JusMin Birchall on GRECO reports:Each institution must conduct its own analysis, take adequate action

Justice Minister Ana Birchall said on Tuesday that each institution mentioned in the GRECO reports needs to proceed to an analysis of the recommendations made and take the necessary action. "As far as the recommendations are concerned (...) we, at the Ministry of Justice will conduct our own analysis, just as each institution mentioned in the GRECO report must perform its own analysis, draw the conclusions and take the measures they deem necessary. When we have completed this analysis, by consulting all those who have a say in the proper functioning of justice, I will certainly come before you, showing the same transparency. Each recommendation will be analyzed individually," Birchall said in a brief statement at the Justice Ministry. Romania has made very little progress to put in place measures to prevent corruption among parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors and to address the concerns raised by its controversial judicial reform, notes the Council of Europe's anti-corruption body - GRECO in two reports published on Tuesday. GRECO expresses its deep concern at the authorities having disregarded the recommendation to abandon the setting-up of the Section for the investigation of offences in the judiciary (SIIJ). With regard to the reforms in the justice system, GRECO warns that the most recent attempts of the Romanian authorities to reduce the statute of limitations for certain corruption offences, if adopted into law, would seriously undermine the fight against corruption. GRECO is particularly critical of the lack of action to address the need for objective selection criteria when appointing and dismissing prosecutors, and to enhance the role of the Supreme Council of Magistrates in the process. The Council of Europe's anti-corruption body also regrets that recent legislative amendments and the case law of the Constitutional Court have increased the role of the executive in the appointments to senior prosecutorial functions. AGERPRES (RO - author: Eusebi Manolache, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)

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