Germany Demands Bulgaria Step Up Pace of Judicial Reform

Bulgaria should pursue deeper reform in the judiciary, Germany's Minister of State for Europe said on Friday.

Visiting Bulgaria to meet officials, Roth recognized the progress achieved so far, but insisted more should be done, after a year in which the Sofia government approved a new judicial reform strategy and changed the constitution, in a move they say will make the judiciary more efficient.

This coincides with the conclusions of a report prepared annually by the EU Commission on the state of Bulgaria's judiciary and the country's anti-corruption efforts whose latest version was published at the end of January (you can read a summary of the key findings here).

"We agree with the European Commission that 2016 should be a year of further steps toward reform," the Bulgarian National Radio quotes Roth as saying.

He added Germany was ready to boost investment in Bulgaria to help create more economic opportunities for young people.