Bulgaria - leadership of tobacco fund to be replaced..

January 29, 2010 - Bulgaria's Prime Minister (PM), Boyko Borisov, confirmed Thursday that he is set to replace the entire leadership of the so-called Tobacco Fund. The changes are forthcoming in the next few weeks while he is waiting only for the results of the probe.

The PM also said he had made an agreement with tobacco growers and producers that they designate 3-representatives to be appointed as members of the Monitoring Board of the Fund.

Borisov further reiterated his Wednesday statements, January 27th that the tensions among tobacco growers are politically motivated and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) is behind the unrest.

The tobacco farmers had a mass protest rally scheduled for Thursday, but they canceled it after a midnight meeting with Borisov. (Between 15 000 and 20 000 Bulgarian tobacco producers were making preparations for a protest planned for Thursday morning. They were blockade the Danube Bridge crossing to Romania, and the border checkpoints with Greece.

“I made commitments and everything I promised is going on; we are working on getting more money,” Borisov declared.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry informed they have signed an agreement with the National Tobacco Growers Union 2009.

Reference: Bulgaria PM Set to Sack Tobacco Fund Leadership, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), 1/28/2010.

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