Brussels warned of flawed selection of Bulgaria’s anti-corruption commission

The European Commission has been notified of serious issues in the selection of a politically neutral and independent anti-corruption commission in Sofia.

For nearly a decade, Bulgaria has consistently failed to establish an independent anti-corruption agency, a process closely monitored by EU institutions. The existing “Anti-Corruption” commission has faced repeated accusations of conducting politically motivated actions against mayors from opposition parties and targeting the businesses of media publishers critical of previous Boyko Borissov’s governments.

Borissov is a long-serving prime minister and still holds a lot of power. His party is the senior partner in a coalition government led by Rossen Zhelyazkov, a politician from Borissov’s GERB party.

The appointment of a new, independent anti-corruption commission is a prerequisite for Bulgaria to access the remaining funds under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, amounting to nearly €4 billion. However, the efforts of the Sofia government appear to be moving in a different direction.

Concerns over political influence

Bulgaria’s opposition liberal party “We Continue the Change” (Renew Europe) has informed European Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Commissioner for the Rule of Law Michael McGrath that the parliamentary majority is preparing to appoint another dependent anti-corruption body.

“There are serious procedural and substantive concerns regarding the composition of the Nomination Committee, which plays a decisive role in the pre-selection of candidates for the Anti-Corruption Commission,” the Bulgarian party stated in its letter to the European Commission seen by EUalive.

A month ago, the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament issued a statement strongly condemning the actions of Sofia’s current anti-corruption commission. It was criticised for “undermining democratic institutions and the rule of law in Bulgaria” due to the “politically motivated arrest of Varna’s mayor, Blagomir Kotsev”.

Across Bulgaria, large civic protests erupted in July against the unreformed anti-corruption commission’s arrest of Varna’s mayor.

The ugly arrest of the first honest mayor of Varna explained

“We Continue the Change” is warning that the future anti-corruption commission risks resembling the current one due to a flawed selection process.

Parliamentary procedures stipulate that candidates for the Anti-Corruption Commission must be carefully vetted by a specially appointed Nomination Committee.

The party’s letter raises concerns about three of the five members of the Nomination Committee, which will evaluate candidates for the Anti-Corruption Commission.

“We Continue the Change” highlights that two members of this committee are suspected of lacking independence. One member, Silvia Kadreva, “maintained direct hierarchical and professional relationships with two candidates for the anti-corruption commission until two months ago, raising clear doubts about her impartiality”, the party claims.

They also note that Veneta Milova does not meet independence requirements, having held consecutive senior administrative roles in institutions managed by GERB.

The centre-right GERB party (EPP), led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, played a key role in establishing the first anti-corruption commission in 2016 and still holds significant influence over its renewal.

“This indicates strong political ties to the party whose candidates she is now supposed to objectively evaluate,” the liberals’ letter to Ursula von der Leyen states.

‘We Continue the Change’ also has serious reservations about a third member of the Nomination Committee. Nina Sedefova is a member of the committee from the Supreme Bar Council, as the Bar Council lacked a quorum when it appointed Sedefova.

The composition of this body is crucial for the rule of law in Bulgaria, as the institution has police powers to arrest senior politicians and intercept phone communications.

Bulgarian authorities risk losing at least €4 billion in Recovery Plan funds if the anti-corruption commission is not reformed. It falls to the European Commission to ensure that truly unimpeachable individuals with integrity are appointed to the institution and that a genuine reform is carried out.

Caption: Protest in front of Varna City Hall in support of Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, who is in custody following an operation by the anti-corruption commission. 9 July 2025. Facebook/Blagomir Kotsev