EU Parliament biggest Group Head Daul to EuroFora on Romania: MEPs to check Urgent Issues on 9/2012

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- EU Parliament is due to check on September whether controversial, unelected by the People, 2 Months-long Romanian Prime Minister Ponta will comply, or not, with the "Urgent" Requirements earlier pin-pointed by EU Commission, on the July 29 Referendum  attempting to impeach twice Elected President Traian Basescu (2009-2014), and if the current Romanian Government will respect, or not, Constitutional Court's decisions and independence, as well as that of the Country's Prosecutor General, Ombudsman, Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, etc., including on the Resignation of MPs condemned for Corruption, while also respecting elementary Freedom of Expression, stressed in substance the President of the Biggest Group of MEPs, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, the experienced Joseph Daul from Strasbourg (France, but notoriously supported also by German and many other delegations of MEPs from almost all EU's Member Countries, recently re-elected for a  new mandate for  2012-2014) in reply to "EuroFora"s questions, witghout excluding any option for possible EU Sanctions in case of further contempt to basic European principles. (See Infra).

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+ Freedom of Expression muzzled ?
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    - Meanwhile, Daul firmly pointed "EuroFora"s attention at his latest official Statement, where he strongly denounces the fact that, currently, even "Freedom of Expression" is "in Danger" in Romania today, because of controversial Ponta's "Government attemps to Silence the Opposition", by "Filing legal Charges" which Threaten to Prosecute "15  Leaders" of opposed parties,  Accusing them of "Defaming the State".

    - "All forms of Totalitarianism start with political Repression and Preventing People from Expressing their Views. Political Debate between the Authorities and the Opposition should take place in Public Spaces, Not in the State Prosecutor's office !", Daul warned.     

    - Therefore, "this New development in Romania Breaks all normal Democratic boundaries and sends an extremely Negative signal with regard to the recently affirmed Commitment of the Romanian authorities to fully Respect the rule of Law and Democratic principles", as EU Commission and CoE have officially urged Ponta to do. In consequence, "I am Appalled. I canNot believe that in an EU Member State, after more than 20 Years since the fall of Communism, Freedom of Expression is again under Threat !", the President of EU Parliament's biggest Group of MEPs denounced.

    - After "Undermining the Independence of the Democratic Institutions in the country", by hastily "replacing" Parliament and Senate's Chairmen, the Prosecutor General, the Ombudsman, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, etc., while also reportedly exercing Pressure on Constitutional Judges and curtailing Constitutional Cout's competences, as well as seeking elected President Basescu's impeachment, all that done without any Popular Vote nor any Election by Citizens, (Comp. earlier "EuroFora"s NewsReports, with EU's and CoE's concerns, as well as statements that gave us CoE "Venice Commission"'s Director, Thomas Markert : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/europeandromaniacrisis.html ), this "coalition Government in Romania is... Now Targeting the People who might hinder it from taking Power", and "Blames not those who make a Bad Decision, but those who point it out", observed Daul.

    => - That's why EPP MEPs' President "appeal(ed) to the Romanian political Leadership to return to the Respect of Fundamental rights" as "Freedom of Expression", reiterating his "invitation to Prime Minister Ponta" to explain his stance "about these reported Slippages from Democratic Principles and European Values", while also "Call(ing) on the EU Commission to Ensure that EU values and Fundamental Rights are Respected in Romania", he concluded.
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    + Ponta's "Government, which came into power under Strange political Circumstances (suddenly, back on May 7, 2012), has yet to show any tangible proof that it respects the Rule of Law", "the Democratic checks and Balances, and the Independence of the Judiciary, (which) are Cornerstones of European Values and norms and are Indispensable for mutual Trust within the EU", observed earlier Daul, together with the President of the European People's Party, Wilfried Martens, calling the EU to "Verify that the Rule of Law is Re-Established in Romania" the soonest, (including by fulfilling Ponta's commitment, "urgently" required by EU Commission's President Barroso, to "restore the powers of the Constitutional Court and to ensure that its Decisions are fully Implemented".

    - Because "we have Deep Concerns that the "Diplomatic Wording" and "Lip-service", used by Mr. Ponta during his visit in Brussels ...will Not be matched by concrete Actions from his Government. We Fear that Upcoming Events in Romania, over Next Weeks, will justify our Deep Mistrust even more", already Warned the two experienced Top EU Political Leaders.

