Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski will start its own television channel, and have already obtained the necessary license. At the moment six journalists have been assigned to this project. The channel will provide music, movies and its own programming. University officials are still looking for money to support this media venture. This is the main hold up to setting a broadcast start date.
The Bulgarian government has decided to close the duty free shops and the petrol stations at the borders of Bulgaria with Macedonia, Turkey and Serbia. They will still be open for the next three months but only have the right to sell goods with an excise label. The reason for this is that the European Committee considers them a source of corruption and a channel for contraband. Bulgaria’s minister of regional development, Asen Gagausov, thinks the duty free zone should be a public/private joint venture. On the other hand, businessmen who have already invested heavily in the development of the border properties oppose giving up a stake to the government.
