A month upon her appointment, new Justice Minister Diana Kovatcheva presented her priorities. She succeeds on the post Margarita Popova who was elected vice president at the elections last October. Kovatcheva’s team will focus on the July Bulgaria Report and on three bills that are vital for the reform of justice. The new minister said that her team had stepped on an already marked route with priorities outlined clearly in the Strategy for the furtherance of the justice reform. The document was passed a year and a half ago and engages all institutions from the judicial system for its efficiency upgrading.
Diana Kovatcheva believes that the Ministry of Justice should control the performance of commitments under the strategy. The Directorate for cooperation with the European Commission under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism in Justice & Home Affairs prepares the information used by Brussels for its evaluation of Bulgaria’s progress since its accession to the EU in 2007. Results are reported in the European Commission technical report released every February and in an annual report issued in July, both evaluating the country’s progress.
“As someone coming from the civic sector I subscribe to the idea that we need specific, clearly and positively worded data about results. For this reason I have suggested a small change in the way information is prepared for submission to Brussels. I have created a small team to work actively with officials from all institutions – the courts of justice, the prosecutor’s office, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Commission on Conflicts of Interest etc. Besides this is a way to achieve greater transparency. The team will meet twice monthly to discuss and formulate the current achievements of the country. All this is to make sure that Bulgaria delivers straightforward information to Brussels about its achievements. For the February technical report of the EC, information has already been delivered to Brussels. So now we have to focus on the July annual report. It is vital, because it will provide evaluation of Bulgaria’s progress for as long as five years of membership.”
Diana Kovatcheva argues that the priority of the Ministry of Justice with regard to the reform of the judicial system has to do with making a new legislative framework and with amendments to three important laws: the Criminal Code, the Law on the Judiciary and the Administrative Code.
“In the first place is the Criminal Code, because such a law is not made often. The current Criminal Code was made in 1968, meaning it is a bit outdated and is being amended on a piecemeal basis”, Minister Kovatcheva recalls. “The draft of the new Criminal Code should be ready by end-February. We shall then assess the draft in terms of its harmonization with European and world standards and will discuss it publicly. I hope that the draft will be good and will be submitted to the National Assembly by year end.”
As to the Law on the Judiciary, it has been amended quite often and is key in terms of the requirement for transparency in appointments made in the judicial system. Ten days ago Minister Kovatcheva discussed the topic with civil organizations and is looking forward to feedback from them with a view to greater transparency.
“We see as a major priority the creation of transparent procedures for the nomination and election of members of the next Supreme Judicial Council. Nomination is important, not appointment. We believe that the process of nomination should be transparent and public. This done, we will make sure that the new members of the council will be honest professionals that will govern the judicial system in an efficient way. This is a commitment that we have taken jointly with the civil organizations and with the National Assembly. And we hope this will take place with the nomination and election of Supreme Judicial Council members through the bill of amendments to the Law on the Judiciary.”
A key priority in combating organized crime and corruption is the Civil Confiscation Act. According to Minister Kovatcheva however the confiscation of property of unclear origin should be valid for properties worth EUR 125,000 and up.
Translated by Daniela Konstantinova
