Judicial reform, fight against corruption and organised crime: Bulgaria’s progress

A specific monitoring mechanism known as the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) was set up in 2007 in the context of Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union (EU) to monitor its progress in the areas of judicial reform, anti-corruption work and the fight against organised crime. The European Commission (EC) reports of 2014 and 2015 describe the progress made since 2012.

ACT

Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: On Progress in Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (COM(2015) 36 final of 28 January 2015).

Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: On Progress in Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (COM(2014) 36 final of 22 January 2014).

SUMMARY

KEY POINTS

The CVM includes six specific criteria to evaluate the independence and accountability of Bulgaria’s judicial system, its transparency and efficiency, the response to high-level corruption, including in the public sector, and the fight against organised crime.

The main objective is to set up a regular reporting process so as to ensure that the country meets the standards in such areas and satisfactorily fulfils them, as well as to assist Bulgaria in remedying weaknesses pointed out by the CVM.

Progress reports of2014 and 2015

The 2014 report presents the EC’s analysis of the steps Bulgaria has taken since the previous report (2012).

The main conclusion is that overall progress has not yet been sufficient and remains fragile. The report points out examples of:

• judicial and public appointments cancelled due to integrity issues;
• escape from justice of convicted organised criminals;
• cases of political influence on the judicial system.

There are also very few examples where high-level cases of corruption or organised crime have been brought to conclusion in court.

In the 2015 report, the EC also focuses on the slowness of progress in terms of addressing judicial reform and making concrete progress on corruption and organised crime. Efforts are also needed to inspire confidence in the Bulgarian society on issues like appointments to high-level judicial posts.

Main recommendations

The EC invites Bulgaria to accelerate progress in the areas of independence, accountability and integrity of the judiciary, of reform strategies for the judicial system and of efficiency of the judicial system.

Other improvements are necessary to:

• fight against corruption and reinforce prosecution;
• improve the legislation to fight against high-level organised crime.

A consistent Bulgarian approach based on a broad consensus in the society is also needed.

To support Bulgaria, the monitoring process of the CVM will continue with opportunities provided by EU funds and constructive support from the EC and other EU countries.

See also the EC Secretariat-General’s website on CVM, the Bulgarian CVM website and the 2014 and 2015 EC press releases.

BACKGROUND

In the context of Bulgaria’s accession to the EU in 2007, further progress was asked of this country in areas such as judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organised crime. A specific framework was established to monitor the progress made by Bulgaria in these areas through the CVM. An equivalent process is under way in regard to Romania.

The CVM process is based on an assessment of progress by the Bulgarian authorities and on information delivered by EU countries, international organisations, independent experts and other sources.

RELATED ACTS

Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: On Progress in Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (COM(2012) 411 final of 18 July 2012).

last update 15.03.2015