EU Commission VP Timmermans’ statements after meetings with Romanian leaders

The Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, is holding a press conference at the EC’s headquarters in Bucharest, after having met with several political leaders in Bucharest, including President Iohannis, VP Dancila, Liviu Dragnea and DNA Chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi.

Timmermans’ main statements:

• I’ve had a very full and also very fruitful day. I’ve had the opportunity to meet with the presidents of the two parliamentary chambers, with parliamentary commissions, the president and the PM, as well as the Justice and EU Affairs ministers and representatives of the judiciary system;
• My message is: in the past 20 years you’ve achieved so many things regarding the independence of justice in Romania;
• It’s like you’ve been running a marathon and you’re on the last hundred meters, my message is to keep running, don’t stop, and for God’s sake, don’t go in the wrong direction.
• The most important thing is that everyone involved works together, not against each other.
• I’ve agreed with the presidents of the chambers and the PM that we’ll intensify the contact between us, I will be available every day if needed and our teams will be in constant contact.
• I am always well informed and I know exactly what’s happening here.
• No one will be able to make the excuse that we’re not informed about what’s happening in Romania anymore.
• We can solve problems only if all institutions are involved, including the judiciary
• The PM told me that Romania wants the CVM to be lifted before the country takes on the EC presidency, I told her it’s not impossible, but that conditions need to be met.

Questions:

Q: There were accusations that misinformation reached Brussels in the past. Is there any difference between what you knew before and what you have found out today?

F.T.: Honestly, no. I want to avoid any misunderstanding, that is why I’ve said I would be in direct contact with all institutions that are involved. We are very well informed, don’t worry, and we can always be better informed. I haven’t had the impression that we’ve been misinformed.

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Q: Has Romania backtracked regarding its anti-corruption fight?

F.T.: We are not satisfied with the progress made, there hasn’t been enough progress. In some areas there was stagnation, but this can be resolved. I’m encouraged by the meetings I’ve had today, there is a desire to make progress in parliament and in the government.

Q: The Justice minister has asked for the removal of the DNA chief. What are your views on this issue?

F.T.: As I’ve told the presidents of the two chambers and the PM, I am convinced that the inspection of magistrates should be done by other magistrates. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes and needs to be verified, but not by politicians or people in the government, but by the judiciary system – this has to do with the separation of powers. As a principle, the judiciary system needs to be checked by the judiciary system.

Q: Have you read the report by the Justice minister? Does lifting the CVM depend on the continuation of the DNA chief?

F.T.: I will be very prudent in my answer, because I want it to be understood clearly. I have been informed  by the report, I have seen it but I am not a judge, it is not my business to say whether the statements are right or wrong, but if there are accusations against a magistrate then someone inside the judiciary system needs to deal with them, it is not a politician’s job, it has to do with the separation of powers and this is how it’s done in the rest of the world. We hope that our advice will lead to improvements in the laws.

Regarding the CVM, our ambition is to be able to say that in 2019 we will be able to stop it, but this ambition cannot be achieved if the outstanding recommendations from the EC are not finalised. I think it’s feasible, it is not a deadline, but a target. We are now at the end of this marathon and we know that on the last part you think about the last steps you have to make and you’re tired and you want to stop and look back at the major success you’ve had so far. Romania has been something of a miracle in the last 20 years. What you’ve achieved in the judiciary is extraordinary. We want it to be strengthened, so that progress can be irreversible.

Q: Did you have any message for Mr Dragnea, since you hold the same political ideology?

F.T.: If we talked about the DNA, it was because I brought it up, not because the other side did. When I opened up the subject I was told what was happening, I listened and I said what I believed. I was on the side of cooperation today, and I want even more cooperation in the future.

In my discussion with Mr Dragnea I didn’t take into account the political family, it is not important to me when I talk about justice. When I shortly talked about politics, Mr Dragnea had asked me why social democracies have such problems in Europe, and I told him that we like to talk to people about education, health, and not justice reform. We have to overcome this moment when we’re only talking about justice reform.

This country has an incredible potential, I’ve told the PM that we need to find the opportunities to spend the structural funds. Imagine what it would be like if you could improve infrastructure – this is what the EC’s work should be about.

Q: There are two ministers for whom the Parliament did not approve criminal investigations, two outstanding conditions in the CVM. What are your views on lifting the CVM?

F.T.: There is still plenty to do. We can do those things before 2019, this is why we’re ramping up contacts. We want to cooperate in this sense. These things have nothing to do with Schengen, it is time that the other countries admit that Romania is as ready as can be for Schengen. Let’s not mix things up – Romania should be a part of Schengen.

Q: What did you ask of Romania? Could Article 7 be activated?

F.T.: There is no connection between the CVM and Article 7, there is no systemic threat to the rule of law, you have a strong and independent judiciary. We check whether the agreed-upon steps are followed. The situation is different from the ones in other countries. We are cooperating in order to make sure that all measures are taken for the independence of justice. We want to reach a point from where there can’t be no turning back.

Q: Is the EC working on conditioning funds on the rule of law? Is it possible that such a measure could be taken for the next budget?

F.T.: We’ll present our proposal in May. In our preparation talks, we’ve been thinking about how we can make sure that EU funds are spent in accordance with the rule of law. We are thinking of a mechanism that makes sure that all funds can be verified, so that we can ensure that they are not misspent. This has to do with all member states. I think that European money should be well spent. As part of this project, all Member States should apply for the office of the European prosecutor. There are no Member States with zero corruption, we don’t just want to point the finger at Romania and Bulgaria.