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“Boyko Borissov’s sunset is only visible in Brussels”: under this title, the famous German journalist Frank Stir analyzes the situation in Bulgaria and Boyko Borissov’s management. His article in the political magazine Cicero recalls that Todor Zhivkov’s former bodyguard came to power at that time with the promise of making the fight against corruption and organized crime a priority.
The publication mentions large-scale actions with big names like “Octopus”, “Insolent”, “Killers”, “Butterflies” and others, after which, according to Stir, hundreds of people were arrested, but only a small part of them – condemned. “Following Borissov’s offensive against organized crime, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has issued numerous verdicts against Bulgaria, and the corresponding monetary compensation has been quite expensive for the Bulgarian taxpayer,” commented the German journalist.
The EC report and GERB’s reaction
Frank Stir pays particular attention to the way the Prime Minister reacted to the latest EU report on the rule of law in Bulgaria. The journalist notes that EC reports on Bulgaria are often written in “fluffy diplomatic language”, and sarcastically calls their authors “masters of balanced speech”. An example of this was the part on Bulgaria in the last Brussels report. And this time Brussels managed to see some progress in judicial reform in Bulgaria.
“Borissov’s party – GERB – reacted to the Brussels report with a very strange reading of its own,” journalist Christian Limpert did not hide his surprise. A report for German public television ARD, titled “Guiding Wind for Protesters in Bulgaria”, says that GERB interpreted the report as a confirmation of successful cooperation with the European Commission and approval for the fight against corruption so far.
“That is why it was not difficult at all for Boyko Borissov to promise to implement all the Brussels recommendations. But this time his situation is radically different,” commented Frank Stir on the same subject. It also lists the many scandals surrounding the prime minister – such as leaked recordings of recorded phone calls, photos of Borissov’s bedroom with a drawer full of 500 euro bills – “which caused a stir in the international media without being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office Bulgaria. ”, Clarifies the German journalist.
“Borissov is showing composure and trying to buy time,” we read in a report by German public television ARD. “He rejects journalistic requests for interviews, and in his live broadcasts on Facebook he presents himself as a concerned father of the town, drives his own jeep, gets off at various places and accepts the greetings of the enthusiastic crowd, asking about the health of the people”.
Even MEPs from the back benches have already learned of the scandals.
However, Bulgaria’s problems are already widely covered in the international press. Due to the incessant protests, Europe and the world have learned of a host of corruption scandals, raising serious questions about whether the Borissov government respects the rule of law, writes Frank Steer. Meanwhile, even MEPs from the EP’s back benches have learned that Bulgarian officials at the Ministry of Transport have been swiftly negotiating their driver’s licenses, that politicians can buy luxury apartments at ridiculously low prices, and that the Eight Dwarfs they are not. the title of a fairy tale, and a shocking thriller about extortion “, says the German journalist in his article on” Cicero “.
Stir’s conclusion is: “There is a gap between Borisov’s claims that he adheres to the rule of law and the actual situation in this Balkan country, which simply cannot go unnoticed. As measured at the European Parliament meeting on October 5. As well as in November, when the European Council will address this unpleasant issue. “
Germany
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