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Alexandrov, Alexander
5 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Bulgarians more corrupt than ever
According to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index published on Thursday Bulgaria is the most corrupt country in the EU. This is a slap in the face for Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, says the daily Sega: "The index strips the government of one of its main arguments for staying in power, apart from all its other failures. ... Boyko Borisov and his colleagues never tire of repeating how corrupt everyone before them was, how the corruption of the previous government had tarnished the country's government and how this caused the EU funding to be cut off, and so on. ... In reality however it turns out that within just two years the current government has managed not only to top its predecessor regarding corruption but to land Bulgaria at the bottom of the list in the EU."
» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Politics, » Crime, » Bulgaria
Bulgarians resigned in face of mafia
When it took office in 2009, the government of Boyko Borisov declared war on the mafia. But today the mafia is more active than ever, writes the daily Sega and points to the beach promenade in the city of Varna on the Black Sea coast: "All the footpaths are blocked off by parked luxury cars. Men with ear plugs and guns in their belts patrol the streets demonstratively and spread fear while their bosses gorge themselves in the restaurants. Bullet-proof Mercedes block off public parking spaces for the boss. He keeps people waiting for half an hour while the queues of angry normal citizens build up. But no one dares to defend their rights or protest against such behaviour. ... Where is the government that boasted it would show organised crime who's boss around here? We are living more than ever in mafia times, and the way things look now it seems we've resigned ourselves to this."
» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Crime, » Bulgaria
Get rid of all Bulgaria's ex-communist agents
Two members of the Bulgarian cabinet resigned on Monday because they were former agents of Bulgaria's communist-era secret service. The ministers in question are Bozhidar Dimitrov, a minister without portfolio responsible for Bulgarians abroad, and the deputy interior minister Pavlin Dimitrov. The daily Sega sees the resignations as just a ploy by the ruling Gerb party and calls for further resignations: "Only once Gerb has removed all ex-agents from its own ranks - in particular from the security service, the interior ministry, the criminal investigation department, the parliament, the customs authorities and the government - is it entitled to talk about this subject, beat its breast in repentance and make accusations in all directions. Anything less is just a game of cat-and-mouse with the voters. ... But the government has always lacked resolution and stamina on awkward issues, and there's no reason to expect things to be any different this time. They'll once again wait for the fuse to fizzle out before the bomb explodes."
» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » History, » Ethics, » Society, » Bulgaria
Bulgaria's half-hearted fight against smuggling
The Bulgarian government is increasingly coming under pressure for its half-hearted measures against smuggling on the EU's border with Turkey, Serbia and Macedonia. Although Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has announced he will step up the fight, the daily Sega has its doubts: "Right after it took office the current government said it would equip customs offices with surveillance cameras within two months, so that border controls could be monitored in real time from a central location. But no such thing has happened. ... Anyone who really wants to tackle crime and corruption must deal smuggling a severe blow. Everyone must be hit: the ringleaders, the officials who protect them, legal and illegal businesses and the politicians who get rich on smuggling. That would allow the government to fill its coffers, justice to prevail and the political umbilical cord between the state and criminality to be severed. And it would demonstrate a firm will. Anything else would indicate all the government wants is to keep throwing sand in people's eyes."
» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » EU neighbourhood policy, » Turkey, » Bulgaria, » Serbia, » Mazedonien
Bulgaria must ensure justice is done
The new government in Bulgaria is stumbling over the mistakes of its predecessors, the daily Sega writes: "The greatest danger is that it won't be able to keep its promise of calling to account the officials who were involved in the fraud and embezzlement of EU funds. Because of these crimes Bulgaria was blocked from virtually every EU programme and its state is now facing the prospect of having to pay back millions to Brussels. Therefore it would be no less a crime if the culprits were to go unpunished. And this is precisely what could happen under the new amnesty law passed a couple of months ago which came into effect on April 21. … This is why this case needs to be investigated. It will show whether this is just a matter of lousy legislation or an intentional legal loophole. The juristic elite must pull itself together and find a solution. Otherwise there will be neither retribution nor justice."
» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Bulgaria
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