European Parliament adopts resolution calling down state of rule of law in Bulgaria
The European Parliament adopted an unprecedented Thursday with 358 votes in favor, 277 against and 56 abstentions, calling out the decline of rule of law and growing corruption in Bulgaria. The left, liberals and greens managed to pull enough support to overcome the votes against by the largest party in the European Parliament, the European People’s Party. PM Boyko Borissov’s party GERB is a member of the EPP and. A Bulgarian opposition leader, Radan Kanev, however, is also an MEP from the same group. He was not allowed to speak by the party during the debates. He later submitted his statement in writing. He also voted in favor.
On Wednesday, the far-right Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki and Maltese Reberta Metsola tabled amendments to the draft resolution to soften the harsh tone of the texts but those were rejected by the European Parliament. An earlier version of the proposed amendments even suggested the anti-government protests in Bulgaria – which have been going on for over three months – are paid – a go-to GERB talking point, when confronted with questions about the situation. Metsola edited out the claim in the proposal after public backlash.
The final draft of the resolution, adopted by the European Parliament acknowledges the decline of rule in Bulgaria in harsh terms:
“[The European Parliament] deeply regrets that the developments in Bulgaria have led to significant deterioration of respect for the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights, including the independence of the judiciary, separation of powers, the fight against corruption and freedom of the media and manifests its solidarity with the people of Bulgaria in their legitimate demands and aspirations for justice, transparency, accountability and democracy.”
The resolution goes on to express disappointment and concern regarding lack of convictions among high ranking officials, and insists on establishing control over use of EU funds. Another amendment by the far-right MEPs, which was rejected, was to include a section, which calls for ending the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. On the contrary, the final version of the draft recognizes some progress has been made due to the CVN and calls for the Commission to continue monitoring the judicial reform and corruption in Bulgaria under the mechanism.
On Wednesday, the far-right Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki and Maltese Reberta Metsola tabled amendments to the draft resolution to soften the harsh tone of the texts but those were rejected by the European Parliament. An earlier version of the proposed amendments even suggested the anti-government protests in Bulgaria – which have been going on for over three months – are paid – a go-to GERB talking point, when confronted with questions about the situation. Metsola edited out the claim in the proposal after public backlash.
The final draft of the resolution, adopted by the European Parliament acknowledges the decline of rule in Bulgaria in harsh terms:
“[The European Parliament] deeply regrets that the developments in Bulgaria have led to significant deterioration of respect for the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights, including the independence of the judiciary, separation of powers, the fight against corruption and freedom of the media and manifests its solidarity with the people of Bulgaria in their legitimate demands and aspirations for justice, transparency, accountability and democracy.”
The resolution goes on to express disappointment and concern regarding lack of convictions among high ranking officials, and insists on establishing control over use of EU funds. Another amendment by the far-right MEPs, which was rejected, was to include a section, which calls for ending the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. On the contrary, the final version of the draft recognizes some progress has been made due to the CVN and calls for the Commission to continue monitoring the judicial reform and corruption in Bulgaria under the mechanism.
Източник: mediapool.bg
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