(story to be published in tomorrow’s issue, March 7)
Justice reform, ownership laws and the Collegium of Securitate archives are the main issues that are going to be affected by the refusal of PD (Democrat Party) MPs to cooperate with the coalition, following a decision made on Friday by the party’s Coordination Council (CCN). Unless leaders of government parties reach an agreement, these issues will be stalled. CCN on Friday recommended “PD parliamentary groups to focus their activity mainly upon legislation necessary for assimilating the community acquis and the budget approval,” according to a release by the Council. The decision came after CCN “noticed” the fact that “PNL political group gave up the political alliance with the Democrat Party,” as the Liberals did not agree with the replacement of Victor Babiuc from the position of Defence Ministry (MApN) head. The release underscores that, in the opinion of PD, the collaboration Accord signed by CDR (The Romanian Democrat Convention) and USD (The Social Democrat Union) ahead of the second round of 1996 presidential elections was breached. The Agreement stipulated that the Senate presidency and the position of Defence minister were to rest with the Democrat Party. The action of PD leaders is particularly aimed at the prime vice-president of the Liberals, Valeriu Stoica, who, according to Petre Roman, is the “chief of PNL political group.” Obstacles will be laid in the way of his promoting the law on the reformation of Justice, which is supposed to modify the civil Code, the civil procedure Code, the penal Code and the penal procedure Code. Stoica has recently announced that he wanted the draft to be promoted through the Government’s assuming responsibility, the Democrats maintain. “If minister Stoica wants to reform Justice by aligning the problems of the Romanian Justice to European standards, we agree, but if he wants to keep up his personal ways, we will not vote for the law,” PD deputy Cristian Radulescu told Ziarul Financiar. He said that a recent report by the Council on Europe on reforms in Romania reads that the Transports Ministry is the best reformed institution, while the Justice ministry comes last, as “it is suspected of being subject to political interference.” As a matter of fact, PD president Petre Roman on Friday criticised Valeriu Stoica, showing that his party’s MPs are not satisfied with Justice reform, wanting to see “what has been and what has not been done within the last three years.” Moreover, in the opinion of PD, the acquis does not include the ownership laws, but only laws on the reform of Justice, of local public administration, the Statute of the civil servant, minorities’ rights, civil leadership of the Army, Radulescu maintains. “Laws on moral reparation are not part of the acquis, and neither are ownership laws,” he specified. PD MPs told us that among moral reparation laws they include the Securitate files Law. Votes for the Board for the Archives’ Research are to be expressed today. PNL general secretary Ovidiu Draganescu told Ziarul Financiar that should PD oppose the draft on the reformation of Justice, the party “must assume responsibility for the perpetuation of injustice, manifest within the current legal system.” As to the suspicion that Stoica might introduce “personal ways” in the text, Draganescu stated that “not all political leaders think as PD leaders do, who issue ordinances and government decisions serving their personal interests.”