Brussels, 11/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - The political crisis in Romania constitutes a grave danger and could undermine the country's progress towards full integration in the European Union, warned European Justice Commission Viviane Reding on Wednesday 11 July. Reding, who said she had been very concerned at events from 3 July, was answering questions during a press conference on the eve of the meeting on Thursday between Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta.
“Personally, I see grave danger in the recent events in Romania which could cast doubt over the progress made in recent years”, she said on the day she was due to hold a meeting with the Romanian justice minister. She said that, in her personal view, it was not beyond the realms of possibility that the Commission continue to monitor the state of the rule of law in Romania, “with all the consequences that that entails” for the country's joining the Schengen area. The Commission will discuss this matter next week in the college of commissioners.
In the space of a week, the Centre-Left government has suspended Centre-Right President Traian Basescu, with the approval of the constitutional court. The removal from power still has to be put to the people in a referendum, scheduled for 29 July, before it becomes official.
“I will discuss the matter with (French President) François Hollande, because the Council is a bit too quiet, in my opinion”, said European Parliament President Martin Schulz in an interview with Parisian newspaper Le Monde, before his official visit to France, which begins on Thursday. “The (European) Commission must do its job of assessing, proposing and checking to see if European law standards have been breached. A prime minister who holds a large majority can change the constitution of his/her country, but must not contravene our rules and values”, Schulz opined. He said that the sudden replacement of the heads of several Romanian institutions was, for the least part, astonishing, as was the apparently worked out and planned attempt to remove President Basescu from power. “It's all very questionable politically, but it's legal”, he added, however. On Wednesday afternoon, Schulz met Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta. (LC/transl.rt)