When people in Bulgaria took to the streets five years ago to raise their voices against corruption in government, it seemed like the beginning of a new era. "We Continue the Change" (PP), which was born from this protest energy, later managed to form a government with a prime minister and finance minister in the person of two Harvard graduates - Kiril Petkov and Assen Vassilev. They initiated reforms for the rule of law and economic stability.
And successes were achieved - the German „Die Welt“ even calls them „historic“ and lists: in January the EU country will join the eurozone, and from this year it is also a full member of Schengen - “including because the reformers exposed and fought against mafia structures of criminals, civil servants and companies on the EU's external border with Turkey“. The publication recalls that because of this commitment of “We continue the change“ their members were threatened by organized crime circles – which was also written about by “Die Welt“. Moreover, these were not isolated cases in the country, which is at the bottom of the EU corruption rankings, writes the author of the article Philipp Volkmann-Schluck.
Old networks of influence
But behind the scenes, in the meantime, a powerful counter-movement is forming, in which the old networks of dependence between politics and the judiciary are gaining strength again. Opposition politicians and anti-corruption activists feel persecuted and in informal conversations draw comparisons with the dictatorship in Belarus, where opponents of the government are imprisoned. Corruption has always opened the door for Kremlin influence in this strategically important NATO country on the Black Sea, the publication continues.
By resolutely supporting Ukraine after the Russian invasion, including with arms supplies, and freeing Bulgaria from the grip of Russian energy oligarchs, “We continue the change“ has won many opponents, writes “Die Welt“.
Since 2024, the country has once again been governed by a GERB government of former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, under whose rule corruption and the theft of EU funds flourished. However, GERB remains part of the European People's Party (EPP), which also includes the German CDU and CSU, recalls “Die Welt“.
"The judiciary as an instrument of political repression"
As the most recent example of repression, the publication points to the arrest of the mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev. “A clear case of political persecution and dangerous abuse of state power“ sees in this arrest the liberal group “Renew Europe“ in the European Parliament, to which “Continuing the Change“ also belongs. Their statement also states that the accusations against Kotsev are “unfounded“ and that the Bulgarian Prosecutor General's Office and the Anti-Corruption Commission “are increasingly becoming an instrument of political repression“.
German MEP Svenja Hahn also issued a statement, sending a letter to the European Commission. In it, she states that in recent months Bulgaria has witnessed “an alarming development of political interference in the judicial system” and in this regard warns of “the increasing use of presidential power to persecute opposition figures”. The publication also quotes Andrey Yankulov, a legal expert at the Anti-Corruption Fund (ACF), who speaks of a “model in which the ruling class abuses the judiciary, using it as their tool”.
"There has never been a court case against Peevski in Bulgaria"
In a similar context, the name of the oligarch and politician Delyan Peevski, sanctioned by the US under the “Magnitsky“ law for corruption and influence peddling, “Die Welt“ notes. Investigative journalists accuse him of stealing millions from EU funds, participating in violent crimes, smuggling and corrupt contacts with Moscow. European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva said in an interview that she was threatened by the oligarch during the investigations into the misuse of EU funds. However, there has never been a court case against Peevski in Bulgaria.
“Die Welt“ also spoke with former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who says that Peevski's power is based on a "corruption deal with Borisov": "This deal paralyzes even the current Bulgarian Prime Minister, who cannot govern without the consent of the sanctioned oligarch", Petkov added. According to him, however, this is a much bigger problem - about Russia's influence on a strategically important country for NATO, such as Bulgaria.
Bulgaria is flooded with Russian disinformation
For years, Bulgaria has been inundated with Russian disinformation campaigns. "Putin uses corruption as a foreign policy tool", Petkov also said. In this sense, he defines oligarch Peevski as "Putin's servant" and gives the example of the last-minute halt to the sale of nuclear reactors to Ukraine, which Bulgaria does not need.
Former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov suspects that geopolitical interests are also hidden behind the arrest of the mayor of Varna, because the port in Varna is an important factor for security on NATO's eastern flank.
"The Peevski case reveals Europe's inability to confront Putin's agents in its own institutions," Kiril Petkov was quoted as saying. He also accuses the European People's Party (EPP) of turning a blind eye to such cases. “Putin's success depends on figures like Peevski, and Europe's survival depends on stopping them,“ Petkov concluded in an interview with “Die Welt“.