Prosecutors are responsible not only for ensuring justice, but also for maintaining regional stability, protecting shared values and guaranteeing the security of citizens, said Turkish Prosecutor General Muhsin Şentürk.
Crime and criminal networks have never been more digital, more cross-border or more international. That is why meetings like this forum are so important. At the heart of cooperation must be independent judicial systems that can handle complex investigations and respond quickly to requests for mutual legal assistance", said EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath in a video address to the participants in the Fourth Forum of Prosecutors General, which is taking place at the Boyana Residence in Sofia.
Michael McGrath called on all Balkan countries to strengthen their means of judicial cooperation by concluding, where appropriate, working agreements with Eurojust and the European Public Prosecutor's Office and to ratify the Council of Europe conventions on criminal matters.
McGrath encouraged the Western Balkan partners to fully implement the European Arrest Warrant and the European Investigation Order and to make full use of the potential of the Joint Investigation Teams and the European Judicial Network. He pointed out that in 2023 the European Commission proposed a directive to fight corruption, which is currently in the final negotiation stage. At the same time, the Rule of Law Report 2025 (published in July this year), which covers all 27 Member States and four partner countries from the Western Balkans, underlines the importance of protecting prosecutorial and judicial independence, including transparent appointment procedures.
The forum, hosted by Sofia for the second time, was opened by the Acting Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria Borislav Sarafov.
"The prosecutor's office in any country is the backbone of the rule of law. In Bulgaria, the prosecutor’s office plays a key role not only in criminal justice but also in protecting the public interest. Where a prosecutor’s office is weak, crime and corruption become state policy. That is why our task today is to establish the prosecutor's office as an independent and professional institution that works in the interest of the citizens," Borislav Sarafov said. He added that guarantees for calm and successful development of the region require strong authorities and independent institutions.
"The judiciary is a key pillar of statehood everywhere in the world. All of us state prosecutors are the natural defenders of the public interest," Sarafov said. He pointed out that the Bulgarian prosecutor's office is actively partnering with Eurojust, but it is high time to create a Balkan network of prosecutors specialised in collecting electronic evidence to exchange data, best practices and operational information in real time.
"I would like to personally thank Borislav Sarafov, Acting Prosecutor General of Bulgaria, and Mr Muhsin Şentürk, Prosecutor General of Turkey, for bringing us together. At Eurojust, we will continue to support the judicial authorities of the countries - both within and outside the European Union," said Eurojust President Michael Schmidt during the forum. He pointed out that the topics of migrant trafficking, terrorism, drug trafficking, environmental crimes and cryptocurrencies, which will be discussed at the forum, have one thing in common and that is the need for cooperation. Eurojust has supported more than 40 major criminal investigations, which shows what we can do when we act together, Michael Schmidt added.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rosen Zhelyazkov, emphasized that the fourth edition of this prestigious forum of prosecutors-general shows the importance of international cooperation in the field of effective law enforcement, especially in historically, politically and socially intense places like the Balkans. "They are a cradle of turbulence and challenges, as well as a place of great opportunities," Rosen Zhelyazkov said. The prime minister pointed out that there are several themes on which the understanding of international cooperation is based - sustainable development, protection of human rights, democracy, the rule of law. "All of us gathered here at this forum believe that we share the view that effective law enforcement must protect all these values," Zhelyazkov said.
The Prime Minister highlighted the excellent cooperation we have with the Republic of Turkey in terms of controlling migrant flows. "The route through the Republic of Turkey, Bulgaria, through the EU countries, constitutes perhaps 99% of the route of the traffickers who carry out this illegal migration activity. Here the role of cooperation is enormous, because it works in coordination, in sharing of information resources at an increased level of trust, then these channels, which to a large extent also predispose other forms of organised criminal activity, are effectively intercepted", explained Rosen Zhelyakov.
Muhsin Şentürk, Prosecutor General of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Turkey, pointed out that prosecutors are responsible not only for ensuring justice, but also for maintaining regional stability, protecting shared values and guaranteeing the security of citizens.
"Prosecutors have a sacred duty, fulfilled not only with legal knowledge but also with a sense of justice, a commitment to values and a sense of public service. Principles such as impartiality, accountability, independence directly affect public confidence in the judiciary. We need to strengthen our cooperation not only with declarations of goodwill, but also with tools such as real-time information sharing, legal assistance, joint investigations and training programmes. Although the laws of different countries are different, our goal is common - to ensure security, stability and justice in the Balkans", added the Turkish Prosecutor General.
Muhsin Şentürk pointed out that cybercrime is one of the most dynamic and complex areas facing prosecutors today, adding: "Fraud, money laundering, illicit cryptocurrency transactions, child exploitation and terrorist financing are already happening in the digital environment and pose a threat to the entire region. Human trafficking is also linked to these digital activities."
Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev said: State borders exist, but alas, they are very easily crossed by well-organised crime, necessitating extreme cooperation between national law enforcement agencies. Why is this forum important for the Bulgarian state? Because for us it is important the cooperation that the Bulgarian law enforcement authorities have with each of the national authorities of the countries whose representatives are here today".
Minister Georgiev drew attention to the fact that in the last 8 months the executive and legislative authorities in cooperation with the prosecutor's office, the court and the investigators, as well as their branch organizations, have conducted a revolution in the field of criminal law. "This revolution represents a comprehensive reform of the concept and regulation of terrorism, expanding liability and providing adequate sanction mechanisms for legal entities involved in criminal activity and modernizing the Bulgarian criminal process for crypto-assets and the collection of electronic criminal funds," the Bulgarian Minister of Justice said.
The work of the Fourth Forum of the Prosecutors General of the Balkan States continued with presentations and speeches by representatives of the foreign delegations, prosecutors and investigators from Bulgaria, Turkey, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Slovenia, Romania. Among the speakers is Roel Dona, Secretary General of the International Association of Prosecutors. The main topics of the forum are related to the fight against modern forms of cross-border crime, organized crime, terrorism, environmental protection, as well as the role of the prosecutor's office in strengthening international and regional cooperation.