Bulgaria's opposition Socialist party earlier this week said that the requirements for privatizing Bulgartabac practically bans big foreign players from bidding, reports Novinite.

According to Kornelia Ninova, a Socialist member of parliament, eligible bidders are required to process 12,000 tonnes of tobacco annually and produce 35 billion cigarette pieces.
"The big global companies in this sector deal mainly with cigarettes production, rather than tobacco processing. So this makes them immediately not eligible to bid in the tender," she said in the town of Blagoevgrad, where one of the two  large factories of Bulgartabac is located.
A majority stake of 79.83 per cent in Bulgaria's state cigarette producer Bulgartabac Holding, whose management has been harshly criticized in recent years, was put on sale on 26 April after years of procrastination.
The agency for privatization and post-privatization control invited strategic and financial investors to buy tender documents by 10 June. Philip Morris International Inc., Japan Tobacco Inc. And Korea's KT&G are among the potential buyers of Bulgartabac Holding, according to Privatization Agency chief Emil Karanikolov. Bulgarian cigarette maker King's Tobacco has also confirmed interest in the deal, as has Bulgaria's Corporate Commercial Bank.
Binding offers have to be filed by the end of August.
The bidder with the highest offer will be selected for buyer. The buyer  is expected to be known in September. No base price has been set. (pi)