European Commission slams justice reform again

Romania’s authorities have received another blasting by the European Commission, as Brussels issued its regular six-month criticism of the country’s failures to reform its justice system.

March 2009 - From the Print Edition

Last month’s monitoring report detailed how the Romanian Parliament is continuing to block criminal investigations into high-level corruption cases. Romanian MPs were also criticised for attempting to modify the procedure under which the general prosecutor is appointed.
The European Commission also referred to the Parliament’s repeated attempts to change the Criminal Procedures Code to restrict the investigative powers of prosecutors and policemen.
The European Commission also attacked Romania’s failure to adopt the Civil Code, the Criminal Code, the Civil Procedures Code and the Criminal Procedures Code. The four draft packages of laws have been finalised by the Government, but have not passed in Parliament.
The Commission asked Romania to give more responsibility to prosecutors and other employees in the judicial system. The EC also indicated that the National Integrity Agency (ANI), the institution which verifies politicians’ wealth, has to demonstrate that it is capable of remaining independent to political interference.
The only positive signal was related to the activity of the National Anti-corruption Department (DNA), which was praised for making and investigating allegations of high level corruption.
Romanian justice authorities have been criticised for their incapacity to fulfil a large number of vacancies, which includes 433 prosecutors and 344 judges. The European Commission will issue its final monitoring report next June.