by everybody Certificates
Written inquiries consist of issuing Certificates about entries, marks or deletions, as well as Certificates about copies or statements on existing entries, marks or deletions made on books or personal lots.

Certificates (written enquiries) are issued upon written request submitted to the “Registry Offices”.

Types of Certificates

1. Personal Certificate – are entries, marks and deletions inscribe to one person or several persons .
The written request for issuing Personal Certificate must contain:
а) name, forename and family name; personal address and personal No. (ЕГН) related to the inquiry. If does not have personal No., place and date of birth has to be included;
b) BULSTAT and company name; the Court, volume number and register lot under which the company has been signed for trading if the person is a sole trader. And if it is a legal person, name, type of organization and address has to be appointed together with BULSTAT and company name;
2. Property Certificate – in this document all entries, marks and deletions made up to now are presented or certify that does not have any.
This Written Request for issuing Property Certificate must contain:
а) personal data appointed above about related inquiry and others entitled to;
b) detail real property description – address, municipality and at least three boundaries.
c) copy of ownership act together with receipt for paid state fee – 5 lv. have to be attached
d) for properties that are PFO (property-family ownership), inquiries have to be submitted by both spouses
3. Defined-time Certificate – It contains only entries and marks made on personal lots with defined period appointed at the issued Written Request.
For issuing Defined-time Certificate your Written Request must contain personal data (as in point 2 above) and the period for which will be asked.
Copies
“Copy” document is an official register act’s copy that is stored at the relevant “Registry Office”. Copy documents are issued only to act’s participants.
(1) “Registry Offices” are issuing copies and statements based on existing entries, marks and deletions made on books or from personal lots.
(2) Copies and Statements are issued upon personal written request.
(3) With Copies receipt for paid fee has to be submitted – 2 lv. for first page and 1 lv. on next on pages.

The Registry Agency’s Administrative Legal Services and Human Resources Directorate consists of two departments - Administrative Legal Services Department and Human Resources, Protocol and Public Relations Department.

The Department of Administrative Legal Services provides legal advice and administrative services to the Agency units the “Registry Offices”; gives standpoints about produced legal acts, represent the Agency policy, and acts in drafting the Legal base of the RA.

The department of Human Resources, Protocol and Public Relations is responsible for whole human resources management process from selecting and employing staff to estimating staff performance through organizing training programs and further increasing their professional qualification .

The Directorate also is in charge of all workflow / document-management activity, PR campaigns, contacts with media, protocols, works meetings, symposia, seminars, and etc.

The Registry Agency’s Financial-Economic Activities and Property Management Directorate consists of two departments - Financial and Economic Activities Department and Property Management, International Projects and Public Procurement Department

The Department of Financial and Economics Activities is chaired by Head of the Department – the General Accountant. The expected staff capacity is 10 persons. The main activity is connected with preparation of annual budget plan for the Agency, providing financial-accounting services, budget implementation, organizing inventory, and issuing enquiries related to the department activity.

The Department of Property Management, International Projects and Public Procurement is chaired by Head of the Department . The expected staff capacity is 11 persons. The main activity is connected with providing technical and office equipment – spare parts, stocks availability, consumables, furniture, etc. and dealing with public procurement and projects organization.

The Registry Agency’s Information Services and Technologies Directorate (ISTD) consists of two departments - Information Projects and Methodology Department and Information Infrastructure and Support Department

The main tasks of ISTD are related with:

• implementation of the main Agency activities related to the Law on the Cadastre and Property Register ;
• developing and maintaining the Bulgarian IT Judiciary Strategy, management of PHARE 2002 / 2003 Projects ;
• development, implementation and support of IT systems for assuring smooth running of the Bulgarian Judiciary System ;
• building up and supporting the infrastructure of the Bulgarian IT Judiciary System;
The Directorate organizes the development, implementation and smooth running of the IT systems and infrastructure in the Agency. It also acts in development, coordination and supporting of etalons and classifications for information exchange within the Bulgarian Judiciary System .