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Violate Democracy+ in an attempt to Stop Anti-Corruption investigations ?
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+ Daul also heard carefuly but Positively "EuroFora"s question on another topical denunciation,, reportedly made earlier by elected Romanian President Traian Basescu, about the fact that Ponta's May 7 "coup", as he called it, came only after his personal Mentor, former Prime Minister Nastase (Socialist too), faced a Condemnation to Jail for "Corruption" Scandals, when Prosecutors dressed a List of Suspects for Anti-Corruption Investigations including about 20 MPs who started, immediately afterwards, to turn their coats and ask, in retaliation, to "impeach" Basescu, in an apparent attempt to stop the Fight against High Political Level Corruption, contrary to what the EU had urged Bucarest to do, so that an obvious Risk today is that Corrupted Politicians might Violate Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights in order to Hinder the Truth and prevent Justice from being done.

  - Such issues can be included in my official Statement (on the Freedom of Expression), and, at any case, all such matters can be discussed and examined by EU Parliament, when the time comes, Daul  replied firmly.

+ "In the meantime, as recently requested by EU Commission, we expect the Romanian government to respect the full independence of the judiciary, ....to appoint an Ombudsman that enjoys Cross-Party support, to ensure a new open and Transparent procedure for appointing a General Prosecutor and Director of the Anti-Corruption Directorate, and to make Integrity a political Priority", stressed earlier Joseph Daul together with Wilfread Martins in this regard.

 - "Nastase's condemnation (last June 2012) to 2 Years of Jail for Corruption, triggered reactions : By daring to face that former Prime Minister..., the Supreme Court provoked Fears to Socialist Politicians who were going to be inevitably affected by such measures", denounced Expert Catherine Durandin, Professor in Romanian Language and Civilisation at INALCO, cited by "France 24" TV.

He is one among the few former Heads of Government judged under Corruption accusations, such as the former Italian Prime Minister Betino Craxi, (also "Socialist"), who was condemned during the 1990ies, but evaded prison by escaping to Libya, or the former Prime Minister of Croatia, Ivo Sanader, who has not yet been condemned, but is currently judged and had been detained earlier, while in Greece a former vice-President of the European Socialists, former Minister of Defense, Akis Tsochatzopoulos has recently been condemned to jail for Corruption in pubic procurements, etc., but several other Poiliticians are widely suspected for various forms of Corruption and other Abuses, even if controversial laws tried to impose too short Time Deadlines for the Investigation of Crimes committed in the Past.

+ Nastase has been reportedly accused for taking 1,5 Million € from Businessmen invited at a Symposium in order to fund his 2004 Electoral Campaign, as well as for a controversial Heritage of 300.000 € by a relative to his wife, and for allegedly being Bribbed with 630.000 € in goods imported from China and/or non-reimbursed works by a former Government official, etc.

He came recently also to the Lime-Light as Director of the PHD Thesis attributed to the controversial current Prime Minister Ponta ("Socialist" too), who has been denounced by the prestigious Scientific Journal "Nature", the Bucarest University's Committee on Ethics, and Romania's Educational Diplomas' Certification Agency, to have Plagiarized more than 50% of his text.

=> In consequence, "the Conquest of Power", by a makeshift coalition of usually opposed parties of Socialists and Liberals etc., "was made Out of any Democratic Rule", in a way which "trumples underfoot all Institutions, seeking to exclude anything which might hinder that seizure of power", including, f.ex., even the "sucking of the Director of National Archives, in order to Control the (Historic) Memory and protect some "Communist Comrades". "The Presidents of the Parliament and of the Senate were dismissed", while "Constitutional Court's Judges faced Pressure", "many Members arriving towards the end of their Mandate, the Parliament wants to Replace them by its own  Cronies", Professor Durandin denounced.
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On the contrary, Twice re-Elected Romanian President Traian Basescu, (2004 - 2009 - 2014), succeeded to bring Bucarest inside the EU since 2007, and was even one among the happy few EU Heads of State/Government to be personaly present at ECB's 1st Decade Anniversary Summit, back on June 2008 in Frankfurt, hosted by German Chancellor Angie Merkel, (Comp. "EuroFora" co-Founder's NewsReports to TCW + SNS from that landmark ECB Summit , and on its follow-up at EU Parliament : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/euro.html ), giving a signal that he already thought about preparing Romania's entry into €uroZone the soonest possible...

