EC May Start Treating Bulgaria, Romania Separately in Justice, Home Affairs Reports

Caretaker Justice Minister Hristo Ivanov has warned about the risk of Bulgaria being treated separately from Romania in the EC monitoring in the sphere of justice and home affairs.

In an interview for a program which is yet to be aired by Nova TV, Ivanov suggested that there was a real risk of Bulgaria being treated separately from Romania as regards Schengen accession and issues covered by the co-operation and verification mechanism of the European Commission.

Ivanov, as cited by Sega daily, underscored that Bulgaria had to take clear steps towards reform in order to avoid the measure or face a serious blow.

He did not specify a concrete date by which the EC could impose differentiated treatment of the two countries.