The delegation to Bulgaria included : Sophie IN ‘T VELD (Renew, NL – delegation Chair), Elena YONCHEVA (S&D, BG), Vladimír BILČÍK (EPP, SK), Annalisa TARDINO (ID, IT), Patryk JAKI (ECR, PL), Clare DALY (The Left, IE) and Sergey LAGODINSKY (Greens/EFA, DE).
At the end of the mission, Sofia in ’t Veld, the Chair of the delegation of the Civil Liberties Committee, said:
“The delegation has found a country in challenging times, but also in transition. Effective and equitable law enforcement, especially in the fight against corruption, remains one of the most pressing issues in Bulgaria. The prosecution of high level corruption remains problematic. The delegation is also worried about reported cases of police brutality in summer 2020 which are still not properly investigated. The challenge with the accountability and criminal liability of the Prosecutor General remains, it needs to be addressed in the context of a broader judicial reforms as soon as the political situation allows for it.
The worrying situation of media freedom and pluralism in Bulgaria persists. The authorities have to to step up the efforts to improve the working environment and safety of journalists. We call on the authorities to ensure the protection of journalists at all times and safeguard their independence. The high degree of media concentration and the lack of transparency in the allocation of EU and public funding shall be high up on the political agenda and proper monitoring and implementation must be ensured. Reports about hate speech and discrimination against people of Romani origin, LGBTI+ people and persons belonging to other minority groups as well as violence, including domestic violence, raise concerns regarding the fundamental rights situation in Bulgaria.
We recognise the limited powers of the caretaker government to address the numerous challenges but are encouraged by its commitment to effectively use the tools at its disposal. At the same time, we call on the European Commission to tighten the monitoring and the audit of EU funds including of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The Democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights monitoring group in the European Parliament will stay vigilant and continue to monitor the developments in Bulgaria closely in the future and is confident that there is enough determination in the Bulgarian society to find solutions. We will stand on the side of citizens whether in Bulgaria or any other country that we are monitoring.”
Background
During their two day visit the MEPs met with the civil society organisations, representatives of the media, as well as with President Rumen Radev, Vice-President Iliana Iotova, Boyko Rashkov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Atanas Pekanov, Deputy Prime Minister of European Affairs, Yanaki Stoilov, Minister of Justice, Velislav Minkov, Minister of Culture and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Gechev as well as Ombudsperson.
The Civil Liberties Committee’s Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group builds on the work of a previous group, set up in June 2018 in the aftermath of the murders of the Maltese blogger and journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and of Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. With a mandate running to 31 December 2021, the Group focuses its work on threats to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, as well as the fight against corruption within the EU, across all Member States. It can recommend specific actions to the LIBE Committee, such as meetings with stakeholders, hearings and missions, as well as to make suggestions for proposals for resolutions and reports.