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Chairman of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE, junior coalition partner) Calin Popescu-Tariceanu told a press conference on Thursday in Satu Mare that European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans "is now campaigning as an individual" and that "he should have resigned".
"Mr Timmermans is also campaigning. Normally Mr Timmermans should have resigned from being a member of the Commission, the first vice-president, in order to campaign, because there is also an ethical commitment by the members of the Commission that they do not do politics. So if he wants to do politics, he should resign and campaign. It is his right, but not as a European commissioner. The letter from the Commission proves lack of objectivity, lack of information and unacceptable interference, violating the principle of the separation of powers, because one of the recommendations is not to promulgate the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure adopted by Parliament. I believe that if any politician in his home country were to make such statements, he would be sanctioned immediately and very drastically," said Tariceanu.
He maintains that Timmermans is campaigning by slamming Romania.
"He is now campaigning as individual, as the first Vice-President of the Commission, slamming Romania and a series of legislative measures that have been taken and which are not under the scope of the European legislation, but under the scope of national legislation and tasks," said Tariceanu.
The European Commission confirmed on Monday that First Vice-President Frans Timmermans sent a new letter to the Romanian authorities on Friday expressing concern about the developments regarding the rule of law in Romania.
The letter is addressed to President Klaus Iohannis, to the President of the Senate, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, to the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, and to Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, as spokesperson Margaritis Schinas told the daily press conference of the EC.
