Romanian President: Three laws on national security to be sent to the Parliament by end-May

An improved counter-terrorism law, a law on the prepaid cards, and the cyber security law will be sent to the Parliament by the end of May this year, President Klaus Iohannis said after consultations with the major political parties in Romania. Both houses of the Parliament might pass the three laws in June, the President added. Iohannis also suggested the parties to set up special parliamentary commission that would be in charge of drawing up a second package of laws. Within this project, the commission would work with Government specialists and the institutions targeted by the laws. These measures are taken as “many of the national security laws are outdated, inadequate, or difficult to apply in the current situation,” the President said. “In this area, it is crucial to understand that, on one hand, we have civil rights and freedoms that must be guaranteed. On the other hand, we need security, and I mainly speak about the citizen’s security, as the national security is not affected,” Iohannis added. He also talked about the terrorist attacks, adding that the state institutions should do everything they can to prevent such incidents. At the end of his statement, the President also said that he wanted a “strong Parliament that legislates well, that produces quality laws, and exerts a strong parliamentary control.” Romanian MP: Prepaid cards should be removed if they are a threat Intelligence Service: Romanian prepaid cards are used in Iraq and Syria Secret service says that Romanian prepaid cards used in EU attacks Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com