The European Commission has made numerous recommendations to Bulgaria to take measures, especially in the area of anti-corruption, some of which were included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) as conditions for receiving funds. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov during the parliamentary blitz control.
The topic was raised by a question from MP Emine Gülestan from “Progressive Bulgaria“, who requested information on what actions the government has taken in recent weeks on the recommendations of the European Commission, as well as whether clarity could be provided regarding the release of funds after the meeting with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
In his response, Pekanov emphasized that anti-corruption reform is among the key issues facing the country and noted that the lack of progress in this area has been criticized for years within the framework of the rule of law mechanism.
According to him, the Recovery and Resilience Plan includes the creation of an independent anti-corruption body that meets European requirements and guarantees institutional independence. “Unfortunately, subsequent governments did not find the will to create such a commission“, he said, adding that this led to the blocking of significant funds amounting to about 400 million euros.
Pekanov pointed out that the parliament had adopted legislative changes that, in his opinion, meet the conditions for the allocation of the funds, and thanked the members of parliament for their support.
He reported that during a meeting with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, a signal was given that about 370 million euros could be unlocked as part of the next payments under the PPA. “There are still steps left until the end of August for the commission to be fully functional“, the Deputy Prime Minister added.
At the end of May, the parliament finally adopted the Law on Combating Corruption among Persons Holding Public Offices in second reading. Within one month of its entry into force, the composition of the new Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) should be selected, with one member elected by the National Assembly, one appointed by the President, and one member each elected by the Supreme Court of Cassation, the Supreme Administrative Court, and the Supreme Bar Council.