Brussels, 10/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - A recent report by an EU investigator criticises Bulgaria's efforts to fight crime and corruption. The report by German investigator Klaus Jansen, one of two high officials working as Commission advisers on observance of the law and the judicial system in Bulgaria, is highly critical of Bulgaria, describing its efforts as “a total mess” and condemning the impunity of crime and human trafficking “bosses”. Another high official, German judge Susette Schuster, said in another report to the European Commission that, in Bulgaria, there was “open nepotism” in the appointment of judges, and that judicial reforms were “chaotic”. Bulgaria is under pressure as the date of its accession to the EU could be put back to 2008 precisely because delays in tackling crime and corruption (see EUROPE 9188). Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumen Petrov has expressed his indignation over the report to EU Ambassadors and Commissioner Franco Frattini, believing that Mr Jansen had exaggerated minor issues and shown bias in his report. On 25 April, Mr Jansen told the Financial Times that he feared that sensitive European police information shared with Sofia could “end up in the hands of organised crime”. “They believed they would get into the EU anyway,” said Mr Jansen. The EU had made a serious mistake in December 2004, he said, by guaranteeing Bulgaria accession in 2007 or 2008. Bulgaria intends now to demonstrate to the EU that it is ready to redouble its efforts to win EU entry: 23 organised criminal gangs have been broken up in the first three months of this year and 4000 people interviewed following police operations, Mr Petrov told the Sophia News Agency”. He also pointed out that since the start of the year, 40 police officers had been sacked for corruption and of these 36 were being prosecuted.
Bulgarian Chief Public Prosecutor Boris Velchev and President of the Appeal Court Ivan Grigorov are expected in Brussels on Thursday for meetings with Commissioner Franco Frattini, Enlargement Director General Michael Leigh and European Parliament rapporteur for Bulgaria, the British Conservative MEP Geoffrey van Orden, along with the Bulgarian Ambassador to the EU Stanislav Daskalov.
Several MEPs from the Greens/EFA group will be on a fact-finding mission to Bulgaria from Wednesday until 12 May. Daniel Cohn-Bendit, joint leader of the group, and members of the European Green Party are due to meet Bulgarian Ministers and experts to gain a clearer picture of the situation. The reform of the justice system, combating corruption and organised crime, and the integration of the Roma will be prominent among the issues raised.