The evaluation of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) in Justice
Period of implementation: January 2010 – September 2010
For the first time in Romania, the project made a comparative analysis of the real effects generated by CVM over vital sectors for anticorruption policies in Romania.
Project’s research activities documented the practical effects of CVM compared with the initial intentions of the European Commission. The last section of the project included advocacy and recommendations regarding the post-2009 CVM. It was an opportunity for civil society and for Romanian institutions to contribute to these policies where it matters – in Bruxelles. The final conference
The project will evaluate the CVM effects in the following areas:
- The Capacity of the Superior Council of Magistrates to develop and implement ethical and integrity standards
- The evolution of human resources policies in justice and their effects anti-corruption field.
- The effects of the CVM over political dynamic in Romania
- The overall analysis of efficiency of EU conditionalities for Romania (for justice)
Donor: Project developed together with Romanian Academic Society.
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Romania – Moldova partnership for European integration
Period of implementation: December 2009 – September 2010
Despite its European aspirations supported by a solid majority and a governing alliance, the Republic of Moldova, at that time was almost absent from the Brussels agenda. Worse still, many European decision makers considered Moldova as a state located in Russia’s orbit and treat the relationship with Chisinau through this lens, putting the ‘good relations with Moscow’ criteria among the important objectives of the EU – Moldova cooperation. In the long term, this vision is likely to block Moldova in an intermediate area and to incapacitate the reformist efforts made by Moldova’s governments.
In this context, Romania is the only EU member state with a natural interest in maintaining Moldova on the EU agenda, but Romania suffers as a European player from:
a) Lack of experience and capacity to lobby
b) Lack of credibility on this issue, with many Member States being reluctant to Romanian initiatives out of fear of having the EU high-jacked by policies based on identity/feelings criteria.
Donor: Soros Foundation Romania and Soros Moldova
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Building the capacity of the Romanian Parliament to be an active European actor
Period of implementation: March 2010 – December 2010
A recent report of the European Commission shows the Romanian Parliament as one of the least responsive in drafting EU legislation. According to a procedure adopted by the Commission couple of years ago as an attempt to prefigure Lisbon Treaty, the EU legislation proposals are sent to the National Parliaments in order to check their positions and to gather feed-back. Bucharest Parliament became part of this procedure after 2007 accession but it did not send a single position paper in this period.
The Lisbon Treaty has just come into force and the above mentioned procedure has become constitutional rule: National Parliaments will be consulted in drafting EU legislation, effectively becoming an actor in Brussels’ complex institutional design. Romania`s Parliament is not prepared for such a task; The Parliament`s Common Committee on EU affairs is barely functional, not mentioning its performances; the Romanian MPs risk losing their chance to have a voice in the place where 60% of the legal rules that affect Romanian citizens are drafted.
This project will make a comprehensive assessment of the current institutional situation in Romania and will propose good practices for the Romanian Parliament to import from other legislatives in EU. The German model seems to have a particular relevance for Romania, since the supervision role of the Parliament is strongly institutionalized there, without going too far into a Parliament-led model.
4) Project goal and objectives
This project is addressing the above mentioned issues by:
a) Assessing the current institutional capacity of the Parliament to actively engage in EU legislative process
b) Contributing to the capacity building process by consultancy and training.
Donor: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
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Civic monitoring on the progress of Bulgaria and Romania towards accession to the Schengen Area
Period of implementation: March 2010 – January 2011
The project aims to monitor the performance of official commitments made by Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen area. The Romanian Center for European Policies will monitor the situation in Romania while the Open Society Institute – Sofia will handle the case of Bulgaria.
The purpose of the civic monitoring is to disclose to the European public in general and the Romanian public in particular Romania’s state of preparedness to join the Schengen area.
Civic monitoring will focus on two directions:
1. Romania’s progress in preparation in the following areas:
a. Police cooperation
b. Borders (air, land, sea)
c. Protection of data
d. Visas
e. The Schengen Information System
2. Absorption of funds allocated through the Schengen Facility:
- Analysis of the objectives financed by the Schengen Facility;
- The rate of absorption of funds allocated;
- The level of implementation of the projects financed
Partnership
The project is developed in partnership with the Open Society Institute – Sofia.
Donor: Open Society Institute-Europe
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