Is it possible to fight corruption in a post-communist captured state? The case of Bulgaria

Bulgaria offers a unique opportunity for a case study on the challenges of tackling corruption in a post-communist captured state. It is one of only two countries, which joined the EU without fulfilling the accession criteria on the rule of law. The EU Commission put it under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) to help it catch up with other EU members. Today, Bulgaria boasts a plethora of seemingly well-armed bodies dedicated to anti-corruption efforts. Nevertheless, its fight against corruption seems doomed. This chapter evaluates Bulgaria’s institutional anti-corruption framework to shed light on why the country has not seen tangible results in the fight against corruption, and to propose reforms. It argues the country developed its anti-corruption bodies in bad faith. Bulgaria created the false impression it had the political will to fight corruption, which was important vis-à-vis the CVM. However, not only it diluted responsibility and made sure these bodes are susceptible to political influences, but also it diverted attention from one of its longstanding rule of law challenges – the over-powerful Prosecutor’s Office, which is seen by experts as a major source of corruption and blackmail because it shields those in power from criminal liability and attacks their opponents.

This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in Contemporary Economic Crime: Issues and Challenges on September 30, 2025, available online: http://www.routledge.com/9781032350042
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