“Bulgaria needs real justice – one that dispenses justice, not serves power interests or backstage circles that can distort the system“. This was stated by the chairman of “Continuing the Change“ at a public discussion on the topic “Fair Bulgaria“, which is the last in a series of discussions on important topics for the future of the country, which the party organizes under the motto “Strong Bulgaria in a Strong Europe“. The discussion was attended by professionals in the field of justice, representatives of non-governmental organizations, experts and young professionals.
Assen Vassilev noted that in recent years almost all possible options for fixing things within the judicial system have been tried. However, almost all of these attempts failed. There were individual steps forward, but they were partial and insufficient. What we clearly see today is the growing feeling among Bulgarian citizens and Bulgarian business that the country lacks guarantees of justice. In economic discussions, the main problem that arises is that when you do business in Bulgaria, at any moment someone can come and take it away from you. And there is no court that can guarantee a fair trial and protection of your rights.
“The information that comes out on high-profile cases further strengthens the feeling that the system does not work equally for everyone. This creates a feeling that in Bulgaria it is difficult for a person to receive fair justice according to the established procedure“, said Assen Vassilev. According to him, the information that came out in the case of “Petrohan“ showed a breakdown in the system to deal with such a serious crime as the crime against children. “For more than 12 months, nothing has happened in the National Security Agency, the prosecutor's office and the Directorate for the Prevention of Crime and Punishment Vassilev expressed hope that the discussion will be the beginning of a process that will restore justice as the foundation of the Bulgarian state.
The moderator of the discussion, Stoyu Stoev, a member of the Executive Board of “Continuing the Change“, noted that this meeting was organized precisely because we believe that it is high time that experts and people with proven experience in the relevant fields be the leading voice on the topics that we discuss within the framework of the theme “A Just Bulgaria“. According to Stoev, the topic of justice and judicial reform is fundamental, it is a guarantee of justice in Bulgaria. But in recent years, instead of progress, we have seen regression in this area. Many people grew up with the refrain “judicial reform“, but in the public space the topic has begun to lose weight, although the problem of corruption remains a leading concern among Bulgarian citizens. “The word “judicial reform“ should not become a cliché. It must once again acquire content, meaning and concreteness“, Stoev urged.
The first topic of the discussion was dedicated to the question “Is there a way to an independent prosecutor's office?“. The focus was on legislative, institutional and managerial solutions that can limit the concentration of power, increase transparency and restore public trust.
The participants united around the opinion that there are serious deficits and there are no quick solutions. A Supreme Judicial Council should be elected, without the National Assembly quota being divided between parliamentary groups, and to rely on high-quality and independent people, motivated to work for a fair judicial system.
The second topic was dedicated to “Influences in the judiciary - challenges to independence and trust“. The mechanisms for formal and informal influence in the judicial system were discussed and whether there are specific legislative solutions to limit dependencies and increase transparency and professional responsibility.
The participants in the discussion pointed out that it is in the hands of the legislator to limit the mechanisms through which magistrates are kept dependent, by taking measures to limit secondment, fairness in competitions, whether external or internal, as well as other measures.
The third panel discussed the topic of “Institutional mechanisms for ensuring independence and professionalism in the election of state bodies by the National Assembly“. The leading question was how to limit party influence in the election of key state bodies and what procedural guarantees would increase professionalism and trust in their election.
The majority of participants believe that it is possible to introduce mechanisms for transparency of the procedures, by taking measures to avoid the concentration of nomination and election by a single body. Work should also be done to introduce longer deadlines for the conduct of the procedures for the election of bodies by the National Assembly.
At the end of the discussion, Stoyu Stoev summarized that the reform of the judiciary must be carried out in a democratic manner - with clear rules, broad support and political will. “We will see whether we, as a political force, will be able to raise all these issues clearly enough in the next National Assemblies, so that we can actually reverse the negative trend and stop the free fall in the judicial system. The question is whether we will find enough like-minded people for key and decisive measures - without compromises, without conjunctural decisions and without retreats, which we have unfortunately observed in recent decades“, he said. And he expressed hope to continue the joint work and move on to more specific texts and legislative proposals when the time comes.