Defending the rule of law should become an indispensable part of the institutional culture in Bulgaria. This is what President Rumen Radev said at a meeting with the heads of the diplomatic missions of the EU member states, Switzerland and Norway in Bulgaria, held at 2 Dondukov street today.
At the meeting the ambassadors raised a lot of issues, related to the rule of law in our country, the effect of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism on the Bulgarian judiciary, the reasons for the demographic crisis in Bulgaria, our country’s participation in the debate on Europe’s future, the increased migratory pressure along the external EU borders, European and regional security.
The Head of State emphasized that he will initiate a broad public debate on constitutional amendments so that they can meet the people’s expectations for a much greater transparency in the work of the Bulgarian judiciary, also on the role, accountability and place of the prosecuting magistracy in the judicial system.
Rumen Radev also recalled the proposals he made in his address to the people and the National Assembly in September 2019 regarding increasing the transparency of law-making by putting an end to the well-established practice of making essential amendments of laws by transitional and final provisions, whereby public debate and impact assessment is evaded. The President also proposed introducing an individual constitutional complaint, improving the Direct Citizen Participation in Central and Local Government Act, ensuring the municipalities’ financial decentralization, reducing the great number of invalid ballots, which undermines the trust in the election process.
“The Bulgarian citizens should become aware of their power and responsibility to require much better quality in the country’s governance, and also transparency and efficiency in the spending of public funds and should exert control on institutions,” Rumen Radev said, taking a journalist’s question.
In the President’s words, the efficient fight against high-level corruption, an increase of the citizens’ security, the high-quality changes in healthcare and education, are mandatory conditions for overcoming the negative demographic trends in Bulgaria. Rumen Radev reiterated that our country will work so as to ensure the even distribution of the scientific and educational infrastructure in Europe, without which economic and social convergence in the EU cannot be achieved.
The President identified as a common European challenge the upward trend in the number of migrants in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans. Rumen Radev called for adopting a common European approach to this issue, for providing financial assistance for the countries along the external EU borders and readiness for a timely support from the Frontex teams.
In the Head of State’s words, it serves the interest of both regional security and stability and the EU itself to offer unwavering support for the Western Balkan countries’ EU prospects. Bulgaria expects the future EU enlargement to be based on really meeting the membership criteria and also on a decisive progress in building good-neighborly relations in the Balkans.
The forthcoming NATO summit in London, aspects of European and regional security, the debate on Europe’s future and other topics were also discussed at the meeting.