CVM monitoring of Romania likely to be lifted by year-end

Romania may have the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism lifted by the end of 2021.

Ştefan Stoica, 19.03.2021, 13:50

In 2007, when it joined the European Union, Romania accepted to be assisted and monitored by the EU Commission for the long term, in order to remedy certain shortcomings in the areas of judicial reforms and the fight against corruption. For this purpose, the EU developed the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), that regularly verifies progress against specific benchmarks and makes recommendations.

According to the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Citu, the European Commission may lift the CVM monitoring of Romania by the end of the year. His announcement comes after talks with the European Commission vice-president, Vera Jurova, regarding the Rule of Law Mechanism and the Report on Romania. Minister Citu says that, alongside the European Commission, the Romanian Government supports the elimination and improvement of the regrettable changes to the justice laws by the former Social Democratic government, over 2017 – 2019. The prime minister says the centre-right coalition and the Justice Minister, together with representatives of judges and civil society, are working on laws that guarantee the long-term independence of the judiciary and resistance to political pressure.

”Through civilized dialogue and debate based on rational arguments, we will reach consensus in Romanias best interest, for the removal of the CVM and for a stronger rule of law,” Minister Citu said. ”Having the CVM lifted is one of the Governments main goals,” deputy PM Dan Barna also said. ”After 13 years of close monitoring by the European Commission, with major setbacks in 2018 and 2019, I am confident that the efforts we will make in the upcoming period will lead to a normal and predictable functioning of the rule of law in Romania, ” Barna explained.

The Commission’s recommendations are similar to those made in previous years, such as the independence of the judiciary, that involves the elimination of the Special section for the investigation of magistrates, which has a negative impact on the independence, functioning and effectiveness of justice, the updating of the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, fighting corruption and defending press freedom, Vera Jurova said. She also said she trusts the Romanian Government and she will offer it her support to carry out reforms in the field of justice and of the Criminal Code. Jurova also pleaded for consensus in Parliament on this matter.

The government coalition has already made an important step towards eliminating the Special section for the investigation of magistrates after the Legal Committee of the Chamber of Deputies endorsed the Governments bill on this matter, with one important modification, namely, that magistrates can be investigated for their deeds only with the prior consent of the Higher Council of Magistrates (CSM), the body that supervises the activity of prosecutors and judges. (EE)