JUDICIAL REFORM: THE PROSECUTION OFFICE AND INVESTIGATION AUTHORITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF EU MEMBERSHIP 2 This is the second publication of the Center for the Study of Democracy dedicated to the judicial reform in relation to the place and the role of the prosecution office and the investigation service. It presents the experience of the European Union Member States and the candidate countries as regards the organization and the structure of the prosecution office and the investigating authorities. It contains contributions from representatives of the courts, the prosecution offices and the investigating authorities of Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary and the Czech Republic as well as judges, investigators, representatives of the legislature and the executive and non-governmental organizations in Bulgaria. The publication aims to continue the broad public and expert discussion on the different options to reform the judiciary in Bulgaria, following the successful models implemented in other countries. Editors Maria Yordanova, PhD Dimitar Markov This publication is part of the project Bulgarian Judiciary in the EU Accession Process: Reforming the Investigation and the Prosecution, implemented by the Center for the Study of Democracy with the financial support of the European Commission. ISBN 954-477-134-44 © 2005 Center for the Study of Democracy All rights reserved Center for the Study of Democracy 5 Alexander Zhendov Street 1113 Sofia Phone: (359 2) 971 3000 Fax: (359 2) 971 2233 E-mail:
[email protected] www.csd.bg 3 CONTENTS Judicial Reform – State of Play and Opportunities Maria Yordanova . .5 Judicial Reform: Consensus instead of Political Rhetoric Ognian Shentov .