In additional the Directorate develops, co-ordinates and supports a unified methodology for realization of information projects for the Bulgarian Judiciary system - procedures, documentations and criteria for selecting contractors for implementation of new IT systems , developing, implementation and supporting of applicational software, delivery of standard software and technical equipment, and etc; managing and coordinating the implementation and maintenance of infrastructure assuring IT activity; providing a unified approach for developing and supporting this infrastructure. It also provides the conformity of the Bulgarian IT Judiciary System with the requirements of EU and Bulgarian government information policy.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Bulgarian Solicitor’s services with included VAT

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:36:39 -0700

Bulgarian Solicitor’s and Notary’s services will be taxable with 20 %, the Parliament has decided as re-voting a text in the new VAT bill.
The motif behind that is harmonization and synchronizing with the EU’s legislation.
The National assembly also voted a text according to which the tax base of regulated plot of land shall be defined by its market price.
The legislative changes continue as the hope for faster integration increases.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Bulgaria, Russia Sign 8 Memoranda during Putin's Visit

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:37:10 -0800

The close cooperation between Russia and Bulgaria can only be good for the Bulgarian economy, especially as the Russia economy is growing bigger and relationships between Russia and the US and UK have cooled.

Russian property buyers are now making up a major part of foreign property buyers in Bulgaria and they have always enjoyed holidaying on the Bulgarian coast.

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov signed eight memoranda on Friday, the second day of Putin's visit to Sofia.

Half of the deals were in the energy sector, which dominated the negotiations agenda of Putin's visit, one of his last trips abroad before he steps down as president.

The full list of the memoranda is as following:

- the contract for the designing and construction of nuclear power plant at Belene.

- the memorandum for the transportation of used nuclear fuel from the research reactor of Bulgaria's Academy of Sciences to Russia.

- the memorandum for the construction of a transit gas pipeline through Bulgaria as part of the South Stream project.

- the contract establishing the company that will design and build the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.

- the memorandum establishing a ferry route between Varna and Kavkaz ports on the Black Sea.

- the plan for joint actions in the tourism sector in 2008-2009.

- the plan for cooperation in the culture, education and science sectors in 2008-2010.

- the protocol for a festival of Russian culture in Bulgaria in 2008.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Bulgaria Unharmed by Global Credit Crisis

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:34:24 -0800

In many parts of the world homeowners have a reason to fear the credit crisis which overtook the world. However, this does not apply for Bulgaria. Due to the investments of Eastern Europeans and the increased number of domestic buyers the real estate market in the country has demonstrated unexpected resilience. The global credit crisis reverberated the strongest in the USA and the UK therefore in the last six months mainly investors from Russia, Romania, Poland and Ukraine operated on the Bulgarian property market.

The Russians and the other Eastern Europeans who filled the hotels along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast during the communist era are now returning as buyers of holiday homes. According to brokers the sales of property to Eastern Europeans, irregardless of whether they were cheaper apartments or expensive villas in gated communities, have increased considerably this year. The interest on the part of the other foreign investors remains high as the prices of real estate in Bulgaria continue to be the lowest in the EU.

However, Bulgaria’s high economic growth increased the income of those working in the private sector and made mortgages more accessible. According to the Bulgarian National Bank purchases of properties in the first 8 months of 2007 amount to EUR 1.16 billion which equals about 35% of the direct foreign investments after Bulgaria’s accession to the EU. The supply of homes steps up but the demand remains high as well, as property prices have increased by 13-18% this year.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Bulgaria - a place of style and culture

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:31:42 -0800

After its acceptation to the European Union Bulgaria started to develope as a small, but boutique and exciting new place for tourists.

In its February issue Quest Bulgaria, the leading specialist English monthly magazine about Bulgaria and Bulgarian property, says the country has no longer a its cut-price image, but one associated with style, culture and opulence.

With developers chasing a wealthier clientele and Bulgarians become richer, a different type of tourist is exploring the treasures of the country.

Chris Goodall, managing director of Quest Bulgaria, said: “The evidence for this is overwhelming. Everywhere you look there are boutiques, designer shops and the wine industry is taking on a new look.

