Bulgaria's Judiciary, Interior Ministry Too Expensive, Inefficient- Report

The budgets allocated to Bulgaria`s judiciary and police forces are inflated and poorly managed. File photi

Bulgaria's justice and home affairs expenditures are too high and are inadequately distributed, according to a newly published report.

The findings of the Open Society Institute (OSI), as cited by Pari daily, indicate that Bulgaria's judiciary and police absorb excessive amounts of money to sustain a huge staff while refraining from other investments.

Bulgaria spends at least twice as much as the EU average on its police forces and its judicial system, against a backdrop of low public confidence, meager efficiency and a growing number of guilty verdicts against Bulgaria issued by the European Court of Human Rights.

According to the survey, the majority of Bulgaria's justice and home affairs expenditure is channeled into salaries for an over-bloated staff.

"Investments into the system have been restricted in the long-term, with both the judiciary and the Interior Ministry registering very low capital expenditures", the paper reads.

A wide majority of European countries have 30-50% fewer courts than Bulgaria, combined with a smaller total number of judges, prosecutors and police officers.

Bulgaria's expenditure on police activity as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) is the biggest in the EU.

Bulgaria spends twice as much as the EU average on its police forces and three times more than countries like Denmark, Sweden and Finland, the report shows.

OSI recommends that the huge financial resources that Bulgaria allocates to justice and home affairs be managed more efficiently and that the two systems undergo reforms allowing them to achieve better results.

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