MEPs support protests in Bulgaria in resolution to be voted on today – Europe

© DAINA LE LARDIC, @EU_ScienceHub

The European Parliament harshly criticized Bulgaria in a draft resolution, which will be voted on today in one of its committees.

He strongly supports protesters over the past three months and explicitly mentions specific cases of pressure on protesters and obstruction of journalists, from inspections of the toy chain Hypoland to restrictions on the movement of reporters. in the new parliament building.

“The European Parliament expresses its unequivocal support for the Bulgarian people in their justified demands and aspirations for justice, transparency, accountability and democracy;

– firmly believes that peaceful demonstrations are a fundamental right in any democracy and supports the right of people to peaceful protest;

– condemns all forms of violence against peaceful demonstrations; Stresses that freedom of expression and freedom of information must always be respected;

– stresses that the use of violence and disproportionate force is unacceptable; is particularly appalled at the accusations of the use of force against women and children, including children with disabilities (for this case, read here);

– you are concerned about the illegal and excessive inspections of private companies that have publicly expressed their support for the protests (for this case, read here);

– Condemns the violent and disproportionate intervention by the police during the protests in July, August and September 2020. “.

This is part of the draft resolution on the rule of law in Bulgaria, which will be voted on today in the Civil Liberties Commission (LIBE) of the European Parliament. The speaker is the president of the commission, the Spanish from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Juan Fernando López Aguilar. The commission has 67 members, 18 of whom are members of the European People’s Party (EPP), whose family includes the Bulgarian GERB.

It is a “resolution on a current issue”, the debate of which will take place in plenary on 5 October. It comes after two other discussions in Bulgaria, the first in a subcommittee of the LIBE Civil Liberties Commission and the second, in its full composition and in the presence of the European Commissioner for Values ​​and Transparency, Vera Yourova. And yesterday, at the presentation of the first Report on the Rule of Law in the EU, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, announced that Bulgaria’s part will be debated in the EU Council in November together with four other countries. : Belgium, Denmark, Estonia and the Czech Republic.

The draft also notes that parliament is monitoring the proposal to establish a Grand National Assembly and a new constitution. “Any constitutional reform must be the subject of a broad and inclusive debate and be based on consultation with all interested parties, especially civil society, and be approved by the widest possible consensus.”

Also mentioned was the practice of the ruling majority to pass laws in parliament quickly without the necessary debates, as well as the fact that public trust in the institution is extremely low. The EP also “regrets” the restrictions on the movement of journalists in the new building of the National Assembly.

Judiciary, corruption, Euromonitoring

The resolution also points to “systems of problems” in the judiciary, repeatedly mentioned by various European institutions, especially with regard to the Supreme Judicial Council and the responsibility of the Attorney General.

Recalls the lack of investigations with visible results of high-level corruption and explicitly mentions scandals that have gained notoriety such as “Apartmentgate”, scandals with “guest houses”, “Tankergate” owned by Ahmed Dogan in “Rosenets”, the scandal with the development bank. The resolution also notes that reports of embezzlement of EU funds are increasing and must be investigated thoroughly, and there are allegations of corruption directly related to the prime minister.

“The Commission indicates that it will not terminate the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Bulgaria yet,” the text says. The EP calls on the commission to use the CVM as a fully functioning mechanism, but also to exercise its other powers, including criminal proceedings, the new rule of law framework and budgetary rules when they are established. The question of whether to suspend EU funds for countries that violate the rule of law is increasingly discussed in the EU, but no rules have yet been set, although there is a political consensus that such sanctions can be applied in the EU . the next seven-year budget period.