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Bulgaria and Croatia among worst performers according to EU progress report

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The report took aim at Croatia regarding its judiciary, stating that “despite important steps taken, the length of judicial proceedings remains a serious issue.” Eurobarometer surveys conducted in 2025 show that the perception of judicial independence in Croatia is below 30 per cent, one of the worst results in the entire EU. Several member states have undertaken criminal law reforms to strengthen the fight against corruption, and Croatia is preparing draft legislation to support more efficient investigations and prosecutions of corruption offences and to strengthen the competences of its specialised prosecution service. The lack of comprehensive lobbying rules is mentioned as an area for improvement in the fight against corruption. While the implementation of Croatia’s new law on lobbying is on track, the public is not directly informed about meetings between lobbyists and officials. On the other hand, Croatia has made “significant steps” to improve the implementation of the People’s Ombudsperson’s recommendations and to enhance access to information. With regard to first-instance public procurement review bodies, the level of perceived independence is lowest in Croatia (alongside Bulgaria and Hungary). In Croatia, business stakeholders identified the efficiency and quality of the justice system, as well as the quality and frequent changes in legislation, as the main challenges for investment.

Romania continues to pursue reforms, particularly in strengthening the judiciary and prosecution services, and has made investments in digital infrastructure and justice system resources, the 2025 report noted. However, key challenges remain. Constitutional Court rulings have had major implications, including the annulment of presidential elections and the closure of many corruption cases due to statute of limitations decisions. Media independence is under threat, with concerns about political financing of private media and lack of reform in public service media governance. Businesses and civil society face uncertainty due to inconsistent legislation and regulatory burdens. Public trust in judicial independence is still low, and issues persist around the autonomy of the prosecution and the transparency of judicial appointments. While Romania’s reform path is noteworthy, sustained political commitment and better implementation are essential to build public confidence and ensure long-term rule of law resilience, it said.

Slovenia fully implemented recommendations made in last year’s report in several areas, the EU Commission noted. These included the recommendation to finalise the legislative process to amend the rules on parliamentary inquiries with adequate safeguards for independence of judges and state prosecutors; the recommendation to finalise the measures to increase the remuneration of judges and state prosecutors, taking into account European standards on resources and remuneration for the justice system; and the recommendation to complete the adoption of the new anti-corruption strategy and action plan and begin implementation. Significant progress was made on taking further measures to ensure that the reform of judicial appointments contains adequate safeguards for judicial independence.

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  • From the abstract and recommendations of the EC report:

    Bulgaria has engaged in reform efforts, in dialogue with the Commission, under the Rule of Law cycle and the Recovery and Resilience Plan, and there have been several legislative developments particularly in the past six months. The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria ruled that parts of the comprehensive constitutional amendments, essential for the organisation of the State, had been adopted by a body not competent to do so, and declared most of the reform unconstitutional. As a result, previous concerns that the reform had aimed to address have reemerged. The provisions dismissed include limits on the Prosecutor General’s powers, although the mechanism for the effective accountability and criminal liability of the Prosecutor General and deputies was declared con- stitutional. The effectiveness of this mechanism is constrained by some procedural issues. As for the Supreme Judicial Council, the Constitutional Court dismissed the overall reform but considered that a restructuring would be possible. The long-term secondment of judges and the functioning of the Inspectorate to the Supreme Judicial Council remain a concern. A draft law to extend judicial review for prosecutorial decisions for cases of termination and suspension of investigations for victimless crimes was tabled. The level of perceived judicial independence in Bulgaria continues to be very low. The law on mandatory meeting for judicial mediation has been adopted. New digital tools have been introduced to improve access to justice. Initial data show that courts perform efficiently when dealing with civil and commercial proceedings.