New Reshuffle Shakes Bulgaria's Fishery Agency

The Director of the Executive Agency for Fishery and Aquacultures (IARA), Yavor Nedev, resigned in June 2011. Photo by BGNES

The Regional Director for Northeastern Bulgaria of the Executive Agency for Fishery and Aquacultures (IARA) at the Bulgarian Agriculture Ministry, Sashko Grudev, had been surprisingly dismissed from his post.

The news was reported by the Bulgarian "Dnevnik" daily, citing its own sources.

Grudev held the post for just half year, after being appointed in August 2011 as replacement of predecessor, Prodan Prodanov.

The IARA Chief Secretary, Sergey Kostadinov, is going to be temporary in charge until conclusion of the competition for the job. "Dnevnik" sources have said the wave of dismissals at the Agency is prompted by a war between fishery and hunting lobbies and tensions are raging in the sector.

Last year, the Director of IARA, Yavor Nedev, resigned along with Prodanov's dismisslal, while Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, explained both have been largely unknown to people from the sector.

Three Deputies have left the Varna IARA Unit, along with Grudev, but colleagues say the motives for their dismissals remain unclear, adding that they have been precisely the authors of a recently prepared report on problems in the sector. The report had focused on mistakes in absorbing EU funds, the reasons for them, and factors impeding the sector overall. It had been sent personally to Borisov.

According to the same "Dnevnik" sources, speaking off the record, Grudev had replaced Prodanov under strong lobbyist pressure in Varna.

Violeta Aleksandrova, Deputy Director of IARA, and the person in charge of financing under the EU Operational Fishery Program, had also been dismissed from her post Monday. She is replaced by Irena Pencheva.

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