EU justice, interior ministers discuss law enforcement reforms in Riga

Justice and interior ministers of the EU and Eastern Partnership countries on Thursday gathered for an informal meeting to assess progress on law enforcement reforms and combating corruption in Eastern Partnership countries.

Latvian Justice Minister Dzintars Rasnacs described Thursday's meeting as very successful, noting that special attention was paid to countries' cooperation on fighting corruption and prosecution reforms.

"The Latvian presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission appreciates the reforms carried out by the Eastern Partnership countries and calls for a responsible approach to such reforms," Rasnacs told journalists after the talks.

Vera Jurova, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, said that the talks underlined the importance of reforms for making a transition to full democracy.

Successful reforms are also a basic precondition for strong economic growth, she added. The talks also dealt with prosecution reforms, which are essential for development, Jurova said.

"I would like to emphasize the significance of our long-term cooperation on enhancing information exchange among our law enforcement services, as well as organizing various kinds of training and sharing experience. This cooperation should continue both in the bilateral and multi-lateral Eastern Partnership format," said Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis.

The EU's Eastern Partnership program is intended to promote political and economic-trade cooperation within post-Soviet states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Endit