JusMin Predoiu: MJ proposes government to notify Parliament on SIIJ dismantling

The Minister of Justice, Catalin Predoiu, stated on Monday, during an online meeting with the representatives of the European Commission, that he will propose the Government to notify Parliament in relation to the draft law on the dismantling of the Section for the investigation of magistrates (SIIJ) and to the modification of the justice laws during the parliamentary session that begins on February 1 next year.

According to a press release of the Ministry of Justice sent to AGERPRES, Minister Catalin Predoiu had a technical working meeting with representatives of the European Commission, where they analyzed the current stage of fulfilling the recommendations included in the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) Report, published on June 8. The meeting took place after last week's talks in Brussels with Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the European Commission, and Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice.

On this occasion, according to the same source, they reviewed the delays in the CVM agenda, in 2021 and the prospects for their recovery in 2022. The topics of interest for the representatives of the European Commission were: the dismantling of the SIIJ, the modification of the justice laws, the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code.

Catalin Predoiu and the representatives of the Commission discussed the technical aspects of the CVM objectives, the different ways of achieving them, as well as the possible timetable for fulfilling these objectives.

"We have reviewed the situation of the delays registered in 2021 in achieving the objectives of the CVM, especially the abolition of the SIIJ and the adoption of the laws of Justice, as well as the various technical projections for their recovery in 2021. The Ministry of Justice will fulfill all its obligations in achieving these objectives. The CVM can be achieved to the extent that the political will expressed in the governing programme will be transformed into votes in Parliament for the bills the Government will submit it in the field of the CVM. The Ministry of Justice will continue to cooperate of a loyal and transparent manner with the Supreme Council of Magistrates and the European Commission in achieving the CVM objectives. The Ministry will also propose the Government to submit the draft law on the abolition of the SIIJ to Parliament and the modification of the justice laws during the parliamentary session that will begin on February 1, 2022," Catalin Predoiu said at the end of the meeting.

The meeting was attended by William Sleath, head of the General Secretariat of the European Commission, Julien Mousnier, head of unit within the General Secretariat of the Commission, and Maria Arsene, representative of the European Commission in Bucharest. On behalf of the Ministry of Justice, along with Catalin Predoiu, Madalina Manolache, head of the European Affairs and Human Rights Directorate, also participated.