site.btaUPDATED Finance Minister Says Corruption Has Put Out Deep Roots in Bulgaria, Declares Determination to Fight It to the End

Finance Minister Assen Vassilev said here Tuesday that corruption has put out deep roots in Bulgaria and vowed determination to fight it to the end. "We are only at the start of the combat against corruption and more reforms are needed, and then these need to turn into an established practice, which is the toughest part," he said in his remarks at a Sofia conference on Strengthening Transparency and Governance through Collective Action in Bulgaria.

The forum is a joint initiative of the Basel Institute on Governance and the Ministry of Finance of Bulgaria, in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce, the Bulgarian-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Transparency International Bulgaria. 

Opening remarks were also made by Gretta Fenner, Managing Director, Basel Institute on Governance, Swiss Ambassador to Bulgaria Raymund Furrer and US Ambassador Kenneth Merten. 

Finance Minister Vassilev argued further that counter-corruption combat is the driving force that Bulgaria should use if it wants to become "a normal European country, wealthier and better".

In Vassilev's words, once it beats corruption, Bulgaria will become a leading EU country. "It is our generation's mission to fight this battle and I guarantee you that we will fight it to the end," he added.

The Minister said: "In the beginning we all thought that this fight would be easy and quick; that the competent services and prosecutors would do their job and the corrupt would go to jail, but that turned out to be an illusion for some very simple reasons. Corruption, especially in Bulgaria, has put out very deep roots. It has infiltrated trade unions, employers' organizations and almost the entire state administration. Combating this malignant growth will be neither quick nor easy; it will require perseverance and working smart."

He went on to catalogue what he called "the incredible steps" that Bulgaria has made in the last three months, including some that are 15-20 years overdue. "There have been changes in many laws and the beginning of changes in the Constitution; legislatively we are moving well and this is a huge success," he said.

He also mentioned some recent legislative initiatives which are examples of the opposite. "But we also have the Public Procurement Act where private hospitals do not have to apply public procurements to use public resources. This is a direct violation of a European directive and for that we will be paying quite hefty fines. But a revision that would have changed that did not go through thanks to parties which claim to be ideological opponents. This shows that when there are serious financial interests, corruption penetrates everywhere". He went on to mention revisions in the Public Procurement Act saying that forests will be leased without public procurement. 

"That is why it is important to be persistent and to always keep an eye on the final goal and make sure it is achieved." He congratulated "the few people who are prepared to fight to the end when they know they are right. This comes at extreme risk, including to their families," the Finance Minister said. 

Gretta Fenner, the Executive Director of the Basel Institute on Governance, said that corruption is the worst enemy of any country, attacking the heart of democracy by diverting important resources that should be in the hands of ordinary people. Corruption creates problems for building infrastructure and scares away foreign investors. Fighting corruption is hard and the past 20-30-40 years have proven that no government can tackle corruption alone. Citizens and the media cannot do it alone either, so they have to work together with the government.

Swiss Ambassador Raymund Furrer said his country takes pride in its transparent state institutions; that it has helped Bulgaria in the fight against corruption and continues to do so.

US Ambassador Kenneth Merten said that the fight against corruption is an important issue for Bulgaria and its international partners, and that setting in place transparent legislation is also important for ensuring prosperity for all.