site.btaJustice Minister Defends Anti-Corruption Reforms, Blames Critics for Political Inconsistency

Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev defended the government’s implementation of anti-corruption reforms under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), stressing that the current measures were initially negotiated and drafted under former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov.

“The commitments we are fulfilling are those undertaken by Bulgaria under the NRRP, back when Kiril Petkov held the pen," Georgiev said, adding that it is unfair to be criticized now for implementing each of the measures exactly as they were agreed with the European Commission. Georgiev was speaking to reporters here on Saturday amid ongoing debates around the Counter-Corruption Commission.

He recalled that the NRRP had been renegotiated and rewritten by Petkov’s cabinet, particularly in the areas of energy and justice, and that over the past seven months all anti-corruption measures and reforms had been adopted. These reforms are a prerequisite for Bulgaria to receive its second and third tranches of EU funding under the Plan, the Justice Minister noted.

“We passed the anti-corruption laws, improved them, communicated with Brussels to ensure they meet the requirements,” Georgiev said regarding the progress made on institutional reforms, including the restructuring of the Counter-Corruption Commission.

Addressing criticism from the Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (WCC–DB) coalition that the Commission’s members will be elected by a simple majority, Georgiev noted both legal and political justifications. Legally, he referred to a Constitutional Court ruling which prohibits Parliament from imposing stricter majorities than those constitutionally required for appointments to regulatory bodies. Politically, he pointed out that in January 2025, MPs from CC–DB themselves introduced and supported a proposal for simple-majority votes in similar contexts, which was passed by Parliament.