site.btaSofia Hosts EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs

Sofia, October 26 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2018 is a period of opportunity for Europe's further unification and the Western Balkan countries's integration, Bulgarian Justice Minister Tsetska Tsacheva said at the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs, held here on Thursday.

Participating are European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos, Estonian Justice Minister Urmas Reinsalu, Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Justice Minister Wolfgang Brandstetter, and justice ministers of the countries of the Western Balkans.

Emerging from the meeting Commissioner Jourova said she does not know when the cooperation and verification mechanism applied in regards to Bulgaria will be lifted. She recalled the European Commission President's wish to replace the mechanism with a new approach of cooperation. She noted, however, that the decision would be based on the sustainability of reforms in Bulgaria and Romania.

Jourova said that every time she meets Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov to discuss the judicial reform and the prosecution's performance she remains with the impression that everything goes smoothly. She added, however, that the doubts emerge when she subsequently sees the facts, the figures and the results. The Commissioner said further that the upcoming European Commission's report on Bulgaria's progress will be objective but would not disclose further details.

Justice Minister Tsetska Tsacheva said that the structure of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) will also be discussed during the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council.