EU Justice Commissioner: The Independence of the Judiciary in Bulgaria is Under Threat

The independence of the judiciary is under threat in EU member states from Eastern Europe such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania, European Justice Commissioner Vera Yourova said, quoted by Associated Press.
 
She warned that this trend could undermine the credibility of the states of the Union.
 
"Challenges to the rule of law are increasing in some countries, at a time when the necessary reforms of the judiciary are polluted by highly politicized debates," the EU Justice Commissioner said.
 
Yurova noted that citizens and companies in these countries, especially in Eastern Europe, are concerned that political pressure and interference are intensifying. This not only prevents fair trials, but also runs the risk of doing business, she said.
 
Yourova warned that "if the judicial system is broken down in one country, the consequences will be felt across the EU because we rely on mutual trust."

 
She spoke at the presentation of a study on how citizens of the EU member states perceive the judiciary, the France press reported.
 
According to the poll, the Croats are the first in the EU to have doubts about the independence of the national judiciary. 76% of the country's citizens determine the status of the independence of the Croatian judiciary as very or very bad.
 
Followed by the Slovaks (60%), the Bulgarians (58%) and the Spaniards (55%).

50 percent of the citizens of Poland, a country against which the European Commission has instituted proceedings for the disputed judicial reform, have no confidence in the national judicial system.