site.btaSpecial Commission Nominates Three Candidates for New European Prosecutor from Bulgaria

Dimitar Belichev, Mihaela Raidovska and Plamen Petkov were nominated for a new European Prosecutor from Bulgaria, the Justice Ministry said on Thursday. The decision was taken by a special seven-member commission appointed by outgoing Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev and chaired by his Deputy Minister Stoyan Lazarov. 

On Wednesday, the commission heard six candidates, completing the second stage of the procedure. 

Dimitar Belichev is a European Delegated Prosecutor and a prosecutor at the Plovdiv District Prosecution Office. Mihaela Raidovska is also a European Delegated Prosecutor and a prosecutor at the Sofia City Prosecution Office. Plamen Petkov is a prosecutor at the Sofia District Prosecution Office.

Following the public hearings of the candidates, the commission believes that the three presented themselves most convincingly and meet the requirements for the position of European Prosecutor to the greatest extent. The commission did not rank the nominees but listed them in alphabetical order.

Their names have been submitted to the Justice Minister, who will put them forward for approval by the Council of Ministers. The three nominations will then be sent to the competent bodies of the European Union (EU) for further selection. European Prosecutors are appointed by the Council of the EU for a six-year term, with the new mandate expected to begin in late July this year.

Dimitar Belichev told the special commission that the effectiveness of cooperation between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and national investigative bodies must be improved, and that the volume of uncovered crimes must increase. Asked by reporters after the hearing whether he expects the selection to be fair, he replied: “Yes.”

“If I am elected European Prosecutor from Bulgaria, I will work to increase the efficiency of the office of the European Delegated Prosecutors in our country, so as to ensure thorough investigations within a reasonable timeframe. This cannot be achieved, however, when prosecutors are extremely burdened with activities that are not directly related to the strategic management of investigations,” Mihaela Raidovska said during the hearing. She added that she would insist on filling vacant positions and increasing the number of European Delegated Prosecutors.

“My entire professional experience allows me to believe that I would be able to cope with the task of serving as European Prosecutor from Bulgaria,” Plamen Petkov said. He outlined three main challenges facing the European Public Prosecutor’s Office - combining its supranational level with different national legal systems, the constant evolution of criminal activity, and limited resources.