Romania's justice system in the spotlight in critical EC report

The European Commission will present on Wednesday its report on justice and the fight against corruption in Romania, after a last discussion on the report with European Commissioners. Considering the draft projects that circulated in the press, the document will note the progress registered by reforms in Romania but it will also criticize the authorities` lack of commitment and political cohesion in the fight against corruption.

The report is part of the monitoring and cooperation mechanism set up by the Union for both Romania and Bulgaria when the two countries joined the EU. Thus, Romania was valued six months after it joined the EU when officials recommended an extension of the mechanism.

Another report was released in February 2008 and was an intermediary one to the report to be released today, July 23, 2008. In the June 2007 report, the Commission’s main recommendations presented an action plan for the judicial reform.

The 2007 report adopted a rough tone regarding the fight against corruption in Romania noting that the progress registered in Romania at that time was insufficient. The main recommendations in 2007:

• Romania should adopt the new Civil Code and continue reforming the ne Penal Code
• to deal with all current personnel and organizational problems in the tribunal system
• to assure legal and institutional stability of the anti-corruption framework
• to develop a nation wide anti-corruption strategy
• to consolidate the judicial system at all levels

The February 2008 intermediary report was a technical one which marked the progress made in the main four EU set objectives. The document read that even though laws are reformed, the actual practice still not changed. Moreover, the report underlines that there are 10 important high corruption cases that were postponed. EU officials declared at the time that the July 2008 report would have to register significant results to comply to EU requirements.

The July 2008 report will adopt the same rough tone, according to the international press. However, time will tell whether the released official report will have the same conclusion. Romania’s failure to make significant progress will influence its membership in Schengen and the Euro zone.

European sources declared for HotNews.ro that the document will be modified before its official release. However, evaluations remain the same: there are certain progresses but authorities need to confirm their commitment to sustain reform.

The July 2008 report underlines the fact that the Parliament blocked several high corruption cases and therefore needs to reaffirm its commitment in sustaining reform.