PM Dancila resumes message delivered to EP: Romania maintains European path, observes rule of law

Prime minister Viorica Dancila resumed on Thursday in the opening of the gov't sitting the message she has recently transmitted in the plenum of the European Parliament, reasserting that Romania maintains its European path, observes the rule of law.

'I sent a very clear message I'm going to resume: Romania maintains its European path and observes the rule of law. Romania was and will remain pro-European and nobody will ever change this path. I have also drawn attention that a lot of misinformation exists as regards our country, and that the domestic political struggle has no point at the forefront of an institution like the European Parliament,' the Prime minister said at the beginning of the gov't sitting.

Viorica Dancila added that those who were behind these misinformation ignore what the gov't has done until now, 'the measures that have generated a 7pct economic growth and have parked the Romanian economy at the European top.'

'There has been much talk about justice recently, the anti-corruption fight, but those who draw the CVM reports have ignored the outcome of the secret protocols inked between the intelligence services and the justice bodies. I have shown that the very existence of these protocols has ended in certain violations of the human rights: millions of Romanian monitored by the secret services, in the name of the anti-corruption fight, court solutions tainted by the pressure of some criminal files against the magistrates, some of whom being revoked, then they were acquitted or the files were closed; files in court drafted based on some fabricated evidence. The EU officials for the first time admitted that an investigation is needed to clarify the way these protocols have influenced the act of justice. The interference in the act of justice is unacceptable. Justice must guarantee the observance of the law, of the citizens' rights and the independence of the magistrates. This is the path for the amendment of the laws of justice,' Dancila said.

The premier told the ministers that during her visit to the European Parliament she gave assurances that 'we are in good faith and we wish for Romania a fair, unbiased justice, and that the amendments to the legislation are compliant with the assumed commitments, with the EU regulations.'

"To this end we shall continue the dialogue we have with the European bodies, with the Venice Commission's experts. Like I said yesterday Mr Minister Tudorel Toader had a meeting with the Venice Commission's representatives. Romania is participating in all of the current mechanisms and will take into account the recommendations. Those who misinform forget to mention exactly this openness to dialogue of the Romanian Gov't. The way the Gendarmerie acted against some violent protesters in the 10 August rally was brought to mind. We brought arguments and asked that Romania be treated equally with the other member states. We have discussed about all these topics in Strasbourg with the European Parliament's President Antonio Tajani, and the First Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans. I believe that my intervention in the European Parliament and the talks in Strasbourg have represented a good opportunity to show in an official framework too, our arguments. For a dialogue to be constructive all of the involved sides must be heard,' Dancila added.AGERPRES(RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Maria Voican, editor: Simona Iacob)