A democracy need a free press in order to survive, and the correct information is the oxygen of democracy, Foreign Affairs Minister Oana Toiu said.

'Today is the World Press Freedom Day and, for twenty years, I have said on this day that a democracy needs a free press to survive. The correct information is the oxygen of democracy. Democracy is based on elections, on votes and on decisions between alternatives and people, but the citizens choose whom to entrust with power according to the pieces of information they have access to. Journalists do not need praise from dignitaries, but they need the freedom to practice their profession as they know best,' Oana Toiu wrote on her Facebook page.

She pointed out that 'from the experience of the past months at the Foreign Affairs Ministry,' she observed 'a pattern which repeats across the entire region: the civil society and the press exert constant pressure on politicians in order to fix what does not work and in order to prevent the use of power against the public interest.'

'This pressure seeks to prevent the capture of the state, ensuring a leadership through democratic mechanisms which responds to the citizens' needs, a pressure which fundamentally depends on information. However, any time a country takes two steps forward toward aligning with the values and standards requested by the citizens, there are also those who want to pull it immediately one steps back, those who want to pull the handbrake on progress. Almost always, this obstacle is binomial: corruption and pressure over the press. One cannot function without the other. This is why, when I discussed with European Commissioner Michael McGrath, during his visit to Romania, about the Anti-SLAPP directive, I did not tackle the matter as a simple judicial or technical procedure. I talked about the need for journalists to be able to tell the truth without being financially ruined. SLAPPs (abusive lawsuits against journalists) are not designed to be won in the court; they are meant to intimidate and exhaust those who ask questions, consuming the precious time they would otherwise use for complex investigations,' Oana Toiu explained.

According to her, the investigative press in Romania recorded important successes in exposing corruption in recent years. 'This effort must continue with strength, both here and in the region, representing the vital oxygen for any democracy,' the Foreign Affairs Minister conveyed. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Catalina Matei; EN - writing by: Rodica State)