Joint statement with Prosecutors' College of the Supreme Judicial Council of Bulgaria.
The European Chief Prosecutor, Laura Kövesi, accepted the invitation of the Prosecutors' College of the Supreme Judicial Council to participate in an online working meeting in connection with the discussion of the still ongoing procedure for selection of European Delegated prosecutors from the Republic of Bulgaria. The meeting was attended by her two deputies Mr Danilo Ceccarelli and Mr Andrés Ritter, as well as the Bulgarian representative in the European Public Prosecutor's Office, Teodora Georgieva.
The discussion was held in the spirit of a constructive dialogue, with an emphasis on the state of play of the selection procedure of European Delegated Prosecutors and its next steps. The European Chief Prosecutor clarified that the appointment of the European Delegated Prosecutor is a prerogative of the College of the EPPO, and that the EPPO undertakes a thorough assessment of the eligibility criteria and the relevant professional experience and qualifications of the candidates designated by the national authorities. The European Chief Prosecutor further explained that in assessing the candidates for European Delegated Prosecutors put forward by the Member States, the EPPO always looks cumulatively at all the criteria defined in Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 of 12 October 2017 implementing enhanced cooperation on the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
The members of the Prosecutors` College assured that the candidates who were designated fully met the cumulative requirements and everything possible was done so that there were no discriminatory criteria for participation in the procedure. They also explained the particularities of the Bulgarian judicial system and, in particular, the specific role and powers of the investigators, as well as the division of competences between regional and district prosecutorial offices.
The European Chief Prosecutor thanked for the detailed explanations provided by the Prosecutorial College of the Supreme Judicial Council and assured that the submitted documents will be carefully and objectively examined. The European Chief Prosecutor further clarified that a working group is set up at the European Public Prosecutor's Office to examine all documents submitted in relation to the candidates: CV, up-to-date personnel report, an official note certifying the length of service under Article 4, item 4 of the Rules, a copy of documents certifying proficiency in English, motivation letter and other documents at the discretion of the candidates. This working group assists the European Chief Prosecutor in her assessment of the candidates’ compliance with the eligibility criteria and professional qualifications and, in order to do so, has the possibility to invite the candidates for an interview.
The members of the Prosecutorial Board of the Supreme Judicial Council together with the European Chief Prosecutor pledged to continue the constructive dialogue in the interest of Bulgarian citizens.