Mon, May 21 2012
MARITSA-IZTOK WANTS LAWS CHANGED
Maritsa-Iztok mines management has called on Parliament to amend the laws on state and municipal ownership, on subterranean resources and on territorial designation and asked lawmakers to introduce an accelerated procedure for the alienation of mining sites. Ivan Markov, CEO of Maritsa-Iztok mines, told MPs that reluctance to sell land suitable for mining had been impeding the company. He said that there was no reliable procedure that would guarantee that the property transaction be completed within the required timeframe.
EVN CALL CENTRE
A call centre has taken over the routine and client information queries to Austria's EVN for south-eastern Bulgaria. The centre, equipped with 0.6 million leva in software, opened on December 6.
The new centre allows for the simultaneous servicing of 60 clients at a time at the price of a city call. In this way, at the number 0700 1 7777, the centre will provide general information and energy efficiency advice, and will allow for the automatic ownership transfer of an electricity account, as well as expert advice. If the line is busy, a client will be able to leave a number for the call to be returned.
PENALTY FOR TAISEI
Sofia municipality will pay $4.2 million less to Taisei Corporation in a one-year penalty for delays in construction of a section of Sofia's metro. The sum is based on the Japanese's company $50 000 daily fee.
Taisei was contracted to build the underground section between Sveta Nedelya Square and Younak Stadium.
Sofia municipality also plans to sue the company for lost benefits over the one-year delay in the section's handover.
Metropoliten, Taisei Corporation and the National Sports base are entangled in a row of dodging responsibility.
The option to postpone the due date was contingent on securing 55 million euro for immediate repayment of the amounts loaned by Belgium's Dexia and Japanese bank Mizuho.
The Eurostat data agency said that unemployment reached 10.9 per cent in March, up from 10.8 per cent in February. The March figure translates to 17.4 million people unemployed in the euro zone.
Citing three separate sources familiar with the deal, Capital Daily reports that the creditors found offers submitted by three bidders unsatisfactory.
Eurobank EFG is left with a 30 per cent stake in the merged entity but has said it will exercise its put option on the remaining holding.
The narrow focus of many euro zone countries on fiscal austerity is deepening the jobs crisis and could even lead to another recession in Europe, said the Director of the ILO Institute for International Labour Studies and lead author of the report, Raymond Torres.

Kamelia Lozanova has been appointed the executive director of the Employment Agency, a position she has held ad interim since September 2011, following the resignation of her predecessor Rossitsa Stelianova. Prior to that, Lozanova was the agency's deputy executive director in charge of international projects and European programmes. She has been with the agency for more than 20 years. Lozanova has a degree in Slavonic philology from the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia.

Gloria Dimitrova has been appointed executive director and member of the managing board at Uniqa Life Insurance Bulgaria. Dimitrova began her career in 1998 at the insurance supervision directorate, but moved to the private sector and worked for professional services and insurance brokerage firm Marsh&McLennan and US insurer AIG, both in Bulgaria and the Middle East. She joined Uniqa as regional director for Sofia in 2010. Dimitrova has a degree in economics from the University for National and World Economy in Sofia and a master's degree in insurance from the Business Academy in Svishtov.

Yassen Lyubenov is the new head of marketing at Bulgarian beer brewer Kamenitza. Lyubenov has 12 years of experience in marketing in the fast-moving consumer goods sector and has started his career as assistant brand manager at Kraft Foods Bulgaria. He later became brand manager at Wrigley Bulgaria, with responsibilities for Bulgaria and Macedonia. Prior to joining Kamenitza, he was senior marketing manager at Wrigley Russia, where he was in charge of brand expansion into Ukraine, Belarus, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Lyubenov has a bachelor's degree in international business administration from the University of Lincoln, UK.

Bedros Kalfayan, general manager of skin care and cosmetics company Beiersdorf Bulgaria, will oversee the parent's company units in Romania and Moldova starting April 1. Following company restructuring, Beiersdorf's subsidiaries in the three countries were merged and are now one unit, part of Beiersdorf Central and Eastern Europe. Kalfayan joined Beiersdorf in 2007 as sales manager and was promoted to general manager in 2008. Prior to that, he worked for Axxon Bulgaria, Ferrero and Rubella. Kalfayan has a master's degree in industrial management from the Technical University in Sofia.

Sasha Bezuhanova has been appointed Hewlett-Packard public sector director for emerging markets, where she will oversee HP public sector activities in 63 countries, including Bulgaria. Bezuhanova will also be in charge of HP's relations with the European Union. Bezuhanova has been HP's public sector director for Central and Eastern Europe since 2008; before that she was general manager of HP Bulgaria since 1998. Bezuhanova has a master's degree in electronics from the Technical University in Sofia and has completed a managment programme at INSEAD.