Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann's Bookmarks tagged justiceandhomeaffairs →  View Popular

Brussels is to call on Sofia "to cleanse its administration" and make sure that EU money is not "siphoned off by corrupt officials, operating together with organised crime."

Both reports, leaked to the media, have provoked an outcry in Bulgaria and opposition parties have called for a non-confidence vote against the government next week, in addition to starting an impeachment procedure against the president.

Bulgaria could face further sanctions in the area of justice and home affairs, including having its membership of the EU's borderless Schengen area delayed, after recent reports from Brussels highlighted the country's problem with corruption.

A group of member states, including the UK, France and the Netherlands is pushing for tougher sanctions against Sofia, Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad reported on Thursday (17 July).

European Union



• Commission: Report On Progress in Bulgaria under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism
  
  (4 February 2008)


• Commission: Report On Progress in Romania under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism
  
  (4 February 2008)


• Commission memo: Interim Report on Progress in Bulgaria with Judiciary Reform and the Fight against Corruption and Organised Crime
  (4 February 2008) [FR]
  [DE]
  


• Commission memo: Interim Report on Progress in Romania with Judiciary Reform and the Fight against Corruption
  (4 February 2008) [FR]
  [DE]
  


• Commission: Assessing ongoing progress by Bulgaria and Romania
  [FR]
  [DE]

The Commission's interim reports on the progress made by Romania and Bulgaria on judiciary reform and fighting corruption and organised crime show that both countries must seriously step up their efforts ahead of the next detailed evaluation due in mid-2008. Otherwise they could face sanctions, Brussels warned.

Abstract:
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Justice and Home Affairs cooperation in the European Union has developed rapidly since the end of the 1990s. Now under the label of the ‘Area of Freedom, Security and Justice’, the EU’s responsibilities have grown considerably in the effort to combat cross–border crime (including terrorism) and illegal immigration. This article outlines recent developments in this area, along with key obstacles to continued cooperation. The analysis focuses on five dimensions of security and risk management related to JHA cooperation: the conceptual context in which cooperation takes place, the various policy–making initiatives, the role of information exchange and analysis, operational instruments and the various aims of legislation. These dimensions shed light not only on the EU’s particular role in this increasingly active area of policy making, but also on the main challenges to further cooperation and integration.
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