Bucharest receives
\na cold shower right during its presidency of the Council of the European Union.
\nOn Wednesday, both the European Parliament and the Commission called on
\nRomanian authorities to return to what they described as the right track of the
\nreform in the judiciary, and to abstain from anything that would disrupt the
\nrule of law. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans urged the
\nGovernment not to take any measures that would affect the judicial system and
\nnot to create impunity for high-level civil servants sentenced for
\ncorruption-related offences. Such moves would force the Commission to take
\nimmediate measures, Timmermans warned.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Moreover, on
\nWednesday 12 embassies of Romania’s most important partners and allies,
\nincluding the USA, France and Germany, voiced their common concern about the
\nsituation in Romania. In a joint letter posted on social networks, the
\nembassies request all parties involved in issuing emergency orders on the
\njudicial system to refrain from changes that would weaken the rule of law and
\nRomania’s capacity to fight crime and corruption. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The head of the
\ngovernment formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals
\nand Democrats, Viorica Dancila, was quick to reply. In no country do
\nambassadors plan the agenda of the prime minister, she snapped. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
She also voiced
\nsurprise at the statements of First Vice-President Timmermans, and mentioned
\nthat there is a group of experts from the European Commission and the Romanian
\nJustice Ministry, which have frequent consultations on topics related to the
\njudicial reform.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
In turn, the
\nJustice Minister Tudorel Toader, an independent backed by the Alliance of
\nLiberals and Democrats in power, believes the statements made by the EU
\nofficials have electoral purposes, ahead of next month’s election for the
\nEuropean Parliament. Commentators disagree, and say that the parties of the
\nDutch Timmermans and the Romanian Dancila are part of the same family of the
\nEuropean Socialists. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the
\nOpposition in Romania welcomes the West’s firm assessment of the situation in
\nRomania. On behalf of the National Liberal Party, the main party in Opposition,
\nDeputy Ioan Cupsa mentioned that the pillars on which Romania’s foreign policy
\nrelies are the European Union, NATO and the strategic partnership with the USA,
\nand added that the changes in the judiciary may jeopardise Romania’s relation
\nwith these entities. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The leader of
\nSave Romania Union, Dan Barna, says in turn that Timmermans’ statement on the
\nRomanian judiciary is the harshest reaction from the European Commission in the
\n2 years since the leftist Government has been accused of trying to pass
\nlegislation in order to hinder the fight against corruption and to control
\nmagistrates, so as to keep its indicted leaders out of prison.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Government of Romania and its Western partners have diverging views on the much-debated reform of the Romanian judiciary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":81326,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[33066,33587,29026,34588,29749,29268,31922,29826],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-81325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-dancila","tag-european","tag-france","tag-frans","tag-germany","tag-parliament","tag-timmermans","tag-usa"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n