05.07.2012

Romania: Is there a coup d’état creeping up on Romania?

„The series of decisions made by the Romanian Government over the last days are very worrying The European Commission must act now and put the country under scrutiny“, said EPP Group MEPs Alain Lamassoure, Chairman of the Budgets Committee, and Elmar Brok, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.

„Many decisions raise a number of questions on the country’s compliance with the rule of law: the Prime Minister’s neglect of a Constitutional Court ruling, the prevention of the timely publication of the ruling by means of a government decree, the taking over of the Official Journal through the government, formerly in the hands of the Parliament, the plan to replace judges at the Constitutional Court, and now the launching of impeachment proceedings against President Basescu“, said Messrs Brok and Lamassoure. „The way the Presidents of the Senate and the House were replaced in a fast-track procedure is equally worrying as regards normal procedures of the rule of law.“

„We call on the Commission to scrutinise and assess all these matters through the ‚Cooperation and Verification Mechanism‘ and to draw up a report in the coming weeks. The report should also include possible measures“, they said. „The conclusion of this report could lead to the use of Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty“ the EPP Group MEPs concluded.

For further information:
Elmar Brok MEP, Tel: +33-3-88177323
Alain Lamassoure MEP, Tel: +33-3-88177706

Thomas Bickl, EPP Group Press and Communications Service, Tel: +32-478-215372
Marion Jeanne, EPP Group Press and Communications Service, Tel: +32-479- 40293