November 4 (SeeNews) - Following are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Wednesday morning. SeeNews has not verified these reports and cannot vouch for their accuracy.
DNEVNIK
- The government in Sofia will propose to the European Commission that Bulgaria self-impose a 4.8 million euro fine over irregularities on 212 road infrastructure projects financed under the European Union's Phare programme, Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev said. Last week the government decided to decline 50.8 million euro in Phare funding for 10 road projects whose implementation has already been doomed by serious violations. Brussels has already frozen 323 million euro in Phare assistance for Bulgaria.
- At an informal meeting with local commercial banks, the government has asked them to gradually lower the cost of borrowing in a bid to boost Bulgaria's economy amid the crisis, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said.
- The stock indices on the bourse in Sofia fell to a two-month low on Tuesday.
STANDART
- Buglaria's former prime minister, Sergei Stanishev, now a member of parliament, has decided to waive his immunity. The prosecutor's office had filed a request before parliament to strip Stanishev of his MP immunityas it intends to probe him over alleged mishandling of state secrets.
- Bulgaria's gas storage depot at Chiren is stocked with 647 million cubic metres of gas, enough to cover the country's gas needs for a nine-month period, the head of the energy regulator, Angel Semerdzhiev, said.
- A South Korean company wants to build a car factory in Pernik, 30 kilometres west of the capital Sofia, Pernik Mayor Rositsa Yanakieva said without elaborating. Yanakieva was on the roster of an official delegation that accompanied Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov on his recent visit to Seoul.
PARI
- Wholesale gas prices in Bulgaria could rise between 8.7% an 15% as of January next year, the head of the energy regulator, Angel Semerdzhiev, said.
- The Bulgarian unit of Austrian leasing company Immorent plans to invest 52 million euro in residential and office buildings in the capital Sofia, the local subsidiary's managing director Milen Petrov said.
($ = 0.6776 euro)