Romania gets EUR 60 mln from World Bank to improve judicial services

The World Bank approved yesterday a EUR 60 million financing for Romania to help the country improve its judicial services. The Romanian Government will contribute with EUR 5 million to this project, which will have a total value of EUR 65 million. The program aims to rehabilitate and build courthouses, particularly in poor and underserved regions of Romania, and will provide investments in IT&C infrastructure to improve interactions with citizens, businesses, and across the justice network. It will also assist the National Trade Registry Office in adhering to EU standards concerning services related to information about companies, certificates, bankruptcy-processing procedures, and other elements encompassing the life cycle of a company. The third goal is to enhance the performance of prosecution services by supporting IT&C investments, implementing audio-video and security improvements in line with EU standards, and facilitating adherence to human rights standards in prosecution interviews. “Supporting the continuity and efficient implementation of justice services and anti-corruption efforts is at the heart of shaping a Romania that is fair and accountable to its citizens, attractive to investments, and committed to strengthening its public sector,” said Elisabetta Capannelli, World Bank Country Manager for Romania and Hungary. Romania has made significant progress in reforming the judicial sector since joining the EU in 2007, according to the World Bank. “The number of companies that found corruption cases in the judiciary system decreased from 14% in 2008 to 1% in 2013, and the percentage of companies which said that courts were not a problem for their business activities also increased from 28% to 73% over the same period.” Despite the progress, several courts in Romania are affected by the inadequate infrastructure and can’t meet European standards, which lowers their efficiency, according to the World Bank. editor@romania-insider.com