site.btaBulgarian Deputy Justice Ministers, Transparency International Chair Discuss Fight Against Corruption, Lobbying Regulation, SLAPP

The rule of law, the fight against corruption, the legal regulation of lobbying, the effective protection of whistleblowers, and the transposition of the EU's anti-SLAPP directive were among the topics discussed by Transparency International Board of Directors Chair Francois Valerian and Bulgaria’s Deputy Ministers of Justice Spaska Kincheva and Biserka Tsaneva here on Tuesday, the Justice Ministry said. Also present at the meeting were Executive Director of Transparency International Bulgaria Kalin Slavov and the head of the Justice Minister's Political Cabinet, Mihaela Mechkunova.

Valerian spoke about the fight against corruption as an abuse of power for private gain and the need for national regulations on lobbying and lobbying registers in particular. He also highlighted the role of civil society in countering corruption, which includes providing substantive protection to whistleblowers and measures against strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP).

Slavov noted that the Ministry and Transparency International have successfully cooperated on some of the issues discussed.

Deputy Minister Spaska Kincheva indicated the determination of the incumbent caretaker government to work for the consolidation of the rule of law and to further pursue judicial reform, with efforts towards the fulfillment of the commitments under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. She highlighted the Ministry's participation in the debate on a new anti-corruption legislation, the concept of lobbying regulation, the mechanism already in place to hold the prosecutor general and his deputies criminally liable, and the bill on the protection of whistleblowers.

Deputy Minister Biserka Tsaneva gave a detailed presentation of the work done on the development of the concept of lobbying regulation, and the Justice Ministry’s proposal to regulate this activity through a special law. She also talked about the amendments to the Civil Procedure Code being discussed in the Ministry before the adoption of the EU’s anti-SLAPP directive and the forthcoming formation of a working group on the transposition of the directive.