site.btaUPDATED EU Justice Commissioner Says SJC Composition, Counter-Corruption Commission Functioning Should Remain High on Bulgarian Government's Agenda

EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath said Monday that while European Commission's 2024 Rule of Law report acknowledged the progress made in Bulgaria in recent years with the adoption of constitutional reform to improve judicial independence, there have been some setbacks since the publication of the report. Speaking to journalists in Sofia after a meeting with Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev, he stressed that issues related to the composition and functioning of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the effective and nonpartisan functioning of the Counter-Corruption Commission should remain high on the reform agenda of the Government.

"I am aware that recent efforts have seen progress towards a new leadership elected to the Counter-Corruption Commission. However some questions remain opened such as its political independence. I know that discussions are ongoing and I very much welcome these discussions to ensure we reach a good overall outcome," McGrath added.

The Commissioner is visiting Bulgaria to discuss rule of law and justice matters with national authorities and civil society organizations.

"I have already spoken with [Deputy Prime Minister and Innovation and Growth Minister] Tomislav Donchev to discuss the latest developments regarding the justice and anti-corruption components in the recovery and resilience plan, I would like to congratulate the Government on making the Recovery and Resilience Plan a priority and encourage them to address any remaining issues as soon as possible," McGrath said.

He will be meeting with some civil society organizations and hear their perspectives: "I wish to highlight the importance of civil society organizations in promoting and protecting out democracies. Their advocacy efforts have promoted strong and effective rule of law in Bulgaria. It is essential that we continue to promote genuine dialogue on the rule of law within national and European level."

The Commissioner added that he would brief representatives of the Bulgarian Parliament on the work that has been done on the new rule of law report, which is being prepared for Bulgaria.

Asked whether he doubts the independence of the Bulgarian European prosecutor Teodora Georgieva after she was suspended after an administrative enquiry into possible wrongdoing was opened against her in the framework of an ongoing EPPO investigation, he said: "The EPPO is entirely independent in respect to its operations. The EC is informed about recent developments so we will continue to monitor the situation. We cannot say anything at this point in time except that the independence of the EPPO is fundamental and must be respected in any way."