Filkov for the EC Report: When using the methodology, only the date for the final implementation is recorded, and we are asked in the process to report on all the steps taken

Commenting on the Report on the state's progress pertaining to the judiciary and fundamental rights, the Minister of Justice, Igor Filkov, said in an interview for MIA that this is only an incentive for the Ministry of Justice to continue working actively to achieve European standards in the direction of implementing reforms. Deep, structural changes are being made that cannot be measured only with quantitative indicators or with perceptions.
"We have been receiving reports for over 20 years. What is important is that the reforms are started. I am surprised by the fact that when using the methodology, only the date for the final realization is recorded, and we are asked in the process to report on all the steps taken, and none of that is noted in the final report. Therefore, it is important to note that in the past 18 months, the Ministry of Justice has prepared and submitted to the government procedure: the Law on the Judicial Council, the Law on Changes to the Law on Salaries of Judges, the Law on Changes to the Law for Salaries of Public Prosecutors, the Law on the Judicial Service, the Law on the Public Prosecutor's Service, the Law on the Salaries of Members of the Judicial Council, the Law on the Salaries of Members of the Council of Public Prosecutors, the Law on Prevention of Corruption and Conflict of Interests, the Law on Protected Reporting and Protection of Whistleblowers, the Law on Litigation, the Law on Evaluation, the Law on Expert Testimony, the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Nature. In the final phase, other laws are in the process of preparation: for pardons, for probation, for protection of personal data, for confiscation of property in civil proceedings and other laws, Filkov asserts.

According to Filkov, the largest part of the notes in the Report relate to the judiciary as a whole. For this reason, a clear distinction must be made between the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice.
,, The Ministry of Justice is not a court, nor a Public Prosecutor's Office. The Ministry does not judge, accuse or decide upon cases — that is the exclusive competence of the judiciary and the Prosecutor's Office. Our role is different, but equally important: to create a stable, fair and modern legal framework in which judges and prosecutors will be able to work independently, professionally and without pressure.
For example, for the processes that we implement, such as the Law on Civil Procedure, it is stated in the Report that there is no progress. On the contrary, it is prepared and is in a governmental procedure, and it is expected that it will soon enter the parliamentary procedure.
In this context, I would like to mention that the implementation rate of the Development Sectoral Strategy for the Judiciary 2024-2028 in the first priority area, the judiciary and the Public Prosecutor's Office, and in the second priority area, the institutions of the judicial system, is over 80%, and the assessment in the Report is that only limited progress has been achieved", said the Minister of Justice, Igor Filkov.