Brussels, 28/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 28 January, the European Commission said that the efforts made by Bulgaria to tackle corruption and organised crime were insufficient. With regard to Romania, in this respect, the Commission appeared more positive.
In a new Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) report, the Commission explains that Bulgaria has a “serious problem” with high-level corruption and that its prevention measures are still at a very early stage. The country has had three governments over the course of the year and is also displaying shortcomings in the fight against organised crime, with very low prosecution rates and seizures of goods and clamping down on criminal organisations. Political instability observed in the country since January 2014 has not helped implementation of reforms either.
The Commission's assessment is more positive on certain points, such as the plans for legal reforms under the current government, which appear very well targeted. The Commission also welcomes the recent commitments to rectify all the shortcomings involved in tackling corruption but overall, progress has been “slow”. The Commission also explains that the action taken by the national authorities responsible has not proved sufficiently decisive for inspiring confidence. The report also notes the existence of “pressure” exerted at local level, which hampers the fight against different Mafia and suggests that certain decisions are sometimes taken for political reasons.
The recommendations call on Bulgaria to speed up the legal reforms and reinforce the fight against corruption and the different Mafia groups. A new report will be presented in a year's time, added the Commission.
With regard to Romania, the Commission highlights “continued progress” towards the aims set out by the CVM mechanism and that the country, “is on the right track” explains First Vice-President, Frans Timmermans. The latter also notes that Romanians have much more trust in their legal system in general and in the continued measures to tackle corruption, particularly the adoption of robust measures regarding the integrity of the institutions. This trend has been enhanced by increased professionalism in the legal system. This trend now needs to be consolidated in other sensitive areas, such as appointments for senior posts.
There are, however, still a number of shortcomings in Romania. The report notes that there continues to be a certain incoherence in decisions made by the judiciary, which create a number of concerns. The Romanian Parliament's decision to allow parliamentarians to be pursued under the law, in the same way as other citizens, still appears to lack objective criteria and a realistic timetable. The Bulgarian Parliament also displayed a certain reluctance when it came to applying decisions by the Constitutional Court.
The Commission will also be presenting a new report in a year's time. (SP)