The European Parliament’s report on Romania represents a very clear warning for the Romanian Government: the accession to the European Union will not be possible before Romania could be considered a state with the rule of law.
The European Parliament’s report on Romania represents a very clear warning for the Romanian Government: the accession to the European Union will not be possible before Romania could be considered a state with the rule of law.
Concretely, the report points out that the judiciary in Romania is not independent but it’s politically subordinated, there are economic pressures on the media and journalists are victims of aggression, the public administration is politicised and incompetent, corruption is generalized. Therefore the European MPs consider that Romania fails to meet the accession criteria, even the political one.
Until now, reports on our country were invariably stating that “Romania fulfils the political criterion”. Now, this appreciation disappeared and it was replaced with a new formula: “Romania does not meet the accession criteria”.
Cadran Politic has warned throughout 2003 that Romania, with the measures implemented by the government, instead of closing the gap with the European Union, is widening it. Basically all the critiques from the European Parliament’s report were also developed by analysts in the pages of our magazine. We leave it to the reader to draw the conclusions from the following paragraphs:
“The messages transmitted to Romanian officials by Guest, Moore and Scheele are simple and precise: 1. In Romania, the state authorities are not doing anything if the are not pushed from outside: 2. The fight against corruption doesn’t have to be simulated; the adoption of some laws doesn’t mean automatically that they are enforced; 3. Due to widespread corruption, the citizens are continuously impoverished and humiliated, therefore it’s normal that they emigrate and search better living conditions abroad. In other words, at least in the opinion of the three personalities mentioned above, the Romanian state became, as a consequence of corruption, the main enemy of its own citizens.” (Corruption “Made in Romania”, Cadran Politic no.3, May 2003)
“The Romanian Police continues to commit abuses against citizens. The judiciary is under the government’s influence, and the widespread corruption remains a problem, shows the Report of the US State Department referring to the respect of human rights in Romania” (US: In Romania, human rights are not respected, Cadran Politic no. 3, May 2003)
“During the last weeks, several western officials said in different ways that Romania has an urgent problem to solve: corruption. However, this problem is not new and it was often mentioned by foreign officials who visited Romania in the last years, especially after the start of accession negotiations with the EU and NATO (America puts pressure on Romania to really fight corruption, Cadran Politic, no. 4, June 2003)
“If one should go to the grounds, many of the most devoted supporters or Romania would become severe critics” (The Helsinky Commitee is warning, Cadran Politic, no. 5-6, July-August 2003)
“In conclusion, it’s absolutely normal that judges are manifesting and suing the ministry, prosecutors are threatening in mass to quit posts, Romania is almost every day condemned in Strasbourg, and citizens become passive victims of a really blind Justice who doesn’t want at all to find the way toward Europe-. Will anybody be ready to help her cross the street toward Europe- till 2007?” (Who will help Romanian Justice to cross the street towardEurope till 2007?, Cadran Politic no. 5-6, July-August 2003)
“Romania has a deadline in October to solve the judiciary problem and many others”. This warning was recently issued by the EU ambassador in Romania, Jonathan Scheele. Paradoxically, even if prime-minister Nastase admitted publicly that the ministry of Rodica Stanoiu didn’t bring the long-waited and mostly necessary reform of the judiciary, the recent government reshuffle didn’t sanctioned this failure as it would have been normal in a democracy.” (The Judiciary, a backlash of Romania in its way towards the European Union, Cadran Politic no. 5-6, July-August 2003)
“The Freedom House Report clearly points out the reality, putting in off-side the official propaganda that presents everything in Romania in beautiful colours” (The Freedom House Report: Romania is not a democracy and has a cliental political system, Cadran Politic no. 7, September 2003)
“Although the European Commission warns Romania at every occasion that there are four problems to solve in order hope for accession in 2007 – functioning market economy, reform and independence of judiciary, reducing corruption and reforming the public administration – the Romanian government seems decided to solve these problems in an absolutely original manner: we are on the way to have a public administration without public servants but managed by … Generals (The Public Administration – Military spirit, Cadran Politic no. 8, October 2003)
“If the referendum of 18-19 October was regarded by PSD only as a general rehearsal for the local and general elections in 2004, then the requirement of the opposition to have foreign observers monitoring the elections in Romania, looks like a reasonable one. To begin with, the political criterion was the only one fulfilled by Romania in its progress toward accession. But this requirement shows that the Romania of Adrian Nastase, Ion Iliescu, Marian Oprisan, Nicolae Mischie & Co., doesn’t even fulfil the political criterion in the very year when accession negotiations with the EU should be finalised” (Constitution breaking the Constitution, Cadran Politic no. 9, November-December 2003).(Translated by Anton Comanescu)
