Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has pledged a swift adoption of substantial changes to the judicial system that will result in Bulgaria outpacing Romania in terms of progress in combating corruption and organized crime.

• Speaking Friday in Varna, he argued that a year and a half ago, during his previous term in office as Prime Minister, Romania had had a monitoring report under the Co-Operation and Verification Mechanism issued every six months, while the one on Bulgaria had covered a year and a half, and yet everybody had been comparing Romania to Bulgaria.
  
• “In a sense, they were trying to catch up with us. At the same time, we wanted, if possible, to be treated separately from them as regards Schengen bids. What has happened in a year and a half is that Romanians are now given to us as an example. Four years they were behind us,” Borisov declared, vowing that Bulgaria will again outperform Romania in 3-4 months, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio.
  
• He also told journalists that the government was working “in perfect synchrony” in an atmosphere of mutual respect, understanding, tolerance and discipline.