JusMin Toader on EP debates: Some sort of a tempest in a teapot; many inaccuracies and untruths

Justice Minister Tudorel Toader stated on Thursday evening at TVR1 national television station that "many inaccuracies and untruths" have been said during the debates in the European Parliament on the justice laws, some sort of "a tempest in a teapot." 

"A not at all pleasant finding of the fact that Europe has nothing against us, but, unfortunately, looks like we have something against us. (...) You have seen it yesterday, live or filmed, that there haven't been that many [people] in the hall; the hall was very generous, beautiful, but they were scattered here and there, in that hall one could not see them and I didn't count, because I didn't have the possibility, but I believe that most of them belonged to us. Therefore, let us not understand that the Union necessarily has something against us, we have "quotes around," a vocation from it, to invent things that need to be discussed, debated. (...) If you want a description, it was some sort of a tempest in a teapot, because only the MEPs remained, I don't know who they belonged to, of the Opposition, to argue with the ones at rule and so on. If we get into the content, many inaccuracies, many untruths," Toader stated. 

The Justice Minister mentioned it's out of the question for Romania to find itself in the situation of Poland, because in Romania the Constitutional Court decisions are observed. 

When responding to a question, the Justice Minister stated that a reproach coming form First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans was out of the question during the talk that the two of them carried out in Strasbourg. 

"Besides the meeting with Frans Timmermans, I had another eight meetings. In two days, I had nine meetings with decision-makes of the European Parliament, with parliamentary groups," Toader mentioned. 

The Minister explained that he didn't set out these meetings, claiming that actually it was a political debate in the European Parliament. 

"It's wishful thinking to believe that the Justice Minister goes to the Commission or Parliament, knocks at the door: Hello! Hello! Mr First Vice-President I've came to talk for an hour. It's out of the question. You see the public space is intoxicated and, unfortunately, manipulated. (...) Perhaps bad faith, maybe ignorance. (...) The excuse of the debate on the laws of justice has been used for a purely political debate. Why do I say this? It was made between politicians, in a large, beautiful and empty hall," Toader says. 

On the other hand, the Justice Minister claims that nobody mentioned what article is breached by amending the justice laws. 

"Nobody, no article. What they should have mentioned to me? Let me tell you. The Green group chair or vice-chair, who initiated the debate, who stated from the start 'I'm not a lawyer and I'm not good at it.' If you're not a lawyer and you're not good at it what can I explain to you? You cannot explain anything, because the level is too low," Toader added.

AGERPRES