EC not satisfied with reform and anti-corruption measures in Romania

Newsroom 20/07/2010 | 13:36

The European Commission (EC) is not satisfied with Romania’s progress in supporting reform. The modification of the law regarding the National Agency of Integrity (ANI), voted on June 30, represents an important step back as there is the risk that the law will endanger the positive results obtained by the agency, according to the EC latest report regarding Romania’s progress in the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. The Commission recommends Romania should re-establish the ANI competences so that it could propose the confiscation of unjustified wealth.

Romania has made progress in the activities against corruption as the National Anti- corruption Direction (DNA) continues to obtain good results in the investigation of corruption cases at high level, which resulted in new charges and new definitive decisions. Nevertheless, the trials are lengthy and in many important cases the first instance has not handed in a sentence.

Starting with the second quarter of 2010, important progress has been made in judicial reform, as the parliament adopted the Civil Code and the Criminal Code, on June 22.

The Ministry of Justice also launched a consultation regarding the justice reform strategy. Preparations for October 2011, when the four codes come into force, represent an important opportunity to make a thorough reform of the Romanian judicial system, shows the EC. “In order to support this reform process, the Commissions asks Romania not to give up the support of the Parliament in adopting the codes and expand this political will to other domains,” the report recommends.

The EC also points to “a lack of will” of the authorities to cooperate and assume responsibility for reform. “Although pragmatic solutions are available in many cases, they are often not taken, while there are individual initiatives from magistrates, professional associations and the civil society to compensate for these shortcomings,” it writes.