EC warns Romania about draft bill jeopardizing independent audit of EU financing

The European Commission expressed concerns about a draft bill inked by Social Democrat lawmaker Daniel Zamfir, which “would impair the independence of the Audit Authority” - a body that checks the implementation of the projects financed from the European Union’s budget, G4media.roreported.

The promulgation and enforcement of the draft bill would result in the suspension of all the projects financed from the EU budget, the EC warns. However, a draft bill with similar content has already been rejected by the Constitutional Court, meaning that the new bill holds rather weak odds of being enacted.

The author of the project is senator Daniel Zamfir, former Liberal (PNL), former Liberal Democrat (ALDE), now Social Democrat (PSD), known for other projects in the sector of banking, most of them rejected by the Constitutional Court.

One of the changes criticized by the EC is the fact that the new bill gives the president of the Court of Auditors the exclusive competence to refer cases of illegal spending of public money to the criminal prosecution bodies. Currently, it is the head of the department performing the audit report that refers such cases to the criminal prosecution bodies.

Another change promoted by Daniel Zamfir and criticized by Brussels is limiting of the independence of the Audit Authority - an independent body accredited by the European Commission, under the authority of the Court of Auditors.

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