LEAD: Romania promises more reform after dim EU Schengen prospects

Feb 8, 2012, 17:25 GMT

Brussels/Bucharest/Sofia - Romania will continue its justice reforms, Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu promised Wednesday, after Brussels praised the country's progress, but still warned that both Romania and Bulgaria must do more to comply with EU standards.

Prediou said that legislation was being prepared to beef up staffing in courts and accelerate legal proceedings that could drag on too long.

Earlier, the European Commission, EU's executive, said that Romania and Bulgaria, which also joined in 2007, had made some progress against corruption and organized crime.

The commission offered the countries limited hope of being let into the Schengen borderless zone in the middle of 2012.

While the two issues are not formally linked, the Netherlands has said it would veto Bulgarian and Romanian accessions until the European Commission delivered positive reports on rule of law issues.

On Wednesday, Romania was praised for having 'accelerated the trial of high-level corruption cases' and for a series of legislative and administrative reforms. On January 30 a former prime minister, Adrian Nastase, was sentenced to two years for corruption.

In Bulgaria, the commission noted that work on seizing assets from criminal groups has 'delivered significant results,' a committee on conflict of interest cases 'has taken its first decisions,' and the work of the judiciary has been better organized.

In Sofia, the report was rated as a positive 'step towards Schengen,' as the deputy parliamentary leader of the governing GERB party, Iskra Fidossieva, told state radio that 'very little work' was needed to satisfy EU observers.

Before the commission made its observations, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov had blamed the Bulgarian opposition for 'criticizing the country to the European institutions.'

'All states have problems with their justice systems,' he told state television in Sofia.

'Further action is needed' in Romania and Bulgaria, commission spokesman Mark Gray cautioned in Brussels, indicating that neither was yet fully complying with EU standards.

Both countries were subjected to an unprecedented EU screening mechanism upon their accession in 2007 because of their rule-of-law deficiencies.

The Netherlands last year blocked their bid to enter into the Schengen area - which eliminates internal borders between its member states - arguing that it could not trust them to police the EU's external borders, despite them having fulfilled all technical criteria for entry.

Dutch Europe Minister Ben Knapen said that Wednesday's reports showed progress 'in both countries, especially in Romania,' but added that it was not enough for his country to change position.

More good news would need to come in July, when the commission is due to make a fuller assessment on Bulgaria and Romania's efforts, he said.

'The Netherlands seeks two consecutive positive reports which indicate sustainable and irreversible progress to combat corruption and organized crime.

'We will see in July, following the full report of the European Commission, whether this then has been the case,' Knapen indicated.

EU officials have privately chided the Netherlands for its hardline stance, suggesting it is motivated by the need to pander to the country's anti-immigration Freedom Party, which provides external support to the Dutch government.

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