The ambassadors of seven EU member states issued a joint statement on Tuesday, calling on the Bulgarian government to implement the judicial reforms it had set out to achieve.

The statement was signed by the ambassadors of France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, Finland and the charge d'affaires of the United Kingdom.

The ambassadors note the progress Bulgaria has achieved on fulfilling the criteria of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), which was visible from the the latest report.

They highlight the political consensus demonstrated by the Bulgarian Parliament during the adoption of the updated strategy for continuation of reforms in the judicial system.

The diplomats express hope that this consensus will be transformed into concrete legislative measures that will ensure the implementation of the strategy.

In particular they are concerned with the structure and functioning of the Supreme Judicial Councl (VSS) and the need to strengthen the fight against corruption at the highest levels.

According to them, the VSS can demonstrate leading role in these reforms by concentrating on solving problems, such as the allocation of cases and ensuring the impartiality of magistrates.

The diplomats welcome the intentions for reorganisation of the prosecution and call for their implementation.

In their opinion, combating corruption necessitates the establishment of strong and effective institutional framework with an independent capacity for investigation and prosecution.

They remind that the implementation of the judicial reform is a national priority, supported by Bulgarian politicians, legal professionals and representatives of the Bulgarian society.

Having in mind the ambitions for reforms of the incumbent government, the ambassadors expect considerable advances to be achieved by the summer of 2015.

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