The Renew Europe group in the EU’s assembly of regions and municipalities, the European Committee of the Regions, has been deeply alarmed by the recent arrest of its Bulgarian member, the Mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, and strongly condemns the disproportionate and heavy-handed treatment he and his family have received, in particular in light of the numerous doubts that have arisen concerning the accusation against him and the possible irregularities in how he was treated during and following the arrest. If the accusation proves to be baseless as is feared, and that the arrest has occurred simply to remove a political opponent, it would be a very grave attack on local democracy and the rule of law in Bulgaria, a member of the European Union. If something of this nature can happen to a democratically elected city mayor, it means it can happen to any Bulgarian citizen. We cannot allow democratic norms to be trampled on anywhere in the Union, and European citizens must enjoy the same rights wherever they live, and know that the judiciary will be independent and impartial.

Renew Europe CoR’s president, Mayor François Decoster, said: “I am grateful to the presidents of Renew Europe in the European Parliament, Valérie Hayer MEP, and of the ALDE Party, Svenja Hahn MEP, for their recent statements of support and I hope that Bulgarian authorities will either provide unequivocal, credible and compelling evidence that justifies the arrest or will immediately release the mayor and allow him to continue the job he was elected to do in Varna, as well as pursue the important report on the EU’s Black Sea Strategy for which he was recently appointed rapporteur in the European Committee of the Regions.”