[size=75:3i4p7qne]novinite 22 March 2010


EC Interim Report about Bulgaria, Romania Due on Tuesday

The European Commission's interim report in connection with mechanisms for collaboration and control of internal affairs and justice systems in Bulgaria and Romania will be issued Tuesday, a spokesman officially announced.

This will be the first European Commission report to assess the measures undertaken by Bulgaria's new center-right government, which swept the elections in July and made an attempt to shake off the country's reputation for rampant graft and crime.

The report was initially expected to be released at the end of February.

According to local media Brussels is playing a wait-and-see game and expects to receive a clear sign from Bulgaria that it will approve a set of amendments to the Penal Code amidst fears that they won't be green lighted in the form suggested by Brussels.

Bulgaria and Romania are still not doing enough to tackle corruption and organized crime, so they will have to accept European Union monitoring for at least another year, the EU's executive said in its latest annual report on the duo, released on July 22 last year.

Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union on January 1, 2007 but owing to shortcomings in justice reform and dealing with corruption the commission has kept an eye on developments through a special monitoring mechanism.

Any failure to redress the problems means that surveillance will continue, a process which resulted in Bulgaria being deprived of hundreds of millions of euros in potential funds.