MEPs voice outrage over Romania’s media policy

A controversial Romanian government doctrine describing the media as potentially detrimental to the nation’s well-being is causing a growing stir in the European Parliament.

Romanian deputy Rovana Plumb wrote to the EU’s justice commissioner Viviane Reding on Monday (18 October) asking her to condemn the Romanian government’s abuse of the media, following a demarche by three leading MEPs.

In an unprecedented move, leaders of three of the most important groups in the European Parliament – Martin Schultz (Socialists and Democrats), Guy Verhofstadt (Liberals) and Daniel Cohn-Bendit (Greens) – sent a joint letter last week to the speakers of the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament.

They asked for a rejection of a paragraph in the Romanian government’s new ‘National Defence Strategy’ in which the press is described as a “weakness” for the country. According to the draft strategy, Romania faces a series of threats including press campaigns.

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