Doina Pana: Romania's future must be in the EU, but not anyhow, not like a "snowdrop"

Romania's future must be in the EU, but not anyhow, Romania should not just be there like a "snowdrop," but it should be a Romania that has dignity and is respected, treated equally by the other Member States, regardless of the political colour of those who are temporarily at the helm of the European institutions," believes Deputy Doina Pana, the Deputy Chair of PSD (Social Democratic Party), in the context in which the European Commission is about to present the new CVM (Cooperation and Verification Mechanism) report on Romania and Bulgaria. 

"Some sources were saying that the CVM report will be hostile to Romania. A tool that has been used for a long time in an unfair and abusive manner against Romania! I remind you that the most serious judicial abuses, with the brutal intervention of the intelligence services in the judicial process, were committed under the CVM umbrella. But this time what happens is absurd! Not only that they do not take into account the arguments and facts presented by the officials, but, and this is already beyond absurd, Romania is also asked to break its own Constitution, independence and sovereignty! On short, nothing is respected anymore, not even the fundamental principles underlying the EU construction: independence, sovereignty, loyal cooperation between the EU institutions and Member States. In what concerns the principle of applying an equal treatment to the Member States, let's not even go there, since the CVM itself have only been in place for Romania and Bulgaria, for more than 10 years," Doina Pana said in a release to AGERPRES. 

According to her, the answer that need to be given to the recommendations in the CVM report is that the justice laws are in force, they already had legal effects and they are fully constitutional, for the CCR (Romania's Constitutional Court) verified them all. 

Moreover, showed Doina Pana, the consultative nature of the CSM (Supreme Council of Magistrates) opinion during the procedures of appointment/removal of the high rank prosecutors was confirmed by the Constitutional Court, while the ordinary contest procedure based on which the CSM appoints the leadership of the Judicial Inspection is suspended by decision of a court in Romania. 

"The modifications brought to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code are currently undergoing parliamentary procedure, following to be reexamined as a result of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Romania on October 12 and 25, respectively. Parliament has the obligation to bring them in line with the decisions of the Constitutional Court. The Romanian Parliament has the sovereign right of ensuring the compatibility of the Criminal Codes with the EU law, with Romania's international obligations and the opinion of the Venice Commission. In conclusion, the CVM recommendations exceed both the national constitutional framework and the primary law of the EU. If the CVM version presented by some source is true, then Romania needs to categorically reject both the content and the signification of the CVM. The dignity of the Romanian people asks us to tell: it's enough, you've gone too far! With respect to the EP resolution in Romania, it's again political. And the signatories of the resolution disregard conventions, treaties and the values on which the European Union was founded in the first place!," said the PSD Deputy.