The Renew Europe political group in the European Parliament has established a working group to examine instances in which the Bulgarian government may have acted against the rule of law.

The move comes in response to what the group describes as “alarming signs of political persecution, abuse of prosecutorial powers, and systematic obstruction of judicial reform.”

The Bureau of the liberal group took the decision amid growing concern following the arrest of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev on 8 July. According to the Bureau, the case is “symbolic of the erosion of judicial independence in Bulgaria.”

The announcement coincides with a debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg—initiated at Renew Europe’s request—on the state of the rule of law in Bulgaria in light of Kotsev’s arrest, BNR’s Brussels correspondent Angelina Piskova reports.