Romania’s justice system, under debate in the European Parliament

The recent modifications brought to the justice laws in Romania were at the centre of a heated debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg

Roxana Vasile, 08.02.2018, 14:14

The domestic turmoil stirred by the modifications brought to the justice laws in Romania has reached the floor of the European Parliament, which on Wednesday hosted a debate on this issue. Convinced that the European Union was misinformed over the justice laws, on Tuesday Justice Minister Tudorel Toader had presented European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans the status of their implementation.

Justice Minister Tudorel Toader: “I talked to Mr. Timmermans for 70 minutes, not 30 minutes. It was a very straightforward talk, referring to the justice laws. I repeat what I’ve said on numerous occasions: everyone should voice opinions within the limits of their competencies”.

After the debate in Parliament, which took place in the presence of EU Commissioner for Justice, Vera Jourova, Minister Toader said the debate had a political stake, and promised he would draw up a list of false information.

One of the opponents of the justice laws, MEP Traian Ungureanu from the European People’s Party, pointed out the following: “The Social-Democrats won the elections after promising more money, prosperity and whatnot. But the Government’s first decision was to modify laws limiting or removing sanctions for crimes committed by its leadership. The abuse of office was written off, while the cap for including embezzlement as a crime was extended. The Social-Democrats’ modifications to the justice laws will turn prosecutors into their bosses’ investigators, while investigations themselves will undergo a new control mechanism”.

In turn, MEP Cristian Preda, also with the EPP group, said: “When Jean-Claude Juncker and Frans Timmermans called on the Government to consult the Venice Commission, the Government said ‘no, there’s no need for that’. It was Mr. Tudorel Toader himself, a member of this Commission, who said that”.

On the other hand, defending the need for a judicial overhaul, Norica Nicolae with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats said the following: “The presumption of innocence, the rights and liberties related to criminal investigations, are they not procedural guarantees that the European Union fosters? What did you do, Madam Commissioner, when hundreds of people were abusively sentenced to prison and acquitted? What did you do when so many citizens were illegally tapped, when intelligence agencies with no attributes pertaining to the criminal investigation got involved?”

Another MEP with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Mircea Diaconu, expressed concern over the rule of law in Romania, which he believes is being challenged: “Under our Constitution, Parliament is the only one that can solve these problems. It doesn’t need anyone’s approval and can only be silenced by the Constitutional Court, which is a fully-functional institution in Romania. All else is not worth discussing. I would end by saying that I favour the independence of the justice system and of Romania in particular”.

In her concluding remarks, EU Commissioner Vera Jourova reiterated the Commission’s request that Romania’s Parliament should call a debate on the modifications to the justice laws, in line with the EU’s recommendations, so as to reach consensus in this matter.