site.btaGovernment Approves Three Candidates for European Prosecutor from Bulgaria

The Government has approved three candidates nominated for the position of European Prosecutor from the Republic of Bulgaria. The nominees were proposed by a Selection Commission appointed by order of outgoing Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev, the Government Information Service reported on Wednesday.

The approved candidates are Dimitar Belichev (a European Delegated Prosecutor and a prosecutor at the Plovdiv District Prosecution Office), Mihaela Raidovska (a European Delegated Prosecutor and a prosecutor at the Sofia City Prosecution Office) and Plamen Petkov (a prosecutor at the Sofia District Prosecution Office).

The Council of Ministers tasked the Justice Minister with submitting the candidacies to the competent European body for further selection. After reviewing the applications and conducting interviews with the candidates, the Selection Commission will issue a reasoned opinion on their qualifications, assess whether they meet the requirements set out in the relevant EU regulation, and rank the candidates according to their qualifications and experience, indicating the order of preference.

Following receipt of the Commission’s opinion and the ranking list, the Council of the European Union will, by a simple majority, select and appoint one of the candidates as European Prosecutor from the Republic of Bulgaria.

The national selection procedure was conducted by a seven-member commission comprising representatives of the Justice Ministry, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the Faculty of Law of St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. The procedure consisted of two stages: an eligibility review based on the submitted documents, and a public hearing of the shortlisted candidates held on January 14.