Bulgaria’s Struggle with Organized Crime: Transparency Improves, But Effectiveness and Independence Still Lacking

Despite making progress in transparency, Bulgaria continues to face significant challenges in combating organized crime. This article will delve into the country’s ongoing struggles and the steps that need to be taken to improve its effectiveness.

Institutional Challenges

Transparency and Accountability

While institutions in Bulgaria now publish annual reports and statistics on their activities, major issues persist regarding public accountability, control of the prosecution service, and difficulties accessing public information. The lack of transparency hinders the ability to hold those in power accountable for their actions.

Effectiveness in Combating Organized Crime

Bulgaria’s effectiveness in combating organized crime is lacking, particularly in areas such as financial intelligence and investigations/prosecutions of money laundering. The country has also been criticized for its low level of compliance with the UN Convention against Corruption.

Judicial System

The judiciary remains plagued by corruption, with problems including a bureaucratic process that leads to lengthy trials and the absence of specialized prosecutors. This creates an environment where petty corruption is possible and hinders correctional processes.

Penitentiary System

The penitentiary system has been criticized for being outdated and ineffective, making it difficult to rehabilitate offenders and preventing the correctional process from working effectively.

Law Enforcement

Corruption within Law Enforcement

Law enforcement units tasked with combating organized crime face challenges due to corruption within their ranks and political influence. This undermines the ability of these units to effectively combat organized crime.

Border Control

While border control has improved, Bulgaria’s borders remain under pressure from illicit flows, particularly on the Balkan route.

Economic Regulatory Environment

The country’s economic regulatory environment has shown slow improvement, largely due to electronic services and data exchange between institutions. However, corruption, lack of political independence, and ineffective administrative processes continue to hinder legitimate businesses and create a permissive environment for organized crime.

Civil Society and Media

Civil society organizations play an important role in combating organized crime, but their independence is not fully supported by the government. The media sector remains pluralistic, but journalists critical of the government face threats or violence, making media freedom fragile.

Conclusion

Despite efforts to improve victim support and prevention strategies, Bulgaria’s ability to effectively tackle organized crime remains limited due to a lack of political will, corruption, and ineffective administrative processes. The country’s resilience to money laundering is seen as high due to its AML framework, but practical enforcement remains weak.

Funding

This summary was made possible by funding from the United States Department of State.