Transparency International Urges Parties to Include Anti-corruption in Agendas for Upcoming Elections

Sofia, January 25 (BTA) - Transparency International urges the political parties to include the anti-corruption topic in their agendas for the upcoming parliamentary elections, said the NGOs Executive Director Kalin Slavov at a BTA-hosted news conference here on Friday.

The organization presented a report, according to which Bulgaria is the most corrupt country in the EU. Transparency International notes a retrogression in Bulgaria in the fight against corruption and the modernization of institutions, compared to the overall improvement of the corruption perception index in Europe.

Slavov said that his NGO is expecting the parties to undertake specific steps and legislative initiatives in the next Parliament, adding that Transparency International will conduct civil monitoring and insist that parties turn their words into actions.

He also said that this Parliament's last days were marked by increased lobbyism, giving as an example the rejection of the bill aimed at reducing loan interest rates, while the Concessions Act was adopted, which in his words has a strong lobbyist nature and benefits concessionaires. According to Slavov, this Parliament's refusal to adopt the legislation aimed at curbing high-level corruption, is also indicative.
Ognyan Minchev, who chairs Transparency International's Board, said that Bulgaria is located in a region with recurring problems, explaining that unless the state is governed by the rule of law, the democratic system acts as a facade behind which instead of the public interest, political decisions reflect the corporate interests and those of organized backstage powers.

The NGO proposes that the next parliament introduces the so called legislative record mechanism, under which bill sponsors must provide information about all their contacts in relation to the bill's drafting.