Addressing the European Parliament on Tuesday 23 October, the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, pledged to defend the EU's values of unity, cohesion and solidarity and to make it his personal business to defend the rule of law in his country, which is to take up the Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 January.
Describing a Romania that has been able to take full advantage of its accession to the EU in 2007, and now also contributes to the EU's place in the world, for instance through the defence technology sector, the President, a member of the EPP group, also called for the most inclusive possible Europe that leaves no country aside.
“Ideas such as a Europe of several speeds or arranged into concentric circles cannot be a solution”, he said. “We hope to retain the indivisible nature of the EU”, which is what gives it its “credibility in the wider world”.
The new realities, at member state level and globally, and the various crisis the EU has experienced, between the economic crisis, the migration crisis and a return to populism, require the European project to evolve rather than to call into question the fundamental principles on which the European project was built, he stressed.
Unsurprisingly, however, it was mainly concerning his actions as guardian of the rule of law in his country that his audience was particularly keen to hear what he had to say. A debate lasting nearly two hours focused almost exclusively on this matter and the controversial actions of the current centre-left government of Viorica Dancila, who has launched reforms that some fear will undermine the fight against corruption.
The Council of Europe is concerned (see EUROPE 12122) and the Commission has also warned Bucharest against making any changes that it considers will go against the recommendations of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).
The President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, who is very close to Romania and its representative, who is a personal friend of his, unambiguously warned the country that without its absolute commitment in favour of the principles of the rule of law, it will not be able to make the case to the member states for Romania to join the Schengen zone, as it has been doing since July 2014.
“My dearest hope is that there is this consensus concerning the rule of law and fight against corruption in Romania”, President Juncker added. Such a national consensus is “imperative”.
Manfred Weber, the head of the EPP group at the European Parliament, welcomed the optimism stemming from the Romanian model, with the country's accession showing that “Europe works”. He took position in favour of a Schengen accession in several stages, starting with airports before the European elections. However, he criticised the current government, which has “already crossed some red lines”. He hailed the Romanian President as the “symbol of all Romanians wishing to make heard the voice of a modern Romania”.
Romania's Monica Macovei, a member of the ECR, called upon the government to respect everything the European Commission and Venice Commission say between now and 1 January.
Josef Weidenholzer (S&D, Germany) said that it was “good to hear that you're defending the European values”, but certain Romanian members of the group accused the Romanian President of dividing the country.
Ska Keller (Greens/EFA, Germany) said: “we are counting on you, the Romanian people are counting on you”.
A resolution on the country, which was decided upon in the framework of the debate with the Romanian Prime Minister on 4 October, is currently making its way through the European Parliament. The Romanian President said that it was unusual for a resolution on a country to be voted through one month before its Presidency, but that it was up to the EP.
And although he hopes to make the Romanian Presidency a “success”, Iohannis has no intention of lowering his standards on the rule of law, he said, standing alongside the President of the EP, Antonio Tajani (see EUROPE 12109). (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)