Often Popular among a wide spectrfum of Citizens in the past, Traian Basescu reportedly fought against Corruption and Bureaucracy, while also brokering an EU-supported deal with IMF to help the Romanian Economy after the 2009 Global Crisis, including up to 25% economies on Public Sector agents' (i.e. protected, Permanent job holders') Salaries and reducing waste, not hesitating to let Courts free to realy investigate and condemn to jail High-profile Corrupted politicians, even former Prime Minister Nastase, apparently due to be soon followed also by about 20 MPs, etc, until he succeeded to Stabilize the Country's Financial situation and to start bringing back Growth recently.

But, a May 7, 2012 alleged "Coup" by unelected Socialist politician Ponta, provisionaly allied to his usual competitors of a Liberal party and a few Turkish Minority MPs, brutally stopped progress by immediately "Replacing" Senate and Parliament's Chairmen, as well as the Prosecutor General, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, ansd even the Ombudsman, while also curtailing Constitutional Court's competences and exerting heavy Pressure on its Members, and launching the forthcoming controversial Referendum which seeks to oust the elected President Basescu by an impeachment unprecedented in Romania's History, according to a Procedure that he changed at the last minute, shortly before the crucial Vote, imposing radical changes that many denounce as undemocratic and exposing to serious Risks of Fraud.

Astonishingly, all these, obviously over-"Hasty", brutal Big Political Changes, occured without any Popular Election or Vote, nor any serious, well  informed Public Debate previously.

Meanwhile, since Ponta's alleged "coup" of May 2012, the Romanian Economy also plunged down into Deep Troubles, (with the national Currency loosing a great part of its former Market Value, Investors fleeing the country, etc)..

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= Electoral Fraud ?
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    In such conditions, and given also the fact that Traian Basescu has already faced succesfully in the Past a similar attempt by Socialists to impeach him by a 2007 Referendum which blatantly failed, 2/3 of the Voters supporting their democratically elected President, now, in 2012, Fears of a massive Fraud by the controversial Ponta governing makeshift coalition, f.ex.,  in a desperate attempt to disguise a probable Abstention of the Majority of People, on the contrary, into a false appearance of a Participation greater to 50%, as Romania's Constitutional Court has required in a Judgement strongly supported by the EU, started to be expressed both inside and outside the country, by the Opposition, Foreign Experts and various EU personalities :

    - By setting up "Extra Voting Stations", including so-called "Floating", even ... "in Restaurants, Bars, Cafés and Hotels", "many" of them even ..."at the Seaside" during a "Hot" Sunday expected to hit 39 Celcius, letting anyone vote all over an exceptionally extended, Long period of Time : from 7 o'clock in the early Morning, up to almost ... MidNight (11 p.m. local time !), according to "Unclear voting Lists", without Video Surveillance, and without even using a "new Software able to Detect Election Fraud by a Multiple Casting of Votes",  "consequently, it will not be possible to compare the Casted votes with the actual amount of Voters",  (etc);

    All that can obviously make illegal "Multiple Votes Easier", by allowing "Election Tourism", etc., so that "it is likely that the procedure of the Referendum will Not conform to the current Standards of the rule of Law and Transparency", denounced several mainstream International Media, after President Basescu and Romanian Opposition Parties, Foreign Experts, and even the Head of the German Delegation of ChristianDemocat/EPP MEPs, experienced former EU Parliament's President and currently Head of the prestigious "Adenauer" Foundation, Hans-Gert Poettering, together with former Minister of Justice and EU Commission's Expert on combating Corruption, current EU Parliament's EU-Moldova JPC Chairwoman, Romanian MEP Monica Luisa Macovei, and EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee's Chairman, German MEP Elmar Brok, (etc).

    + This naturally goes in addition to the fact that, already, by seriously Threatening to Prosecute all 15 Leaders of the Opposition for Criticizing the Government, in an obvious attempt to Muzzle them right at the eve of a crucial Referendum on the Future of the Country, the controversial Ponta makeshift coalition Government obviously risks to Violate also another Basic, elementary Requirement for any Free and Fair, Democratic Election, which notoriously is Free Speech and contradictory Public Debate with equal participation of all political forces engaged in a Vote, as EU Parliament's biggest Group of MEPs' President Joseph Daul has just warned, (Comp. Supra).

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=> EU Sanctions ?
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    - Controversial, current Prime Minister Ponta "should explain to EU Parliament, on September's Plenary session in Strasbourg, what he did in order to comply with EU Commission's urgent requirements", (officially anounced by EU Commission's President himself, José Barroso, earlier in Brussels), and how his Government respects European Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights principles, Daul warned, speaking to "EuroFora" shortly before the crucial July 29 Referendum.

