site.btaPeaceful Demonstrations Are Fundamental Right in All Democratic Countries, EC Spokesperson Comments on Events in Bulgaria

Peaceful demonstrations are a fundamental right in all democratic countries, Markus Lammert, European Commission Spokesperson, said on Thursday at the midday briefing in Brussels, replying to questions connected to events in Bulgaria. “You know our Commission position very well, peaceful protests are a right everywhere,” Lammert said, declining to comment further on the topic. Tens of thousands took to the streets across Bulgaria on Wednesday night to protest against the government. In recent weeks, Bulgaria has been gripped by a wave of rallies against the 2026 draft budget.

Regarding the decision of the European Commission to temporarily suspend the payment of EUR 215 million from Bulgaria's Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), European Commission Spokesperson Maciej Berestecki said: “Referring to our positive preliminary assessment that we adopted a few days ago for Bulgaria. Indeed, in this assessment we say that the number of milestones for the country have been positively assessed, but there are a couple of those referring to this anti-corruption body that have not been fulfilled satisfactorily. Therefore, in our decision we’re saying that Bulgaria has one month to send their observations regarding this temporary suspension. We’ll be waiting for the reaction of Bulgaria to our decision.”