Bavaria Voices Support for Bulgaria's Justice Reform

Bavarian Landtag head Barbara Stamm (left) with Bulgarian PM Borisov in Sofia Friday. Photo by BGNES

A parliamentary delegation from Germany's Free State of Bavaria arrived in Sofia Friday meeting with the Bulgarian leadership.

The Bavarian delegation has been invited by the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva.

It is led by the head of the Bavarian Landtag, Barbara Stamm, and includes the deputy heads of the Landtag, Reinhold Bocklet, Franz Maget, Peter Meyer, Christine Stahl and Jorg Rode.

In addition to Tsacheva, the German delegation met with the Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov, PM Boyko Borisov, Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov and Justice Minister Margarita Popova.

In his talks with the Bavarian MPs, Bulgarian Prime Minister Borisov emphasized the government's campaign to crack down on corruption and organized crime, the highways and infrastructure construction, and the efforts to boost Bulgaria's absorption of EU funds.

Bulgarian President Parvanov in turn told the Bavarian delegation he was very happy with the consistence in the Bulgarian-German ties, and especially in Bulgaria's relations with the individual German provinces.

During her meeting with Bulgaria's Justice Minister Margarita Popova, Bavarian Landtag Chair Stamm expressed support for the legislation reforms in the judicial field carried out by the Borisov government.

"We have become convinced that you are doing the most part of the government's work," Stamm told Popova.

The Justice Minister has pointed out as important achievements the increased specialization of the magistrates and a number of legislative amendment initiatives.

She reminded that recommendations on part of the Justice Ministry of the Free State of Bavaria had played a crucial role for the changes in the Bulgarian Penal Procedure Code, while also saying that those had been made long ago but had just been started to be implemented.

The Bavarian Landtag head said she was convinced Popova took her responsibilities seriously, and invited her to visit Munich.

During their stay in Sofia, the Bavarian MPs will also visit some of the landmarks of the Bulgarian capital such as the "Alexander Nevski" Cathedral, the Boyana Church and the National Historical Museum.

The last high-ranking visit by a delegation from Bavaria to Bulgaria was in March 2010 by the Interior Minister of Bavaria, Joachim Herrmann.

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