The European Commission is set to recommend next week that Romania continue to stay under special monitoring mechanism beyond 2009, due to its slow progress in justice reform and the fight against corruption, indicates a draft of the EC's report seen by HotNews.ro. Romania has regained its reform momentum, but the report criticises the Parliament for the hesitating to take consistent decisions to support the efforts for justice reform and fight against corruption. The report is due on Wednesday, 22 July.

The EU executive is set to explain that the monitoring cannot be lifted until all of the benchmarks are met, but no safeguard clause will be activated.

A series of practical and legislative steps have been undertaken and a new momentum has been established to continue with reform process. However, this reform drive is not mirrored by an unequivocal commitment accross political parties. In particular the Parliament still seems to hesitate and does not always take consistent decisions to support the efforts of the executive on judicial reform and eradicating corruption, the draft report indicates.

EC considers that progress relating to the quality of the judicial system and the fight against corruption will also positively contribute to Romania's accession to the schengen zone as the lifting of border controls depends on mutual confidence. The Commission is trying againg to link the justice and fight against corruption in Romania to the accession to Schengen area. Last year such a connexion was eliminated from the final report adopted by the College of Commissioners.

Main assesments of the draft report:

The adoption of the two Codes in June 2009 is an important expressionof political commitment and a significant step forward in terms of securing a more efficient legal system.Am implementing law for the application