Licensing regimes in Bulgaria number a total of 113, registration ones - 619, permission are 1,012 and the coordinating ones - 197, or a total of 1,935 regimes hound Bulgarian business, BTA is reporting.

Economy and Energy Minister Peter Dimitrov made this statement Monday at a public discussion of a draft Program of Better Regulation 2008-2009, held at the Council of Ministers.

Only 392 of these regimes are legally provided for, Dimitrov added. Regimes introduced without legal grounds number 1,559, including 1,275 at local level. "We obviously have to create a system of control with very severe sanctions for those who introduce illegal and uncalled for regimes and hobble business," the minister commented.

There are provisions for a model of better regulation in which business will have control rights. A total of 21 licensing and regulatory regimes will be made easier or called off altogether.

"We are open to proposals and any regime we prove is redundant or, even when it is necessary but is above all a source of corruption practice, I am ready to make easier or call off altogether," Dimitrov said.

It emerged at the discussion that businesses will be able to control how the administration applies regulatory regimes. This will happen by means of an information system for monitoring of regulatory regimes administrated by municipal authorities created by the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA), the association's press center said.

The system is based on-line (www.rr.bia-bg.com) and constitutes unified software permitting references about the administration of licensing, registration, permission and notification regimes. The main software has been introduced in 80 municipalities, while BIA has developed and donated to the Ministry of Public Administration and Administrative Reform an adapted and expanded version of this software. The system already operates on a pilot basis in Sopot municipality (Central Bulgaria) and is about to be introduced in the other Bulgarian municipalities.

BIA experts suggest that the regime for commercial site registration be revoked or transformed into a notification one because there is no law to provide for the matter on registration of such sites, the association's press centre said.

The association also suggests changes in the regulatory regimes at licensing assessors of assets liable to privatization, retail trade with veterinary medical products, of the regime involving permits for taxi transport, import of pharmaceuticals and the issuance of health certificates for the export of cosmetic products.