Romanian Social Democrat MEP: Changes to the Penal Code were made in secret

Catalin Ivan, a member of the European Parliament, representing the Social Democratic Party (PSD) said in an interview for RFI that he stands by those who protest these days in Romania, as their discontent and concerns are real. Moreover, he also said that PSD members didn’t know about the controversial ordinance that would have changed the Penal Code, and that the changes “were never explained to anyone, not even to those in PSD, not even to those in the Government.” “It was done in a weird way, secretly. I don’t understand what the justice minister tried to do with this lack of communication, and this secrecy around the ordinances, because if you talk to legal advisers, and not legal advisers from PSD but those without a political color, you will see that the text of the ordinances is a good one and that Romania needs these ordinances,” Catalin Ivan said. He also said that all the political parties ever forming the Government should understand that things should be done transparently, there should be a public debate, and the citizens should be informed, especially when it comes to initiatives that address sensitive issues. “I believe that’s a lesson that PSD has learned, a hard lesson because, I repeat, no one in the party, or almost no one knew the text of that ordinance, not even Mr. Florin Iordache’s colleagues in the Government. I think that we are all paying now for an initiative belonging to only one member of the Grindeanu cabinet.” Referring to what the Government has done so far, besides adopting the controversial ordinance, Ivan said that the cabinet led by Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has respected all the commitments it made during the electoral campaign. Moreover, Grindeanu is a “very ambitious young politician, very well trained, and with good intentions,” Ivan thinks. Last week, another PSD MEP, Sorin Moisa, criticized the emergency ordinance adopted by the Government, and said that he supported the protesters’ request for the ordinance to be withdrawn. Mihai Chirica, the mayor of Iasi and a vice-president of PSD, also said that he wanted the controversial ordinance that amends the Penal Code withdrawn, and asked for the justice minister’s resignation. Late last Tuesday, the Romanian Government adopted an emergency ordinance that was amending the Penal Code, partly decriminalizing the offense of abuse of office. The Government’s decision to adopt the ordinance without further debate and during a meeting organized at around 20:00, without putting it on the meeting’s agenda, triggered massive protests in the country. After several days of protests,