The ambassadors of EU states nailed Romanian deputies' juridical committee to the wall last Wednesday, asking the committee members to harmonize the Criminal Procedure Code with the European legislation. The EU diplomats criticized the modifications operated on the document and meant to set limits to prosecutors' attributions. They were also critical of the evolution of the criminal cases against Social-Democrats Miron Mitrea and Adrian Nastase. The EU envoys expressed concern about the course of the Justice reform ongoing in Romania. Sergiu Andon, a president of Romanian deputies' juridical committee, announced yesterday that the above-mentioned project would be dropped and the Romanian Ministry of Justice would elaborate another law draft. The EU officials warned the Romanian MPs about the delays in the cases against Miron Mitrea and Adrian Nastase, as well as about the still unadopted Criminal Procedure Code. Democrat-Liberal deputy Petre Ungureanu, member of the juridical committee, announced it yesterday. The diplomats did "vehement criticism" of some points in the Criminal Procedure Code now under deputies' debate, because the document was limiting the powers of prosecutors, as Democrat-Liberal deputy Cornel Stirbet admitted. The ambassadors actually summoned the deputies to harmonize the controversial document with the EU legislation. The amendment the diplomats took particular interest in was aimed at banning the intercepting of phone calls before the start of a criminal inquiry. According to Ungureanu, the UK ambassador Robin Barnett was mot vehement. The official warned that, did the Romanian Parliament pass the present law version supplied by deputies juridical committee, the intercepting of the phone calls belonging to an international criminal in Romania, but one who wasn't under criminal investigations yet,, would be impossible. The UK ambassador insisted that Romanian was deadlocking common causes. The diplomats also demanded the law be adopted next autumn in a proper version. And the juridical committee responded by blaming it on the President of Romania Traian Basescu. Ungureanu recounts: "There was argued that the President should change attitude and stop putting pressure on the Parliament." What the ambassadors got in he end was the promise that efforts would be taken. And Ungureanu commented the law would be impossible to be adopted at the start of the next parliamentary term, since both senators and deputies would be busy with the campaign preceding the elections. (...)

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