Venice Commission

Romania's Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Tuesday had a meeting with European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans on a visit to Strasbourg where she underscored a need for close co-ordination between Romania and the European Commission during the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, expressing a wish fort the debate in the European Parliament on Wednesday to be reasoning-base

The discussion about the breaching the rule of law in Romania is "a false topic, eminently political," Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stated on Thursday in the beginning of the Government sitting, adding that she brought arguments in Brussels regarding this matter.

People's Movement Party (PMP) leader Eugen Tomac accuses the Government that the Emergency Ordinance on the referendum which amends the provision regarding representation in the polling stations obstructs the activity of a parliamentary political party and he announces that the Venice Commission and the Ombudsman will be notified in this respect.

Roughly 200 magistrates are protesting Sunday in front of the Bucharest Court of Appeals, with placards titling "CSM has no ornamental role", "Observing of Venice Commission opinion".

Magistrates' protest is silent.

President Klaus Iohannis welcomed a delegation of the European Commission for Democracy through Law of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission in short, at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace on Thursday, with the members of this body mentioning that the commission's opinion on the amendments to Romania's Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure is to be adopted at a

The Co-Chair of the European Green Party of the European Parliament, Reinhard Butikofer, declared on Monday that the group he belongs to will propose the organisation within the European Parliament of a debate about the control and balancing mechanism of the rule of law in Romania.

President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday that he had to promulgate Law 304/2004 on judicial organisation after having exhausted all appeals procedures, and asked Parliament to take up controversial justice legislation in its autumn session.

"Changes to the criminal codes have raised concerns about possible negative impacts; we hope that Romania will address these concerns and that Romania intends to solicit international expertise from GRECO and the Venice Commission," Austria's Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl tells AGERPRES in a recent interview, urging Romania to consolidate considerable progress in combatting corruption

Justice Minister Tudorel Toader met on Friday with Vera Jourova, European Commissioner for Justice, Consumer Protection and Gender Equality, among the topics discussed by the two officials being the developments in the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) and the stage of the amendments brought to the Justice laws, the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code.

Ikonen said the Western Balkans would remain in focus when Finland takes over the EU Presidency next year, the Serbian government announced.