ANI president: Consequences of Romanian Constitutional Court decision will impact European funds and Schengen accession

The consequences of the decision met by the Romanian Constitutional Court (CCR) regarding the National Integrity Agency (ANI) will have an impact on the European funds Romania gets and on the country’s accession to the Schengen space, ANI president Catalin Macovei and ANI general secretary Horia Georgescu said in a press conference on Friday.

• ANI president explained that the Agency is currently carrying on with its activity, since the Constitutional Court has not officially issued any document with its decision and the decision has not been published in the Official Gazette.

• Catalin Macovei says he found out about CCR’s decision from „press sources”. According to him, CCR has 30 days to publish the decision in the Official Gazette. ANI has then 45 days to sort out the incriminated law articles.

• Macovei said that there was already a working group in the government, which will analyse a possible change in the ANI running law, so that it would be in agreement with the fundamental Law.

• ANI reps say that until the decision is published in the Official Gazette, the National Integrity Agency keeps the attributes entailed by its operation law; but its actions may be blocked until its law will not contradict the Constitution.

• „The Justice report is not very far away. The next one is expected in summer and the monitoring visit is planned for May-June. We hope for this working group will quickly put into practice a legislative procedure for ANI to continue its way, which has been appreciated”, ANI representatives say.

• „There is a growing worry in Brussels regarding ANI. European embassies in Bucharest have expressed their worries regarding ANI. Everyone is waiting for the Romanian Constitutional Court’s motivation. Reactions will not be positive. The consequences will also have an impact on Romania’s accession in Schengen”, ANI leadership threatens.