Further clarifications are needed in relation to the European Parliament grant made to the wife of Bulgarian Socialist lead candidate for European elections

"Further clarifications are needed in relation to the circumstances in which a grant of 60.000 EUR was given by the European Parliament to the wife of the President of the European Socialist's Party, Sergei Stanishev", the spokeswoman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control, Inge Grässle MEP said today.

Ms Stanishev, who yesterday announced her intentions to annul the contract with the European Parliament, received a grant from the European Parliament's budget worth 60.000 EUR for her PR consultancy "Active Group" with the alleged aim to help fund the preparations for the European elections in Bulgaria. Her husband, European Socialist Party President Sergei Stanishev, announced last weekend he would be standing as the Bulgarian Socialist's lead candidate for the European elections.

"The conflict of interest was obvious even before Mr Stanishev announced he would be a candidate at the European elections", Ms Grässle said.

"European Parliament staff under the direction of Socialist President Martin Schulz handing out a contract worth 60.000 EUR to the wife of the European Socialist Party President - this smacks of political favours. European Parliament President Martin Schulz needs to come clean on this issue and make public the circumstances and procedures under which this grant was given to the company of Ms Stanishev", she said.

"Is Mr. Schulz using parliament funds to help his political friends?"