German Bundestag President Norbert Lammert shakes hands with Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov during his visit to Bulgaria. Photo by Kameliya Atanasova (Sofia Photo Agency)
There is a considerable deficit of political reforms in Bulgaria and Romania, the two newest European Union members, the German Bundestag President Norbert Lammert said Friday in an interview for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Lammert, who recently visited the two countries, said for the newspaper that the independent judiciary and effective fight with corruption measures, that Bulgaria and Romania agreed to implement, are not really put in practice.
Bulgaria's political development is at standstill, while in Romania it even goes backwards, he said.
The EU should continue pressuring the two countries to apply the treaty obligations.