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Bulgarians are protesting the lack of sanctions for political corruption, the judiciary has not yet been fully reformed, and links between politicians and the media are visible. This is what the European Commission wrote in its first report on Bulgaria under the new pan-European mechanism.
“The lack of results in the fight against corruption is one of the key issues raised by the protests that began in the summer of 2020, and the authorities are still expected to achieve consistent success with final convictions in high-ranking corruption cases. “wrote the EC. .
Mention was made of “Apartment Gate” and KPCONPI’s view that those involved in the real estate scandal are not in a conflict of interest situation.
It is also observed that, despite the existence of a legal framework for conflicts of interest, there are still concerns about lobbying, which is practically unregulated.
“When it comes to violations of the rule of law, the EC has a clear role as an advocate. We will not hesitate to initiate criminal proceedings and continue discussions under Article 7 (of the EU Treaty, which defines actions in case of violation This is why we need conditions in the Multiannual Financial Framework (to limit European money in case of violations) to deal with these abuses of the rule of law, which harm the financial interests of the EU, “said Vice President by EC Vera Yourova at the presentation of the report.
Despite the government’s calls for reforms to ensure a balance of power in the judiciary, the European Commission notes that the currently proposed changes do not guarantee a truly independent investigation by the Attorney General.
The reason: the procedure for selecting a special prosecutor to deal with such cases. It is in the hands of the SJC, where the attorney general, his subordinate members of the prosecutor quota, and potentially political appointments, including the PRB, have great influence.
“Lack of transparency in media ownership is considered a cause for concern. The legal framework against political interference does not prohibit politicians from owning the media and there are established links between politicians and the media, according to the report.
They also point out that several journalistic organizations have denounced online harassment and physical attacks against journalists in our country.
Legislative initiatives to limit the work of foreign-funded NGOs are cited as a potential problem.
