By passing at first reading the Bill amending and supplementing the Criminal Procedure Code, Parliament decides Specialized Court will launch its work on January 1, 2012

Specialized courts will launch their work on January 1, 2012, decided the Bulgarian National Assembly by passing at first reading the Bill amending and supplementing the Criminal Procedure Code submitted by Yuliana Koleva, Ivaylo Toshev, Dimitar Lazarov and Krasimir Tsipov. Among the proposed amendments is the drop out of the Specialized Court’s jurisdiction over offences under Art. Art. 243 and 244 of the Criminal Code relating to the make up and release in circulation of counterfeit money and bonds.

During the time of parliamentary control questions by Members of Parliament were answered by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Simeon Dyankov, Minister of Defense Anyu Angelov and Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Rossen Plevneliev.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov replied a question by M.P. Maya Manolova regarding  involvement of Cabinet members in the election campaign; a question posed by M.P. Geopgi Bozhinov regarding a meeting of PM Borissov with experts of the U.S. Shevron company; a question by M.P. Pavel Shopov on media reports about involvement of Gen. Kolev, former General Staff Chief, in the leakage of classified information; a question posed by M.P. Ivan Kostov regarding the ongoing body-guarding of the Triple Coalition leaders and Mr. Rumen Petkov; an interpellation by M.P.s Sergey Stanishev and Penko Atanasov regarding the change of the Agricultural Academy president; and two interpellations by M.P. Kornelia Ninova on the coordination of the common policy and the recommendations of the European Commission on the National Reforms Program 2011 and the Convergence Program Bulgaria 2011-2014.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Simeon Dyankov answered a question posed by M.P.s Pavel Shopov and Lyubomir Vladimirov on the negative assessments by some Western media of the Greek crisis impacts on the Greek banks in Bulgaria; a question by M.P.s Anna Yaneva and Kornelia Ninova on the privatization of Bulgartabak Holding and a question by M.P. Tsveta Georgieva on the introduction of limit prices for some major consumer goods and services.  

Minister of Defense Anyu Angelov answered an interpellation by M.P. Georgi Pirinski regarding a “New Type Multipurpose Fighter” project.

Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Rossen Plevneliev answered two interpellations by M.P. Dimcho Mihalevski on the policy pursued by the Regional Development and Public Works Ministry for ensuring the implementation of “Environment” Operational Program and mitigating the risk of sanctions on Bulgaria for failure to implement the European Directive on waste water processing and on the Ministry’s policy of road network rehabilitation for 2011 and 2012; a question by M.P. Emil Karanikolov on expanding the road from the town of Stara Zagora to Trakia motorway and a question by M.P. Zhivko Todorov regarding the construction of residential blocks of flats on the territory of Stara Zagora municipality by the state owned “Construction and Rehabilitation” company.