GRECO retorts to the Romanian JusMin: Recommendations to Romania are not optional

The Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) has replied to the Romanian Minister of Justice, Tudorel Toader, who told the Senate’s plenary sitting  on Wednesday that GRECO latest report must be considered ‘as a guide and that it cannot impose any rules to the Romanian legislator.’

Moreover, the Justice minister claimed that he had talked to the GRECO experts and they hadn’t seemed to live up to the level of the report’s content.

In a press statement sent to realitatea.net, GRECO says that the report is not a guide, and that its recommendations are not optional, in any way.

The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body added its rules are clear and that its  members must obey the recommendations made in the evaluation report and fully enforce them, within the time limit set by GRECO.

„Romania makes no exception. GRECO is Council of Europe’s  monitoring body, not an advisory one,” reads their retort.

The Council also pointed out that the country report on Romania had been drafted by a GRECO team, following several debates with the relevant authorities, including Justice minister Tudorel Toader.

As for the minister’s rebuke that the groups’ experts are not so professional, GRECO mentions  that „the GRECO  rapporteurs and evaluators are designated by the member states and have the level of  expertize and professionalism  needed to carry out their work,” while „the team that went to Romania made no exception”.