EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn has signalled that Bulgaria could see a suspension of millions of euros in EU aid over persistent shortcomings in the fight against organised crime, in what could be the first ever such move by Brussels' against a member state.
The European Commission is preparing a monitoring report on the southeast Balkan country to be published early July, as part of the close scrutiny that both Bulgaria and Romania are undergoing for not meeting EU legal standards before joining the bloc in 2007.
Speaking at a seminar in Brussels on Thursday (30 May), Mr Rehn said that the issue of insufficient measures introduced by Sofia to root out corruption and organised crime will feature high in the forthcoming evaluation.
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Not a single high-level case of corruption has resulted in a successful conviction in recent years, even as EU officials in the country claim corruption reaches the highest levels of government.
Bulgaria has been allocated €6.9 billion in European funds for the 2007 to 2012 period, which it hopes to use mainly for developing infrastructure, boosting employment and improving good governance.
The European Commission already froze pre-accession funds to Bulgaria in February due to concerns over possible fraud cases.
~ From: euobserver.com ~
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