Is Bulgaria going the right way? No! But it can…
On February 7 the Council of Europe released the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) first report assessing Bulgaria’s compliance with its recommendations to prevent corruption and promote integrity in central government and law enforcement agencies, addressed to Bulgaria in 2022.
There are some small victories in this document, but the limited work by the Bulgarian should be a clear signal that the EU should take action as well as encouraging CSOs in Bulgaria to continue providing pressure.
“Substantive changes are planned to the rules on functioning of the National Anti-Corruption Council, and the new procedure for electing the members of the Anti-Corruption Commission, which is yet to become operational, has been approved by the 2023 Anti-Corruption Law. “
Yet, what the COE isn’t saying is that Bulgaria, like Hungary, has backslid when addressing anti-corruption in executive functioning, which is a clear indicator that there is a lack of commitment on the part of the government regarding executive functions and anti-corruption. Bulgaria has not provided the legal and statutory basis for executive functions, nor it has begun these processes. Governments can act quickly in these areas, as can be seen today of what is occurring in the United States. What should the next steps look like? Ongoing vocal and civic pressure as well as ongoing monetary pressure and support in implementing GRECO’s recommendation by the EU to encourage Bulgaria to submit new information about the implementation of outstanding recommendations by 31 May 2026.