Senate Speaker says PM Ciolos's participation in European Council is illegal

Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos participates illegally in the European Council, as he does not have a mandate from the Parliament, Senate Speaker Calin Popescu-Tariceanu asserted on Monday. 

President Klaus Iohannis authorized PM Ciolos to participate in the meeting of EU heads of state or government with Turkey in Brussels. 

Popescu-Tariceanu acknowledged the President's right to send the prime minister to this meeting, but he stressed that the Constitutional Court has ruled in 2012 that in such cases the premier must ask the Parliament for a mandate. 

The decision, according to the Senate Speaker, clearly stipulates that if the President participates in the European Council, he can decide on his own mandate and choose to present it to the Parliament, but if the President delegates the prime minister, the President cannot formulate the mandate, and the prime minister must submit a project to the Parliament at least 10 days in advance. 

In support of his position, Popescu Tariceanu quoted the relevant article of a law and the Constitutional Court ruling, which explains that the difference comes from the Parliament's authority to control the Government.AGERPRES