EP Legal Affairs Committee will continue to monitor situation in Bulgaria

The current situation and events from the recent weeks in Bulgaria were discussed in Brussels on August 28 by the Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group, which is part of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE) in the European Parliament.

MEPs heard Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, Deputy Justice Minister Desislava Ahladova, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Krassimira Filipova, representatives of NGOs and the media.

The group's monitoring of Bulgaria will continue, its chairwoman Dutch MEP Sophia in' t Veld told BNT. She clarified that many questions have not been answered and therefore written inquiries will be sent to the Bulgarian institutions, specifically the government and the Chief Prosecutor with a request to receive more information. Sophia in' t Veld said that she hopes that soon the MEPs will deal with the topic of what is happening in Bulgaria again.

Deputy Minister of Justice Desislava Akhladova told BNT that she thought the meeting went well, but she could not comment details because it was behind closed doors.

In a press release, the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria announced that the highlights during the meeting were "the efforts and achievements in cases of high public and media interest in Bulgaria, the structure of the Prosecutor’s office and the powers of the Chief Prosecutor. During the meeting, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Krassimira Filipova noted that prosecutors can make decisions that cannot be controlled by the Chief Prosecutor.

"Under the Bulgarian Constitution, the Prosecutor’s Office is unified but not centralized. The only kind of subjection expected from the prosecutors is subjection to the law. They are not in hierarchic relationships with the Chief Prosecutor or their administrative managers. They are free to make decisions based on their inner conviction, regardless of whom the decisions concern, and these decisions cannot be controlled by the Chief Prosecutor," she has said during the discussion.

The EP did not give details as the hearing was held behind closed doors.

The LIBE Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group focuses 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.