site.btaPresident Plevneliev: High Time for Judiciary to Generate Results, not Scandals

President Plevneliev: High Time for Bulgarian System for Administration of Justice to Generate Results, Instead of Scandals

Sofia, May 9 (BTA) - Speaking at a discussion marking Europe Day
on Saturday, President Rosen Plevneliev said it was high time
for the Bulgarian system of administration of justice to start
to generate results instead of scandals. Plevneliev said that no
one stands in the way of the Bulgarian prosecutors' and judges'
acting their conscience and following the law, thereby
demonstrating that the institutions administer justice. "You do
not expect that we import German prosecutors and German judges,
do you," he asked.

The head of State reiterated that Bulgaria's European partners
expect from the country reforms and results in the judicial
system. He noted that the Bulgarian laws are good, fully
harmonized with the European legislation and that no one stands
in the way of the Bulgarian judges and prosecutors to work
"European-style".

Plevneliev also spoke about the goals Bulgaria has set itself
until taking over the rotating EU Presidency in 2018.

He said the foremost objective is to join the EU single
supervisory mechanism. The other goals are joining the
border-free Schengen Area and the ERM II, and ultimately,
accepting the euro, which however, will not happen by 2018.

Plevneliev said that Bulgaria wants for the EU Energy Union "to
start to happen from the place where it is most needed -
Southeast Europe". Bulgaria also wants to see happening the EU
single digital market and the banking union, which he said will
take place thanks to this country's active foreign policy and
the effort of Bulgaria's European Commissioner Kristalina
Georgieva.

The discussion, hosted by the Representation of the European
Commission in Sofia, was also attended by Georgieva and Foreign
Minister Daniel Mitov.

Georgieva said that the government Bulgaria has now is stable
and working hard for the quick absorption of EU funding. She
noted that in the past 20 years, as few as 20 countries in the
world have succeeded in advancing from medium to high incomes
and half of them attained this thanks to membership in the EU.

Mitov said, dwelling on the Western Balkans, that one of
Bulgaria's key foreign policy priorities is aiding its
neighbours along the way of their European integration.