EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 88/18

(2004/C 88 E/0017)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1139/03

by Joke Swiebel (PSE) to the Commission

(24 March 2003)

Subject: Extortion against holidaymakers travelling through Bulgaria

In recent years, Netherlands residents have very regularly been the victims of extortion and other unfair practices by government officials while in transit through Bulgaria on the way to Turkey during the summer holidays. Sums of money are taken from them in various ways, including in the form of fines, as ‘tolls’ or for ‘visas’ at the border. A file containing accounts confirming such practices, compiled by the Netherlands Foundation entitled ‘Participation Organisation for Turks in the Netherlands’, will be forwarded to you.

Under the 2002 PHARE programme, Bulgaria has received money from the EU to enable it, among other things, to take anti-corruption measures and to (further) develop a policy on customs and border controls. A total of EUR 36 million is available for this sub-heading (1).

In a few months it will be the summer holidays again and many people will be wanting to travel to Turkey via Bulgaria and the Balkans. Can the Commission state how the execution of the PHARE programme in Bulgaria works, particularly in the terms of combatting corruption by police officers and in customs and border control policy? What measures has the Commission taken to bring the problem of extortion against holiday-makers in Bulgaria to the attention of the relevant Bulgarian authorities? What solution has been found to prevent yet more holidaymakers being the victim of such practices in future? Can the Commission confirm that legal redress exists for holiday-makers who have been cheated in this way? If not, what does the Commission plan to do about it?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(25 April 2003)

Considering that the criteria for membership agreed by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993 (21/22 June 1993) include the guaranteeing of the rule of law, the Commission attaches great importance to the development of effective and non-discriminatory law enforcement in Bulgaria, including effective complaint mechanisms for corruption-related matters. Although the Commission is not in a position to inquire into individual cases in the area of justice and home affairs, it monitors respect of Bulgaria's commitment to the rule of law and regularly reports to the Parliament and to the Member States.

The Commission clearly states in the 2002 Regular Report (2) on Bulgaria that police corruption is perceived to be a problem and that cases of bribery in the traffic and border police have been raised by Union citizens driving in and through the country.

Following the Commission's request for improvements at the last meeting of the Union/Bulgaria Association Committee, the issue will continue to be discussed in the framework of the Europe Agreement. Bulgaria's progress in this area will be continuously monitored until the date of accession.

Bulgaria has been repeatedly invited to take appropriate measures in order to prevent incidents of the specific character described in the complaints and to inform the Commission of the results of its actions. In response to this, the Bulgarian authorities have taken a number of specific measures (preventive and repressive) which they have communicated to the Commission in August 2002 in a document entitled: ‘Measures taken by the Bulgarian Law Enforcement authorities aimed at more effective counteraction against Road crime’. The Commission continues to closely monitor the situation, also in the framework of the accession assistance (PHARE) and via the accession negotiations.

As concerns the 2002 PHARE programme, all project proposals designed to contribute to the fight against corruption were regarded as a matter of priority. Four anti-corruption projects were approved, one of which exclusively covers corruption within the police forces. Additional PHARE projects are being implemented to support the reform of the public administration, including the customs administration, and the judiciary. All these projects are described in detail on: (http://www.evropa.bg). Further projects in all three reform areas have been proposed under the PHARE 2003 programme which is now under consideration by the Member States.

(1) Source: SEC(2002) 1400, p. 13.

(2) COM(2002) 700 final.