European Socialists Freeze Relations with Romania Ruling Party

PES Common Candidate Frans Timmermans (L) with PES leader Sergey Stanishev. Photo: EPA/Miguel A. Lopez

Weeks ahead of the European elections, the European Socialists have "frozen" their relations with the ruling party in Romania, and in June will decide on its continued membership of the left-wing bloc in the European Parliament.

Romania's ruling Social Democratic Party has been at odds with Brussels during the past two-and-a-half years over its push to make changes in the justice system that have widely been deemed a threat to the rule of law.

The European Socialists have given the government in Bucharest until June to clarify its commitment to the rule of law and follow the recommendations of the European Commission, PES leader, Bulgaria's Sergey Stanishev said on Wednesday, according to a press release published on the European Socialist website.

PES Common Candidate Frans Timmermans, Stanishev, and centre-left heads of government, commissioners and party leaders met on Wednesday in Brussels ahead of the Special European Council on Brexit, where they also discussed the situation in Romania.

The freeze means that the European Parliament group will not organise any events with the Romanian ruling party until June 2019, Stanishev noted.

The European Socialist leadership has been under pressure from several MEPs during the past months to make a decision about the Romanian Social Democrats' future membership.

Some the party's poor image on the issue of the rule of law might damage the group's standing in the European elections in May, when right-wing nationalists are expected to make significant gains in several countries.

The PES announced its decision weeks after the centrist European People's Party suspended the...