Preliminary assessment of the second payment request of Romania

of the judiciary (pages 12 and 41-42 of the Strategy), under strategic objective A.2 Improving the quality and the efficiency of the justice system through digital transformation Measures of this kind include a pilot project aiming to elaborate and plan the cross-sector strategy for the digitalization of the physical archive. These can be found under specific objective 1.10 Elaboration of a strategy for the digitisation of the physical archive, at the level of the entire judicial sector, (pages 19 and 81 of the Strategy), under strategic objective B.1 Extending citizens' access to justice as well as legal aid. The progress in implementing the strategy shall be monitored and assessed using a set of indicators developed based on objective resources such as the EU Justice Scoreboard, EC Rule of Law Report. The implementation of the Strategy shall be monitored and assessed as described in Section VI of the Strategy (pages 26-27) and is based on the cooperation between all institutions responsible for

carrying out actions and achieving foreseen indicators. The objectives and actions included in the action plan are associated with a set of performance indicators interconnecting achievement (such as Adoption in Parliament of Draft Law on Judicial Organisation, Draft Law on the Status of Magistrates, Draft Law on the Superior Council of Magistracy), result (for instance, normative framework in line with the recommendations of the CVM, GRECO, Venice Commission reports) and expected impact (such as increase of perception of justice independence) (page 31 of the Strategy). The performance indicators were developed based on objective resources, such as recommendations in the EU Justice Scoreboard and EC Rule of Law Report (pages 35 – 81 of the Strategy). The link between each performance indicator and the objective resource is presented in the action plan (pages 31 – 91 of the Strategy). According to the further specifications in the Operational Arrangements, the strategy (which shall include priorities, steps to achieve them and a timeline for implementation) shall be uploaded on

Ministry of Justice’s website during the consultation phase, together with the Government Decision approving the strategy and associated action plan. The central judiciary institutions (the Superior Council of Magistracy, the High Court of Cassation and Justice the General Prosecutors Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice) will support the Ministry of Justice throughout the implementation. Commission Preliminary Assessment: Satisfactory fulfilled

Related Measure: Ensuring the independence of the judiciary, enhancing its Number: 422 quality and efficiency Name of the Milestone: Entry into force of the law amending the powers of the National Agency for the Management of Seized Assets

Qualitative Indicator: Provision in the law indicating entry into force of the law for amending the powers of the National Agency for the Management of Time: Q2 2022 Seized Assets Context: The objective of reform C14.R5 is to strengthen the independence of magistrates, making the functioning of judicial institutions more efficient, in accordance with the relevant case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and taking into account recommendations made in the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism reports (hereinafter referred to as “CVM reports”), the reports by the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (hereinafter referred to as “GRECO”) and the opinions of the Commission for Democracy through Law (hereinafter referred to

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