site.btaEuropean Parliament Debates Rule of Law in Bulgaria

October 6 (BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - The
European Parliament held a debate on "The Rule of Law and
Fundamental Rights in Bulgaria" on Monday evening. European
People's Party (EPP) Group leader Manfred Weber noted that
Bulgaria is undergoing a transition and not everything is
perfect. He said it was a good thing young people took to the
streets to express their views as they want to see a rapid
progress. The European Commission's recent report on the rule of
 law situation is fair and evidence-based, he said. The
Bulgarians are faced with things to do but they should be proud
of their achievements. The country has a government led by the
EPP-affiliated GERB party and a Socialist President, so there is
 a balance of forces, according to Weber.

Weber also said there were demonstrations in Bulgaria, young
people were expressing their opinion, and it could not be said
that there is no media freedom. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov
spoke up for the young people, he said. The election results
should be respected and since Borissov was elected by the
citizens, there is no reason for him to resign. Borissov leads a
 pro-EU government, he is in favour of his country's adoption of
 the euro and supports the rule of law mechanism. The government
 has more work to do but the country is on the right track.
Protesters are respected but early elections are not needed as
citizens will have their say in regular March elections, said
Weber.

MEP Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar (Progressive Alliance of
Socialists and Democrats): There are flaws in Bulgaria, which is
 constantly criticized for corruption in the judiciary and
persecution of political opponents. The situation is similar in
other EU Member States, such as Hungary and Poland.

MEP Ramona Strugariu (Renew Europe): The Bulgarians need the
EU's support. Some of the influential figures in the European
Parliament support Borissov. People faced with serious
allegations are being supported.

MEP Daniel Freund (Greens): Having participated in the protests
in Sofia, the MEP said people there were fed up with corruption
and a captive judiciary. EU funds are being stolen all the time.
 The Bulgarians do not see resolute action from the EU. The
people he talked with urged that EU funding should stop so that
the oligarchs cannot benefit from it. The EU should support the
people who fight corruption in Bulgaria.

MEP Angel Dzhambazki (European Conservatives and
Reformists/VMRO): The EP's draft resolution on Bulgaria is
extreme leftist, both politically and ideologically. People in
Bulgaria are demonstrating, the government respects their right
to peaceful protest. Politicians should refrain from commenting
on the judiciary. When corruption is discussed, people in
Bulgaria always think of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
(MRF), which is linked to the biggest corruption scandals. The
resolution under discussion talks about same-sex marriage and
the Istanbul Convention. The protests are not about the Istanbul
 Convention, what is the point of raising the issue of same-sex
marriages? Bulgaria is a single nation-state with a single
language, which cannot be changed.

MEP Claire Daly (European United Left - Nordic Green Left): The
government believes the European Commission's report noted
progress. The authorities tell the Commission what it wants to
hear, and then they do what they want and laugh. The Bulgarians
are on their knees, they have been on the streets for three
months now, suffering police violence. The Bulgarians will do
away with their government, but they expect the EU to stop the
country's access to EU funds.

MEP Andrey Kovatchev (EPP/GERB): The EP should not be used for
any party's political propaganda. Everyone who wants to see
change in Bulgaria should prepare for democratic elections.
Bulgaria will follow all recommendations, they are in the
interest of the Bulgarian citizens' desire for more justice. The
 resolution is the political offspring of the left side of the
EP and is based on assumptions, rumours and unproved suspicions.
 Democracy always triumphs.

MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Renew Europe/MRF): One of the chronic
problems of Bulgarian democracy in the last 30 years is that
campaigning can be done only in Bulgarian. He criticized
Dzhambazki for not talking about VMRO's funding through "golden
passports" - a scheme for granting Bulgarian citizenship and
thus visa-free travel across the EU in return for investments.
Dzhambazki called this statement a downright unacceptable lie
and asked that Kyuchyuk be reprimanded for a personal attack.

MEP Elena Yoncheva (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and
Democrats/BSP): The Bulgarian citizens' voice is already being
heard clearly across Europe. Prime Minister Borissov's
government has allowed certain individuals and circles to
benefit from Bulgaria's EU membership at the expense of the
people. His governance is increasingly leading to abuse of
power, poverty and a collapse of media freedom.

MEP Andrey Novakov (EPP/GERB): Bulgaria will be denigrated by
this debate. No one says that the government is flawless and
that it has solved all the problems of transition. An
independent judiciary is the result of a concerted effort, which
 will not happen by replacing one government with another. We
will sort things out when we stop taking our problems abroad and
 start solving them ourselves.

European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency
Vera Jourova: The Commission fully supports the right to
peaceful protests. Developments in Bulgaria show that good
governance and an independent judiciary are important to the
citizens. The Commission will press ahead in monitoring Bulgaria
 through the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism because
there is unfinished business. It is important not to backtrack
on achievements. Bulgaria needs to make an effort, not because
Brussels wants it but because the Bulgarians deserve it.

Jourova and European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders
urged Bulgaria to follow the Venice Commission's recommendations
 concerning constitutional revisions and the accountability of
the prosecutor general. Reynders added that a series of final
judgments for high-level corruption are yet to be passed.
Bulgaria does have anti-corruption institutions and legislation,
 but they should be put to use.

On behalf of the German Presidency of the EU Council, Michael
Roth said the rule of law is a basic principle which applies to
all Member States without exception. Peaceful protesters are
worthy of respect. A debate like this one can be painful but it
is useful, said Roth. NV/DD



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