European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has told Romania's prime minister of his concern over an apparent reduction in the power of the constitutional court and other independent institutions, the EU executive said today.
"The rule of law, the democratic checks and balances and the independence of the judiciary are cornerstones of the European democracy and indispensable for mutual trust within the European Union," the commission said in a statement. "Government policy and political action must respect these principles and values."
Romania's Constitutional Court on Tuesday accused prime minister Victor Ponta and his party of trying to dismantle the court and said it has notified European authorities of threats to its independence.
Prime minister Victor Ponta will come to Brussels next Thursday to meet Mr Barroso to discuss the issues, the commission said. In the meantime the commission would continue to analyse the situation.
Romania's president accused the government yesterday of using an attempt to impeach him as a way of grabbing control of the judiciary and other state institutions.
The leftist Social-Liberal Union (USL) government is set to use its parliamentary majority to vote later today to suspend right-winger Traian Basescu. A referendum would then be held on his impeachment within a month.
The impeachment threat is part of a wider political clash that has paralysed lawmaking and raised doubts over Romania's ability to keep to a €5 billion International Monetary Fund-led aid deal - hurting the currency and increasing debt costs.
Mr Basescu told parliament: "The major objective of this suspension is to put the justice system and state institutions under the control of parties in the USL."
Some 2,000 supporters of the opposition Democrat-Liberals (PDL) backing Mr Basescu gathered in downtown Bucharest, shouting anti-government slogans. In another square, people backing prime minister Victor Ponta shouted: "Out with Basescu."
In power since May, after the previous, centre-right government collapsed, the USL, led by Mr Ponta, Romania's third prime minister in four months, is favourite to win an election late this year.
Opponents accuse him of trying to cling to power, but many people are tired of an austerity drive enforced by a centre-right government in 2010."We are witnessing a systematic attack on state institutions ... now they attack presidency and the final target is to subordinate justice," newly elected PDL leader Vasile Blaga told the gathering.
The USL passed a law to make it easier to impeach Mr Basescu, whose position is ceremonial but who influenced the previous government's austerity policies.
In the impeachment request, USL lawmakers said the president broke the constitution and pressured judges.The new law, still pending judgment in the constitutional court, would make it possible for a simple majority of voters to impeach a president in a referendum, rather than requiring a
majority of the entire electorate.
In late afternoon, the government approved a decree setting a simple voting majority for referendums. It is not clear whether the decree or the court verdict, expected on Monday, will prevail.
Both reverse previous legislation by the PDL, which has close links to the president and is now in opposition. The PDL had switched the referendum rule to a majority of the electorate after a previous attempt to unseat Basescu in 2007. Mr Basescu would probably lose the referendum and his post if the new legislation is enforced, but easily survive if the old threshold is kept.
Reuters