The conclusions of the EC’s 2020 Rule of Law report on Bulgaria

There is still unfinished work, a number of reforms are underway, so the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism has not yet been lifted, the Vice President of the European Commission Vera Jourova, told BNT after the rule of law reports were presented on September 30.

Commissioner Vera Jourova called on the Bulgarian authorities to pay serious attention to the conclusions of today's report. Bulgaria is mentioned as one of the problematic countries along with Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. The latter two remain the most problematic in the EU in terms of freedom of speech.

The report on Bulgaria in the part on the Prosecutor’s Office says that a number of reforms have been carried out in recent years, but the accountability and power of the chief prosecutor remain a challenge. According to Brussels, all prosecutors and investigators are de facto subordinated to the Prosecutor General. It is recalled that the lack of possibility to investigate him was raised not only by the European Commission, but also by the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights.

The composition and functioning of the Supreme Judicial Council and its inspectorate are also under debate.

In connection with the fight against corruption, the improved cooperation between the bodies dealing with this is considered as positive. The report says in the first half of 2020, high-level investigations were launched and charges were brought in a number of cases. However, a solid track-record of final convictions in highlevel corruption cases remains to be established. The report says the lack of results in the fight against corruption are among the reasons for the protests in Bulgaria.

Lack of transparency of media ownership is considered as a source of concern. The legal framework against political interference in the media does not explicitly forbid politicians from owning outlets, and links between political actors and some media outlets have been established. Several media freedom associations report physical or online attacks on journalists, the report reads.

Commissioner Vera Jourova told BNT that the new report on the rule of law has not yet completely replaced the old Co-operation and Verification Mechanism.

"We still see unfinished work, a number of reforms are underway. We have very intensive cooperation between the Commission and the relevant experts. Bulgaria needs to do more to complete the tasks set in the recommendations. The idea in the future is, one day the cooperation and verification mechanism to be moved into this Rule of Law Report," Jourova said.

Asked if there will be another report on Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, she said that "it depends on how Bulgaria will deal with the recommendations".

The purpose of the new mechanism is preventive. It will not replace the other instruments with which Brussels responds to more serious problems of the rule of law in the Member States.

"It is high time we had a tool to detect and prevent the problems related to the rule of law. The report we are presenting today is a new tool that will help us do that. The report is objective and includes the positive and negative elements. And it should serve as a basis for dialogue between the Member States. The reports have been prepared in close cooperation with the Member States ", added the Vice-President of the EC.

The country reports are expected to become the basis for negotiations between the European institutions on binding the rule of law and receiving EU funding from the budget and the recovery fund.

Bulgaria and the situation in the country will be discussed in the plenary session of the European Parliament next week. And the Report on Bulgaria will be one of the five that will be discussed by all European ministers of the General Affairs Council.

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