European institutions and the fight against corruption

The European Parliament held a hearing on Tuesday on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism with regard to Romania and Bulgaria.

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Valentin Țigău, 15.04.2015, 13:49

The European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control on Tuesday heard a series of Romanian and Bulgarian officials on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism to assess their commitments to judicial reform and the fight against corruption and organised crime. The mechanism has been in place since 2007, when the two countries joined the European Union. Previous annual reports, while encouraging, have not led to the elimination of the mechanism.

The debate in the European Parliament was held at the request of Romania, which believes its success in fighting corruption should be acknowledged and a clear timetable should be established regarding its entry into the passport-free Schengen area. Attending the hearing were Romania’s justice minister Robert Cazanciuc and the chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi, who is seen as somewhat of a justice hero after her institution last year issued 12 requests for the prosecution of ministers and former ministers.

The data presented by the Romanian officials impressed the members of the European Parliament committee, who say Romania has made progress with regard to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. MEP Monica Macovei, a member of the European People’s Party, who opened the debates, even said Romania’s judicial bodies are an example for many other countries. The Secretary General of the European Commission, Catherine Day, hailed Romania’s progress saying, however, that efforts must continue, in particular with regard to fighting low-level corruption. Some of Romania’s representatives in the debates, whether MEPs representing the ruling Social Democratic Party or the National Liberal Party in opposition, denounced the fact that Romania’s entry into the Schengen area continues to be unjustly linked to a mechanism which, in their opinion, should apply to all EU member states or to none at all.

In another development, an assessment report from the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption published on Tuesday indicates that Romania has satisfactorily implemented only 7 of the 20 recommendations laid down in the Group’s previous report from 2010.