site.btaMEP Elena Yoncheva on MRF List for European Elections

Journalist and politician Elena Yoncheva, Member of the European Parliament (S&D/Bulgarian Socialist Party) since 2019, is on the candidate list for the June 9 European elections as a nominee of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms' (MRF) Regional Council in Blagoevgrad (Southwestern Bulgaria), the local chapter said on Tuesday. MRF Chairman Delyan Peevski is also on the MRF list in that town.

Peevski also tops the list of the local chapter for the national parliament elections, which will be held concurrently on June 9.

Yoncheva told BTA she accepted the nomination as a recognition for her overall achievement for Bulgaria in the European Parliament. She thanked the MRF's Blagoevgrad chapter.

Yoncheva said: "I have repeatedly said publicly that the decision to run [in the elections] depends on whether I will be able to continue the battles I have fought for my country in the last five years and whether I will get support for stopping uncontrolled migration, stopping human trafficking, having effective anti-corruption measures at national and European level, and protecting journalists from censorship and political persecution.

"As an MEP I have managed to make a breakthrough on a number of issues. In my capacity as [the Asylum Contact] Group Chair, I led negotiations on the New European Pact on migration and asylum with representatives of the European Commission and the EU Council. After five years, the Pact was adopted. It repealed the Dublin Regulation, which was unfair for Bulgaria. And it will help to reduce uncontrolled migration.

"We have started work on legislation to effectively curb human trafficking. On my initiative, legislation on media freedom has been proposed.

"I championed a proposal to ensure transparency of media ownership and funding, and protection of journalists from censorship." She said social networks would no longer be able to take down quality media content.

"I will accept support for participation in the European elections, which will allow me to continue working on these important issues for Bulgaria," Yoncheva said. "I will accept support that would give me the freedom to defend them."