Europese Commissie positief over anticorruptiebeleid in Roemenië en Bulgarije: toetreding Schengen dichterbij (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The EU commission has in its latest monitoring reports praised Romania and Bulgaria's latest arrests and anti-corruption cases as "significant progress," pending more concrete results. The largely positive documents are likely to deflate some of the opposition by France and Germany to the two countries' speedy accession to the border-free Schengen area.
"This report does take note of the significant progress since July, but it's not an exhaustive assessment, which will take place in summer," EU commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen said during a press briefing on Friday (18 February).
Arrests of over 50 border officials in Romania on suspicion of corruption and fraud and the creation in Bulgaria of a special court to try cases related to organised crime were highlighted as important examples of progress.
Both Sofia and Bucharest need to speed up trials and continue reforms aimed at strengthening the independence and professionalism of judges, prosecutors and police, however. The report also notes that the Romanian Parliament blocked the investigation of two MPs from the ruling party, suspected of blackmail.
The two countries are living under an unprecedented EU Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) on justice and home affairs, imposed because they did not meet all standards in the area when they joined the EU in 2007.
Although there is no direct legal link, the reports will be taken into account next week during a meeting of interior ministers discussing the pending application by the two countries to join the border-free Schengen area.
In December the interior ministers of France and Germany sent a letter to the commission saying the accession of the two countries was "premature" unless more progress was made in fighting corruption and organised crime. Bucharest reacted fiercely, slamming the "unfair" and "discriminatory" treatment, with the foreign minister even threatening to put extra hurdles into Croatia's EU bid.
"We don't make a link between CVM and Schengen," the commission's Ms Hansen said.
She added a quote by home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom i: "Continued efforts by Romania and Bulgaria to make progress under CVM are of key importance in demonstrating the credibility of their commitment to reform and establishing trust among member states generally."
The mild progress registered in the reports is a "good sign things are moving," but no decision is likely to be taken before the summer, several EU diplomats told this website.
The technical assessment of Romania's Schengen preparedness - drafted by experts sent from member states - last month was deemed positive, but Bulgaria's border with Turkey still has some problems, with a final evaluation mission due mid-March.
The two countries initially wanted to join Schengen in March, but the Franco-German letter and the technical problems in Bulgaria have derailed those plans.
A new date has not been set yet, but the two still hope to join this year, possibly in October.
France, Germany, Finland and the Netherlands are insisting, however, for the deadline to be delayed as long as possible, in the belief that this is the only leverage left to make the countries keep on fighting corruption and organised crime. The Hungarian EU presidency is "really pushing" to get a deal on a new calendar by the end of its mandate (30 June).
"Everything depends on what happens on the ground," another EU diplomat said. "Everybody around the table seems to agree that the two countries have to be really ready, not that we stick to a date no matter what."