European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding has called upon Bulgarian authorities to part with corruption and ensure justice.

“Since I arrived here, I have been hearing about corruption, oligarchy, lack of justice in the institutions’ work and despair,” Reding said at a public Citizens' Dialogue in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, as cited by local media.

“A democracy cannot function like that,” she said, noting that she was not meddling in the country’s internal affairs.

Reding reminded that oligarchy and democracy are deadly foes and cannot coexist.

The European Justice and Fundamental Rights Commissioner declared that citizens should feel as part of the democratic institutions.

Reding said the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism is here to stay for Bulgaria.
“I have been asked many times to remove this mechanism, but the answer of the European Commission’s President has been always “No.” We will not remove this mechanism. We will use it to exert pressure on independent institutions that should work and treat people as citizens, and not according to someone’s interests,” she said, according to the BGNES news agency.

Reding also addressed the media situation in Bulgaria, reiterating that no democracy could function without free media.

Reding’s visit to Bulgaria comes amid mass anti-government rallies in the bloc’s poorest member state. The popular protests were triggered by what many believe is the Socialist-led government’s heavy dependence on murky oligarchs.

The demonstrations were prompted by the scandalous appointment of media mogul Delyan Peevski as Chair of the State Agency for National Security (DANS) on June 14.
Although the appointment was revoked, the people went on to demand that the Socialist-endorsed cabinet of Prime Minister, Plamen Oresharski, resign collectively.

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