18 February 1993

Doc. 6778

1403-15/2/93-2-E

WRITTEN DECLARATION No. 226

on the current situation in Bulgaria

      The undersigned, members of the Assembly,

1.       Considering that the fundamental aim of the Council of Europe is to protect and promote democracy;

2.       Noting that Bulgaria was admitted to the Council of Europe after rejecting the totalitarian communist regime and choosing the path of democracy;

3.       Considering that this democratic development has been disrupted by the ousting from office of the Union of Democratic Forces and the coming to power of a government supported by the decisive vote of the socialist parliamentary group (former communists);

4.       Expressing their concern at the possibility of a revision of some important laws promoting decommunisation, which might prevent the democratic processes that have been initiated from becoming irreversible;

5.       Ask the Council of Europe and its representative bodies to follow closely the development of the young Bulgarian democracy, which gives some cause for concern.

Signed:       Dimmer       Eversdijk       Pilarski

      Gotzev       Karcsay       Vella

      Mészaros       Schädler       Bonnici

      Hörcsik       Gassner       Borg

      Böhm       Columberg       Lentz-Cornette

      Fischer       Lopez Henares       Spahia (special guest)

      Schwimmer       Probst A       Petrač (special guest)

      Strimitzer       Lenzer       Domljan (special guest)

      Rubner       Maass       ________________________

      Meyer zu Bentrup       Rodriguez Gomez

      Total = 28