Bulgarian Left-Wingers: Most Disastrous EC Report Ever!

The draft of the European Commission's Monitoring Report on Bulgaria's Justice System and Home Affairs is extremely negative for the country's government, according to Sergey Stanishev, leader of the oppositional Bulgarian Socialist Party.

Stanishev believes that "there has never been a more devastating report in terms of a political assessment of Bulgaria" since the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism was launched back in 2007, the BGNES news agency says.

The left-wing leader pointed out that the European Commission's intention to retain the monitoring mechanism means a "red card" for Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

Stanishev, a former Prime Minister (2005-2009) believes Borisov's centrist-right GERB has failed in combating organized crime and corruption and reforming the judiciary.

He noted that Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov's attempts to blame the judiciary for the problem have been refuted by the European Commission.

Organized crime remains a fundamental challenge for Bulgaria, according to a draft of the European Commission's Monitoring Report on Bulgaria's Justice System and Internal Affairs obtained by Bulgarian media.

Brussels blames for the failure both the executive and the judiciary in Bulgaria, which have been engulfed by power struggles, with each accusing the other of serving the mafia.

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