Romania has made further progress in fighting corruption and judicial reform, but 2016 is a test year that will show if the recent development is sustainable, according to the European Commission’s Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) report published on Wednesday, January 27.

“Over the last year, Romania and Romanians have shown their willingness to fight corruption and to protect the independence of the judiciary. The mass demonstrations against corruption have shown how these issues matter to Romanian citizens,” said the European Commission’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans.

“Over the last year, we have seen the professionalism, commitment and good track record of the judiciary and the anti-corruption prosecution and reforms being internalized. I am encouraged to see that Romania continues to make reforms and the positive trend continued in 2015. These efforts must be stepped up in 2016, in particular, to prevent corruption and ensure that judges can continue to do their job properly,” he added.

The Romanian judicial system as a whole has continued to demonstrate professionalism, including a capacity to adapt to significant changes in the civil and criminal codes, efforts to unify jurisprudence and a willingness to defend the independence of the judiciary, the report points out. The track record of the key judicial and integrity institutions in addressing high-level corruption has remained impressive. This continued trend is a sign that Romania is developing sustainability in progressing towards the CVM objectives.

However, the reform does not enjoy the full consensus necessary to assure sustainable progress, the report also shows. “Judicial independence and respect for court decisions continue to be challenged. The Criminal Codes reform is put into question in Parliament, and decisions in Parliament on whether to allow the anti-corruption prosecution to treat parliamentarians like other citizens still lack objective criteria. There have been improved steps to tackle general corruption, but not on the scale and with the political will required to address it as a systemic problem.”

Further support to the consolidation of reform is needed to ensure the irreversibility of progress, the European Commission concludes. “2016 will be a test year in many respects. The extent to which integrity issues prevail in appointments to senior positions in the judiciary and the scrutiny of candidates for forthcoming elections will be key signs of the extent to which reform is taking root. The continuation of a positive trend of reform and track record will also be a signal of sustainability.”

Romania's anticorruption fight has recently been acknowledged by another report published by the Council fo Europe.

The latest CVM report on Romania is available here.

EC report: Romania makes progress in justice reform and fight against corruption, but further steps needed

editor@romania-insider.com