Bulgaria Deputy PM Vows Govt Action to Address Issues in EU's CVM Report

Bulgaria will take measures to address all issues pointed in the EU Commission's latest report on the country's progress in judicial reform and fighting corruption and organized crime, Deputy PM Meglena Kuneva said on Wednesday.

She told reporters after a cabinet meeting that the document, released Wednesday afternoon, was "objective" and, despite pointing to shortcomings, had also assessed positively the first steps take by the new government.

In Kuneva's words, Sofia will elaborate a standard for tax statements of high-profile officials to heed the EU's recommendation on improving efficiency of anti-corruption measures.

At the same time she made clear no new unit coordinating and controlling anti-corruption activities was to be set up for the moment, according to Dariknews.

CVM reports are essentially seen as an assessment of whether a country (Romania or Bulgaria) is ready to join the Schengen area without border control. Sofia and Bucharest have been subject to CVM reports since their entry into the EU in 2007, with the texts looking into their progress in rule of law and fighting corruption. For Bulgaria, there is also a chapter on fighting organized crime.

This year's report on Bulgaria suggests there has been only modest (and slow) progress in all three areas, though it also acknowledges the new government, elected in the autumn of 2014, is taking steps to address long-standing problems.