blue-card answer . - Mr Kovatchev, I have not read this in the Bulgarian press because unfortunately I cannot read Bulgarian. I have read it widely in the international press, including in the press of my country, Portugal. These allegations are serious and deserve to be investigated, considering the whole situation in the country, and the relevance of organised crime in Bulgaria, as Europol attests.

I have every respect for the members of this government, including our former colleague Nikolay Mladenov, whom I count as a friend. So obviously this is not something that I believe taints members of the government.

But of course these allegations are important. More important than ever are the serious allegations of basic rights and freedoms that are under threat in Bulgaria, as the attempted murder last weekend illustrates.