Kövesi in Bulgaria: sending a message?
Bulgaria is the first country to be visited by Laura Kövesi in her capacity as the European Union's Chief Prosecutor. Shortly before, she had rejected six of the ten candidates put forward by Bulgaria to join the new European Public Prosecutor's Office. The visit coincided with protests against Bulgaria's chief prosecutor Ivan Geshev and the launch of the campaign for the parliamentary elections on July 11, in which corruption is one of the main topics.
Not a miracle worker
Bulgaria should not expect too much from the new authority, warns Dnevnik:
“There are unrealistically high expectations in our society that the European Public Prosecutor's Office will open a broad front against all corrupt practices in our country from day one. Firstly, however, the jurisdiction of the European Public Prosecutor's Office is relatively limited, and secondly, the results of its activities will directly depend on the work of the delegated Bulgarian prosecutors.”
Be wary of intrigues and instrumentalisation
Kövesi must be careful that the delegated prosecutors work impartially, Trud comments:
“Kövesi, whose career in Romania has not been uncontroversial, must be very aware of the fact that the European Public Prosecutor's Office must not allow itself to be instrumentalised if it wants to be able to exert pressure on member states, politicians or individuals. ... As the true guardian of the law, the European Public Prosecutor must make it clear that the delegated prosecutors from the 22 EU [participating] countries are only interested in the evidence that lies between the covers of the investigative proceedings.”