Bulgaria and EU Fraud: A Case of Better Late Than Never?

Quirke, Brendan and Doig, Alan (2011) Bulgaria and EU Fraud: A Case of Better Late Than Never? In: Usual and Unusual Organising Criminals in Europe and Beyond. Maklu Publishers, Antwerp, pp. 187-206. ISBN 978-9046604298

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Abstract

Bulgaria joined the European Union along with its neighbour Romania in January 2007. Before she joined there were widespread concerns about rampant corruption and the power of organised criminal networks. The transition from communism to capitalism and democracy has proved problematic with many examples of corrupt behaviour both in the privatisation process and in other areas of economic life and society. Bulgaria has received a massive amount of financial aid, yet in some ways she was ill-prepared for membership and the management of such large sums of money. There have been delays in the establishment of the AFCOS (Anti-Fraud Coordinating Service3) structure that all candidate states have to have in place before accession and the position of AFCOS has been affected by in-fighting over is position in the bureaucracy. Serious reservations were expressed by the European Commission in 2008 regarding the management of EU funds and the level of fraud and
corruption. Yet there are examples of good co-operation between AFCOS and OLAF and Bulgaria is trying to put her house in some kind of order. Whether she will be successful,
remains to be seen?

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