Romania: the rule of law must be respected.

Following the recent developments in Romania, where a decision by the Constitutional Court, ruling on the participation of the President of Romania in the European Council, was disregarded by the Romanian Prime Minister, the Chairman of the largest political Group in the European Parliament made the following statement:

"I am deeply concerned by the lack of respect for the rule of law in Romania. I was appalled to learn that the Prime Minister ignored the decision of the Constitutional Court on Romania’s representation in the European Council. Moreover, not being pleased with this decision, the Prime Minister went ahead and placed the Official Journal, the publication that should have published the decision in order to make it effective, under the authority of the Government.

These practices make me wonder if democracy in Romania is under serious threat. I will call for a debate in the European Parliament on this matter.

My message to the Romanian Prime Minister is that nobody is above the law. Laws are created to be respected, not changed when they do not serve the interest of the Prime Minister. I call on him to respect the Romanian people and its institutions. I also remind him that, in accordance with European standards and now clearly-established jurisprudence, the Romanian Prime Minister cannot head a government of a European Union country if he has committed fraud in obtaining his university degree. This affair must be clarified as soon as possible, as it is not only the credibility of a Member State that is at stake, but the credibility of the European Union as a whole. I hope that he is not going to change a law or threaten officials in the investigating Committee in an attempt to cover up his alleged fraud."