Vice-President of the European Commission is displeased due to the the lack of results in the fight against corruption in Bulgaria.

Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the European Commission  addressed the European Parliament as part of a discussion on the rule of law in Bulgaria on October 5. Ms Yurova noted that she has been following the protests for the past three months and she understands the political situation in Bulgaria.  In her opinion, the citizens of Bulgaria appreciate the independent judiciary and good governance.

“We profoundly regret that some Groups have decided to turn the rule of law into a partisan tool instead of using it for the sake of the Union. We must remain factual when speaking about the rule of law precisely because of its fundamental importance. The Parliament cannot afford to lose credibility on these matters", said Esteban González Pons MEP, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group.

Ramona Strugariu MEP (Renew Europe Group) asked: “Do you know who you are endorsing? Because you are endorsing people facing serious allegations of corruption, money laundering and fraud with European money? I have seen women dragged outside by the police and pictures of children sprayed with tear gas, is this protection? Are you sure that this is the person to endorse?”.

"While Bulgaria has come a long way, challenges remain. We must support the Bulgarian authorities’ work implementing further reforms concerning our core European values, the rule of law, an independent judiciary and fighting corruption. We trust the overall positive conclusions of the European Commission contained in the reports on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. We encourage the remaining reforms to be implemented soon so that the objectives are fully reached and the Mechanism process can be completed", said Esteban González Pons MEP, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group.

Katrin Goodman

Photo by Arno Mikkor, Aron Urb by Wikimedia commons.