Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools
Sections
You are here: Home Breaking news Trading partners press Bulgaria over rule of law

Trading partners press Bulgaria over rule of law

25 January 2016, 15:10 CET
— filed under: , ,
Trading partners press Bulgaria over rule of law

Photo © James Steidl - Fotolia

(SOFIA) - Bulgaria came under fire from its trading partners Monday over its failure to strengthen the rule of law, two days before an EU report expected to be highly critical of the lack of reforms.

The bilateral chambers of commerce of nine EU countries and the US said there was the "increasing impression, both locally and among foreign investors' circles, that there is not enough rule of law in Bulgaria."

In a joint statement they said this was leading to a decline in foreign investment and eroding trust in the European Union's poorest country, nine years after the former communist country joined the bloc.

Efforts by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's government to revamp the inefficient judiciary and root out corruption have become bogged down in political bickering in recent months.

In December justice minister Hristo Ivanov quit, accusing lawmakers of undermining his reform efforts.

Wednesday's annual European Commission report is expected to say that efforts to tackle graft and organised crime have fallen behind those of neighbouring Romania, where former premier Victor Ponta is on trial for alleged corruption.

Both countries have been under special EU supervision since joining the EU in 2007.


Document Actions