Statements by Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Esteban GONZALEZ PONS (EPP, ES), Josef WEIDENHOLZER (S&amp;D, AU), Monica MACOVEI (ECR, RO), Norica NICOLAI (ALDE, RO) and Barbara SPINELLI (GUE/NGL, IT) on democracy and justice in Romania, during the EP plenary session (01-02/02) in Brussels.

Brussels

debate

plenary session

EU - Romania (T)

TIMMERMANS, Frans (NL, EC)

WEIDENHOLZER, Josef (S&D, AT)

SPINELLI, Barbara (GUE/NGL, IT)

GONZÁLEZ PONS, Esteban (EPP, ES)

EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights (T)

MACOVEI, Monica (ECR, RO)

NICOLAI, Norica (ALDE, RO)

Democracy and justice in Romania: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, This is worrying, worrying, what we have seen the last couple of days. The emergency ordnance and the draft legislation pertaining to the fight against corruption cannot be interpreted as anything else than a step back from the progress we have seen in the last decade. I would urgently call upon the Romanian Government to reconsider what they have done both with the emergency ordnance and the draft legislation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Why would you, in the final meters of a marathon, turn back and go to the other way again? I really want to call upon the government not to go down that road and we&rsquo;ve seen the protests in Romania. We&rsquo;ve seen the very clear worries expressed by the Romanian judiciary on this. Let them finish their job, so that we can come to the conclusion that developments are irreversible. The Commission has a direct interest on all of this because the legislation, if adopted, could also affect this dispersement of European funds on Romania. So we have to be very careful, that we asset that.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Esteban GONZ&#193;LEZ PONS (EPP, ES), The problem is if that laws demisish the quality of democracy, the quality of Justice, the quality of the Rule of law.

SOUNDBITE (German), Josef WEIDENHOLZER (S&amp;D, AU), This is not a political party situation, rather the debate means to be a procedure in the LIBE committee and we need a fact point in mission to Romania. This should not be down with a superficial manner, in terms of date to date politics, rather we need to work fairly. Everything needs to be on the table and everyone involved needs to play there.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Monica MACOVEI (ECR, RO), Do you know that there are people in the streets? A week ago there were 100.000 people demonstrating in Bucharest on Sunday. Exactly to protest against the adoption of this ordnance! But during the night, as the bandits, they adopted this emergency ordnance. Yesterday evening, in Bucharest, in the streets there were approximately 200.000 protesters, and also more 200.000 in the country in different cities. So almost half a million people went out in the streets to protest. They are protesting every day in the streets. The single thing that the (European) Parliament can do, and must do, and also the Commission is to request, that until the 9th of February - when is the date of entering into practice of that modification to the penal code - to ask to this government to revoke this ordnance, also with an emergency procedure, as they did with the previous one.

That the most. No need for mission. What do you want them to verify? It will come after that happens and after that enter into practice? And when nothing can be done anymore? Or then go now, tomorrow if you want. Be near the Romanian people, near the Romanian people, not near the thieves!!

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Norica NICOLAI (ALDE, RO), The Romanian state is motivated to fight against corruption and it has proven. The fight against corruption doesn&rsquo;t mean selective justice, nor abusive justice. Justice must be equal for all, and therefore I salute the fact that there will be a clear investigation on what is happening now in Romania and not an emotional manipulation.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Barbara SPINELLI (GUE/NGL, IT), These kind of arguments, think kind of situation we have had in Italy. These laws can be adopted to put special prisons asides so they can clean up some politicians. So the civil society, the NGO&rsquo;s and the President (of Romania) are in my opinion rightly speaking against this.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Frankly, you know, it's proporcionists and rather insulting that I would be an agent to top up a government that is led by the party I belong to. Yes we are critical, and sometimes that hurts if you are in government, or if you are in the Parliament, I understand that, but that&rsquo;s simply our role.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, First Vice-President of the EC in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, In our perception, the emergency ordnance and the draft legislation seems to indicate the other direction, another direction, back. And I think this needs to be discussed. We see in the CVM (Cooperation and Verification Mechanism) report last week that it needs to be discussed because this would not speed up the process, it would slow down the process or even stop the process of where we want to go is the Commission has also said that the development is irreversible, that's where we want to get. And that's why I call on the authorities in Romania to careful look into what they're doing. I find very difficult to understand what emergency would worried on the emergency ordnance on this subject. I find difficult to understand why lowerig the stand on fighting corruption is in the interest of the Romanian nation. I find difficult to understand, but of course this is not interference in to the internal affairs. Parliament of Romania is sovereign in its decisions.