European Commissioner Michael McGrath discussed in Sofia the report on the rule of law and the Recovery Plan

SOFIA – The composition and functioning of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), as well as the political independence and effective work of the Commission for Counteracting Corruption must remain high on the agenda of the Bulgarian government for reforms. This was stated to the media by the European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath after a meeting with the Bulgarian Minister of Justice Georgi Georgiev in Sofia.

The European Commissioner was on a working visit to Bulgaria on the eve of the upcoming annual report of the European Commission on the rule of law in the EU. 

Speaking to journalists, McGrath said he would inform representatives of the Bulgarian parliament about the work on preparing the report. There are important recommendations in last year’s report, and we assess the progress on their implementation. Some unfulfilled recommendations may be included in the new report, the European Commissioner added.

McGrath described the reform to limit the powers of the Chief Prosecutor and to restructure the SJC as positive.

The Minister of Justice Georgi Georgiev said that during the meeting with the guest, he expressed the government’s determination to make every effort for Bulgaria to achieve better results in the area of the rule of law, despite the political instability in the country last year.

Michael McGrath noted that he had spoken with Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, and the two discussed the latest developments in the areas of justice and anti-corruption and the national recovery and resilience plan. The European Commissioner congratulated the Bulgarian government for prioritizing the implementation of the plan.

In last year’s report on the rule of law, the European Commission noted the adopted changes to the Bulgarian Constitution. It was noted that the country has adopted a comprehensive constitutional reform to improve the independence of the judiciary and to address long-standing concerns in this area. Additional efforts are needed in Bulgaria to achieve final convictions in cases of high-level corruption, the Commission reported. (April 7, 2025)