EU Spokesperson: Bulgaria Report Not Ready Yet

Mark Gray is well-known in Bulgaria as the EU Commission spokesperson for the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism, under which the Commission monitors Bulgaria's and Romania's progress in the fields of judicial reform, corruption and organised crime.

European Commission spokesperson Mark Gray expressed his amusement at rumors circulating around the not-yet-published progress report on Bulgaria under the EU Co-operation and Verification Mechanism in an extensive interview for BGNES.

Mark Gray referred to speculations in Bulgaria that the date set for the report's publishing is July 22, saying that the date is probably going to be sometime August.

“We have always tried to stay clear of the political side of things,” said Gray, adding that what is important is that Bulgaria follows its commitments to the EU for the sake of its own citizens.

He added that it is a misstep to present the efforts of one governing cabinet as “bad”, and the efforts of another as “good”, referring to public statements on the part of current Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov regarding the bad legacy of previous three-way coalition cabinet. Gray said that Commission President Manuel Barroso has had great relations with both Borisov and predecessor PM Sergey Stanishev, making clear that the EU views Bulgaria and its official representatives as a unified entity that must make coherent and continuous efforts at progress.

The Commission spokesman assured that his institution still has “the same energy” in keeping track of Bulgaria's progress.

Gray commented on what he called a “disappointing” phenomenon in Bulgaria – the fact that people in the country are worrying about the date of the next report, about whether it will be positive or negative, about whether it will be better than that for Romania, disregarding substantive questions about the quality of reforms themselves.

On the other hand he praised the high level of cooperation Commission representatives currently meet in Bulgaria.

Gray also expressed a high opinion about the Strategy for Judicial Reform, formulated by the Ministry of Justice, as well as the amendments of the Criminal Procedure Code. He said that the Bulgarian Parliament must make concerted efforts to improve the Law on Conflicts of Interest and the Law on Public Procurement.

The EU spokesperson criticized persisting flaws in Bulgarian judicial practice, in particular the provision of evidence on the part of the prosecution.

Yet Mark Gray was confident that Bulgaria has made significant progress in the EU Co-operation and Verification Mechanism.