    + In a parallel, combined move, later-on also in Strasbourg, CoE's PanEuropean Parliamentary Assembly, followed by CoE's Constitutional Law Top Experts of the "Venice Commission", are due to check, debate and decide on this Summer's developments in Romania, at the beginning of October, (See, for both EU and CoE's above mentioned actions, "EuroFora"s NewsReport : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/europeandromaniacrisis.html ).

=> - "It's too early to say now" what Sanctions EU Parliament might consider if Ponta fails to honour his commitments, but "we shall certainly see" what should be done in this sense when the time comes, Daul also added in reply to an "EuroFora's question whether MEPs would f.ex. suspend of "freeze" EU Funds badly needed by Romania, until the Bucharest Government fullfils its obligations, as EU has already done in various other, differend cases, as, f.ex. vis a vis Hungary, Bulgaria, etc.. But he didn't exclude, however, any possibility..

+ In addition to a variety of possible Financial Sanctions, "one must Start thinking about using the procedures available in Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty", (which entered into force on 2010 and notoriously includes stripping a Member State from its Voting Rights), warned afterwards, in a joint Statement, experienced Head of the German Delegation of ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEPs and former EU Parliament's President, Hans Poettering, together with the Chairs of EU Parliament's EU-Moldova and Foreign Affairs Committees, Romanian MEP, former Minister and EU Commission's Anti-Corruption Expert, Luisa Macovei, as well as German MEP Elmar Broc, respectively.
 

- EU was "Deeply Shocked" by "recent Events in Romania over the past few weeks (which) gave rise to Major Concerns. Prime Minister Victor Ponta", appointed after a sudden U-turn of a few MPs (most of them reportedly targetted by Anti-Corruption Investigations) "only 2 Months ago", launched an "Unprecedented" "Attack on the Democratic Institutions and Procedures", including by  "the Restriction of the Constitutional Court's powers", which "is Unconstitutional to an extremely high degree", committing blatant "Violation(s) of Fundamental European Legal Principles", as, f.ex., in the case of an "Emergency Decree, which abolished the Constitutional Court's right to Scrutinize the parliament's decisions and, therefore, the (recent, controversial) Suspension of ..President" Basescu, elected by the People for a 2009-2014 Popular Mandate, while "taking Control of the Judiciary is clearly Not a part of the concept of our Europe". Another serious "Breach of Law (which) will Not be Remedied by the Referendum scheduled for Sunday".

    = Already, "Romania is Now under a <<Special Surveillance>> conducted by EU Commission and EU Parliament" (in cooperation also with CoE's Monitoring bodies, such as the "Venice Commission"'s Top Experts on Constitutional Law, as well as CoE's PanEuropean Parliamentary Assembly, etc. : See relevant, earlier "EuroFora"s NewsReport : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/europeandromaniacrisis.html), Poettering, Brok and Macovei observed, particularly after EU Commission's President Jose Barroso recently published a crystal-clear List of "Urgent", concrete Commitments on several important Legal and Democratic Principles, that controversial Prime Minister Ponta officially undertook (even by writting) the Obligation to fulfill, as EU Parliament's biggest Group of MEPs' Chairman, French MEP Joseph Daul reminded to "EuroFora", (comp. Supra).

    >>> Therefore, strong EU Action vis a vis Mr. Ponta's controversial, makeshift Government could become Necessary, particularly "if Fundamental Legal Principles of the European Union are further Violated", Poettering, Macovei and Brok warned at the eve of the crucial, July 29, Referendum reportedly organized in very controversial conditions  (Comp. facts cited Supra).

    + Further, additional Sanctions might be decided, in case of persistent Violations of Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights' principles, also by the CoE, and particularly its PanEuropean Parliamentary Assembly's forthcoming Plenary Session, at the beginning of October in Strasbourg, which will be immediately followed by a Crucial CoE's "Venice Commission"'s independent Top Legal Experts' session focused on all recent developments in Romania on October 12 and 13, (as its Director, Thomas Markert, has earlier said to "EuroFora" : See http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/europeandromaniacrisis.html ).

(../..)

[Partly updated on July 28]

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(NDLR : "DraftNews", as already sent, earlier, to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate, full Final Version may be published asap.)

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