Minister Vuchkov Expects Criticism over Weakened Investigative Capacity of Interior Ministry

Veselin Vuchkov expects criticism over the weakened investigative capacity of the Interior Ministry in the upcoming progress report of the European Commission.

Bulgaria’s Interior Minister noted that he had been taken by surprise by the reduction of the total number of investigating magistrates by nearly 4000.

He vowed to remedy the mistake as soon as possible, stressing that the Co-Operation and Verification Mechanism of the EC examined the capacity of the Interior Ministry to conduct high-quality investigations together with the prosecuting authority.

Vuchkov participated in a meeting of EU Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs meet in Brussels.

During the meeting, he called for greater solidarity and fairness on the part of the EU for coping with migratory pressure.

He announced that the migratory pressure in Bulgaria had increased by 2/3 in the past four months, compared to the same period of 2013.

Vuchkov and Robert Visser, head of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), signed Friday a Special Support Plan stipulating EASO tailor-made support to Bulgaria over a period of 18 months.

The support is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the results achieved under the EASO Operating Plan for Bulgaria (October 2013 – October 2014).

The support of EASO will emphasise on institutional capacity building, quality assurance mechanisms and responding to the special needs of vulnerable groups, according to a media statement.

The Special Support Plan will be implemented over a period of 18 months ending in June 2016.

EASO will continue to support the efforts of Bulgaria in improving and strengthening its strategic management as well as upgrading the standards of its asylum and reception system in the context of the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).

14 new EASO measures will focus on support with the identification, referral and procedure safeguards for vulnerable groups; reception and social activities; training and coaching in several areas; and quality assurance and contingency planning.

Joint Special Support Teams made up of EASO experts, experts from Member States and Bulgarian Officials will be set up to collaborate on these endeavors.

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