Amongst others, I would like to underline the legal framework which has been laid for the establishment of a modern, professional and independent public administration. The Child Protection Act will ensure that children without a family will be placed in the care of a special institution only when all other possibilities have been exhausted. Progress in the protection of minority rights have also been noted, with a more active participation of Roma representatives in the local political life, and increased opportunities for children of Turkish origin to be educated in their own language. These are just a few examples. The judicial system cannot yet be qualified as a strong, effective, independent and professional system, which guarantees full respect for the rule of law as well as effective participation in the EU internal market.
Corruption continues to be a serious problem.
Even if it is difficult by nature to assess the extent of the problem, it is still quoted by individuals and economic operators as a major obstacle to their activities. We still fail to see tangible results from the actions, which have been undertaken by the Government in this field. Regarding the Roma minority, whilst there is a political commitment to tackle discrimination and poor living conditions, this commitment has not yet been translated into concrete actions. Let s now look at the economic criterion . I know that this is a controversial issue so it is necessary to explain in more details how this criterion is appraised.