European Commission weekly meeting. Photo: EC – Audiovisual Service / Etienne Ansotte

The European Commission told Romania on Wednesday not to take backward steps in terms of anti-graft reforms, and to reconsider a set of controversial justice laws that have triggered the country’s largest protests since the fall of communism.

The head of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, and Vice-President Frans Timmermans, issued a joint statement on Tuesday, stressing that Bucharest will only be able to remove question marks over its justice system and over corruption if adopted reforms are seen as irreversible.

Romania has been under the Verification and Cooperation Mechanisms, CVM, in terms of justice and the rule of law since it joined the European Union in 2007.

Several EU members, including the The Netherlands and Austria, have conditioned their vote on Romania’s wish to join the Schengen Agreement on solving its corruption problem.

“The Commission calls on the Romanian Parliament to rethink the course of action proposed, to open up the debate in line with the Commission’s recommendations and to build a broad consensus on the way forward,” the statement read.

It also quoted the 2017 CVM Report which identified justice laws as an important test of the extent to which the legitimate interests of judicial and other stakeholders are given an opportunity to be voiced, and are taken sufficiently into account in final decisions. “Events since then have done nothing to address these concerns,” the statement added.

We are following the latest developments in Romania with concern. The independence of Romania’s judicial system and its capacity to fight corruption effectively are essential cornerstones of a strong Romania in the EU.

???????? ???????? @JunckerEU https://t.co/s3iIwnI77r — Frans Timmermans (@TimmermansEU) January 24, 2018

The European Parliament is also set at its February plenary session to discuss the impact of the latest developments on the rule of law in Romania.

Thousands of Romanians have taken to the streets during the past year to protest against moves by the ruling Social Democratic Party to amend justice laws.

The Constitutional Court has received several complaints from the Supreme Court and opposition parties over the constitutionality of three laws adopted by parliament in December. A decision is scheduled for January 30.

The changes have been criticized on several occasions by Brussels, which is at odds also with Poland and Hungary over threats to rule of law.

The Commission launched an unprecedented infringement procedure against Poland last month over new legislation that might force some Supreme Court judges to step down.

The EU’s justice commissioner, Vera Jurova, told the media that she has been asked to work on a proposal that could oblige member states such as Poland and Hungary to pass tests on the independence of their judicial systems before receiving funding.