RSS
Frans Timmermans asks Romania’s Government to reconsider justice initiatives
First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans said that while the European Commission could not interfere in states' internal affairs, the issue should be discussed as the consequences that the Romanian authorities would face might "not be positive."
"In our perception the emergency ordinance and draft legislation seem to indicate another direction — back. I call upon authorities of Romania to carefully look into what they are doing… I find it difficult to understand why lowering the standards of fighting corruption is in the interest of the Romanian nation," Timmermans said in an address to the European Parliament.
Frans Timmermans urged the Romanian Government to reconsider what they have done both with the emergnecy ordinance amending the Penal Code and the draft legislation on pardon.
Speaking in the opening of the plenary session organized in the European Parliament on democracy and justice in Romania, on Thursday morning, Frans Timmermans acknowledged the progress Romania has made in the last 28 years in the fight against corruption, saying that the country is in the final meters of this “long marathon,” heading to a situation where “the development towards strengthening the rule of law is irreversible.”
“In this context, it is worrying what we have seen over the last couple of days. The emergency ordinance and the draft legislation pertaining to the fight against corruption can not be interpreted as anything else than a step back from the progress we have seen in the last decade,” the EC official said in the opening statement. Thus, he urged the Romanian Government to reconsider the justice bills.
He added that, “like any European nation, the Romanian nation deserves politicians and Governments who support the fight against corruption.”
The measures come in wake of a European Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) report that concluded corruption in Romania was a "deep-seated societal problem with consequences for both government and economy." It stated question marks hang over judicial independence and "deficient legislative practice" that allows for the "sudden introduction of changes through parliament, bypassing better regulation and consultation."
It concluded that greater transparency is needed in publishing information about progress in combating corruption, and the Romanian government needed to explain why its prosecutors refuse to lift parliamentary immunities and so, enable the prosecution of politicians.
“We’ve seen the protests in Romania, we’ve seen the very clear worries expressed by the Romanian judiciary on this, let them finish their jobs so then we can come to the conclusion that developments are irreversible,” Frans Timmermans also stated.
“Why would you, on the final meters of a marathon, want to turn back and run the other way?”
He also said that the legislation could also affect the disbursement of European funds in Romania. “Being part of the EU doesn’t mean only getting help, but also respecting some values,” the EC Vice-President pointed out.