• definition of the “new risks”;
• security sector reform’ impact on the birth and growth of the organized crime in the country;
• characteristics of the Bulgarian model of the security sector reform compared to the reforms in the neighboring countries and other transition countries;
• priorities in countering corruption in the security sector.

The participants in the discussion agreed that organized crime is a threat to national security in the countries in transition because the criminal groups have a strong influence over economy and their activities are protected by politicians and the media. In order to study the development of the organized crime in Bulgaria the phenomenon should be examined in a regional, European and international context due to the fact that globalization changes the structure of the criminal groups thus making them decentralized and limiting their scope of activities.

A number of concrete measures were suggested to make security services’ work more efficient:

• the main tasks of the security services should be to exert pressure on organized crime and counter high level corruption;
• transparent laws on security services should be adopted. More specifically – there is a need of new Penal Code and Code of Penal Procedure as well as of a Law on Protection of Witnesses. Former and present security services officers should not be involved in the legislative process;
• security services should be subordinate to the executive branch but separate from the Ministry of Interior. A Security Council should be the only security body to be headed by the President
• an efficient mechanism to control the work of the MoI with the participation of the citizens should be created.


See the program