EU warns Romania it will act ‘without delay’ over ‘major’ rule of law concerns
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Politico reports that the European Commission will “trigger the rule of law framework without delay” over “major concerns” about the state of rule of law in Romania, according to a letter sent by Frans Timmermans, the Commission first vice president.
The step will be taken should the country’s government, president and parliament fail to quickly make “the necessary improvements” required “or if further negative steps are taken,” Timmermans wrote in the letter, seen by Politico and sent to the heads of state, government, and both chambers of the Romanian parliament.
Referring to issues with judicial independence in Romania, Timmermans says in the four-page letter that Brussels’ concerns “have increased” this year after the implementation of “a system of strict and extensive disciplinary and new liability of magistrates.”
A Romanian woman during a protest in front of Parliament Palace in Bucharest, Romania because of changes to the justice law. The placard she holds over the national flag reads: ‘WE SEE YOU’ Photo: EPA-EFE/ROBERT GHEMENT
The EU’s rule of law framework “foresees a dialogue to correct the concerns and avoid triggering Article 7 of the Treaty of the European Union,” Timmermans reminded Romania, which currently holds the rotating Council of the EU presidency. The Article 7 procedure is also known as the EU’s “nuclear option” as it provides for the most serious political sanction the bloc can impose on a member country — the suspension of the right to vote on EU decisions.
Timmermans’ letter was sent a day after the end of the special EU summit in Sibiu, which Romanian officials hoped would shape the legacy of its Council presidency, rather than the fact it is the first time a government in the leadership position has faced allegations of disrespecting the EU’s most basic values.
