What the newspapers say: July 24, 2008

EU will blackmail Washington officials just have all its citizens get into the visa waiver program, one newspaper reads on Thursday. Elsewhere in the news, Romanian Democratic Liberal leader Valeriu Stoica’s professional history as a judge during the Communist era is lost. Last but not least, another newspaper reads about the European Commission’s July report on Romania’s justice sector and its expected impact.

Cotidianul reads that if American authorities keep postponing the inclusion of all EU member states in the visa waiver program, EU officials will demand American diplomats to get a visa when visiting EU countries.

The European Commission will propose that American diplomats require a visa when entering one of the 27 EU member states.

The punitive measure would be applied within the EU starting January 2009 and would affect all American diplomats. European Commissioner for Justice Jacques Barrot declared that this situation is unacceptable: all EU member states should be allowed to travel without a visa in the US.

EU reactions fired up when US officials started negotiating bilateral agreements for the visa waiver program with several EU member states but did not seek the agreement of the European Commission.

EU officials are against this measure because bilateral agreements imply that EU member states will reveal private information about all passengers traveling or transiting their countries. Several states have already been threatened by the Commission with the launching of several procedures for breaching EU treaties.

Elsewhere in the news, one of the founders of the Democrat Liberal Party (PD-L) in 2006, Valeriu Stoica’s professional map registering his activity as a judge for 11 years during the Communist era is lost, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

The professional map should contain relevant information about his professional activity. However, the map is lost and Justice ministry officials declared that the ministry is doing whatever it can to find the missing file.

This situation is unique and strange and the only one responsible is the institution that managed this file, Superior Council of Magistracy chief Lidia Barbulescu declared for the newspaper. Justice minister Catalin Predoiu confirmed this information and added that if the case is not found, the ministry will proceed according to law regulations.

When prompted about the situation, Valeriu Stoica declared that he does not know anything about such a file. Moreover, he declared that he did not even know that there are such files and confessed he found out about them one year ago.

Last but not least, Gandul reads about the impact of the EC report on Romanian Justice sector released yesterday. The newspaper reads that the report even if just published is already used as a political tool.

Thus, PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu accused President Basescu while the main opposition party leader Mircea Geoana declared that the impact of the fight between Tariceanu and Basescu is reflected in this bad report.

However, all politicians seemed relieved that there’s always the „neighbor’s goat”, as an old Romanian saying goes: Bulgaria was severely sanctioned by the EU.