Political forces in Romania "must responsibly act"

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso Durrao said at the meeting in Brussels with President Traian Basescu of Romania that all political forces in government and opposition should responsibly act and with restraint and focus on the urgent need to restore institutional stability and politics.

European Commission President said that this is especially important in the preparation of parliamentary elections this fall.

Jose Manuel Barroso Durrao explained that the institution he leads will not compromise on the need for Member States to respect the constitutional state, the judicial independence and the constitutional principles.

President Traian Basescu is visiting Brussels in order to discuss the situation in Romania with the European officials.

He explained that he had requested the visit in order to discuss the additional report requested by the Commission to be presented in December.

The suspension of the president, changing the head of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, in July, have raised concern European officials.

Two months ago, Jose Manuel Barroso said that the EU respects the constitutional state and the judicial independence, but political developments in Romania in recent months "have shaken our confidence."

He said that developments have questioned the constitutional state and independence of the judiciary in Romania, but the commitments made by the government Ponta headed things, to which he specified that he is "grateful Premier Victor Ponta."

Jose Manuel Barroso said he had asked the European Commission to continue to monitor the situation in Romania and by the end of the year to make a new report.

Schengen accession, on the agenda in Brussels

Traian Basescu proposed to discuss in Brussels also the Schengen issue.

The additional report of winter is linked also to accession to the Schengen area, although normally Schengen criteria are unrelated to legal verification mechanism, that because countries like Germany and Belgium indicated that they would prefer to see first the contents of this report and then to decide on accession to the Schengen Area.

In his statement to Cotroceni, Traian Basescu, announced that another topic he would like to discuss in Brussels is related to extend by one year the period of use of funds.

He said he would try to make stable the EU budget between 2014-2020.

In his speech at Cotroceni, the president said that the adoption of the euro by Romania is a train that should not be missed because "there is a risk that the train will go and not return into the station again".

"Our target for the euro area must remain 2015. Currently, we have no reason to delay the entry into the eurozone target of 2015.

"It is good to go by this train from the beginning when it passes. The risk of political forethought, of thinking is major and there is the risk that the train goes and not come back again," said President Traian Basescu.


Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea
MTTLC, Bucharest University