221. Notes with concern the Commission's Report on the progress made by Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism with a view to further efforts needed in order to demonstrate tangible results in the monitored sectors; calls upon the effective implementation of the established legislative and institutional framework; notes with concern the Report's statement that the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has not used the new powers given to it accordingly, aimed at effectively managing and leading the judiciary through a comprehensive reform process; welcomes the efforts by the Bulgarian government to renew the SJC with a man ...[+++]date able of implementing fundamental reform through the following new rules: public hearings of the candidates for SJC, clear criteria for their professional and educational qualification and vision for the efficiency, accountability and integrity of the judiciary; acknowledges the fact that the new specialised structures put in place illustrate a commitment to adapting the current structures to tackle organised crime more effectively; takes note, however that the Report suggests that these new instruments have not yet delivered the expected results regarding important cases; notes with great concern that investigations into alleged corruption and abuse of office by magistrates have received a particular weak response from the judiciary is fearful, furthermore, the fact that a weak implementation of Public Procurement legislation could translate into an important source of corruption, serious violations of Union procurement rules as well as a poor delivery of public goods with an European added value and waste of Union public money; welcomes the amended public procurement law, establishing the ex-ante control on tender procedures to guarantee the proper spending of the public resources; calls on the Commission steadfastly and determinedly to insist, as far as the Bulgarian institutions are concerned, that the Commission's recom ...

225. Notes with concern the Commission's Report on the progress made by Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism with a view to further efforts needed in order to demonstrate tangible results in the monitored sectors; calls upon the effective implementation of the established legislative and institutional framework; notes with concern the Report's statement that the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has not used the new powers given to it accordingly, aimed at effectively managing and leading the judiciary through a comprehensive reform process; welcomes the efforts by the Bulgarian government to renew the SJC with a man ...[+++]date able of implementing fundamental reform through the following new rules: public hearings of the candidates for SJC, clear criteria for their professional and educational qualification and vision for the efficiency, accountability and integrity of the judiciary; acknowledges the fact that the new specialised structures put in place illustrate a commitment to adapting the current structures to tackle organised crime more effectively; takes note, however, that the Report suggests that these new instruments have not yet delivered the expected results regarding important cases; notes with great concern that investigations into alleged corruption and abuse of office by magistrates have received a particular weak response from the judiciary; is fearful, furthermore, that a weak implementation of Public Procurement legislation could result in an important source of corruption, serious violations of Union procurement rules as well as a poor delivery of public goods with a European added value and waste of Union public money; welcomes the amended public procurement law, establishing the ex-ante control on tender procedures to guarantee the proper spending of the public resources; calls on the Commission steadfastly and determinedly to insist, as far as the Bulgarian institutions are concerned, that the Commission's recommendations a ...

Such oversight may be manifested in the findings and recommendations of public reports, public hearings, and analyses.

3. Considers that, in the case of contractual PPPs, a prior public sector comparator and a value for money analysis are necessary for the public sector when launching a PPP project; considers furthermore that this category of PPPs, which should be understood in the wider sense of concessions, so as to include contracts whose object is the provision of public services requiring the carrying out of infrastructure works and where the majority of the concessionaire's revenues derives from direct payments by public authorities, the legal instrument which defines the guidelines should address the stage of the selection of the private contract ...[+++]or and should standardise several examples of best practice - which should not, however, be binding - for public authorities and private operators; considers that these guidelines should also set out the principles which are applicable to the contractual framework following the awarding of the contract, by taking a proscriptive approach and indicating which kinds of conduct or contractual provisions conflict, or risk conflicting with the principles of Community law; futher considers that these guidelines should contribute to a well-balanced and fair share of profit and risk between public and private partners, preventing unacceptable damage to the public; lastly, considers that the Commission should provide examples of best practice in risk sharing between the public and private sectors;

11. If, in its forthcoming judgments, the Court of Justice does not uphold Ferring but considers that compensation for public service constitutes state aid, the two-stage procedure proposed by the Commission in its report to the Laeken European Council may be continued, i.e. in a first stage, preparation of a Community framework then, in a second stage, in the light of experience acquired in applying that framework and, if necessar ...[+++]y and guided by experience, preparation of a regulation exempting some forms of aid for general economic interest services from the prior notification obligation.

Against the steady and diversified increase of supply of TV services, the demand from the public, the audience, has only marginally increased in recent years without, nevertheless, showing the contraction of daily viewing time predicted by many analysts in connection with the development of mass access to the Internet.