The Acting Minister of the Economy Petko Nikolov has cancelled the appointments of 13 new commercial attachés, selected after a competition during the previous government, reported "Now".
The experts, who passed a long and difficult procedure of exams and concept defense, were about to go to the commercial offices abroad. However, on May 7, they were informed by phone that their employment contracts and business trip orders were cancelled.
Until now, no one from the ministry has given an explanation to those affected, nor have they been given written notifications about the terminated contracts. The Minister's new order, much less a press release, has not been published on the MIA website.
It is a matter of loudly announced already in September of this year. public competition for sales representatives in over 20 countries with new criteria and the opportunity for our compatriots abroad to apply for the country in which they live for the first time.
The then Minister of Economy, Bogdan Bogdanov, announced that he was removing the requirement for state representatives in trade and economic affairs offices to admit only people who had been public servants for at least two years.
"We want political appointments to be stopped and only experts to be appointed to these positions," explained Minister of Economy and Industry Bogdan Bogdanov.
The interest in working in the services for trade and economic affairs in the embassies of Bulgaria abroad is great - nearly 200 candidates submitted applications. Contest participants say that it went through several stages - after a preliminary selection, each candidate had to present a concept evaluated by professors from the Economics Institute of the BAS, in addition, there was an exam in two foreign languages conducted by professors from the Sofia University university. Computer literacy tests were also conducted, as well as an interview with a special committee of university professors, ambassadors and business representatives.
Such a complex procedure, with so many people involved in its implementation, can hardly be seen as flawed if this is the possible motive for the canceled appointments.
The Economic Ministry announced the results at the end of March - 13 people were approved for the following destinations: Kazakhstan, city of Almaty; Germany, Berlin; Portugal, Lisbon; Czech Republic, city of Prague; Switzerland, city of Bern; Algiers, Algiers; Indonesia, Jakarta; Jordan, Amman; Qatar, Doha; United Arab Emirates, Dubai; USA - the city of Washington, the city of Chicago and the city of Los Angeles.
At the beginning of April, the approved commercial attachés hold a general meeting with the leadership of the ministry, discuss the tasks, approve the secondment orders and their employment contracts. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also determines the respective diplomatic ranks of the 13 trade representatives and begins a procedure for issuing diplomatic passports. The appointments of the attachés are for the beginning of June.
The surprising refusal of acting minister Nikolov to second the elected officials puts them in an extremely unpleasant situation. Some of the candidates have left their previous jobs, and some of them have also left their wives. Considerable expenses of candidates from abroad, who traveled several times to our country to participate in the various stages of the competition, go to waste. Not to mention the tension and wasted work in the tough competition. The Ministry of Economy itself has also spent a lot of money to organize it.
Disappointed with the development of things and the lack of any connection with the Minister of Economy, the dismissed trade attachés will request a meeting with the acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev. According to lawyers, they have every reason to seek their rights in court.