“The evidence of Bulgaria’s re-branding is all around. Golden Sands, once the darling of discos and “kiss-me-quick” tourists, has undergone a dramatic change – and it’s good to see.”
One driving factor is the construction of professionally designed golf courses from the Black Sea to the capital, with associated properties built to a lavish standard.

In major cities such as the capital Sofia, boutique hotels offer stylish surroundings and luxury living. Last year the Association for European Boutique Hoteliers held its annual conference in Sofia in recognition of its efforts.

Change for the better is happening at a rapid pace in Bulgaria, now better placed to take its fair share of the luxury market. And those who still want traditional rural Bulgaria will not have to travel far to find it.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Residential Property Prices will rise up to 20% by 2010

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:25:04 -0800

Bulgaria is the world's strongest price riser in 2007 and the property market surely will keep up its momentum over the next two years, experts confirm.

Although the global cooling of the property market residential prices are forecast to rise up to 20% in 2008 and 2009.

Mortgage credits grew by 67% in 2007 as compared to the previous year, Levon Hampartzoumian, UniCredit Bulbank CEO commented, denying reports of a speculative bubble in domestic lending.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com

Bulgaria Eager to Join Caspian Oil & Gas Transport Corridors

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 06:08:16 -0800

On September 10 Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivailo Kalfin outlined the country’s goals to join transport corridors for Caspian oil and gas. Kalfin spoke in the wake of an official visit to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the first such visit by a senior Bulgarian official in more than a decade. Bulgaria is eager to join either Russian-led or Western transport projects, depending on opportunities at hand, amid weak policy guidance from the European Union.

In Kazakhstan, Kalfin discussed possible terms for that country’s participation in the Bulgarian section of the Burgas-Alexandropolis oil pipeline project. To run from Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast to the Greek Aegean Sea, this is the first Russian state-controlled pipeline project in European Union territory. Transneft, Rosneft, and GazpromNeft hold a combined 51% stake, with Transneft as project operator. Bulgaria and Greece hold initially 24.5% each, with the right to sell portions of their stakes to oil companies that would co-finance the construction and use the pipeline to ship their oil.

Kalfin confirms the prediction made when the inter-governmental agreements were signed (see EDM, March 2, 16) that this project is mainly intended for oil from Kazakhstan. As he notes, the Burgas-Alexandropolis pipeline is a prolongation of the Caspian Consortium’s pipeline (CPC) that runs from Kazakhstan to Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The Kazakh oil would be shipped from Novorossiysk by tankers to Burgas and from there by pipeline to Greece and the open sea.

The project’s fourfold strategic goal is to increase Russian physical control over the transit of Kazakh oil, Russian state rents from that oil’s transportation, Russian political leverage over U.S. and European oil majors that have no other outlet from Kazakhstan, and Russian economic and political clout within Bulgaria and Greece.

Unsurprisingly, the temptation is high for Bulgaria, which desperately needs the transit revenue and is unable to co-finance construction of the pipeline’s section on its territory. Bulgaria would eagerly sell part of its stake to Kazakhstan’s oil and gas state company KazMunayGaz and would undoubtedly also consider such a deal with a Western company that extracts oil in Kazakhstan. There, Chevron in particular is under Russian pressure to co-finance the Burgas-Alexandropolis pipeline’s construction, for the uncertain privilege of exporting ChevronTexaco-extracted oil from Kazakhstan via Russia. Meanwhile, TNK-BP discusses using the Burgas-Alexandropolis pipeline for the oil that the company extracts in Russia and ships out of Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

As Moscow stacked the cards on this project, oil-producing companies involved in Central Asia and using this pipeline are reduced to minority status while Russian state companies that do not use the pipeline hold the control over it.

The Burgas-Alexandropolis project competes against the European Union-backed Constanta (Romania)-Trieste pipeline project, which would provide access for Kazakh oil to the open seas through the Adriatic at Trieste or the nearby Croatian Omisalj. The Constanta-Trieste/Omisalj project is a late-starter and less fleshed out than its rival at this point. Implicit in this project is an intent to bypass Russia’s territory. KazMunayGaz and Western companies would ship their oil from Kazakhstan across the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan to Georgia, using Georgian Black Sea terminals to forward the oil to Constanta and into a pipeline to the Adriatic.

