Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-21-Speech-2-176"
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"en.20031021.6.2-176"2
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".
Mr President, Mr Ceyhun, the Commission is aware of the events that you describe in your question. These are events that, I am sorry to say, we are not just aware of in Bulgaria but also in many other countries in this world, and I think that you know as well as I do why these events occur. Nevertheless, we must remember that the behaviour of police and customs officials, as described in your question, is illegal; it also constitutes a criminal offence according to Bulgarian law and must be punished. The Commission has had regular and in-depth discussions with the Bulgarian Government about these issues and has pressed for measures aimed at resolving them.
I must, however, mention that the Commission is not in any way able to open investigations in individual cases and in any case this is the responsibility of the national authorities. In my view, the problem of corruption at a border crossing or in transit is a question that, as well as being considered in terms of the rule of law, must also be considered in terms of fighting corruption. In its cooperation with Bulgaria, the Commission gave particular priority to both of these questions. What I would like to say is that I believe that the whole criminal justice system in Bulgaria needs to be radically reformed and this belief is shared by the Bulgarian Government. It was difficult to achieve this and it has not yet been fully achieved because to do so required a change in the constitution, which has been blocked for many years.
During a visit to Bulgaria this summer I intervened in a very unconventional way to try to overcome this blockade. My attempt was successful, and the constitutional change has now been adopted so that all obstacles to the necessary judicial reform have been removed, and the Commission is holding further talks with the Bulgarian authorities on widespread support for it. Furthermore, in cooperation with the Commission, the Bulgarian Government has drawn up an action plan to fight corruption, which will now be gradually implemented. This involves radical reform of toll and police management and tighter control measures. The Bulgarian Government has pledged to ensure that all citizens have access to an efficient complaints procedure.
The measures that were implemented last year have, in the meantime, led to 218 disciplinary procedures against customs officials and 212 actions against police officials. To date forty customs officials and forty-seven police officers have been sacked. The Commission will continue to follow future development in this area and make full use of the instruments that we have available in order to make sure Bulgaria adheres to international standards and to help Bulgaria to do so."@en1
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