While EU member states disagree over how to handle asylum-seekers, all agree protecting the bloc's external borders is key. But Frontex, the agency tasked with the job, is in crisis. Marina Strauss reports from Brussels.
News Bulgaria s Interior Minister admits to violation in tender with EU funds published on 2/11/21 5:55 PM
Bulgaria s Interior Minister Hristo Terziyski
Photo: BGNES
The specifications for the purchase of police cars have been lowered, Bulgaria s Interior Minister Hristo Terziyski admitted in parliament. The comment is related to the revelations in the report of the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF, BGNES reported. The punishment that will be imposed on me is because the technical requirements have been changed from those that were originally set. In February 2017, during the time of the caretaker Minister Plamen Uzunov, I was asked to lower these specifications. We were asked to change the conditions in order to save EU money, which was unnecessary , Terziyski said.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) faces allegations of abuses of migrants which were described as very worrying by Brussels, AFP reports. According to the news agency, .
DER SPIEGEL
Pfeil nach rechts
Missteps and Mismanagement at Frontex
Scandals Plunge Europe s Border Agency into Turmoil
Accusations of workplace harassment, mismanagement and financial irregularities have led to chaos at Europe s border agency. The allegations weigh heavily on Frontex head Fabrice Leggeri.
Icon: vergrößern
Frontex Director Fabrice Leggeri: You may be able to run a French ministry that way, but not an international organization.”
Foto:
Piotr Malecki / Panos Pictures / VISUM
The men and women who are part of Europe’s new elite border force meet every morning at 9 a.m. for a video conference that is viewed on screens in countries like Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria and Albania. The Frontex officials usually discuss migration movements and human trafficking, But since the beginning of January, the internal meetings have focused primarily on low morale within the team.
OLAF) has alleged President’s Anti-Corruption Secretary Plamen Uzunov of corruption.
The investigation refers to a contract concluded by Uzunov on March 23, 2017 for the purchase of police cars with European funds.
At the time, Plamen Uzunov was acting Minister of Interior in a caretaker government appointed by President Rumen Radev and headed by Ognyan Gerdzhikov as caretaker Prime Minister (in office from January to May 2017).
Currently, Plamen Uzunov is President’s secretary on legal affairs and anti-corruption. Uzunov was arrested in July 2020 because of an SMS chat communication with an accused businessman Plamen Bobokov, charged in relation to illegal importing and processing of waste.