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Romanian President Klaus Iohannis
Photo: STEPHANIE LECOCQ/EPA-EFE/REX
A controversial law is coming into force in Romania that critics say is making the fight against corruption and organized crime more difficult.
President Klaus Iohannis signed the new regulation after it had been passed by Parliament and approved by the Constitutional Court.
The Vice President of the EU Commission, Věra Jourová, immediately expressed concern on Twitter.
Iohannis could have sent the bill back to Parliament for reconsideration.
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Věra Jourová, European Commissioner for Values and Transparency
Photo: JULIEN WARNAND / EPA
The amendment abolishes a special unit of the public prosecutor's office (SIIJ), which was solely responsible for investigations against judges and public prosecutors.
The previous government, which was criticized for being pro-corruption and led by social democrats, founded SIIJ in 2018, thereby withdrawing powers from the special units for corruption (DNA) and organized crime (DIICOT), which were considered very efficient.
If judicial personnel were suspected of crimes in complex corruption or mafia cases, DNA and DIICOT were no longer allowed to investigate further.
The current innovation is being criticized because DNA and DIICOT have not regained their competencies.
Public prosecutors are now to investigate the judiciary, who are commissioned to do so by their superiors at the regional or local level.
Civil rights activists and judicial experts fear that it is difficult to imagine that one public prosecutor would investigate another in the municipalities and regions because there are dependencies and loyalties based on friendships and family relationships.
In addition, these provincial investigators lack the expertise for corruption and mafia cases, it said.
On the other hand, the highly specialized investigators from DNA and DIICOT are regarded as a separate "caste" who act completely independently.
The Venice Commission recently argued similarly in its criticism of the change in the law.
Jourová, EU Commissioner for Values and Transparency, said she had spoken to Romania's Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu about her "concerns" about this.
She announced that she would continue to examine the process in dialogue with the Venice Commission.
Since Romania joined the EU in 2007, the fight against corruption and judicial reforms have been under the special supervision of the EU Commission.
jso/dpa