November 27 (SeeNews) - Following are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Friday morning. SeeNews has not verified these reports and cannot vouch for their accuracy.
DNEVNIK
- The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is set to rule on whether the cap on the size of retirement pensions in Bulgaria constitutes a form of discrimination or a violation of property rights. The court has admitted for consideration the complaints filed by eight Bulgarian pensioners. At the moment, the monthly pension of an estimated 42,000 Bulgarians are capped at 700 levs in compliance with regulations dating back to 2000 that set an upper limit for the amount payable to them equal to no more than 35% of the maximum contributory income for the preceding year.
PARI
- The Value Added Tax rate in Bulgaria can be cut to 18% from the current 20% in 2011, Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov said. VAT should be reduced for all goods and services and there will be no differentiated rates, the Finance Minister also said.
- More than 50 European companies have bought documents for participation in a tender for the construction of the Stara Zagora-Nova Zagora section of the Trakia motorway, Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev said. Bulgaria’s Trace Group Hold, Roads Holding and Glavbolgarstroy will participate in the tender. The potential foreign candidates are mainly German companies. The motorway links Sofia and the Black Sea port of Burgas.
- A total of 664 million euro under 13 measures of the EU-funded Competitiveness operational programme should be made available to Bulgarian entrepreneurs in 2010, mainly for the setting up of business clusters and incubators. All the relevant paperwork should be signed by the end of 2009 with the European Investment Fund (EIF) for the launch of a holding fund under the Joint European Resources for Micro-Enterprises initiative. It will give small and medium-sized enterprises access to 200 million euro in EU funding.
MONITOR
- Chances are high that Bulgaria could start the construction of a new 1,000 megawatt rector at the country's sole nuclear power plant Kozloduy, Economy and Energy Minister Traycho Traykov said on Thursday.