site.btaEU's Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Bulgaria, Romania Stays in Place until Countries Achieve Record of Concrete, Lasting Results

EU's Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Bulgaria, Romania Stays in Place until  Countries Achieve Record of Concrete, Lasting Results

Brussels, March 15 (BTA)- The meeting of the EU General Affairs Council on March 15 concluded that the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) in respect of Bulgaria and Romania will stay in place until each of them achieves a record of concrete and lasting results to reach the objectives of the Mechanism.

The conclusions also say that the Council reiterates that the CVM continues to be instrumental for progress and an appropriate tool to assist both Member States in their respective reform efforts, in order for each of them to achieve a record of concrete and lasting results to reach the objectives of the Mechanism. The Council recalls its readiness to support efforts of Bulgaria and Romania in this regard through EU and bilateral assistance.

The Council looks forward to the next CVM reports on Bulgaria and Romania of the European Commission, foreseen within a year's time, and welcomes the Commission's intention to continue monitoring the situation in Bulgaria and Romania closely and to keep the Council regularly informed.

There have been speculations that the two countries could be separated and the CVM possibly lifted for Romania during the tenure of the current European Commission. The speculations appeared after at a February 15 news briefing with Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos in Brussels, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker indicated that the Commission is ready to separate Bulgaria and Romania in its monitoring of the progress of their judicial reforms and combat against organized crime and high-level corruption under the CVM. The cases of Romania and Bulgaria are not closely connected, and each country would see the CVM ended on its own merits, Junker said. He also suggested that the monitoring of Romania is likely to be discontinued during his tenure.

Following is the text about Bulgaria from the conclusions of the General Affairs Council Meeting on March 15:

The Council acknowledges that encouraging steps have been taken to put the reform process back on track although overall progress in Bulgaria needs to be accelerated urgently. The senior appointments made in the judiciary are noteworthy. A number of commendable initiatives, notably the amendment of the Constitution adopted by a broad majority of Parliament in December 2015, which is a step towards the reform of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), should now be followed up. Ensuring implementation of the important comprehensive reform strategies on judicial reform and on anti-corruption, and the monitoring of concrete results will now be key.

While the Council welcomes the political commitment to reforms expressed by the government, a broader and unequivocal political consensus in support of the reform process is required to ensure a stronger boost to concrete and sustainable reform efforts. The Commission's overall assessment reiterates a number of concerns that still need to be addressed. Bulgaria should focus its efforts on removing controversy about political influence on the judicial system and integrity issues regarding appointments, as well as the need to improve on the monitoring and the addressing of deficiencies, and the effective implementation of court judgements. Pursuing reforms of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the prosecution office, and strengthening the powers of the Judicial Inspectorate (ISJC) remain of key importance. The Council also notes the difficulties with establishing track records in the areas of combating corruption and organised crime.

Building on progress already achieved and existing strategic planning prepared by Bulgaria, the Council urges a decisive acceleration of efforts to address all the recommendations set out by the Commission in its report and looks forward to concrete steps and tangible progress ahead of the next Commission report.

Bulgaria should consolidate and reinforce its overall political resolve to bring about reforms and make tangible progress, inter alia, by improving and safeguarding the independence, accountability and integrity of the judiciary, and to pursue the reform of the judicial system, including an independent analysis of the prosecutor's office taking into account the reform measures already implemented. In this regard, particular efforts should be made to implement the reform of the SJC, to strengthen the ISJC, and to modernise the criminal legislation. The fight against corruption, in particular at high level, needs to be intensified, to bring about concrete and sustained results, including in improving the transparency of public tender procedures. An urgent priority should be to adopt a new anti-corruption law, which consolidates the intentions set out in the anti-corruption strategy. This includes the swift establishment of an appropriately funded, unified anti-corruption authority with a strong independent mandate to fight high-level corruption. As regards combating organised crime, the efforts should be accelerated, notably through increased professionalism of law enforcement, and sustained, effective and successful investigations followed by dissuasive sanctioning, including cooperating with other EU Member States where appropriate. The Council also notes the importance of swiftly addressing the issues currently hampering the work of the organised crime directorate (CDCOC) within the Ministry of Interior, and the Commission for Illegal Assets Forfeiture (CIAF).