Radio România Internațional

Tag: CMV

  • Criticism and recommendations for Romania

    Criticism and recommendations for Romania

    In January 2017, 10 years since Romania’s EU accession, the European Commission presented a set of 12 recommendations for Romania in its annual evaluation report under the Cooperation Verification Mechanism which, once implemented, would have eventually led to lifting the mechanism in 2019. At the time, a new ruling coalition, made up of the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, took office in Romania.



    “It is regrettable that Romania not only broke the course of reforms, but also regained some aspects that were considered closed or invoked in relation to the achievements of the last 10 years”, European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans said on Tuesday shortly after the Commission’s report was made public. “It is essential that Romania register progress in the fight as soon as possible against corruption and guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary”, the EU official went on to say. “It is the only way for Romania to return to the path that will lead to the conclusion of the MCV process, which is of interest to both the citizens and the country and the EU in general”, Frans Timmermans added. For that to happen, the Commission has issued an additional 8 recommendations for Romania.



    The Commission wants the ruling coalition to call off the implementation of the justice laws and the subsequent emergency ordinances and revise them in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO). The Commission wants to call off the implementation of amendments to be brought to the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure and to relaunch the process of revising the codes while taking into account the need to ensure their compliance with European legislation and international anti-corruption standards.



    The Commission also wants the Romanian Government to immediately suspend all procedures for appointing and dismissing prosecutors in key positions. The Commission wants the Government to restart the process of appointing a Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, who should have proven experience in the prosecution of corruption crimes and a clear mandate for the DNA to continue to conduct professional, independent and non-partisan investigations of corruption.



    Furthermore, the Commission wants the Government to respect negative opinions from the Superior Council of Magistracy on appointments or dismissals of prosecutors at managerial posts. Drawing on Tuesday’s report, the European Parliament also on Tuesday passed a resolution expressing its deep concern with the judicial and criminal reforms in Romania, arguing that these structurally undermine the independence of the country’s judiciary, its capacity to efficiently fight corruption and would weaken the rule of law.



    The European Parliament also condemns the disproportionate and unwarranted use of violence by security forces during the August 10 protest in Bucharest. At the time Romanians both at home and abroad voiced their disgruntlement with what they consider a systematic effort from the left-wing power to subordinate the justice system and neutralize the state’s instruments to fight corruption.

  • June 28, 2018

    June 28, 2018

    European Council — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is participating for two days in the European Council meeting in Brussels. Talks will focus, among others, on the European defense policy, economic growth and competitiveness, digitalization, innovation and trade and the post-2020 EU budget. The main topic of the summit is migration. According to a communiqué of the presidential administration, Klaus Iohannis will reiterate the need to continue the consolidation of the EU’s external border protection and will highlight the need for a collective effort of member states to intensify dialogue with the migrants’ countries of origin or of transit. In a letter conveyed to the heads of state and government of the 28 EU members, the president of the European Council Donald Tusk points to the very high stakes involved, and to the growingly heated debates over migrants. He underscored that the EU’s target should be to dismantle the bootleg-type of business, this being the most efficient way to stop the migrants’ flow and to put an end to loss of human lives at sea.



    Brussels — The Speaker of the Romanian Senate Calin Popescu Tariceanu is having talks today in Brussels with the First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, about observance of human rights and freedoms in Romania and about the institutional relations in a rule of law state. A press release issued in Bucharest writes that the talks will tackle the stage of monitoring of the Romanian judiciary by the EC through the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification (CMV) and bilateral issues. The meeting is taking place in the context in which the EU officials are closely monitoring the amendments brought to the justice laws by the ruling coalition in Romania made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats, amendments that are being contested by the opposition parties, civil society and part of the magistrates and that triggered off street protests. In Bucharest, the US Embassy issued a release stating that important partner states have called on Romania to consider the potentially negative impact of the amendments to be brought to the criminal laws and have asked the authorities to avoid changes that might undermine the rule of law or Bucharest’s capacity to fight crime and corruption.



    Weather — Romania’s eastern half will be under a code yellow alert for rain until Thursday night. The highs of the day will range between 23 and 29 degrees C, with a 20 degree reading in Bucharest at noon. Meteorologists warn that it will continue to rain in most regions of Romania until Saturday. Hydrologists have also issued a code orange alert for flooding for 8 drainage basins in the south, center and east valid until Thursday afternoon. For other rivers in the south, east and center of the country a code yellow alert has been issued, valid until midnight. According to the Interior Ministry rainfalls have affected 60 localities in 14 counties. The Ministry officials have mobilized at national level, around 16 thousand employees and more than 6,600 technical means.



    Government — The Romanian government is today discussing a bill on granting state aid to those companies who make large-scale investments, mainly in less developed regions. According to the finance minister Eugen Teodorovici the government decision submitted for analysis is a follow-up of the state aid scheme that was successfully implemented between 2014-2017. Minister Teodorovici said that resuming this scheme would boost economic growth, bridge the gaps between regions and help produce innovative products.



    DIICOT — The prosecutors of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Bucharest started the investigation in rem in the case of the criminal complaint made by the opposition National Liberal Party president Ludovic Orban against the Social Democratic prime minister Viorica Dancila, a case in which he accuses her of high treason and disclosure of secret information that undermines national security. The complaint is related to a memorandum discussed in the government meeting that analyzed the adequacy of relocating the Romanian Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Ludovic Orban accused Viorica Dancila of revealing confidential information and of having presented the Romanian President with false information in relation to the respective memorandum. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)