site.btaJustice Minister, French Ambassador Discuss Judicial Reform, Training Magistrates

The Minister of Justice Atanas Slavov and the French Ambassador Joel Meyer discussed the state of the Bulgarian justice system in the light of Bulgaria's expected accession to the Schengen area and the opportunities for improving the qualification of Bulgarian magistrates with French support, the Ministry of Justice said Thursday.

Minister Slavov briefed his French guests on the forthcoming constitutional amendments aimed at strengthening judicial independence and increasing the accountability of the prosecution. He outlined the changes envisaged regarding the role of the Prosecutor General, saying that there is agreement among the political forces to remove the Prosecutor General's power to supervise legality and to give methodological instructions to other prosecutors.

Atanas Slavov also stressed the importance of the changes in the anti-corruption legislation by increasing the powers of the future anti-corruption commission with investigative functions. He shared his expectations for support in training and raising the qualification of the future employees of the Commission, especially in the field of investigating corruption in high levels of power.

Ambassador Meyer and Pierre de Mont, a liaison magistrate based in Bucharest, commented on the long tradition of relations with the Bulgarian justice system in developing the capacity of magistrates. They offered assistance in upgrading the qualifications of Bulgarian judges and methodological assistance in updating their training programmes.