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Southeast Europe
July 28, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 16
However, the decision to postpone the vote was supported by all the parties represented in the Bulgarian parliament, except the predominantly ethnic-Turk Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), Sega daily reported on July 20.
This is despite the fact that by failing to comply with the Commission’s request Bulgaria could re- ceive a one-off fine of over BGN1.5mn (€767,000) plus €660 per each day of non-compliance, ac- cording to Sega.
Both the nationalist Ataka party, a member of the junior ruling United Patriots, and the biggest opposition player, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), insisted on “freezing” the move.
The BSP, the United Patriots, the ruling centre- right Citizens for European Development of Bul- garia (GERB) and the centre-right Volya party have thus decided to approach the EC and ask to keep the restriction on agricultural land purchases by foreigners.
The country’s agricultural sector is characterised by a very high concentration of land ownership,
and the question of sales of agricultural land to foreigners is a sensitive political issue.
Tsvetan Tsvetanov, deputy chairman of GERB and leader of the party’s parliamentary group, warned that the parliament will reject the amendments prepared by the government
if they are put to the vote.
BSP leader Korneliya Ninova even said that a situation in which Bulgaria violates the European legislation and pays fines is preferable. Ninova commented that limitations also exist in other EU member states, such as Hungary, Poland, Slova- kia, Slovenia and Lithuania.
The BSP leader raised the issue with President Rumen Radev at a meeting on July 20, recom- mending that the country take a united stance on the issue.
"The president supported what I was doing. And it is through the MEPs, all the parliamentary par- ties, the government that we will limit the sale of Bulgarian agricultural land to foreigners,” Ninova said according to a party statement.
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