PSD's Ciolacu: When praising gov't, criticizing Parliament ambassador Zuckerman forgets some essential things

The interim president of PSD (Social Democratic Party), Marcel Ciolacu, said on Friday that human trafficking is "too serious" a problem to be treated from a political perspective, and when he praises the Government and criticizes the Parliament, the ambassador of the United States of America in Bucharest, Adrian Zuckerman, "forgets some essential things".

"Trafficking in human beings is far too serious to be treated from a political perspective. It would have been more useful for Ambassador Zuckerman to give a message of unity and not to divide the fundamental institutions of the state into good and bad, based on subjective criteria. When praising the Government and criticizing Parliament in relation to the fight against human trafficking, I am convinced that the Ambassador is omitting a number of essential things, such as the fact that the Government has objected by challenging the CCR to increase penalties for pedophiles, rapists and sexual predators as the law was voted by the Parliament," the PSD leader wrote on Facebook.

The interim president of PSD reminded that, in March, the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the situation of missing children was set up, which investigated the issue including from the perspective of human trafficking.

"Representatives of several state institutions with responsibilities in the field were called to hearings, as well as countless non-governmental organizations - precisely in the effort to identify the major problems they face and how they can be solved by legislation. Next week they are ready. The DIICOT and the National Agency Against Trafficking in Human Beings are an extraordinary work by the parliamentarians of this commission, all acting in good faith to provide the institutions with as many legal instruments as possible to act effectively," Marcel Ciolacu said.

The Ambassador of the United States of America in Bucharest, Adrian Zuckerman, reiterated, on Friday, his call for the adoption of a "tough" legislation, which would allow the elimination of human trafficking, adding that the answer offered by the PSD leader, Marcel Ciolacu, on this theme, on June 26, was a "disappointing" one.

He was present on Friday at the extradition from Romania of two people wanted by Interpol for human trafficking and cybercrime.

"On June 26th I spoke about the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2019 issued by the United States. The report recognized that the human trafficking problem in Romania was due to the backsliding in the rule of law by the prior government. I called for the Parliament to act and address this issue. It is very disappointing that PSD leader Ciolacu responded by saying that the current Romanian laws on human trafficking and the rule of law are sufficient. They are not.. I again call on the Romanian parliament, as I did on June twenty-sixth, to pass the tough legislation necessary to eliminate human trafficking and organized crime. Strong legislation depriving convicted criminals of the ill-gotten profits of their crimes is immediately necessary. So are laws that provide for speedy trials and speedy resolution of criminal complaints are desperately needed.," the ambassador said, according to a speech posted on the embassy's website.