US Attorney General William Barr has expressed hope, after the visit paid to Bucharest, that Romania will reverse the amendments brought to the laws of justice and that steps will be made for an efficient, transparent and impartial judiciary.
“Romania is one of our strongest partners in the fight against transnational crime. With Romania’s assistance, we have been able to investigate and extradite members of organized criminal groups engaging in worldwide skimming and cyber-enabled fraud operations. Romania also provides critical support to DEA on counternarcotics operations. Our partnership has historically been rooted in a deep commitment to the democratic values of the rule of law and good governance, and a shared understanding that these form the foundation for increasing our shared security and prosperity. My visit to Bucharest for the EU-US Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial provided the opportunity to reaffirm that the rule of law is an enduring principle, and that all persons, institutions, and entities should be governed by and held accountable to laws that are just, publicly promulgated, and enforced equally and impartially. I appreciated in particular the opportunity to meet with Romanian leadership, including my Justice counterpart, Ana Birchall, to discuss the importance of preserving the rule of law and restoring anti-corruption efforts. We are grateful for Minister Birchall’s engagement and strong support for these important priorities. We hope that, with her leadership, and that of other Romanian officials, Romania will reverse recent amendments that threaten to undermine the ability to fight corruption, and we are confident that Romania will take steps to ensure an efficient, transparent and impartial judiciary. I look forward to deepening our partnership and continuing our close law-enforcement collaboration with this critical ally,” William Barr said, according to a release posted on the US Department of Justice’s website.
President Klaus Iohannis welcomed on Tuesday, at Cotroceni Palace, US Attorney General William Barr, on the occasion if his visit to Romania, in the context of the EU-US ministerial meeting in the field of Justice and Home Affairs, organized by Romania as president of the Council of the European Union.
William Barr has also had meetings with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and with Justice Minister Ana Birchall.