Major decision expected today in Brussels: The College of Commissioners discusses the preliminary conclusions of the Verification and Cooperation Mechanism on Romania / Commission could take an important step towards lifting the CVM – sources

Update: The EU’s Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council could include both Romania’s Schengen accession proposal and the lifting of the CVM for Romania, official sources told G4Media

Inital Article: The College of Commissioners of the European Commission meets today at noon to discuss, among other things, the conclusions of the CVM (Verification and Cooperation Mechanism) report on Romania, several sources in Brussels told G4Media.

„There is a possibility that the College of Commissioners will recommend in a letter to the president that the CVM be lifted, adding a long list of issues that Romania still has to do. It will not be a blank CEC. The CVM will have to be lifted, but not today, we are not there yet,” EU officials are quoted as saying at a meeting with Romanian MEPs.

The decision on whether to lift the CVM will be proposed by the European Commission to the EU Council and the European Parliament.

The Romanian authorities have been insisting for years that the CVM be lifted for Romania, on the grounds that it is a discriminatory instrument compared with other EU countries that have problems with the functioning of the justice system but are not monitored.

On the other hand, there is a new mechanism that monitors the rule of law in all Member States and makes European funds conditional on respect for principles and values such as the independence of justice and freedom of the press. The CVM would overlap with this mechanism which is much more effective, as it has a tool for effectively sanctioning states that do not respect the rule of law: blocking EU funds.

The CVM was established with Romania’s accession to the European Union in 2007 and used as a tool to monitor progress in justice reform.

Background. The lifting of the CVM is also desired by the Romanian authorities to facilitate accession to the Schengen area, as the Netherlands has made a direct link between the two files.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has publicly stated that he is considering the CVM reports when it comes to accepting Romania’s Schengen membership.

He said in a speech in the Dutch parliament on 20 October that „we have nothing in principle against Bulgaria or Romania joining Schengen”, but added that an update of the CVM monitoring and a „broadening” of the Schengen evaluation mission was needed.