Moreover, Burgas-Alexandropolis is a rival to the planned export of Kazakh oil to Turkey’s Mediterranean coast through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. This U.S.-backed plan would see the BTC line used at full capacity -- indeed expanding its capacity -- and for a longer period of time than earlier envisaged. The prerequisite is to develop a massive trans-Caspian transport system westward. However, Russia seeks to absorb the lion’s share of Kazakhstan’s future oil into the Russian-controlled CPC pipeline northward. To do so, Moscow must provide an outlet to the open sea from CPC and Novorossiysk that would avoid the over-congested Bosporus.

By the same token, the availability of an outlet from Burgas to Alexandropolis would enable Russian companies to continue shipping their oil through Ukraine’s Brody-Odessa pipeline into the Black Sea. Such “reverse-use” contravenes this pipeline’s rationale, which was to ship Caspian oil northward, from Odessa to Brody and onward to Poland.

In sum, a Burgas-Alexandropolis pipeline would allow Russia to expand the CPC pipeline’s capacity and prolong it across the Balkans, absorb even more Kazakh oil, prevent Ukraine from transiting Caspian oil to Europe, and reinforce its near-monopoly on oil transport in a vast corridor from Central Asia into European Union territory.

Chronically weak leadership in Brussels has led to a situation in which EU member countries Bulgaria and Greece join this Russian-backed competing project. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is due to visit Romania in November to discuss the EU-backed project. However, Kalfin on his visit to Astana invited Nazarbayev to Bulgaria as well for discussions on KazMunayGaz’s participation in the Burgas-Alexandropolis project.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

SE Europe Faces Financial Crisis Due to Rapid Credit Growth

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 06:03:44 -0800

The countries of south-east Europe must take action over their rapid credit growth, high external deficits and dependence on foreign currency loans to reduce the risks of a financial crisis, an International Monetary Fund report warns.

The region has reached the point at which other countries facing similar strains have run into trouble, with external imbalances now larger than those seen in east Asia before the 1998 crisis, say the authors. “Traditional vulnerability indicators for south-east Europe are at levels that historically have been associated with risks for growth reversals ... Evidence from other emerging market countries suggests that growth with large imbalances has seldom been sustainable.”

Governments must pursue a range of policies, including containing overheating, maintaining prudent budgets and improving financial supervision, especially over currency exposures, says the working paper, which is published this month by the IMF but is not an official statement of the Fund’s views.

The report warns that the big presence of foreign banks, which many observers see as a strength, can be a danger because big multinational groups can underprice risks in small countries.

“[This can also] make host countries vulnerable to the risk of sudden stops [in the supply of credit] because of small changes in the parents’ lending policies prompted by developments in other countries.”

The authors accept that integration with the European Union mitigates the risks associated with big deficits and fast credit growth. But they say that integration is weaker in south-east Europe than in the more advanced economies of central Europe. “As a result, south-east European institutions are less developed than those in other emerging European countries.”

Countries in the region have pursued generally sound macro-economic and foreign exchange policies, says the report. But the strong growth potential has attracted foreign capital, which has allowed states to run current account deficits of 10 per cent and more.

Foreign capital has also fed domestic credit growth of 5-6 percentage points of gross domestic product, which is high by emerging market standards. As many borrowers have borrowed in foreign currency, the normal credit risks are compounded by exchange risks, says the report. Total exposure to foreign debt rose to more than 80 per cent of GDP at the end of 2006 in Bulgaria and Croatia, say the authors.

Previous financial crises have significant lessons for south-east Europe: that large external deficits carry risks of a sudden freeze in foreign credit; that high debts tend to increase mismatches in currencies and interest rates; that rapid credit growth tends to generate bad debts; and that large imbalances can “lead to a vicious circle of worsening deficits and rising solvency risks in fragile economies”.

