Bulgaria hears call to impeach president / Bulgaria faces loss of aid over corruption

Bulgarian opposition leaders debated on the 18 July 2008 whether to start impeachment proceedings against President Georgi Parvanov over alleged links with a suspected criminal group named in a draft European Commission report to be published on the 23 July 2008. The move highlights deepening concern in Sofia over the Socialist-led coalition government’s troubled relationship with the Commission. The EU’s poorest state faces the prospect of losing €600m ($951m, £476m) in aid in 2008 because of corruption and poor management at government agencies.

Website: Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) http://www.focus-fen.net/

EurActiv, 17.7.08: Bulgaria upsets EU over leaked corruption report[ http://www.euractiv.com/enlargement/bulgaria-upsets-eu-leaked-corrup-news-220103

Focus, 19.7.08: EU to slam Bulgaria over graft, freeze funds http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n146618

Mediapool.bg: Text of OLAF Report, July 2008 http://www.mediapool.bg/site/images/doklad_OLAF_en.pdf

Website: Bulgaria: Center for the Study of Democracy http://www.csd.bg/

EurActiv, 23.7.08: Bulgaria slams Commission over progress report leak http://www.euractiv.com/enlargement/bulgaria-slams-commission-progre-news-220166

European Commission: MEMO/08/523: Progress Reports on the Cooperation and Verification mechanism – procedural aspects http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/523&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: MEMO/08/522: Report on the Management of EU Funds in Bulgaria http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/522&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Deutsche Welle, 18.7.08: Scathing EU Report Exposes Bulgaria's High-Level Corruption http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3493169,00.html

Spiegel Online International, 18.7.08: EU May Halt Funds Over Bulgarian Corruption http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,566649,00.html

European Commission: Press Release: IP/08/1195: More efforts needed by Bulgaria and Romania to tackle judicial reform and corruption http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1195&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Focus, 24.7.08: Insufficiently good work with OLAF over past two years: Deputy PM http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n147177

Focus, 24.7.08: After the EC report http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=h1962

European Commission: Secretariat General: Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification for Bulgaria and Romania: Assessing ongoing progress by Bulgaria and Roma http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/secretariat_general/cvm/index_en.htm

BBC News, 23.7.08: EU suspends funding for Bulgaria http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7520736.stm

BBC News, 18.7.08: EU plans to block aid to Bulgaria http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7512955.stm

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