Bulgaria has failed to cope with many of the problems identified 7 years ago, according to Geoffrey Van Orden, former Rapporteur for the country in the European Parliament.

“Although there has been some progress of the Bulgarian economy and the situation has obviously improved, some of these key problems have not been solved yet. I mean problems with organized crime, the judiciary, and corruption,” said the British conservative MEP in a Sunday interview for the Bulgarian National Radio.

“If you have read the latest report of the European Commission, which came out earlier this year, it mentions lasting weaknesses in all of these spheres. This is why we need a fresh political approach to solve these problems,” he explained, adding that his party saw such potential in the populist Bulgaria without Censorship party of former TV host Nikolay Barekov.

Van Orden arrived in Bulgaria to attend a congress of the Bulgaria without Censorship party in Varna.

Stressing the good performance of Barekov’s party at the European Parliament elections, Van Orden added that the formation had an inspiring leader and a program which was aimed at stimulating economic reform and conducting untarnished policies.

“We have witnessed too many mistakes of the old system which still exists” Van Orden reasoned, specifying that it had been too person-centered, emphasizing personal interest and egotism, at the expense of focus on the country’s real problems.

The British Conservative MEP suggested that these developments had caused Bulgarians to adopt a very cynical approach to politics, adding that the lack of trust in politicians came as no surprise.

Van Orden went on to insist that Bulgaria had to diversify its oil and gas supply sources and routes and secure its independence from Russia, adding that the EU had to offer more assistance in the field of energy independence.

“We need less Europe, in the sense that we do not want European political integration. However, there are many things which Europe can do to help, for instance in the sphere of economy. Bulgaria, for instance, needs foreign investments. You need an organization like the EU which will help you find a path of development but what is also certainly needed is a political system which is directly accountable to the people. We do not want Brussels ruling Bulgaria, we want Bulgarian people to rule Bulgaria through domestic political parties and institutions,” Van Orden said.

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