Die Amerikaner werden auch in Bosnien die Verbindung der Politiker zur Schatten Wirtschaft beenden

15.11.2007 by CrniLabudovi.

US ambassador calls for end to political protection for shady businesses in Bulgaria

15/11/2007

Vote buying and continued links between the grey economy and politics are unacceptable, and are clearly viewed as such by the public and the media in Bulgaria, the US ambassador to Sofia said on Wednesday.

(bTV, Mediapool, Dnevnik, Sofia Echo, BIRN - 14/11/07; Sofia Echo, Sofia News Agency - 12/11/07)

“I have always believed democracy is rather a trip than a goal, and I believe this path seems a little uneven,” said US Ambassador to Bulgaria John Beyrle. [Getty Images]

Bulgaria is a stable democracy and has achieved progress in many areas, US Ambassador John Beyrle said on Wednesday (November 14th), before highlighting some of the shortcomings the country must still address.

One lingering problem he identified on local TV channel bTV’s “This Morning” is the continued links between the grey economy and politics. He cited Bulgaria’s draft 2008 state budget as evidence of the political protection provided to shady businesses.

It was surprising to see that companies in the gambling sector will again be given tax relief, Beyrle said. “Who profits from this?” the US diplomat asked, urging political parties to sever connections with the grey economy.

Another shortcoming in the tax policy is the continuing operation of duty-free shops, which Beyrle says result in substantial losses to the state budget. To join the EU, Bulgaria closed all such shops along its Greek and Romanian borders, but those on its borders with Turkey, Macedonia and Serbia remain open, continuing to make huge profits.

“What is more important to your society?” the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network quoted the US envoy as saying. “Several well-protected businessmen profiting by hundreds of millions a year from sales in the grey economy, or regaining the lost revenue and investing in better education or healthcare?”

The continued links between the grey economy and politics are unacceptable, and are clearly viewed as such by the public and the media in Bulgaria, Beyrle noted.

Another phenomenon he described as unacceptable is vote buying during elections. Vote buying, which marred recent local elections, has been cited as one reason for more than 400 appeals filed after the two rounds of voting were held.

At a press conference after the run off on November 4th, the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Ahmed Dogan, whose party is a member of Bulgaria’s three-way government coalition, described vote buying as “a European phenomenon”.

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Setimes

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