Balkan states get new EU warning

Romania has lost momentum in its judicial reforms while Bulgaria has made some progress, the European Commission says.

The two Balkan neighbours - the EU's newest members - are subject to special commission monitoring because their justice systems are seen to be flawed.

In November the commission stripped Bulgaria of 220m euros (£188m) in EU funding because of corruption.

Both countries risk new penalties if they fail to make progress by July.

"It is important that the Romanian authorities regain momentum on judicial reform and the fight against corruption so as to reverse certain backward movements of recent months," the commission said on Thursday.

"This means in particular adopting the codes needed to modernise the legal system and showing through an expeditious treatment of high-level corruption cases that the legal system is capable of implementing the laws in an independent and efficient way."

The commission criticised the Romanian parliament, saying it had blocked investigations into some high-level corruption cases.

On Bulgaria, the commission noted "some initial steps" towards structural and legislative reform had been taken in the prosecution office, justice ministry and interior ministry.

"These measures need to be sustained and further extended in order to deliver concrete results," it said.

Bulgaria has set up joint investigation teams combining prosecutors with security agents and interior ministry officers, but the commission called for "indictments regarding the serious crime groups targeted by these joint teams".