site.btaVazrazhdane Demands EC Reaction to Bulgaria’s Decision to Suspend Fuel Export to EU Member States

Vazrazhdane Floor Leader Kostadin Kostadinov said that his party will submit an inquiry to the leadership of the European Commission through its group in the European Parliament, Europe of Sovereign Nations, asking why there has been no reaction to the Bulgarian Parliament’s October 31 decision to suspend the export of fuels to European Union (EU) Member States. He described the decision as “a serious violation of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and everything else that underpins the existence of the Union.”

“We were surprised that there was no reaction from the European Commission, as this violates the rules on the free movement of goods and capital within the EU,” Kostadinov added.

According to him, restrictions cannot be imposed on intra-Union trade.

“What the governing majority did last week, under the dictates of [MRF – New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan] Peevski, is a very serious violation of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU,” the Vazrazhdane leader said.

“We will be persistent in the European Parliament, because if we do not receive an answer, this will be a sign that the EU functions like the Bulgarian justice system – as it pleases and depending on who stands to benefit,” Kostadinov continued. “Just like in the case of Christine Lagarde – convicted in a corruption case, but it was not entered in her criminal record, she remains clean on paper and has no problem serving as President of the European Central Bank,” he said.

Commenting the British Embassy's position on remarks made by GERB leader Boyko Borissov on Wednesday, Kostadinov said that the British Embassy had “said everything with a single word.” "An end to the lies, the speculation and the chest-thumping about welcoming some person to Bulgaria, a friend’s child, talking to David, and so on. In reality, a huge lie has been exposed,” Kostadinov said.

GERB leader Boyko Borissov told reporters in Parliament on Wednesday that he had personally discussed with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron the removal of Bulgarian nationals from the British global anti-corruption sanctions list. He explained that he made efforts "for all Bulgarians who had been unfairly sanctioned". Later in the day, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported that the British Embassy in Bulgaria had responded to Borissov’s remarks by clarifying that the lifting of sanctions was not a matter negotiated by governments, and that none of the individuals sanctioned so far had requested the removal of the restrictions. According to BNR, the Embassy’s statement said that no request for the lifting of sanctions had been submitted on behalf of any Bulgarian citizen included in the United Kingdom’s Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions regime, and that the sanctions remain in force.