Raport on Romania's progress towards accesion

24^th, February 2004

[...] Political situation and criteria

1. Deplores that despite progress in a number of areas, Romania currently faces serious difficulties fulfilling the requirements of the political Copenhagen-criteria; states that finalising accession negotiations at the end of 2004 and becoming a member in 2007 is impossible unless Romania fully implements the following:

- anti-corruption measures, especially addressing corruption at the political level and implementing anti-corruption laws;

- independence and functioning of the judiciary, especially limiting the powers of the Ministry of Justice and providing more resources to the judiciary;

- freedom of the media, especially taking decisive action against the harassment and intimidation of journalists and curbing the economic control of the media which has resulted in self censorship;

- measures to stop ill-treatment at police stations, starting with the publication of the 2002- report of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture on the conditions at police stations;

- recognizes the right of families affected by the moratorium to receive a reply to their requests; considers that the failure to reply in 3 years constitutes an infringement of the most basic human rights. [...]

THE ROAD TO NORMALITY

The Public Policies of URR

The fundamental principle that our public policies are based upon is the pragmatism, in the sense of a results-oriented attitude. It is vital to overcome the level of public policies used during all these years of transition and characterized by inconsistency and absence of connection with reality. They meant patching up existing customs much rather than implementing coherent policies.

That's why our public policies propose clear objectives and measures, which define the functioning of the entire sector of activity. Public policies must cease trying to harmonize too diverse realities and winding up in ambiguity. [...]