The European Commission will come up with an oral presentation on Bulgaria's progress in the spheres of justice and home affairs in the second half of January.

The oral report will be offered to European Ministers at the presentation of the EC report on Romania under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, according to EC Spokesperson Mark Gray, as cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.

Asked to comment on the election and oath-taking ceremony of Bulgaria's new Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov, Gray noted that the EC would not evaluate Tsatsatov's personality and had nothing new to add to the statements it had already made.

Gray added that the prosecuting authority was one of the main institutions in the process of judicial reform.

He suggested that it was important to keep track of the activities of Bulgaria's new Chief Prosecutor.

The EC Spokesperson explained that the Commission would closely monitor Tsatsarov's activities and issue reports in the accustomed manner.

He further reminded that the next EC report on Bulgaria was due in end-2013.

Gray noted that the EC had emphasized the necessity of a comprehensive judicial reform in its previous reports on Bulgaria.

He concluded that it was in everybody's interest to have judicial bodies enjoying public trust.

The EC Spokesperson illustrated his point by saying that the institutions had to work twice harder if their credibility had been undermined.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!