All companies, under the authority of the Ministry of Transport received a letter from the Deputy Minister Mr. Nikolay Yankov with the recommendation to have conversations with the private company Bulgarian Rating Agency for concluding contracts for analysis and evaluation of the financial and trade risks in their work.
Source: Sega (19.01.2004)

Ministry of Transport is planning to invest EUR 6.5 million in the new railway station in Rousse. The implementation of the project is expected to start by the end of February.
Source: Sega (05.02.2004)

Two Bulgarian companies with serious experience in the field of railway transport are preparing offers for private railway carrier. According to Pari sources, some of the potential candidates in the competition are LUKoil and Rei Holding. So far, however, no company has officially submitted its documents in the Ministry of Transport. According to unofficial sources again, at least one license will be issued by the end of the year with the consent of Minister of Transport Mr. Nikolai Vasilev. In December 2003, the Ministry invited 110 Bulgarian and foreign companies, registered in Bulgaria, to take part in the procedure. Mr. Vasilev said the issuing of a private railway carrier license was one of the 50 measures for the rehabilitation of the railway sector in Bulgaria.
Source: Pari (19.03.2004)

The state shall spend BGN 2.7 mln of the 2004 budget for more than 5 000 people who shall be dismissed this year from the privatized Kremikovtzi JSC – Sofia and Bulgarian Telecommunication Company JSC – Sofia and Bulgarian State Railways SP JSC – Sofia, Bulgartabac Holding JSC – Sofia and Wasov's Machine Plants SPJSC – Sopot. This is stipulated in the New Possibility for Professional Development program developed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. It is concerning only these enterprises. Stara Zagora cigarette factory also shall discharge 200 people and Slantse-Smolian SPJSC – Smolyan – another 175.
Source: Dnevnik (13.04.2004)

The Government and IMF have agreed to limit to 5 per cent the general state account on the salaries in 60 public companies, which are monopolists, and which have received subsidies or have registered a loss in the third quarter of last year.
Source: Trud (03.06.2004)

National Company Railways Infrastructure SC – Sofia is indebted with BGN 7.168 mln for VAT, BGN 5.247 for corporate tax and BGN 9 mln to National Social Security Institute GO – Sofia. The greatest drop behind is in the payment of the obligation to the construction companies. National Company Railways Infrastructure SC – Sofia owes BGN 8.5 mln to Transport Constructions and Recovery State Enterprise SC – Sofia, and BGN 4 mln to SK-13 Transstroy JSC – Sofia and Transstroy-Varna JSC – Varna.
Source: Standart (17.06.2004)

Among all state-owned enterprises, excluding Bulgartabac Holding, the biggest average monthly wages in Bulgaria are those in the energy sector. The leader in this respect is NPP Kozloduy, where the average salary is BGN 816, according to 2003 data, followed by the national gas monopolist Bulgargas – BGN 740. Non of these enterprises can be compared with Bulgartabac, where the average monthly wage is a little over BGN 2000.
Source: Sega (25.06.2004)

National Company Railways Infrastructure SC – Sofia shall demand on BGN 230 million as a state subsidy. The General Manager Mr. Dimitar Gaidarov announced this on his meeting with Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulga NGO – Sofia and Podkrepa-Confederation na truda NGO – Sofia. BGN 120 million were declared for 2003 but the budget granted just BGN 30 million. The company’s reform is completed.
Source: Standart (07.07.2004)

Thirteen companies have already applied for preferences under the new Investment Encouragement Act, Pavel Ezekiev, CEO of the Bulgarian Investment Agency (BIA), said. The new regulations become effective Wednesday, August 4. One of the companies that will enjoy preferences under the new act is Turkey's Sisecam, which recently broke ground for its glass works in Targovishte. Sisecam will make the largest ever green-field investment in Bulgaria, amounting to USD 160 million. The company has already received a state aid: state-owned Railway Infrastructure has allocated BGN 500,000 to the construction of a 2,020-metre line linking the enterprise with the train station in Targovishte. The railway will be used for transportation of raw materials and ready goods. To be eligible for preferences candidates have to obtain investment-class certificates from BIA on the basis of investment plans. The first such certificates will be handed in September. According to the implementing regulations for the Investment Encouragement Act, first class investments include projects exceeding BGN 100 million. Second class is given to projects ranging between BGN 50 million and BGN 100 million. The third class includes projects between BGN 10 million and BGN 50 million.
Source: Pari (04.08.2004)

The Ministry of Culture will be allotted a total of BGN 10 million for making new films, reconstructing the building of the Youth Theatre and gasifications of schools of arts. Another BGN 10 million will be set aside for supplying schools and universities with PCs, building of TV- centres and hot spots for wireless access to Internet. The money was allotted from the budget surplus. Yesterday, the Cabinet distributed BGN 146.5 million from the overperformance in revenues in 2004 to ministries and institutions, Governmental Spokesman Mr. Dimiter Tsonev released. Two months earlier, BGN 260 million were allotted. The expenditures have been concerted with the IMF. The biggest sum, BGN 94.5 million is granted to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works to overhaul roads and highways, to upgrade water-supply and border checkpoints. BGN 7.5 million are allotted to the Ministry of Environment and Waters for water-supply. The Ministry of Economy will be granted BGN 6 million. Of them, BGN 1 million are slated for road signs to historical and cultural sites of national importance and BGN 5 million, for promoting tourism. The Justice Ministry is allotted BGN 3 million to build a single information system to tackle crime. The Council of Ministers is granted BGN 10 million under the budget of district administrations for building small sites of regional importance. A 4- or 5-panel working party will decide upon the distribution of the remainder of the budget surplus after holding talks between NMS and MRF coalition partners, Minister of Finance Milen Velchev said. Minister Velchev insists the IMF to give the go-ahead for spending of yet another BGN 200 or BGN 300 million from the overperformance in revenues, expected to stand at BGN 1 billion.
Source: Standart (15.10.2004)

