2019 Activity Report of the Romanian Interior Ministry

The incumbent Interior Minister Marcel Vela has presented the 2019 activity report and the priorities for 2020

Daniela Budu, 04.03.2020, 14:00

The Liberal incumbent Interior Minister Marcel Vela has recently presented the 2019 activity report of the institution he is heading, stating that, as compared to 2018, the workload of the ministrys staff was higher. There were more criminal cases and more people sent to court or for whom preventive measures were enforced. Also, a rise in street crime and crimes against people and property was reported in 2019. Vela has also stated that the file of the Diaspora rally on August 10th is no longer classified.

We recall that on August 10th gendarmes intervened in force against people protesting against the Government then headed by the Social Democrat Viorica Dancila. “Once the prosecutors have finalized the indictment, we will know who must pay for what happened back then. In 2018 and 2019, citizens trust in the police and gendarmerie dropped dramatically, especially after August 10 and the Caracal case”, Vela added. In the Caracal case, a 66 year-old man is accused of having abused and then killed two teenagers.

In another move, Vela presented the priorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for 2020. Here is Marcel Vela:

“Increasing the security level for all citizens, war on all fronts against organized crime and crime in general, quality public services, increasing the capacity of the MIA forces and the level of endowment to meet the current requirements, an efficient system of intervention in emergencies. In the current international context, citizens must know that we are ready to protect the state border.”

Attending the presentation of the report, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis stated that, in the past years, the activity of the Interior Ministry has been marred by a number of flaws in situations such as the Caracal case or the events of August 10th, adding that the institution has the obligation to conduct a self-assessment. Also, the president added, the ministrys staff must act for the benefit of the citizens and support the state institutions, and their main goal should be abiding by the law.

President Klaus Iohannis:

“It is imperative that the decision-makers within the Ministry of Internal Affairs are fully aware of their responsibility towards the Romanians and make all the necessary efforts to modernize and render the institution more effective. You have to make sure that in all the steps taken by the employees of the ministry, values ​​and principles are fully respected, such as: dignity, individual freedom, equality before the law, honesty, trust and tolerance.”

The acting PM Ludovic Orban too urged the Interior Ministrys staff to do their duty in keeping with the law.