The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has sharply condemned what it calls 'unacceptable actions' by the Save Romania Union (USR) at European level, accusing the party of trying to 'save' Dominic Fritz from the legal sanctions applicable in a conflict-of-interest case.

'USR is misleading European officials, against Romania, to save the convicted Fritz. PSD firmly condemns the unacceptable actions undertaken by USR within the European Union, in an attempt to shield Dominic Fritz from the legal sanctions tied to his conflict-of-interest conviction. USR's effort to misinform the European Parliament and the European Commission in order to trigger resolutions and sanctions against Romania is an irresponsible act of national betrayal,' PSD said in a statement.

PSD claims USR representatives are urging European officials to take measures against Romania 'in favour of their party leader,' while omitting that he is 'definitively convicted for conflict of interest.'

The party argues that USR's actions contradict integrity standards recommended to Romania by the European Commission. Citing past EU anti-corruption reports, PSD notes that the Commission has long stressed that final conflict-of-interest rulings must lead to termination of an elected official's mandate. PSD says both Fritz and the USR prefect in Timis ignored this principle, as well as relevant High Court jurisprudence.

PSD also references the 2015 Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) report, which urged Romania to adopt strict integrity rules for local officials, given their role in public procurement. The party argues that the 'symbolic fine' applied by the USR prefect to Fritz runs counter to both EU recommendations and High Court decisions.

The Social Democrats further invoke the 2019 CVM report, which criticised proposals to soften sanctions for conflict of interest and incompatibility among local elected officials.

According to PSD, this is exactly what USR attempted in the new Integrity Law, by proposing amendments that would have removed sanctions applicable in Fritz's case and others. The party notes that the European Commission has repeatedly emphasised the need for 'sufficiently dissuasive sanctions' to prevent corruption. PSD also argues that its own amendment on transitional provisions aligns with the Commission's 2019 warning that integrity legislation must be clarified to avoid weakening sanctions after final court rulings. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Dana Piciu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)