Lukoil sale must carry government consent
Any potential sale of Lukoil Neftochim Burgas should only follow a decision by parliament, so as to protect the national interest, according to the leaders of GERB and WCC-DB Boyko Borissov and Kiril Petkov, as well as MRF chairman Delyan Peevski and co-chairman of the coalition Hristo Ivanov.
They propose that the sale or transfer of shares of the capital of a commercial company linked to critical oil production can only happen with the support of two-thirds of the majority in the National Assembly (or 160 representatives).
In October, Finance Minister Assen Vassilev announced in an interview with the Financial Times that Lukoil was looking for an opportunity to sell the refinery in Burgas, news that was then denied by the company.
Monument of the Soviet Army is taken down
The removal of the Monument to the Soviet Army began today, prompting protests from leftist groups and pro-Kremlin parties.
Admirers of the Soviet Army Memorial, who fear that it will be removed forever after its dismantling, stopped traffic at the nearby Orlov Most junction, waving flags of Bulgaria, the Russian Federation and the former Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Directorate of Internal Affairs (SDVR) announced it will give round-the-clock protection to the area around the monument.
The decision to remove the monument and put it in storage sparked criticism from Moscow. "Bulgaria has once again chosen the wrong side of history. She herself will have to fully pay the consequences of this shameful decision," the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook.
US investments in Bulgaria in 2021 topped 5.5 billion levs
American investments in Bulgaria are underestimated, according to representatives of the Institute for Market Economy and the American Chamber of Commerce who claimed that foreign direct investment from the US amounted to 5.5 billion levs in 2021.
The share of US investment out of total foreign investment in Bulgaria was 5.5%, which is over three times more than reported in official statistics, said Ivan Mihailov, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, AmCham. According to data from the Bulgarian National Bank, the largest investor in the country in 2021 was the Netherlands with more than 14 billion levs, followed by Austria with more than 9 billion levs and Germany with more than 7 billion.
Lukoil sale must carry government consent
Any potential sale of Lukoil Neftochim Burgas should only follow a decision by parliament, so as to protect the national interest, according to the leaders of GERB and WCC-DB Boyko Borissov and Kiril Petkov, as well as MRF chairman Delyan Peevski and co-chairman of the coalition Hristo Ivanov.
