Look Who’s Talking!

Wasn’t Franco Frattini, former Minister in the Berlusconi Chamber and member of Forza Italia, one of the most active militants for the modification of the antitrust law so that his political boss would keep control of his own media empire? Wasn’t the Prime Minister of Italy, an old member of the EU, the one against whom it was requested the inculpation of corruption?

Franco Frattini, the vice-president of the European Commission (EC), European commissary for Justice, Liberty and Security and one of the supposed supporters of the adherence of Romania to the EU, honored us with a visit. He came to supervise the reform of justice, the fight against the organized crime (including white slavery) and against corruption and he felt the need to say a few words before visiting us, the necessitous pygmies in Bucharest.

In a strategic interview for Cotidianul, a newspaper that seems to support unconditionally the efforts of Monica Macovei, which is honest if it is committed, Franco Frattini told his complaints frankly in some surprisingly informal words. The first of his complaints target the vote of the Senators in case of the NAD (National Anticorruption Directorate) Decree and the political debates on the naming of the chief-prosecutor of this institution. The second refers to the vote of the Deputies’ Chamber Plenum against the search of the houses of Adrian Nastase. If the assessments like "the one that play this extremely strange game play with the future of the country" and "it is crazy to play with the future of the country" came from a political analyst, they could have been seen as simple personal opinions. If they come from a EC vice-president, they are far beyond that. Frattini’s words can be seen as serious interference in the internal political environment of a country, which, as far as I know, has a democratic status and it isn’t anyone’s pashalik. If the European official doesn’t know that the NAD Decree has been finally adopted after a consensus (which looked like a compromise) in Cotroceni and if he doesn’t like the Romanian ad hoc parliamentary majority (some of which are indeed caused by personal or group interests) it’s his problem. However, when he says something like this as a high official of the EC in an interview, these things are extremely serious.

With or without the permission from Bruxelles, the two Chambers of the Romanian Parliament have voted perfectly democratic against the first form of the NAD Decree and against the search of Adrian Nastase’s houses. Mr. Frattini’s extreme break out could make us believe that the high European forum wants by all means to impose some political decisions, which is very undemocratic, in a forum democratically chosen of a country candidate for the integration. In this context, the words of Alin Teodorescu, former chief of the Common Room of the former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, a deputy at present time, which regarded the list of the 40 politicians suspected of being corrupt that have to be arrested, should be taken into consideration. Franco Frattini as a citizen of the United and democratic Europe has the human right of being sympathetic or antipathetic towards certain things. However, the method that he is using to impose his favorites, as well as the humours of a country that, at least in statements, the European Union considers to be a partner and a future full member. The whole world sees these statements as big diplomatic mistakes and are usually followed by official apologies. Yesterday’s speech from the Victoria Palace, which came after the interview had appeared, in which Frattini felt the need to emphasize that he does not want to interfere with the affairs of the Romanian Parliament, is an obvious and necessary withdrawal but it is not enough. It would be naive for us to expect apologies from such a powerful person that bumped into a powerless roustabout. In exchange, we can ask for answers for a lot of questions. Wasn’t Franco Frattini, former Minister in the Berlusconi Chamber and member of Forza Italia, one of the most active militants for the modification of the antitrust law so that his political boss would keep control of his own media empire? Wasn’t the Prime Minister of Italy, an old member of the EU, the one against whom it was requested the inculpation of corruption? Doesn’t the European Commissary for Justice feel antipathy for the former PM Nastase, a feeling which he strived not to show during the SDP Government just because of the friendship between the present President of the Deputies’ Chamber and the mogul in Milano? When you have a dead person in your house it is wise to burry his body religiously first. It is only then when you can justify yourself for jumping in your neighbors’ suspect backyards…

Translated by Sorin Balan