Bulgaria is not the only Balkan country facing EU sanctions over the lagging pace of reform. The Diplomat Bucharest reports that in July the European Commission will issue a report over the state of the Romanian Justice system, and could recommend sanctions against the country. One of the sanctions that could be recommended is called the “safeguard clause” which would mean that other EU member states can ignore decisions made by the Romanian justice system.
The whole issue is a major egg in the face of the Romanian state. To avoid the implementation of the safeguard clause, Romania must create an integrity agency to monitor the wealth declarations of public figures. Romania created such an institution, called the National Agency for Integrity. The catch is, however, that the agency exists only on paper. Furthermore, Romania’s constitutional court has declared the agency to be unconstitutional and it could be dissolved altogether. Something has to give, even if it means that Romania must amend its constitution, because to do so otherwise sends a signal that Romania is unwilling to reform, effectively thumbing the state’s nose at the European Union.
This is unprecedented in the history of the European Union, and of all the countries that have entered the EU since 1973, only Romania and Bulgaria have faced this kind of scrutiny. Bulgaria appears to be taking the necessary steps to clean house in regards to corruption (see previous post) but Romania appears to be in no hurry to undergo reforms mandated by the club it worked so hard to join.
