European Socialists are freezing relations with Romanian ruling party. PSD retorts

PES President Sergei Stanishev has announced during a meeting of the European Socialist leaders in Brussels on Thursday, ahead of the Special European Council on Brexit, that relations with the Romanian Social Democrat Party are frozen until European elections due on May 26.

According to a press release posted on the PES website, Sergei Stanishev restated the PES’s continued concerns about the rule of law in Romania. He informed the prime ministers, commissioners and party leaders that until the Romanian Government clarified its commitment to the rule of law and followed the European Commission’s recommendations, the PES leadership will consider relations with the PSD frozen, pending a formal discussion at the next PES Presidency meeting in June, where PSD Romania’s membership of the PES will be discussed.

He concluded by saying that no PES events will be organised with the PSD until this time.

In retort, PSD has told a press release that the European Socialists’ decision is not correct, accusing PES leaders of “electoral reasons”. “Those almost half of million of Social Democrats don’t need approval to know their values and political identity”, PSD argues.

PSD chairman Liviu Dragnea told Antena 3 private broadcaster on Thursday evening that he saw the attitude of some PES colleagues who “flexed their muscles saying they will freeze relations with PSD”, arguing there is no such thing in the PES regulations and that he is not going to respond to it now.