http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/bulgaria.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSL2523240920080625 http://tobacco.org/news/267578.html Bulgaria's state tobacco company Bulgartabak BTHG.BB hopes to fetch at least 38.4 million levs ($30.60 million) when it sells two closed cigarette mills in the middle of July, the company said on Wednesday. Bulgaria plans to sell the loss-making factories and streamline Bulgartabak, the country's only cigarette producer, ahead of a planned privatisation of its most lucrative assets to strategic investors later in the year. Reuters Bulgaria Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n143363 http://tobacco.org/news/266957.html The hailstorm destroyed around 70% of the tobacco harvest in Nedelino municipality. The hailstorm fell in the municipality in the middle of the week Focus English News Bulgaria Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=93565 http://tobacco.org/news/266134.html Contraband cigarettes account for 15-20 percent of the market in Bulgaria, executive director of cigarette-making monopoly Bulgartabac, Anguel Dimitrov, announced Wednesday. Mr Dimitrov added that Bulgartabac currently holds 62-63 percent of the cigarette market in the country but said that contraband usually increases in cases of price hikes. Bulgartabac is currently going through a process of optimisation and restructuring, which will allow the company to keep its market share, Dimitrov told reporters. Novinite.com Bulgaria Wed, 28 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSL1923886320080519 http://tobacco.org/news/265753.html Bulgarian state cigarette maker Bulgartabak BTHG.BB has decided to sell two of its closed cigarette mills on the Bulgarian stock exchange, it said on Monday. The Socialist-led government closed the loss-making plants in the cities of Plovdiv and Stara Zagora earlier this month in a move to strengthen the tobacco monopoly before offering it for sale to strategic investors later in the year. Reuters Bulgaria Thu, 22 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=93018 http://tobacco.org/news/265198.html Some 300 workers from the Plovdiv cigarette factory will be sacked as the plant was closed down on Monday as a result of the decision of the Bulgartabac board to restructure the company. The cigarette factory in Bulgaria's second largest city of Plovdiv was closed down on Monday. The measure is part of the program of the Governing Board of the state-owned tobacco monopoly Bulgartabac to restructure the company. The cigarette factory in the city of Stara Zagora is also going to be closed down, and all manufacturing operations will be concentrated in the cities of Sofia and Blagoevgrad. Novinite.com Bulgaria Mon, 12 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/pazardzhik-bt-vies-for-stake-in-mostar-cigarette-factory/id_29160/catid_67 http://tobacco.org/news/264891.html Pazardjik BT, formerly a part of state-owned Bulgartabac Holding and now owned by Bulgarian firm Chesteam, is the sole eligible bidder for 67 per cent of Bosnian cigarette factory Fabrika Duhana Mostar, SeeNews agency reported, quoting a statement of the Bosnia and Herzegovina privatisation agency. The procedure attracted two offers, the other from an unnamed Canadian company. Sofia Echo Bulgaria Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n139347 http://tobacco.org/news/264182.html Straldzha. Areas for growing tobacco by one of the major producers in the region of Straldzha, South East Bulgaria, was increased by 30% thus reaching 2000 decares, expert in the municipality Nadya Zhecheva said, Radio FOCUS – Sliven informs. Planting has already started Focus English News Bulgaria Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_1785055697 http://tobacco.org/news/264163.html The biggest amount of smuggled cigarettes in Europe has been caught near the Belgian town of Liege. 12 people have been arrested. There are Bulgarians among them. The Belgian RTL television reports of 2 Bulgarians, while the “Soir” newspaper informs of 1 Bulgairan involved. Among the other arrested are three Greeks, two Cypriots and Belgians. The smuggled cigarettes are “Karelia”, “Marlboro”, “L&M”, “Superking Gold”, “Raquel” were discovered in three different storehouses around Liege. news.bg Europe Bulgaria Sat, 26 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://thefrontiertimes.com/read_more.php?newsid=666 http://tobacco.org/news/264155.html Two Bulgarians have been arrested after Belgian police busted a cigarette smuggling ring, believed to be the largest one ever discovered in Europe. Among the other smugglers who were arrested there were three Greeks, one Cypriot and one Belgian national. The arrests came after police officers found more than 230 tons of contraband cigarette packages in three warehouses near the Belgian city of Liege. The Frontier Times Bulgaria Belgium Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=92592 http://tobacco.org/news/264147.html A total of two Bulgarians have been arrested after Belgian police busted a cigarette smuggling net believed to be the biggest one in Europe, Darik News reported Friday. Some Belgium's media claim the Bulgarian citizen detained is only one. Among the other arrestees are three Greeks, two Cypriotes and Belgian nationals. The arrests came after police officers found more than 230 tons of contraband cigarette packages in three warehouses near Belgium's city of Liege. Novinite.com Europe Bulgaria Belgium Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/cigarette-business-for-sale/id_28248/catid_23 http://tobacco.org/news/261766.html Bulgaria has decided to sell two factories owned by Bulgaria's former tobacco monopolist Bulgartabac, located in Plovdiv and Stara Zagora, on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, Economy and Energy Minister Petar Dimitrov said on March 18. "We want the privatisation to be done through the stock market, because that would be the most transparent way," Dimitrov said. Sofia Echo Bulgaria Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://bgnewsnet.com/story.php?lang=en&sid=23170 http://tobacco.org/news/261708.html Bulgarian tobacco state-owned monopoly Bulgartabac's chief executive Hristo Lachev has been alleged in tax fraud, Regional Prosecutor for Sofia Nikolay Kokinov revealed Thursday. Lachev is accused of hiding a total of EUR69,000 in the last three years. Prosecutor Angel Iliev didn't reveal if the money in question is the same as the advertisement profits from Lachev's other case. Bulgarian News Network comment@bgnewsnet.com Bulgaria Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aXAOEOq9Ce78 http://tobacco.org/news/261435.html Four international tobacco companies are interested in acquiring two Bulgarian cigarette factories controlled by state-run Bulgartabak Holding, the country's Economy and Energy Minister Petar Dimitrov said. The government, which controls 80 percent of Bulgartabak, decided to sell its two most profitable factories, Sofia-BT AD and Blagoevgrad-BT AD, to a buyer that would guarantee to keep them operational and retain their workforce, Dimitrov said in interview with private Bulgarian television station bTV today. Bloomberg News ekonstantino@bloomberg.net (Elizabeth Konstantinova) Bulgaria Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-03/08/content_7746982.htm http://tobacco.org/news/261073.html 保加利亚交通部长彼得·穆塔夫奇耶夫６日下令加强火车安全措施，严禁在火车上吸烟。穆塔夫奇耶夫是在上月底保发生列车火灾事故后作出这一决定的。据当地媒体报道，安全措施还包括改善列车乘务员的通信手段，对旅客行李的尺寸和重量加强管理，以及工作人员要充分告知旅客一旦发生火灾或其他事故时如何进行自我保护等。 Xinhua Newswire ycjg@xinhua.org (王蒙) Bulgaria Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/bulgarias-state-railways-to-ban-smoking/id_27967/catid_66 http://tobacco.org/news/260923.html Transport Minister Petar Moutafchiev ordered the Bulgarian state railways BDZ to ban smoking in all trains and to strengthen the control over the passengers' luggage, two measures that he said would prevent the repeat of the deadly train fire that left nine people dead last week. Although there is a standing ban on easily flammable substances in trains, no one is enforcing it, while luggage is rarely being searched, Moutafchiev said, as quoted by Dnevnik daily. The devastating fire on the Sofia-Kardam train on February 28 was likely caused by some substance catching fire, according to witness accounts, he added. Sofia Echo Bulgaria Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:00:00 GMT