Outgoing Justice Minister Zinaida Zlatanova has called on political parties to agree on a declaration listing the goals in the sphere of judicial reform in the next 7 years.

Zlatanova and her colleagues at the Justice Ministry reported their achievements at a press conference on Monday, saying that they had accomplished as much as time had allowed them to.

Bulgaria's outgoing Justice Minister suggested that she had inherited a judiciary which had been subjected to systemic pressure by the executive branch.

She noted that the judicial system had been plagued by a range of problems, including building stock issues, the lack of competitions for magistrates, notaries, etc, the unlawful appointments, the shelved bills, including the Criminal Code bill, the substantial debts and a number of delayed EU-funded projects.

Zlatanova, as cited by the Bulgarian National Radio, claimed that the political situation in the past year had been unfavorable for radical reforms and it would continue to be so over the next few months due to the two governments in office, the caretaker cabinet and the regular cabinet.

She suggested, however, that it could be a good opportunity for the judiciary to prove its independence.

She expressed hopes that Bulgaria would see a more stable government and parliamentary majority and that the successors at the Justice Ministry would adopt all projects developed by her and her team.

Zlatanova informed that the national declaration she was proposing could include the following key points: the election of a new Chief Inspector at the Inspectorate of Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (VSS), the adoption of a new Criminal Code and the adoption of new reform strategy for the development of the judiciary.

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