EU Govts to Approve Positions on EC Reports on Bulgaria, Romania

EU member states' governments are set to vote Tuesday on conclusions based on reports prepared by the EU Commission about the judicial system and anti-corruption measures of Bulgaria and Romania.

The reports have been an annual practice for the Commission since 2007, when the two countries joined the bloc and agreed to have their judiciary and internal affairs monitored under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).

Positions of the respective governments will be discussed at General Affairs Council configuration of the Council of the European Union where Bulgaria will be represented by Deputy PM and Education Minister Meglena Kuneva.

Draft conclusions were approved as early as February 24 on an ambassadorial level, the council says, which means no debate will be held about them at the Tuesday session.

Tensions rose in Bulgaria weeks after the reports were published at the end of January, as the text about Romania was described as more positive, with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker saying the country might have the CVM lifted soon.

Juncker, however, later assured Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov the mechanism might be removed with regard to Bulgaria by the end of the term of his commission college in 2019.

The report about Bulgaria is thought to be much more negative, with the Commission arguing a number of shortcomings are yet to be addressed.

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