European Anti-Fraud Office

A general view of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. EPA/JULIEN WARNAND

The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) recommends that Bulgaria reimburse more than 30 million euros under European programs in its annual report.

More than 23 million euros of the amount are for the construction of 377 guest houses, which instead of being rented out to tourists, are used for personal needs, BNT reported.

However, the stinging criticisms of Hungary and Poland, which are the only two member states currently under formal EU investigation into their undermining of the rule of law, indicates much harsher measures are in the pipeline, such as the withholding of billions of euros in EU funds designed to help member states' economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Border Police will also watch over the security of voting machines. According to the Bulgarian Minister of Interior, special arrangements have been made for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The European Anti-Fraud Office (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.

The European Union's anti-fraud body said almost 140,000 liters of dangerous hand sanitizer have been seized across the region since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The former leader of the Social Democratic Party in Romania, PSD, Liviu Dragnea, has lost his lawsuit filed in 2018 against the European Commission after the Court of Justice of the European Union, CJEU, issued a ruling on Wednesday.

OLAF, the European Anti-Fraud Office, is investigating the municipality of Petrich for alleged misuse of € 750,000 allocated to repair an already non-existing building. The project is co-financed by a program for cross-border cooperation between Bulgaria and Greece. The money was received to repair the former border police premises and to make the building a museum.

,,For Bulgaria, the partnership with the European Anti-Fraud Office is of utmost importance'', Prime Minister Boyko Borissov noted during the meeting with the Director General of OLAF, Ville Itala, at the Council of Ministers, the press service of the Cabinet announced.

Romania took control of the Council of the EU's rotating presidency on January 1 and will be responsible for ensuring the continuity of the EU's work until June, reported DW. 

The former Communist country only joined the EU in January 2007 and has been at odds with Brussels regarding the rule of law, separation of powers and corruption.