Sofia stations Pioneer and Serdika are to be sold. The first estate in Dianabath was evaluated for BGN 22-24 million, and the second one – for over BGN 40 million. The money will be used for repairs on the railways. A bid for 51 facilities owned by National Company Railways Infrastructure is impending by the end of the year.
Source: Standart (25.10.2004)

National Company Railways Infrastructure will construct a 1100 km long optic network for data transfer till 2010, the company’s CEO Mr. Dimitar Gaidarov announced. By the end of 2004, a decision should be made whether a joint venture with a strategic investor should be established, or a self-dependent company to be detached, or an infrastructure company to lay the optics alone. Almost all of the European equipment manufacturers and Bulgarian telecommunication companies as well are interested in the project, Mr. Gaidarov announced.
Source: ComputerWorld e-Daily (26.10.2004)

Nine companies have submitted offers in the first auction for the reconstruction and modernization of the railway line Plovdiv-Svilengrad. The offers were opened yesterday. On June 25, Ministry of transport announced competition for selection of executor of the 37-km long section Krumovo-Parvomay. Most candidates are international consortiums, as well as three consortiums with Bulgarian participation. They are the consortium between Âàlfour Beatty and Glavbolgarstroy, TAMSA – between TSO s.a., Athena s.a. and Moststroy JSC, and Consrucoes and Technicas Ferrofiarias s.a. /Efaces Engenharia s.a./Instalaciones Inaben s.a. and Transstroy-Varna.
Source: Pari (05.11.2004)

The Council of Ministers decided to grant BGN 5 mln for repairs of the National Company Railway Infrastructure. The money will be provided from the budget surplus.
Source: Standart (12.11.2004)

Local railway carrier BDZ registered a BGN 2.5 mln profit for the third quarter of this year, the state-owned company reported. This is the first positive financial result, posted by the group since 2001. For the first nine months of 2004, however, BDZ registered a loss of BGN 14 181 mln. For the whole year 2003, the financial result was a loss of BGN 33 mln, compared with a loss of BGN 45 mln in 2002.
Source: Standart (16.11.2004)

The national company Railway Infrastructure will already be allowed to sell immovables used and managed by it, the government decided yesterday. The decision concerns mostly the closed railway lines and those with changed category. The properties will continue to be managed by the company, except for a part of them located in Pomorie and Sofia, which will be added to the capital of BDZ SP JSC.
Source: Pari (19.11.2004)

National Company Railway Infrastructure has concluded a contract under a public procurement with Desislava-2001 SPLTD – Sofia for the delivery of 4 193 liters diesel motor oil, at the total contract value of BGN 4473134.33 (VAT not included).
Source: Other (23.11.2004)

The Sofia station Pioneer and the Pomorie station Pomorie will be in-kind contributed in the capital of Bulgarian State Railways, the company’s CEO Mr. Nasko Tzanev announced. The decision has been made on the last Thursday meeting of the Council of Ministers. It is expected the Court to estimate both stations before the railway company’s capital increase. Pioneer and Pomorie stations were managed by National Company Railways Infrastructure so far.
Source: Dnevnik (24.11.2004)

Acting on a surprising proposal by finance minister Milen Velchev, the government decided to set up a new state company called Public Investment Projects (PIP) on 260 mln levs from the budget surplus. PIP will build and repair roads, railway tracks and implement various energy efficiency and environment-protection projects, replicating the functions of several existing structures like the Road Executive Agency and the National Railway Infrastructure Company. This is the only mechanism by which the budget surplus can be invested in the infrastructure rather than in redundant current expenditures with no tangible results, Velchev told Dnevnik. The resources of the new company will go for infrastructure projects that cannot be implemented on private funding. The go-ahead for PIP coincides with the completion of the latest mission of the IMF fund here. Last Thursday, December 16, during the final press conference given by IMF mission leader for Bulgaria Hans Flickenschild, Velchev said that the government may decide to indulge in discretionary expenses exceeding the cap of 1% of GDP agreed on with the IMF and may utilise another 250-300 mln levs by December 31. IMF data shows that this year's budget revenue overperformance will stand at some 3.3% of GDP, or 1.3 bln levs. Therefore 1% of the GDP is expected to add up to 400 mln levs. Under the state budget legislation, however, the surplus has to be transferred to the fiscal reserve in the beginning of the year. The economic directorate of the government has objected to the proposed creation of the new company, arguing that the money should be spent in compliance with the Public Procurement Act, and that strong competition in the construction sector renders unnecessary the establishment of such an entity. The transport ministry, too, was caught off guard by Velchev's proposal. Deputy prime minister Nikolai Vasilev openly objected to it, participants in the cabinet meeting said. Vassilev himself was not available for comment on Monday. Officials from the regional development and public works ministry, too said that were baffled. The scheme by which funding will be approved for different projects too remains unclear. The creation of PIP would be the third time that the government has reached deep into the budget surplus pot this year. The ministers allocated 270 mln levs in the summer for schools, hospitals and road works and another 300 mln levs in the autumn for financing of six industries.
Source: Dnevnik (21.12.2004)