EC issues new warning on Romania's chief-prosecutors

The European Commission warned once again Romania that the procedures to name chief-prosecutors should not be changed, this procedure being part of the reference targets agreed at the time of Romania’s accession to the European Union. EC spokesman Mark Gray declared in a press conference on Wednesday that he is aware of the Romanian Senate’s decision to modify the procedure, but that the EC position remains unchanged. In Romania, Democrat-Liberals announced that they will challenge the Senate’s decision in the Constitutional Court.

Mark Gray reminded that the EC position was constant in time and was emphasized in the report issued in July 2008 on Romanian Justice.

Romanian Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu also declared that „this may not be the best time to make such changes” and that „thinks should be seen in the light of the EC report on Justice”.

The Senate approved with 78 votes the changes suggested by the Senate’s Juridical Commission, which recently adopted an amendment stripping Romania president from his privilege to name the chief prosecutors in the Anti-Graft Prosecution Office (DNA), the Organized Crime and Terrorism Investigations Department (DIICOT) and the Prosecution Office of the High Court of Justice and Causation.

President Traian Basescu also denounced the amendment in the Constitutional Court.