Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools
Sections
You are here: Home Breaking news French, German envoys caution Bulgaria over oligarchy ties

French, German envoys caution Bulgaria over oligarchy ties

08 July 2013, 17:00 CET
— filed under: , , ,

(SOFIA) - France and Germany's ambassadors to Bulgaria urged the country's leaders Monday to sever links with oligarchs, as thousands continued to protest against corruption among the political elite.

In a rare joint comment by foreign diplomats on Bulgaria's domestic situation, France's Philippe Autier and Germany's Matthias Hoepfner expressed concern about the current state of affairs in the EU's poorest country.

"Belonging to the European Union is a civilised choice. The oligarchic model has no place in it, neither in Bulgaria nor elsewhere," they said in a statement.

A well-governed Bulgaria was in the interest not just of Bulgarians but of the entire EU, they added, especially as France and Germany are key contributors to Bulgarian EU funds.

The statement came after 24 straight days of mass anti-government rallies, which have seen thousands gather every evening on Sofia's boulevards, shouting "Mafia!" and demanding the resignation of the Socialist-backed government.

On Sunday, between 8,000 and 10,000 protesters again took to the streets of the capital, an AFP photographer saw.

The demos -- just four months after similar protests forced out the previous conservative cabinet -- were sparked by a controversial political appointment, but soon grew into wider outrage at a government and political class seen as corrupt and too dependent shady business interests.

Bulgaria's society "is obviously anxious about the penetration of private interests in the public domain," the ambassadors said.

They highlighted "the necessity to nominate indisputable people for public offices," especially for key jobs in the areas of anti-corruption, security, trade and energy.

"Non-transparent appointments in these areas can only benefit corruption and organised crime," they said.

Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, has been under a special monitoring mechanism by Brussels for its slow judiciary reforms, its poor showing in the fight against organised crime and its inability to root out corruption.


Document Actions