site.btaSeven EU Ambassadors Issue Joint Statement in Relation to Recent CVM Report

Seven EU Ambassadors Issue Joint Statement in Relation to Recent CVM Report


Sofia, February 17 (BTA) - The ambassadors of France, the
Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, Finland and the British
Charge d'Affaires issued a joint statement in relation to the
European Commission's January report under the Cooperation and
Verification Mechanism (CVM), which BTA received on Tuesday from
 the Dutch Embassy in Sofia.

The European Commission issued late January its fourteenth
report on progress in Bulgaria during the past twelve months in
judicial reform and the fight against corruption and organized
crime, under the CVM. It reported slow overall progress and lack
 of determination in the actions of the responsible national
institutions on
important issues such as ensuring the random allocation of cases
 and fair appointments to important judicial posts.

Being like-minded EU ambassadors, they are closely monitoring
Bulgaria's progress in meeting the CVM criteria, the statement
reads. The ambassadors recalled an earlier joint letter, posted
on the British Embassy's website last December, in which they
stated their support for the magistrates who demand the
resignation of the  leadership of the Sofia City Court and
defended the further application of the CVM, along with their
active support for reforms in Bulgaria, which the ambassadors
see as an integral part of partnership within the EU.

In their joint statement, the ambassadors once again underscore
the political consensus shown by the Bulgarian Parliament during
 the adoption of the updated  strategy for continuing the
reforms in the judicial system.

They voice expectations that this consensus will turn into
specific legislative measures, guaranteeing the strategy's
application, especially in view of the structure and functioning
 of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and enhancing the fight
against high-level corruption.

Improving the judiciary's management is an urgent matter, the
statement says. The SJC itself can play a leading role in these
reforms by focusing on effectively solving problems related to
the allocation of cases, the failures in the magistrates'
integrity and the unlawful political or other form of influence
exercised on them, the statement says. 

The plans for re-organizing the prosecuting magistracy are
welcome and must be carried out. The start of the security
sector's re-organization and the commitments made to avoid
operational vanity in this field are a positive sign. The
ambassadors say that they expect this to lead to visible and
concrete results in the work on new and pending court cases.

Specific actions by the relevant institutions are needed
regarding cases of high public interest, such as the one with
Corporate Commercial Bank. The quality improvement of the fight
against corruption is of key significance. A new strong and
effective institutional framework is needed, which includes
elements of real and results oriented checks into the integrity
and independent enough capacity for investigating and
prosecuting, the statement reads.

Implementing judicial reform is a national priority,
acknowledged by Bulgarian politicians, legal professionals and
representatives of civil society.

Examples from other countries in the region show that a real and
 significant change is possible. Being friends and partners, the
 ambassadors share their expectations that Bulgaria will achieve
 significant progress until the summer of 2015, keeping in mind
the incumbents' ambitions for reforms, the statement concludes.
It was signed by French Ambassador Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes,
Austrian Ambassador Roland Hauser, Danish Ambassador Christian
Konigsfeldt, Finnish Ambassador Harri Salmi and British Charge
d'Affaires Sarah Riley.