The European Commission calls for the lifting of the MCV for Romania, in a report discussed on Tuesday in the College of Commissioners. According to the Report, Romania has made progress in terms of judicial reforms and the three laws recently adopted by the Parliament ensure the independence of the judicial system.
The European Commission’s report on the reform of the judicial system and the fight against corruption appreciates the progress made by Romania regarding the recommendations and the fulfillment of the MCV conditionality since the previous report, from June 2021. The evaluation “positively notes the significant efforts of Romania to implement all these recommendations through laws, policies and new tools to strengthen the judicial system and fight corruption,” says a press release from the EU Executive.
Among the important reforms are the recently adopted justice laws and a new strategy for the development of the judicial system. The Commission also notes Romania’s commitment to take into account the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the justice laws and to take additional measures if necessary.
The European Commission calls for the lifting of the MCV for Romania, in a report discussed on Tuesday in the College of Commissioners. According to the Report, Romania has made progress in terms of judicial reforms and the three laws recently adopted by the Parliament ensure the independence of the judicial system
The European Commission’s report on the reform of the judicial system and the fight against corruption appreciates the progress made by Romania regarding the recommendations and the fulfillment of the MCV conditionality since the previous report, from June 2021. The evaluation “positively notes the significant efforts of Romania to implement all these recommendations through laws, policies and new tools to strengthen the judicial system and fight corruption,” says a press release from the EU Executive. Among the important reforms are the recently adopted justice laws and a new strategy for the development of the judicial system. The Commission also notes Romania’s commitment to take into account the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the justice laws and to take additional measures if necessary.
“Regarding the fight against corruption, the state institutions are joining forces to implement a new national anti-corruption strategy, and in 2021 and 2022 a positive balance was again registered in relation to the effectiveness of investigating and sanctioning high-level corruption”, it is also stated in the EC report, cited in the press release.
“The Parliament has improved the procedure regarding the lifting of political immunity, and the institutions responsible for applying the rules regarding integrity and conflicts of interest and for the management and recovery of illegal assets have worked effectively,” the report also says.
“At the same time, Romania is making rapid progress in the revision of the Penal Codes, as well as in strengthening the work framework regarding integrity”, notes the European Commission, adding that “the completion of these important reforms is a milestone in Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan”.
“The Commission will continue to cooperate with Romania for their successful implementation, in accordance with EU legislation and international anti-corruption standards,” the report also states.
President Klaus Iohannis told a speech at the Cotroceni Palace after the announcement, that Romania “has taken a new significant step on the path to European integration”, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism having been lifted. Iohannis says that “Romania has made the necessary reforms to strengthen the rule of law and has entered the irreversible path of the fight against corruption.” Romania will be, like all other member states, monitored through the Generalized Rule of Law Mechanism.
After the final report is made public, it is sent to the EU Council, following which the formal proposal to lift the CMV, if it exists, will be submitted to both the European Parliament and the EU Council.
The CVM would be replaced by the common mechanism for sanctioning states that do not respect the rule of law.
The “conditionality” mechanism is a procedure in force since January 2021 that allows the suspension of the payment of EU funds to a country where violations of the rule of law are found that may harm the EU’s financial interests.
A possible suspension or reduction of payments of EU funds must be supported by at least 15 member states out of 27, representing 65% of the EU population, and such a procedure would take between six and nine months.
At the end of October, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă declared during a visit to Brussels that there are positive prospects for Romania to have the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) lifted.
Meanwhile, Romania adopted the new Justice laws, which were promulgated last week by President Klaus Iohannis. Later, the Venice Commission reported that the laws seem to be going in the right direction and appreciates the fact that “there doesn’t seem to be any political interference in DNA’s activity”. However, there are also a number of recommendations made.