PNL leader calling for resignation of Senate chairman: Tariceanu is openly supporting anti-European project

The leader of the National Liberal party (PNL) Ludovic Orban is calling for the resignation of Calin Popescu-Tariceanu as chairman of the Senate, claiming that Tariceanu has seriously damaged Romania by its positions against European institutions, Agerpres writes.

"I consider to be outrageous the way in which Chairman of the Senate Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, today, has allowed himself to set forth a series of positions against the European institutions and thus bring serious damage to Romania. Calin Popescu-Tariceanu has usurped the office of Senate chairman, for he had no mandate from the senators for the positions expressed at the meeting of the Association of European Senates, but he spoke on their behalf. It became increasingly clear that Mr Tariceanu is an open supporter of an anti-European project and the trumpet of interests that run contrary to Romania's European Union membership. I am saying this because this is not Calin Popescu-Tariceanu's first offense, but at this moment things have become extremely serious. By his irresponsible positions, he violates the oath as a dignitary of the Romanian state, and such behaviour is tantamount to a form of betrayal of Romania's interests (...) On behalf of PNL, I am requesting the resignation of Calin Popescu-Tariceanu from the position of chairman of the Senate, because a person who uses the position held against Romania's fundamental interests and the existing will in this fundamental institution can no longer hold such office," Orban said in a press statement released on Friday.

He mentioned that Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu-Tariceanu have expressed "abusively, on behalf of Parliament, a point of view regarding the US Department of State that runs contrary to the Strategic Partnership in which Romania is a party."

Orban accuses Tariceanu and Dragnea of sabotaging" Romania's justice process, causing the progress reports on the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) to get worse.

"Tariceanu and Dragnea are the real aggressors of justice, those who systematically attack judges and prosecutors in order to serve their illegitimate interests. Consequently, Tariceanu's statements appear in the field of madness, because the European Commission cannot be faulted for the functioning of justice in Romania as long as CVM's recommendations were deliberately ignored by the current [Social Democratic Party - Alliance of Liberals and Democrats] PSD-ALDE majority," says Orban.

He points out that the interest of Romania, pursued by PNL, is for the CVM, under which Romania's progress with judiciary reform and the fight against high-level corruption is being assessed, to be lifted arguing that the only way in which that can be done is precisely by observing the recommendations and not by unreasonably attacking European institutions.