The Social Democratic Party's (PSD) delegation to the European Parliament announced on Tuesday that a debate on the independence of Romania's judiciary will be held in early September in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE).
PSD said it welcomes the discussion, noting that recent developments concerning judicial independence in Romania will be examined within LIBE's Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group. The delegation stressed that the debate will address issues raised by its representatives in LIBE, including concerns over what it describes as attacks by PNL and USR on the judiciary. It underlined that the initiative does not concern the merits of cases pending before Romanian courts, but respect for the rule of law, separation of powers and judicial independence.
The Social Democrats argue that judicial independence must be defended consistently, and that public debate on justice issues must remain responsible and within democratic and legal boundaries. The delegation said it will continue to monitor developments and support respect for the rule of law at European level.
The PSD announced last week having notified LIBE about what it called PNL's attacks on judicial independence, pointing to statements by Liberal representatives questioning court panel distribution and investigations involving party leaders. PSD said these remarks prompted a firm reaction from the Supreme Council of Magistrates, which warned of an "unprecedented escalation" of the discourse against the courts and stressed that judicial decisions can only be challenged through legal appeals, not through public pressure.