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

British Myths About Eastern Europeans

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:51:54 -0800

They come over here, take our jobs, eat our carp and lose all our Ј50 notes. They even steal our unwanted clothes. But can all that is written about eastern Europeans really be true?

Tim Dowling looks at the outrageous claims made about Britain's newest arrivals
Since the first immigrants from the new European Union member states of the old Eastern bloc arrived in 2000 (actually, from before that, when they were known collectively to the tabloids as "bogus asylum seekers"), eastern Europeans - Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, Slovakians, et al - have been blamed for virtually every crisis that has beset this nation, and a good few that haven't.

Many of these problems have been proven not to be their fault, some have proven not to be problems, but a lot of the myths and rumours still persist. Here, then, are just a few of the things the tabloids have blamed eastern Europeans for recently.

Catching all our carp

This is becoming a bit of an annual story, largely because carp is a traditional Christmas dish in Poland. Eastern Europeans are treating our British carp as a food source rather than a bit of harmless sport. Just as one sometimes hears that greedy immigrants are denuding our forests of wild mushrooms, there are claims that organised gangs armed with spear guns are filling bin liners with carp.

These stories are always long on outraged anecdote and short on fact: a recent survey claimed that 34 out of 60 fishery owners thought theft by eastern Europeans was a bigger threat to their stocks than global warming or disease.

This year, in anticipation of a yuletide rash of eastern European carp poaching, the Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust has produced a sign which explains Britain's catch-and-release tradition in three bold graphics: Don't Spear the Carp, Don't Cook the Carp and Don't Date the Carp.

Taking all our benefits

Yesterday's Daily Mail announced that benefit claims by eastern Europeans had doubled in the past year, resulting in an annual payout of Ј145m. A closer look however, reveals that well over half of this amount is child benefit, which can be claimed by anyone with a child. In fact, just over 4,000 eastern European immigrants (out of the Mail's preferred scary estimate of 743,000 in total) claimed either income support or jobseeker's allowance), 893 are on housing support and 82 claim pension credit. And the Mail has added all the claimants together (wouldn't some of the 78,850 claiming child benefit and the 1,189 on income support be the same people?) to get an inflated total of 128,592.

Stealing our unwanted clothes

Recent reports have told of "Lithuanian gangs" who distribute fake charity leaflets door-to-door asking householders for old clothes, implying that they will be shipped to the third world and sold to poor people, when in reality they are shipped to eastern Europe and sold to poor people.

Some of the gangs are so ruthless that they steal clothes left out for legitimate charities, leading one, Clothes Aid, to place tracking devices in the bags. And some say they even take clothes out of recycling bins. Stealing our recycling? What next?

Eating our swans

Well, they're the Queen's swans really, though she has yet to make an official complaint. In August, however, according to a report in the Daily Mail, the Luton Angling Club felt moved to produce a sign which communicated the message, "The swans are not for eating" in pictographic form.

There is no evidence that an eastern European has ever eaten a British swan, or indeed that these signs were ever posted anywhere. The Sun was roundly criticised in 2003 for a story about eastern European "asylum seekers" eating swans, which proved to be a curiously factless evocation of a weary urban myth.

The recent increase in corporation tax for small businesses When the then-chancellor Gordon Brown faced the Treasury select committee last March, they asked him why he had chosen to increase tax on small firms from 19p to 20p (rising to 22p by 2009) when he had seen fit to lower the tax on larger businesses from 30p to 28p. I

n his defence Brown cited a rash of "schemes that have been marketed right across eastern Europe" which encouraged individuals from those countries to set up as companies before they came to Britain in order to avoid paying income tax. In other words, foreigners were being apprised of an existing legal loophole which previously only British people knew about. They've come over here and spoiled it for everyone.

A shortage of Ј50 notes

Apparently, Poles working in Britain sent almost Ј1bn home to their families - instead of spending it here! - in the first quarter of 2007. A good deal of this was said to be in cash, and a good deal of that cash is assumed to be in the form of Ј50 notes, hence the shortage. That is why you never see them anymore. And you thought it was because bank machines didn't issue them and cab drivers didn't take them.

