Anyone who quickly needs a building permit in Romania and pays bribes in the right place soon has to stop worrying. A new law makes the case impunity if the bribe does not exceed 1900 Lei (400 Euro).

Anyone who impresses or is bribed and displays himself within a year, gets away without punishment. Officers, officials who use their power, such as to fill their pockets, are only half as severely punished as before.

All this and other changes to the Criminal Code decided on Wednesday evening, the Romanian Parliament in an urgent procedure. By 181 votes to 83, the ruling Social Democrats in the EU country, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council, undermined the rule of law. And even more:

  • To protect their corrupt machinations, they snubbed at the EU Commission, which had warned the country against the move.
  • They also exposed their colleagues in the Party of European Socialists (PES) a few weeks before the European elections in late May.
  • Their top candidate Frans Timmermans is also embarrassed.

He is also vice-president of the European Commission and had sent a clear warning towards Bucharest at the beginning of April. If Romania "de facto creates impunity for high-level officials condemned for corruption", one would be forced to act "immediately" and "hard".

After the renewed affront from Bucharest but was initially heard of Timmermans nothing. Instead, a spokesman for the European Commission said that the decision of the Romanian parliament would be "thoroughly studied".

Romania threatens tough action by the EU Commission

Tougher measures could only be decided at the next meeting of the EU Commission, which will take place next Wednesday. Expectations are high not only because of Timmermans' threats against Romanians. The Commission vice itself is also under surveillance.

He has repeatedly had to hear the accusation of treating his party friends in Bucharest more leniently than other statesmen of the rule of law, especially the right-wing conservative governments in Hungary and Poland. Anything other than resolute action against Romania would therefore be a surprise.

In the long term, it could result in criminal proceedings under Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty, which is already in progress against Poland and Hungary. There have already been such demands in the EU Parliament.

"If constitutional principles are violated and the control of the judiciary massively restricted, a rule of law procedure under Article 7 has to be opened against Romania," said Angelika Niebler, co-chair of the CDU / CSU group, last fall.

"There can be no discounts"

Manfred Weber (CSU), the European elections leading candidate of the Christian Democratic European People's Party (EPP), also took advantage of the Social Democrats' open flank. His EPP Group voted in favor of the criminal case against Hungary, Weber recently said in an interview with SPIEGEL. Social Democrats and Liberals should now behave "just as clearly" towards their Romanian party friends.

Such campaign attacks were one reason why the Party of European Socialists recently suspended the PSD of Romania's strongman Liviu Dragnea. If Dragnea does not give in, one considers the complete expulsion of the Romanians as conceivable in the PES.

Verbal at least distance themselves from Brussels Social Democrats of the Dragnea troupe. "Offenders should not be protected by law changes from persecution," said Udo Bullmann, head of the Social Democrats in the European Parliament, the SPIEGEL. "There can be no discounts."

Committed social democrats network

Romania has been under suspicion of corruption since joining the EU in 2007. Every year, the EU Commission takes stock, and the progress report 2018 was devastating. According to the judgment, Romania has even stepped back in some areas. The Social Democrats, who govern with the Liberals, have created a network of conspirators around the country:

  • Several politicians enrich themselves in office,
  • suppress public money,
  • cash in privatizations,
  • can be bribed in the awarding of public contracts
  • or they breed acquaintances.

The so-called judicial reforms of the PSD government aim to protect this system. Especially PSD boss Dragnea, who controlled the government from the background, should benefit. He is convicted on several occasions, including for abuse of office. The new criminal laws could cleanse him so that he could fill an official state office, which he has been denied so far.

Romanian President - high moral prestige, but few skills

Although Romania's economy is growing fastest in the EU comparison. But the country is the third poorest in the Union, with 63 percent of average per capita income.

The PSD has its support especially in the rural regions, where the economic dynamism of the cities is hardly felt. In the metropolises, on the other hand, displeasure continues to grow. In the spring of 2018, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Bucharest and elsewhere to protest against the political class.

It is also the urban bourgeoisie, to whom Klaus Johannis owes his election as President in 2014. The Saxon from Transylvania is considered integrity, the voters installed him as a counterweight to the corrupt establishment. Although he enjoys a high moral reputation, but has few skills. Even against the new judicial laws, he can hardly do anything. Because the PSD also dominates the Constitutional Court.

"A thoroughly corrupt troupe"

One of Johannis' worst defeats was that he was forced to recall the courageous corrupter Laura Codruta Kövesi. Kövesi is now in talks as Chief Prosecutor of the new European Public Prosecutor's Office. But the PSD tries to prevent its appeal by any means.

So far, the party had a good chance of getting away with it:

  • Although the EU Parliament is in favor of Kövesi,
  • However, the Council of the Member States favors the Frenchman Jean-François Bohnert.

The brighter the Romanian government disassembles the rule of law, but the greater Kövesis chances. "It is now impossible for the Parliament, Kövesi not enforce with all their strength," said about the Green MEP Sven Giegold. The pressure on the governments of the other EU states to opt for Kövesi is growing.

"They understand that they can not reward Romania," says CDU MEP Inge Gräßle, member of Parliament's negotiating team. Romania's current government is a "thoroughly corrupt force". "Should she prevail in this question," said Gräßle, "that would be a fatal signal."