NEWS

Vice President Margarita Popova tells forum in Germany: We shall be an anchor in efforts towards more and stronger Europe

The Bulgarian presidential institution will be an anchor in efforts towards more and a stronger Europe. Vice President Margarita Popova said this at a conference in Munich entitled "Protection of EU financial interests through combating fraud in Europe". In the coming difficulties for Europe and the world in the financial, debt and economic crisis, the path to a stronger Europe passes through our efforts to build and maintain a European anti-crime policy that maintains the financial stability and security of the European Union. The protection of national budgetary discipline, order and responsibility is crucial, Vice President Popova told the forum, which included the Prosecutors-General of Bulgaria, Hungary and the Czech Republic, the Attorney-General in Munich, the State Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection of the Free State of Bavaria Dr Beate Merk and the Deputy Head of OLAF, Mr Nicholas Ilett.

To protect the financial security and stability of Europe through a common criminal policy, what is required is the convergence of European procedures for effective, modern investigation and reliable protection of crime victims, Vice President Popova said in her speech.

She noted the need for well-functioning prosecutorial and police structures in Europe to provide protection and security for European citizens. Vice President Popova said that the collapse of entire social systems in the world and Europe is the result of corruption and unprincipled political compromises. These bring into question the rule of law – a value that directly determines the success of reform in every area of public life.

Munich Attorney-General Dr Christoph Strötz described the participation of the Vice President of Bulgaria in the forum, held just days after the inauguration of the new presidential couple, as a very clear and positive sign of the determination of the Bulgarian government to fight corruption and organized crime. Minister Beate Merk saw it as a good sign of an increasingly intense partnership in the high-level contacts between Bulgarian and German politicians.