site.btaRule of Law Situation in Bulgaria Unstable, EC Vice-President Jourova Says

Speaking at a news conference at the presentation of the EU's annual rule of law report on Wednesday, European Commission (EC) Vice-President Vera Jourova said that whenever the EC recommends constitutional amendments to a country, it is due to persistent issues in that country. In its assessment for Bulgaria, the Commission took into account the adopted amendments to the Constitution.

It is up to EU countries to decide what to change in their constitutions. In Bulgaria, there is a rather unstable situation, so the EC urged consideration of amendments in the Constitution, Jourova added.

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders noted that in future the report on the rule of law will cover more and more countries and will be more oriented to the economy and the handling of the EU budget. In his words, the report is neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but recognises a will to improve the rule of law in many EU countries. The Commission sees persistent problems in some countries, thus considering initiation of criminal procedures and putting pressure through the European budget.