The European Commission published its 2018 report on the progress in Bulgaria and Romania under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. “This report acknowledges that Bulgaria has continued to make steady progress in implementing the final recommendations we set out in January 2017. If the current positive trend continues and progress is maintained sustainably and irreversibly, I am confident that the CVM process for Bulgaria can be concluded before the end of this Commission’s mandate”, First Vice President Frans Timmermans said. The Commission considers that several recommendations have already been implemented and a number of others are very close to implementation. On this basis, three benchmarks (judicial independence, legislative framework and organized crime) out of six can be considered provisionally closed. In addition the EC report notes a significant deterioration in the Bulgarian media environment over recent years which risks ristricting the access of the public to information and can have a negative impact on judicial independence, with targeted attacks on judges in some media. “I regret that Romania has not only stalled its reform process, but also reopened and backtracked on issues where progress was made over the past ten years. It is essential that Romania gets back on track immediately in the fight against corruption and also ensures an independent judiciary. This is the only way Romania can resume its path towards the conclusion of the CVM process in the interest of the citizens, its country and the EU as a whole”, Frans Timmermans pointed out. Bulgaria’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva noted that media is not subject to monitoring by the EC and said that the report of the European Commission on Bulgaria's progress under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism is objective. The EC report on the progress in Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism is positive, objective and clearly evaluates the results achieved and the irreversibility of the reforms, Bulgaria's Minister of Justice Tsetska Tsacheva said.