Romania has reached the last stretch of its justice reform marathon and should continue running, but not in the wrong direction, European Commission first vice president Frans Timmermans said on Thursday, March 1, after a day of meetings with the top political leaders and justice officials in Bucharest.

He also said there was no systemic threat to the rule of law in Romania but that the recent public attacks on the justice system created a negative image for the country abroad.

Timmermans acknowledged once again Romania’s progresses in justice reform over the last 20 years but pointed out that there were still a few things to be done in order to have the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) lifted.

“Many things were also achieved in the last 11 years since Romania joined the European Union and with the CVM enforced. It is like running a marathon and we are now in the final stretch of that marathon. My message today was: keep running, but not in the wrong direction. Keep running towards the end of this marathon, you are almost there. There are only a few Commission recommendations that still need to be fulfilled. But don’t stop, don’t stand still, and, for Heaven’s sake, don’t run in the other direction,” the EC official said.

He added that Romanian institutions needed to work together and not against each other to achieve the lifting of the CVM. He also said that he agreed with the presidents of the Parliament’s two chambers as well as with the prime minister to keep a close contact and encouraged them to call him “every day if needed” so that no one can complain that the European Commission is misinformed about the Romanian Parliament’s initiatives in the field of justice.

Earlier this year, Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea, who is also the Chamber of Deputies speaker said that the EC was misinformed about the justice laws in Romania and accused the EC Representation in Bucharest of sending false information to Brussels.

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Timmermans said once again that the EC was very well informed about the developments in Romania and urged the local political institutions, judiciary to work together and accept any help they can get from international organizations such as GRECO, the Venice Commission and the European Commission to get the three justice laws and the two penal codes right.

The EC first vice president's press conference at the end of his visit to Romania is available in the video below.

EC president: Romania made progress on rule of law but no steps back accepted

editor@romania-insider.com