Senator Tariceanu on CVM report: European Commission enters into a non-justified political area

Chairman of the Romanian Senate Calin Popescu-Tariceanu said Tuesday that the report on Romania's progress with judiciary reform under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism, the CVM report, released by the European Commission will have to be analysed from two perspectives - one unnatural, political and a technical one. 

"I have not seen it [the CVM report] or, rather, I have a series of preliminary information, we are waiting for its approval. From the preliminary information the report is, and I think it will have to be analysed from two perspectives - one unnatural, political, because the CVM report was designed to be a technical, legal mechanism. But, after receiving the official report I will be able to go through it and make comments. (...) The [European] Commission is entering a political area that is unjustified, because the report is a technical tool and I have recently seen a series of policy approaches that I think are calling into question the way the commission is working with the member states. So, I believe the commission cannot call into question the choices of the member states in certain areas that do not fall into what would be called the logic of subsidiarity," Tariceanu said at Parliament Palace. 

Asked if the recommendations in the CVM report are met, Tariceanu said that he is entirely ready to work with the European Commission. 

"First of all, we need to read them to see what they are talking about, and I am entirely willing to work with the commission. I do not know whether things will get a major improvement with the current commission, given the recent approach, but hopefully in the future there will be, at least as far as we, the coalition, the government and the parliamentary majority, are concerned, willingness to work with the Commission to solve these issues, take my word for it, " said Tariceanu. 

He also said the report had consequences on Romania's image and will very likely be used by the Opposition as a cudgel. 

About Frans Timmermans' statements that justice reforms have been suspended in Romania, Tariceanu mentioned that these are political statements and "very directly related to the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament." 

On Tuesday, the European Commission recommended to Romania in its report on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism to immediately suspend the implementation of the laws of justice and subsequent emergency ordinances, and to revise them fully, taking full account of the CVM recommendations as well as those issued by the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO). 

Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans said Tuesday in Strasbourg that the developments in the last 12 months in Romania backtracked on issues where progress was made over the past 10 years, which is why the European Commission has came up with eight new recommendations. 

Also Tuesday, the European Parliament adopted a non-legislative resolution on the rule of law in Romania, 473 to 151 and 40 abstentions, a text that says MEPs are deeply concerned" with the reform of the judiciary and criminal law in Romania and condemn the violent and disproportionate intervention of the police forces during August protests in Bucharest.