Some EU States Pressure EC On Romania Report - Commissioner

"There is pressure coming from some member states regarding the content of the Report, and there are positions, not just of governments but also parliaments, which are extremely strict and have quite a negative view on reform. (...) I wouldn’t take them as threats, as - let there be no doubt - the EC Report is unbiased and will be based solely on realities in the field the progress registered,” Orban said.

 

The commissioner declined to give concrete examples of countries with strict views on Romania, but invited journalists to read the foreign press, where they can find “enough articles on the position of certain national parliaments regarding evaluations on Romania’s justice reform and fight against corruption.”

 

Orban had a meeting Monday with Romanian justice minister Catalin Predoiu, whom he informed on the Commission’s Report timetable. The Report is expected mid-July.

 

Following talks, the commissioner said he is optimistic about the content of the Report.

"Currently - and this is a personal assessment - there is no reason for concern from this point of view (external circumstances - e.n.). But I don’t want to anticipate the content of the Report in any way, as there is still enough time for Bucharest authorities to get prepared and make progress in reform,” Orban concluded.

 

In his turn, justice minister Predoiu said he believes the EC Report will be objective and balanced.

 

Asked what sectors in the justice system still need work, Predoiu counted the long-term human resources policy and the fight against top-level corruption. The minister gave assurance that, depending on the Report and the ministry’s own evaluations, the ministry will adjust its agenda and its public discourse on issues that remain unsolved.