EU to halt separate checks of Romanian anti-corruption drive

The European Union's executive arm will cease to separately monitor Romania's efforts in combating corruption and enacting judicial reforms after the country met its obligations under its deal to join the 27-member bloc.

The European Commission has said Romania had “satisfactorily met” recommendations under its Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, a scheme that was launched in 2007 when Romania joined the E.U. to ensure progress on pushing through judicial reforms and fighting widespread corruption.

The Commission said its latest report found that Romania, a country of about 19.5 million people, has made “significant efforts to implement” its various recommendations “through new legislation, policies, and tools to strengthen the judiciary and combat corruption.” Romania's President Klaus Iohannis hailed Tuesday's announcement as “a very important day for Romania,” which “has taken a significant new step on the path of European integration.” In Transparency International's 2021 Corruption Perception Index, Romania ranked 66 out of 180 countries, with the most corrupt ranking in descending order. Romania, like all members of the 27-nation bloc, will continue to be monitored under the Commission's annual rule of law cycle.