site.bta2021 Rule of Law Report on Bulgaria: Challenge Remains with Accountability of Prosecutor General

Brussels, July 20 (BTA Correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - In its second annual report on the rule of law situation in the EU, published on Tuesday, the European Commission (EC) says about Bulgaria that in response to the 2020 Rule of Law Report, the Bulgarian authorities adopted a dedicated Action Plan covering issues in all four pillars under review. Judicial reform in Bulgaria has been a gradual process with important implications for judicial independence and public confidence, but challenges remain, such as the challenge with the accountability and criminal liability of the Prosecutor General and the concerns related to the composition and functioning of the Supreme Judicial Council, reads the country chapter on the rule of law situation in Bulgaria.
 
The document reads further that "the Inspector General and the Inspectors of the Inspectorate to the Supreme Judicial Council continue their work despite their mandate ending in April 2020. The promotion regime within the judiciary raises concerns as appointments of judges to higher positions have not been carried out as per the ordinary procedure of open competition. Despite legislative efforts, digitalisation of justice is still lagging behind in practice. Efficiency of the administrative justice system is showing significant progress."

"The implementation of the institutional reforms on anti-corruption has been consolidated," the document reads. A new anti-corruption strategy for the 2021-2027 period  was approved, with a new set of priorities, but "significant challenges remain concerning the effectiveness of measures related to the
integrity of public administration, lobbying and whistleblowing protection, where no dedicated regulation exists". "Despite the increased investigative activity and the reinforcement of resources, final convictions for high-profile cases of corruption remains low and a solid track-record of final convictions remains to be established in this respect," the European Commission concludes. 
   
As regards media pluralism, lack of transparency of media ownership remains a source of concern for the EC. The working environment and safety of journalists do not appear to have improved since the previous rule of law report, published in September 2020.

Regarding checks and balances, the EC is concerned over the limited use of impact assessment and public consultation in the legislative process, especially for bills proposed by MPs, and over the practice of introducing important changes through amendments to other unrelated legal acts, which bypass public consultation and impact assessment requirements.

The EC's annual Rule of Law Report presents a synthesis of both the rule of law situation in the EU and an assessment of the situation in each Member State. Until 2020, reforms in Bulgaria in areas including justice and corruption were followed by the European Commission through the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).
  
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