A sharp rise in hate crimes in Scotland Polish bar workers have been blamed for a two-fold increase in the number of racist incidents in Scotland, largely by being victims of them. Eastern European bar staff and doormen are now among the most common victims of racial abuse and assault in Edinburgh.

Increased unemployment

Last August, the Daily Express blamed the "flood of workers from eastern Europe" for unemployment figures that had reached their highest level for six years, after a rise of 92,000 over the previous quarter brought the jobless total to 1.68 million. A year on, and still they are flooding in, and unemployment has, erm, fallen back to 1.67 million.

Bad service in restaurants

This one comes from chef Antony Worrall Thompson, who claimed that immigration had resulted in "appalling" service in British restaurants. "Lots of people from eastern Europe and elsewhere come here and work in restaurants," he said, "without having the level of English or the skills they should have."

Drink driving

In March, the Daily Mail reported that "in some areas" of Scotland, "more than half" of motorists stopped during police crackdowns were eastern European, without saying in which area, or how many people were stopped, or whether they were actually drunk.

It did, however, list three examples of Poles arrested for drink driving, including one who was four times the legal limit. Eastern Europeans are sometimes accused of behaving as they would at home on the roads, but Poland has the strictest drink-driving laws in Europe, so perhaps they were just trying to adapt to Scottish custom.

Car crashes

The sharp increase in cross-border driving since EU expansion has led to a corresponding rise in foreign vehicles being involved in accidents on British roads - an alarming 47% rise over five years.

The number of crashes involving Polish drivers has risen from 361 in 2001 to 3,132 in 2006, but it is hard to tell how much of this increase is due to the increase in the number of Polish drivers. Lithuanians have had a 745-fold increase in accidents over five years - from 1 to 745.

Driving down wages

According to Professor David Blanchflower, of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, "fear of unemployment" (measured by asking how they expect the number of unemployed to change), which has increased over the past year (although unemployment hasn't), has a "downward impact on pay" equivalent to a reduction in annual pay rise of Ј210 for someone earning Ј30,000.

He appears to be saying that workers are willing to accept less money because they are afraid they are going to be replaced by migrants. What about robots? What happened to being replaced by robots?

The rise of the far right

Hostility to eastern European immigration has been seized upon by the BNP, which has made it a campaign issue, particularly in rural areas. Meanwhile, cells of racist Polish migrants in London are being supported by "British nationalist and Nazi groups", according to one Warsaw academic. There seems to be some sort of communication problem. Can the racists not make up their minds?

Groping women

Last November, a Polish immigrant named Thomasz Stepniowski was arrested for groping nine women. In his defence he claimed that he hadn't realised that he had done anything wrong, because such behaviour was normal in his country.

During his police interview, his female interpreter backed him up, pointing out that in Poland such behaviour wasn't strictly illegal. An epidemic of eastern European public-fondling failed to materialise, however, and Stepniowski gave up his weird defence in favour of admitting four counts of sexual assault.

Cheap guns, cheaper heroin and counterfeit money

We were promised all three would arrive in bulk as soon as Bulgaria entered the EU and vicious gangsters poured over the border. It would be like living in an airport novel.

It was also alleged that thousands of pregnant women would be smuggled into the UK to give birth in NHS hospitals before selling their babies. It's almost time for the year-end tally. How many smuggled Bulgarian babies have been sold so far? Should the NHS get a cut?

For more information visit www.solicitorbulgaria.com

EU Citizens Could Work Like State Employees in Bulgaria

info@solicitorbulgaria.com (SolicitorBulgaria) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:49:32 -0800

Citizens of EU country-members, of countries, part of the agreement for European economy collaboration and Switzerland can now be appointed as state employees in Bulgaria.

The government had passed a bill for changes and additions in the Law for state employee.

The law arranges also the statute of Bulgarian state employees who temporarily work in EU institutions.

Other changes in the law aim to give chances for faster growing in the carrier of young specialists, who received high estimation on the yearly attestation.

For more information visit http://www.solicitorbulgaria.com