Bulgaria's Caretaker Govt Paid over BGN 2 M to Media Outlets

Bulgaria's caretaker government (March 13 – May 28, 2013), photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's caretaker government, which was appointed by President Rosen Plevneliev and remained in office for about two months (March 13 – May 28, 2013), paid over BGN 700 000 to a number of Bulgarian media outlets and signed new contracts for media coverage for over BGN 1.5 M.

According to reports of the BGNES news agency, based on data of the government provided under the Access to Information Act, a total of BGN 737 285.34, VAT included, was paid in the period March 13 – May 29, 2013, under already signed contracts, including agreements signed before March 13, 2013 for media coverage and media services related to the communication plans of EU operational programs.

The report does not name the media outlets which received the funding.

The "Rural Development" Program was the only program under which no contracts were signed.

During the term in office of the caretaker government headed by Prime Minister Marin Raykov, a total of 8 contracts worth BGN 1 510 926.72 were signed with Bulgarian media outlets.

All of the agreements were for media services and media coverage and were financed under the communication plans of the EU-funded operational programs.

The "Rural Development" Program was the only program under which no new contracts were signed.

Apart from that, the government also signed a contract with the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company for live broadcasts of the sittings of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation and the Civil Board at the Prime Minister's Office.

The contract, worth BGN 3240, VAT included, was for a period of 3 months and expired on June 22, 2013.

According to BGNES, no payments have yet been made under this contract.

Ivet Dobromirova, Spokesperson of the caretaker government, told mediapool.bg Wednesday that the caretaker government had made payments under existing contracts signed by the previous center-right GERB government for media coverage of operational programs.

She explained that new contracts had only been signed for procedures which had already been underway in order to not block their progress.

during the term in office of the caretaker government, payments had been made under existing contracts signed by the center-right GERB government for media coverage of operational programs.

"There was an explicit instruction by caretaker Prime Minister Marin Raykov to not sign new contracts but to only make payments for already completed orders," she declared.

Dobromirova vowed to ask the current government as an ordinary citizen to specify the media outlets which had been paid by the caretaker government for media coverage, as well as to shed light on the statistics prepared for the BGNES NEWS agency, and to supply the information to media.

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