The European Parliament sent a strong signal on Tuesday 13 November from Strasbourg on the importance of respect for the rule of law in the upcoming Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, which will succeed Austria in early 2019.
In a joint resolution prepared by the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL groups and adopted by a large majority (473 votes in favour, 151 against and 40 abstentions), MEPs denounce attacks on the fight against corruption through the reforms that the Social Democratic Government of Viorica Dăncilă has implemented in recent months.
They consider it "crucial” that Romania respects the European values enshrined in the Treaties, such as fundamental rights, in a text that has changed little compared to a provisional version (see EUROPE 12133).
Without, however, mentioning the opening of a possible Article 7 procedure, as is the case for Poland and Hungary, Parliament says it is very "concerned about the overhaul of the legislation governing the Romanian judicial and penal system, in particular because it risks structurally undermining the independence of the judiciary and its ability to effectively fight corruption in Romania as well as weakening the rule of law".
Parliament also condemns the "violent and disproportionate police interventions during the August 2018 demonstrations in Bucharest", facts that had been deemed "unacceptable" earlier in the day by the EPP group's top ('Spitzenkandidat') candidate, German Manfred Weber. Parliament is also calling for an independent inquiry to shed light on these events.
The adopted resolution also calls on the Romanian government to "block measures to decriminalise corruption in the spheres of power and also urges it to implement the national anti-corruption strategy".
The EPP group had tabled amendments insisting on certain elements such as freedom of the press, while the S&D group, from which the current government emerged, pointed to the activities of the Romanian secret services, an issue that the Romanian Prime Minister had highlighted in his speech to MEPs in October (see EUROPE 12109).
Viorica Dăncilă had questioned the existence of a secret pact between the intelligence services and the anti-corruption office, according to which, millions of Romanians had been tapped in recent years. This situation justifies some reforms, she pointed out.
The amendments concerning freedom of the press were not adopted. But the final text refers to the secret services. "The role of the Romanian intelligence service and its alleged interference in the activities of the Romanian judiciary" prompted Parliament to suggest strengthening parliamentary control over the intelligence services.
On the S&D side, they did not want to be accused of weakening the scope of this parliamentary resolution.
“Of course we support this resolution", Udo Bullmann reacted at a press briefing before the vote. But the German Social Democrat, leader of the S&D group, had also noted that he had not heard "any voices" in favour of opening an ‘Article 7’ procedure. According to him, the situation in Romania is different from the situations observed in Poland and Hungary, particularly with regard to freedom of the press.
Mr. Bullmann did not reconsider the warning issued on 12 November by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis (see EUROPE 12135) that his country is not at all ready to hold the six-monthly Presidency of the Council of the EU, the first in Romania's history. On the other hand, for Manfred Weber, the current situation, linked to the resignation of the Minister for European Affairs, is “worrying".
At the Romanian Permanent Representation to the EU, preparatory work continues at a steady pace around four priority areas: - economic and social convergence (EU budget, cohesion, social justice); - Security (protection of the EU's external borders, cybersecurity, Schengen Code reform, migration policy); - The EU as a global actor (neighbourhood policy, Western Balkans); - Values.
The Greens/EFA Group, through its Co-Chair Ska Keller, welcomed this resolution, which "sends a clear message" to the government. “No, it is not possible to legalize corruption. No, it is not possible to send the police to people who are protesting", she said.
On Tuesday, the Commission published a new report from the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism on the fight against corruption in Romania and Bulgaria (see other news). (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)