PROGRAM

FOR CONTAINING AND OVERCOMING THE CONSEQUENCES
OF THE CRISIS IN KOSOVO
FOR THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

1. By Decision No 209 of the Council of Ministers from 1999, an Interministerial Working Group for Containing and Overcoming the consequences of the Crisis in Kosovo is established with the Minister of Trade and Tourism.

2. The Inter-ministerial Working Group collects regular information for the consequences of the crisis from:

• The Ministry of Finance - about the macroeconomic indicators and the tendencies in the trade balance and the balance of payments;

• The General Customs Directorate - about the structure and volume of realized import in and export from the country;

• The National Border Police Service with the Ministry of the Interior - about the inflow and outflow of travelers through the border, as well as about the situation on the border check points;

• The Road Fees and Permits Division with the General Road Administration - about the vehicles having crossed the border;

• The Ministry of Trade and Tourism - about the state of the domestic market, the stock of foods and essential commodities with traders, about the dynamics of prices;

• The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Agrarian Reform - about the stock of staple foods and essential commodities with producers, as well as about problems with supplies, production and sales of the big enterprises (determined by a list, approved by the respective Ministers) as a result of the crisis;

• The Ministries, departments, organizations of employers (the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bulgarian Industrial Association, branch organizations, etc.) - written evidence from commercial enterprises suffering losses to be provided to the Inter-ministerial Working Group;

• The Provisional Inter-ministerial Situation Center with the Security Council of the Council of Ministers - about the dynamics of the situation in the region and the country.

3. The Inter-ministerial Working Group to analyze the information received and to submit to the Council of Ministers conclusions and proposals for action.

4. The Inter-ministerial Working Group:

• to issue regularly an information bulletin about the results from its work, which it is to submit to the members of the Council of Ministers, the Security Council and the heads of the interested departments;

• to offer update information about the consequences of the crisis on the WEB page of the Government;

• to submit regularly information to the public and the media about the impact of the crisis on the economy of the country.

5. The competent ministries and departments, together with the organizations of the employees to provide for the interested commercial enterprises information about alternative markets, the access to which is not affected by the crisis in Kosovo, also to work out programs for redirection of import and export, which are to be offered to the commercial companies for the preparation of their own programs for restriction of their losses.

6. The Minister of Finance to undertake the necessary fiscal measures to increase the financial discipline and the collection of taxes; to determine the chief budget expenses in compliance with the principles of efficiency and economy.

7. An international conference, under the auspices of the Prime Minister, entitled "The Impact of the Crisis in South Eastern Europe on the Economic Cooperation of the Countries in the Region. Opportunities for the Unobstructed Transit of Commodities" on the level of Ministers of Trade and of Transport and with the participation of representatives of the European Union, NATO, OECD and the international financial institutions, to be organized in Sofia.

8. Through their diplomatic and commercial missions abroad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade and Tourism and the Foreign Investments Agency to conduct an active explanatory campaign among the state bodies and the potential investors about the political and financial stability of our country during the crisis in Kosovo.

9. To hold highest level talks with the Romanian government for the provision of a normal passage and accelerated processing of vehicles through the common passages on the river Danube.

10. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Transport to undertake actions with the competent authorities of the countries along the upper reaches of the river Danube for relieved terms of stay for Bulgarian ships at the river ports of these countries and servicing of the crews.

11. The Council of Ministers to propose to the governments of the interested countries to start jointly the establishment of a special international commission for rubble removal of the river Danube after the termination of the military operations.

12. The Bulgarian position on the issue of the construction of a second bridge on the river Danube at Vidin, officially submitted to the Romanian side in February 1999, to be tabled categorically to the European Union, the international financial institutions and the NATO member states.

13. The Council of Ministers to undertake steps with the OECD countries for an increase of the market access of Bulgarian exports through expansion of the preferential scheme (GSP) applied for the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as with the European Union - for an increase of the market access of Bulgarian agriculture and processed products, at the same time urgently working out a system for certification of organic agricultural regions and production.

14. The Council of Ministers to conduct negotiations with the specialized institutions of the USA and other OECD countries for the provision of insurance for foreign investments in the Republic of Bulgaria.

15. The Minister of Finance to present at the donors' meeting in Brussels on April 21, 1999 a Bulgarian Initiative for the establishment of a new financial instrument "Special Regional Fund for Preferential Financing of Projects".

16. Steps to be taken to the US government for continuation of President Clinton's South Balkan Development Initiative (SBDI), under which supplies of US commodities and consultation services for the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Albania, are financed with relation to the East-West Corridor (corridor No8).

17. A Request to be placed to the European Commission for the creation of a new pre-accession fund of the ISPA and SAPPARD type, which is to finance projects in the social sphere with the aim of speeding up the process of accession of the country to the European structures.

18. Actions to be undertaken for the participation of the Republic of Bulgaria in tenders and competitions for the supply of commodities within the allocated aid for the countries affected by the humanitarian disaster and the future reconstruction operations in the region. Steps to be taken with the international institutions for an active participation of Bulgarian transportation companies in the transportation of the aid.