Two months ahead of Romania taking over the EU presidency, the European Commission on Thursday raised “concerns” over the Romanian government's attempts to target the last remaining high-profile independent prosecutor in the country, Augustin Lazar. He has been critical of the government's judicial reforms and was earlier praised by Brussels for exposing high-level corruption, including the theft of EU funds. The EC is particularly concerned since the political attacks against Lazar follow the removal of Romania’s anti-corruption chief, threatening the rule of law in the country.