European Interest

Difficult times for Romania’s government

Flickr/European Parliament/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Plenary held a discussion on Wednesday, October 3, with European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, the Austrian Presidency of the Council and the Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă on the situation of rule of law in Romania.

Politics in Romania are heating up this week. The government, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, is preparing for a motion of no confidence from the opposition parties on December 20.

The official motion will be presented in front of parliament on December 17 to challenge the ruling coalition headed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

Romania’s National Liberal Party (PNL) is leading a coalition of 163 MPs from PNL, Save Romania Union (USR) and Pro Romanian (PMP) parties to sign and back a no confidence motion against the Dancila’s government.

As reported by Euronews online, the opposition accuses the ruling PSD-ALDE coalition of proposing recent amendments that they say endangers judicial independence.

The opposition parties also criticised Interior Minister Carmen Dan of violently repressing anti-government protests in Bucharest on August 10.

“Carmen Dan, a minister who at midnight guided water cannons, batons and tear gas against peaceful Romanian citizens, against children and mothers, which the police and gendarmerie were supposed to protect, not gas and brutalise, is a commendable minister in your opinion,” the opposition parties told Romanian Insider.

The opposition has also attacked agriculture minister Petre Daea of poorly handling an epidemic of African swine fever from earlier in the year which led to the slaughter of thousands of pigs.

Explore more