PM Ciolos: Things are going in the right direction for lifting CVM on Romania

Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Tuesday pointed out that, as far as lifting the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) on Romania is concerned, under which the country's progress with judiciary reform and the fight against corruption is gauged annually, "things are going in the right direction." 

"So far there has been hesitation in publicly stating the idea of separation between Romania and Bulgaria. It is clearly accepted that, indeed, Romania's latest reports are positive. I am not hiding the fact that, beyond the moment when the decision is made, the manner in which the election campaign will unfold and the manner in which the elections will run and the result of the general election will be a test - not a formal one - but one of responsibility for Romania, for the Romanian society (...) and, of course, for the political class," Ciolos told a media briefing in Brussels. 

European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker on Monday voiced his conviction that during the tenure of the current commission, the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) would come to an end in Romania's case. 

"I told Mr prime minister once more that I am positive that during the tenure of my commission we will end the CVM. There is no close connection between what I would call Bulgaria's case and Romania's case. The two cases are separate. If Romania surpasses our Bulgarian friends, most certainly the mechanism will end if Romania keeps the current level of implementing the expectations of the European Commission and of the member states when this happens," Juncker told a joint news conference in Brussels with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos. AGERPRES