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The president of the European People’s Party (EPP), Donald Tusk, told Radio Free Europe (RFE) in a telephone interview that he hopes Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his GERB party “will have more determination in the fight against corruption. and the oligarchic system “.
Tusk rejected claims by some protesters in Bulgaria that Borissov had built an authoritarian regime. However, the EPP leader repeatedly reiterated his expectation of evidence of determination in the fight against corruption, writes the Bulgarian edition of Free Europe.
“He made obvious mistakes, even in his personal life,” Tusk said of photos from Borissov’s room that showed wads of 500-euro bills.
Tusk said the prime minister told him about the incident during a meeting between the two.
“Yes, I still remember our meeting with Boyko Borissov. He tried to explain the whole scandal in detail and sounded very frank. His story was really scary, suitable for a script for a detective movie or an interesting novel. Now seriously, yes, you are. in trouble. He made obvious mistakes, even in his personal life. He was completely honest with me, “Donald Tusk recalls the meeting with Boyko Borissov, where they discussed the leaked photos.
Photos of wads of 500 euro bills, gold bars and a pistol from the bedroom of the prime minister’s state apartment appeared in the public domain in June, and he himself confirmed that one of them showed him sleeping.
GERB is a member of the EPP and has five MEPs in the largest group in the European Parliament.
It is unclear from Tusk’s interview with RFE when exactly he and Borissov spoke on the matter.
“I will keep my discretion because his story sounded like a confession. And please allow me to be more discreet, because it was about his personal life. But I still believe that he is capable of showing that he is, if not the ideal Democrat, then at least he is still a Democrat, “Tusk said.
At the end of September, Boyko Borissov accused President Rumen Radev of filming in his room.
“I have clarified how insidiously, his people, his closest environment, in a very elemental way, with a very beautiful young lady, he came and played all these things in my absence. They did it in a perfect way, “Borissov said at the time.
The last public meeting between Donald Tusk and Boyko Borissov was on October 2 in Brussels. Tusk later announced that he expected more reforms from Bulgaria, and Borissov said he had received support. For four months now, daily protests have been held in Sofia demanding the resignation of Borissov and Attorney General Ivan Geshev. Until now, EPP’s position has always been one of support for GERB. Borissov’s European partners always say that the regular parliamentary elections are coming up in March, and then the Bulgarians will be able to express their will.
“The situation in Bulgaria is not black and white. This is my opinion. Of course, we have sufficient reason to be concerned about the efficiency of the judiciary and anti-corruption mechanisms in Bulgaria. But at the same time, it would be an exaggeration to say that GERB and Boyko Borissov have built an authoritarian regime.The Bulgarian political system still has its own checks and balances.
For example, there is still strong opposition to the government of GERB and Boyko Borissov, headed by the country’s president. We still have free media that have the opportunity to attack and criticize the government. And the most important thing, in my opinion, is that in the coming months we will have elections, which means that everything is still in the hands of the Bulgarian people, ”said Donald Tusk in the interview.
According to him, in the field of “rule of law and democratic principles, we have some reason to be more concerned about other EU member states in the region than about Bulgaria.”
“But I don’t want to justify all the mistakes made by Boyko Borissov. I have known him for so many years and I know that he still has good intentions. But he is right: good intentions are certainly not enough in politics. That is why we need more actions, more efforts of GERB and Boyko Borissov to convince us that they are truly decisive in their fight against corruption and problems in the judiciary.
We must be aware that the political landscape in Bulgaria is more complex and it is not just a conflict between GERB and the opposition. As you know, Russia is very active in Bulgaria. Also the actions of Turkey, the internal battles between the oligarchs. This is also an element of this complex image. As I said, I don’t want to justify everything Boyko Borissov did, but I still hope that in March it will be completely clear what the will and the decision of the Bulgarian voters is. “
Donald Tusk says he is not the best expert on the Bulgarian judiciary when asked what his position is on “the super powerful figure of the chief prosecutor, who plays a significant political role in Bulgaria”.
“But one thing must be clear: anyone who wants to lead an EU country must show determination in the fight against corruption. Certainly. This is exactly what I expect from Boyko Borissov and GERB: visibly more determination in the fight against corruption. corruption and the oligarchic system. That is the most important criterion for me. “
Ricard Ozwiak’s final question to Tusk is whether this all means “Boyko Borissov is still good enough for the EPP.”
“Yes, if Boyko Borissov and GERB were the only EPP problems, I would be the happiest person.”
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