Cabinet To Table Anti-Corruption Bills Pack

A pack of draft bills is to be tabled with the National Assembly soon, including proposals for measures against corruption, tax policy changes, amendments to the Tax Procedure Code, the Law on Obligations and Contracts, the Law on VAT, and the Law on Concessions, Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Plugchieva informed on February 23 during the “OLAF – EU Funds Guardian” anti-corruption seminar.

As part of the combat against shady affaires structure reforms in the Agriculture Fund are planned, including reducing the number of employees, trainings for state administration workers and managing units, and assembling working groups to monitor for corruption schemes within the State Agency for National Security (SANS), the Sofia City Prosecution Office, the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Cassation, and the Agriculture Fund. OLAF’s monitoring missions over PHARE projects inspections will also continue, Plugchieva informed.

At the beginning of the event organized by the Journalists Against Corruption Club, head of Agriculture Unit with OLAF Elizabeth Sperber stated the Office already has trusted partners in Bulgaria, but meanwhile strengthens the negative impression of a network being built, which impedes more good achievements of Bulgaria and EU’s Anti-Fraud Office.
Sperber determined the last few months as a period of standstill due to the continuous changes at the Agriculture State Fund.
 
“Bulgaria must convince the international public it is actually combating corruption”,
and its authorities defend the state’s financial interest”, OLAF Spokesperson Alessandro Buticce said.

Aide to OLAF’s Director General on anticorruption issues Wolfgang Hetzer emphasized that OLAF representatives cannot substitute for Bulgaria’s judicial authorities, nor can they start working in the national Parliament, the only thing they can do is help Bulgaria in its fight against corruption.
 
“The co-operation between Bulgaria and OLAF is based on truthfulness and reliability,
not on money or legislation”, he explained, adding that the process of handling corruption will take time.
“Vice-Premier Plugchieva’s job should not be underestimated, and she needs the support of friends”, Hetzer also said.

“The challenge to the government now is to take to the end its work on anticorruption schemes, as
we need control and critical solidarity”,  
Vice-Prime Minister Plugchieva said, adding that another German aide will come in Bulgaria to help led by Minister of Interior Michail Mikov combat against corruption.