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handle is hein.crs/govebkm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: January 13, 2021 Bulgaria: An Overview Bulgaria is a southeastern European country located along the Black Sea. After decades of single-party communist rule and a turbulent transition period during the 1990s, Bulg aria joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union (EU) in 2007. The United States cooperates with Bulgaria on arange of security is sues. At the same time, U.S. officials have urged Bulgaria to strengthen the rule of law. Domestic Background Bulgaria is aparliamentary democracy. Theprime minister leads the government, and a directly elected president serves as head ofstate. The National As sembly (Narodno sab ranie) is a unicameral legislature with 240 members. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has led the government for most ofthe past decade through Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), a center-right party that he foundedin 2006. GERB has won thelargest vote share in every parliamentary election since2009butneveran outright majority. President Rumen Radev was directly elected in 2016 with the backing of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the largest oppositionparty in parliament. The Movement for Rights andFreedom, which draws support primarily from Bulgarian Turks, is the third-largest party in parliament. Several far-right parties entered government for the first time in 2017 in coalition with GERB. Parliamentary elections are dueto beheld in spring 2021, and pres idential elections are due to beheld in fall 2021. The current government has been weakened by corruption scandals. In 2019, severaltop officials-including GERB's deputy leader, thejustice minister, and the head of the main anti-corruption agency-resigned over corruption allegations related to a luxury real estate scandal. Shortly thereafter, the minister of agriculture res igned over allegations of fraudulent use ofEUrural development funds. Although GERB leads in preelection polls, its popularity further declined amid mass protests in mid-2020. The protests, among Bulgaria's largest since 1989, centered on corruption, state capture, andthe rule of law. Corruption and Rule-of-Law Concerns Corruption, organized crime, and rule-of-law challenges intens ified during Bulgaria's turbulent economic and political transition in the 1990s. Due to concern that these issues hadnotbeenfully addressed at the time ofBulgaria's EU acces sion in 2007, Brussels continues to monitor the country's reformprogress through a transitional Cooperation and Verification Mechanism(CVM). Although the CVM has helped to bring about some institutional reforms,some analysts question the EU's overall effectiveness in promoting the rule of law in Bulgaria. Some also assertthatEUdevelopment funds, of which Bulgaria is a top recipient among member states, have indirectly enabled corruption. Although external assessments note progress in Bulgaria's anti-corruption and rule-of-law efforts, core challenges persist. For severalyears, Bulgaria has ranked last among EU member states in Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index. The U.S. State Department's 2020 Investment Climate Statement for Bulg aria describes corruption as endemic, particularly onlarge infrastructure projects and in the energy sector and in public procurementanduseofEU funds. The influenceof oligarchs andcriminal groups over some decisionmaking processes and s tate ins titutions also is a concern. Figure I. Bulgaria at a Glance Source: Map andgraphic created by CRS. Rule-of-law challenges and a weak media environment complicate efforts to comb at corruption and organized crime. The judiciary is one of Bulgaria's least-trusted institutions. Among other recommendations, external assessments have called for measures to strengthen judicial independence and increase the accountability of the prosecutor general, one of the country's most powerful positions. Media watchdog groups caution that Bulgaria's media environment has deteriorated in recent years. Bulgaria was ranked 111 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2020 World Press FreedomIndex, the bottomranking among EU members; the organization describes a media environmentmarred by corruption and collusion between media, politicians, and oligarchs. Economy The World Bankclassifies Bulgaria as an upper-middle income country. Bulgaria experienced robust GDP growth during the 2000s, following economic reforms and deeper EU integration. Although the economy struggled in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, annual GDP growth has been between 3% and 4% in recent years. As elsewhere, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has adversely impacted the Bulgarian economy; the International Monetary Fund forecasts a 4% GDP contractionin 2020. Bulgaria aspires to adopttheeuro asits currency and join the Schengen area of free movement, ttps://crsreports.congres

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