site.btaEuropean Ambassadors Say Rejection of Anti-Corruption Bill Sent Negative Message

European Ambassadors Say Rejection of Anti-Corruption Bill Sent Negative Message

Sofia, September 7 (BTA) - Ambassadors of European countries to Bulgaria said in a joint media statement on Monday that last week's rejection of a government-sponsored anti-corruption bill without further parliamentary debate sent a negative message about the fight against corruption in Bulgaria. The statement was signed by the ambassadors of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom and supported by the ambassadors of Norway and Switzerland.

The Bill on the Prevention of Corruption of Senior Public Officials was rejected on first reading on September 3. It was aimed to establish a National Corruption Prevention Office (NCPO) as a single anti-corruption authority superseding a number of institutions currently active in this field. One argument against the bill was that corruption alerts should not be considered if they come from anonymous sources. The proposed procedure for appointing the NCPO head also proved controversial. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms argued that the NCPO chief should not be nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed by the President, because the Prime Minister is among the officials who may be investigated by the future office.

The European ambassadors said in their joint statement that an effective fight against corruption is a crucial element of the rule of law. "The European Commission has given the fight against corruption a prominent place on the agenda with its consecutive reports concerning the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. These reports have been approved by our governments and by a series of governments of the Republic of Bulgaria," the diplomats said.

They expressed the hope that the political parties which rejected the bill, including those that abstained from voting, will shortly propose new ideas about dealing with corruption "and will thus show that the failed vote does not mean that the legislators undervalue the fight against corruption at any level."