Minister of Justice Georgi Georgiev and the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath gave a briefing to the media after a meeting between the two.
"We held an extremely fruitful meeting with the EU Commissioner for Justice. We stated the government's categorical determination to make all necessary efforts so that Bulgaria can achieve better results in the area of the rule of law, despite the political instability. With our efforts from January 16 to today, we managed to activate the dialogue with the EC, to start an active discussion not just of general political messages, but of specific measures that aim to fulfill the commitments as an EU member state and to meet the needs of Bulgarian citizens. The rule of law consists in everyone being equal before the law, in having a clear and categorical counteraction to corruption and in guaranteeing mechanisms for the protection of human rights in Bulgaria", commented Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev.
There are some important recommendations in last year's report, and we are currently assessing the progress made in their implementation. We are now in the final stage of preparing the 2025 report and reviewing the work that has been done - some recommendations that have not been implemented, it is possible to include them again in this report, said the European Commissioner in response to a question from BTA regarding the main recommendations to Bulgaria in the new report.
He noted the functioning of the SJC, the number of elected judges in it, the long-term secondment of magistrates and the functioning of the Inspectorate to the SJC as key issues. McGrath added that he had discussed these and other topics with the Minister of Justice and was confident in his commitment, as well as that of the entire government, to make progress in this regard.
Michael McGrath thanked the Minister for the warm welcome and expressed his pleasure at being in Sofia to hold meetings with government representatives and discuss important issues related to the rule of law.
"I am very pleased to be in Sofia today to hold several meetings with government representatives and discuss important issues related to justice and the rule of law. This is a very important opportunity to take stock of the work that has been done so far and to identify areas for further action. This morning I have already met with Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev and we discussed the latest developments in terms of justice and combating corruption, which are part of the PRP. I would like to congratulate the government for prioritizing the implementation of the PRP. "With the Minister of Justice Georgi Georgiev, we discussed the state of the rule of law in Bulgaria," McGrath said.
In his words, the Rule of Law Report over the past year has noted the progress that has been achieved in recent years with the adoption of reforms in the Constitution to improve judicial independence and additional efforts to improve transparency in state advertising. We know that there are some obstacles after the publication of the Report after 2024.
"It is extremely important that we continue to promote a sincere dialogue on the rule of law issues at the national and European levels. That is why today I will present the Rule of Law Report of Bulgaria to Parliament," he said. The recommendations of the report are the result of a detailed analysis and their aim is to support countries like Bulgaria in their efforts to strengthen the rule of law, McGrath explained.
"The EP is fully independent in its actions. The EC is informed about the situation with the Bulgarian European Commissioner Teodora Georgieva and is monitoring the situation. But I emphasize again - the European Public Prosecutor's Office is absolutely independent, this is a basic principle", he also stated.
McGrath is on a working visit to Bulgaria, the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria announced earlier.