Bucharest: Romania’s government defended on Friday planned judicial reforms after seven European embassies in Bucharest added their voices to concerns that the EU country risked backtracking on tackling corruption.

The foreign ministry stressed the left-wing government’s “strong attachment to EU values” and said Bucharest was “open to a real and concrete dialogue” to assuage concerns.

“Reforming the rule of law and the fight against corruption are among the government’s priorities,” the ministry said in a statement.

On Thursday the upper house of parliament approved a third and final part of a package of judicial reforms that have already sparked street protests in the capital and worries in Brussels and Washington.

Agence France-Presse