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The European People’s Party (EPP) has said it wants to fight the misuse of EU funds, but avoids criticizing Bulgaria for corruption.
Even if the center-right political group insists on new rules to prevent EU funds from going to governments that do not adhere to European values, the corruption crisis in Bulgaria accuses the party of applying double standards when it comes to its political allies. writes the site “Politico”, cited by BGNES.
The majority of center-right MEPs in the European Parliament are expected to vote today on a resolution expressing concern about EU funds fueling high levels of corruption in the Balkan state, which has been the scene of three months of protests against the government. The immediate priority of EPP MPs is to protect Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov from what they describe as a politically motivated attack.
However, the timing of the vote on the resolution on Bulgaria is a difficult test for the largest political group in parliament. This means that the EPP must protect the use of EU money in Bulgaria, while trying to present itself as one of the main advocates of a new approach linking the payment of EU funds to the rule of law.
Since July, Bulgaria has been embroiled in a complex political situation, which reveals the degree of influence of the mafia bosses who effectively run a parallel state through their influence on the media, the judiciary and the services of security. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, other opposition leaders and protesters who have filled the streets of the country accuse Borissov of allowing the mafia to seize power.
In a debate on corruption in Bulgaria this week, EPP leader Manfred Weber acknowledged that “not everything is perfect” in the country of 7 million, but concluded that Sofia with Borissov was “essentially on the right track.”
MPs from the socialist, liberal and green groups, who will support the resolution, have accused the EPP of hypocrisy, as it prioritizes Borissov’s loyalty over the rule of law.
Katarina Barley, a former German justice minister and now vice-president of the European Parliament for the socialist and democratic groups, said the EPP has always been quick to call for resignations for corruption, but only when it comes to a government outside its group. He asked the EPP not to repeat the situation with its inaction due to corruption in Hungary. “Don’t make the same mistake in Bulgaria,” he said.
The EPP’s ambivalent approach to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party has tarnished the party’s image in recent years. The EPP suspended Fidesz’s membership in March 2019 due to concerns about the rule of law and anti-Brussels rhetoric, but did not agree to accept Fidesz back or exclude him entirely, as many MEPs refused to oust Orban. Fidesz MEPs continue to participate in the work of the EPP Group in the European Parliament.
Ramona Strugariu, a Liberal Romanian MP, also criticized “powerful” European politicians for supporting “carefully woven networks” in Bulgaria that misuse EU funds.
“Do you know who you support?” He asked. Although she does not directly mention Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor is known to be Borissov’s strongest ally in the EPP in the last 10 years.
All about money
If the Socialists, Liberals and Greens adopt the Bulgarian resolution on Thursday, it will not be immediately binding. However, this will carry greater political weight as the EU institutions continue their discussions on the mechanism to link payments in the EU to the rule of law.
The misuse of European funds is a key factor in fueling corruption in Bulgaria, with the most recent cases involving senior officials using EU funds to build private villas and provide agricultural funds to non-existent companies.
Another high-profile case under investigation concerns allegations that senior judicial officials are trying to take over an elevator company with threats of violence from owners to gain access to EU funds.
Hristo Ivanov, former Minister of Justice and co-chair of the anti-corruption party “Democratic Bulgaria”, defines EU funds as a “soft drug” that keeps the Bulgarian mafia alive.
Claire Daly, a far-left Irish MP, said Bulgarians needed the EU to take action to “stop feeding vampires” by pouring money into corruption schemes.
Daniel Freund, a German Green Party MP, noted that there is a consensus among Bulgarians that the best way to fight corruption at the highest level is to cut EU funds. “Money doesn’t feed starving children.” If you stop money, you’re actually spawning corrupt oligarchs, “he said.
Weber avoided mentioning the misuse of EU funds in Bulgaria, instead praising Borissov for “leading a pro-European government” and supporting the introduction of the euro. Despite attacks on journalists and the independent judiciary, Weber claims that Bulgaria has a well-functioning democracy and free media.
Trying to support the Borissov government in a similar way, Bulgarian MEP Andrei Kovachev complained that the debate on the rule of law was being politicized by “pro-Kremlin” socialists in Bulgaria.
(The Bulgarian socialists have strong ties to Moscow, but Borisov also has cordial ties to Russia, as do his far-right coalition partners.)
Restricted to the left
The main argument of the EPP is that any changes in Bulgaria should come as a result of the elections in spring 2021 and not as protest movements.
For many protesters, this argument does not make sense. They argue that this is an excuse for the inaction on European funds, which have created parallel networks of power deeply embedded in institutions such as the judiciary, which are now more powerful than democratically elected politicians.
There are also long-standing concerns about unscrupulous practices during elections in Bulgaria and the means by which parties can benefit. Major parties seek to court large groups of voters by bribing them during elections, especially in poorer communities such as Muslims and Roma.
Radan Kanev, a parliamentarian for the Bulgarian EPP from Democratic Bulgaria (not Borissov’s GERB party), said fears of a shift to the left in Europe were at the heart of the EPP’s loyalty to Borissov.
“In the EPP, they have the feeling that the center-left parties could seize our strengths one by one; Boyko is next,” he said.
Kanev said that he had tried unsuccessfully to change traditional thinking about Bulgaria within the group.
One of the main challenges for him is to describe how the crisis of the rule of law in Bulgaria differs from that created by Orbán’s more centralized political structure in Hungary.
“I did not expect them to openly oppose the government, but finally they must understand that in Bulgaria it is not about government control over the judiciary or the media, but about control of the mafia.” / BGNES
Bulgaria
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