ANI asks the Senate to respect the political balance and avoid excessive politicization of the National Integrity Council

ANI came up with a call for those in the Senate, the forum that determines who are the people in the National Integrity Council, to select professionals, respecting the political balance and without sneaking in apparently neutral candidates, but who have ties to political parties.

The National Council will be completed with new members PHOTO Archive

Considering the institutional process through which the Romanian Senate is going to appoint the members of the National Integrity Council for the 2024-2028 mandate, we want to emphasize the importance of the Senate paying increased attention in order to prevent the indirect formation of a majority of the same political color within the Council , so that the work of this body is governed by impartiality and balance, by reflecting a broad spectrum of opinions and perspectivee”, says ANI, in a statement from Tuesday.

Moreover, the institution reproduces Article 39 of Law 144 of 2007: “The members of the Council have the obligation, in the exercise of their duties, to refrain from expressing or publicly manifesting their political beliefs regarding the activity of the Council or the Agency and not to favor any political party or any organization to which the same legal regime is applicable as and political parties”.

The abdication of the principle of political balance regarding the composition of the National Integrity Council (by allocating, according to Law no. 144/2007, only one titular member from each parliamentary group in the Senate, plus the group of national minorities in the Chamber of Deputies) would make credibility vulnerable and the efforts of the Council and the Agency in fulfilling the legal mandate in the area of ​​ensuring integrity in the exercise of public functions“, says ANI.

According to “Adevărul” information, the concern is especially that the Senate will opt for the promotion to positions in the National Integrity Council of those with party cards or close to the parties, being an inclination of the formations to send people to an institution that especially in election year matters. ANI is also looking for people with solid professional training in the position.

25 candidates for office

On the table of the Legal Commission, from the General Secretariat of the Senate, 25 people arrived to be heard, being proposals for both titular and substitute members. For example, there are proposals from the liberals both on the branch of the Union of County Councils in Romania, as in the case of Alin Nica (who was also a controversial candidate in the past), but also from the Association of Municipalities in Romania, where the incumbent is proposed Emil Boc, and substitute Ciprian Ciucu.

For example, from the PSD parties, Claudia Elena Frunzete is proposed from the group, and UDMR Peter Zsuszanna, USR Gabriel Barbu. In fact, one of the people who in the past was proposed by the USR, now comes from the civil society, as is the case of Luminița Tuleașcă. This is a candidate from the Solidarity, Participation, Inclusion, Cooperation, Communication Association.

Another case is that of the titular member proposal of Liviu Rogozea from the Bucharest College of Legal Advisers. Rogozea is, as his Facebook profile shows, a member of the Permanent Bureau of PNL Sector 2.

What the European Commission said

The important role of the Council was reiterated by the European Commission in an MCV report issued in 2017: “The National Integrity Council (CNI) ensures political control over ANI, guaranteeing its independence and monitoring its activity. CNI members are appointed by the Senate from political parties, representatives of local administration and civil society, representing the main institutions and sectors targeted by ANI activities. By the end of 2011, the relationship between the CNI and the ANI was a difficult one, and the Commission expressed doubts that the CNI was effectively exercising its role. However, in recent years, MCV reports have noted the active role of the CNI in supporting the ability of the ANI to carry out its duties effectively. This included advocating for the maintenance of the legal framework of the ANI and calling for sufficient resources for the ANI, including in Parliament, as well as taking a stand publicly when public institutions failed to apply the sanctions imposed under the law (in particular, when the ANI reports were confirmed in court) and when the leadership of ANI was the subject of political and media attacks“.