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On the 51st day of discontent against the cabinet and the attorney general, the situation in Bulgaria, democracy and the rule of law were the subject of a closed-door meeting of a working group in the European Parliament.
The information on who requested the meeting is contradictory. A spokesperson for the European Parliament press office in Brussels unequivocally confirmed that the initiative belonged to the working group for the monitoring of democracy and the rule of law.
The idea appeared even before the deputies’ summer vacation. This afternoon, however, a statement from the prosecutor’s office in Bulgaria said that the discussion was organized at the suggestion of Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev.
The meeting was closed. Within the Parliamentary Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, 14 of the working group members focus on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. In front of them and the Venice Commission, the Bulgarian authorities, non-governmental organizations and a journalist spoke.
Photo: btvnovinite.bg
Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, Deputy Attorney General Krassimira Filipova and Deputy Minister of Justice Desislava Akhladova participated in the hearing on the Bulgarian side via an online conference call.
After the meeting, the Foreign Ministry told bTV it would not comment. And the judiciary too, because they are not the organizers. The prosecution explained that the meeting discussed the actions and structure of the institution, as well as the powers of prosecutor number 1.
“The only subordination that is due to prosecutors is obedience to the law. They are not in a hierarchical relationship with either the attorney general or their administrative heads. They are free to make decisions according to their internal conviction, regardless of who they are. , and these decisions cannot be controlled by the Attorney General, “the prosecution said in a statement after the debate.
Photo: btvnovinite.bg
“Obviously, MEPs are aware of the problems in Bulgarian society and asked quite firmly, in a diplomatic but rather sharp tone, what exactly the Bulgarian institutions will do to solve these problems. Our institutions responded with casino responses,” said the journalist Dimitar Stoyanov. , participant in the discussion.
Photo: btvnovinite.bg
None of the Bulgarian MEPs on the commission is part of the working group. Emil Radev from the EPP faction, which includes GERB, rejected a position, noting that the meeting was held behind closed doors.
Socialist Elena Yoncheva explained that yesterday she informed the members of the group of MEPs about the situation in Bulgaria.
Photo: btvnovinite.bg
“It was fine for Mr Borissov to stand alone in the European Parliament and not pass it on to his subordinates. The unprecedented protests for our country require a politician to take responsibility for Europe. Borissov went into hiding,” Yoncheva said.
bTV invited the 14 MEPs from the working group to comment and is awaiting their responses. bTV is also awaiting a response from the Venice Commission.
Similar discussions are already taking place in the European Parliament on the situation in Slovakia and Malta. Following the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Galicia, the same task force initiated a resolution calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister of Malta.
