EU: Bulgaria and Romania need urgent reforms

Bulgaria and Romania’s efforts in combating corruption and organized crime are insufficient and need to be urgently stepped up, EU foreign affairs ministers have stated. The EU ministers, meeting in Brussels within the General Affairs council in preparation for the European Council summit Thursday, stated that both newcomers still have quite some work to do to live up to expectations.

Bulgaria and Romania were reprimanded for lack of transparency and accountability of courts and failure to impose adequate penalties to organized crime. The Eu’s statement encourages the governments of the two countries to intensify efforts “as a matter of urgency.”