The European Parliament’s European People’s Party (EPP) and Renew Europe groups have urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to make Romania’s access to a €770mn Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) grant conditional on compliance with rule-of-law standards, citing concerns over the country’s Integrity Law already approved by the Chamber of Deputies.

EPP Group President Manfred Weber and Renew Europe leader Valérie Hayer called on the Commission to ensure that Romania implements the reforms required under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) in full compliance with the rule of law, EU legislation, human rights standards and recommendations of the Venice Commission, according to a letter seen by Politico.

The two political group leaders warned of “serious concerns about the respect for the rule of law in Romania and the risk that the payment of €770mn from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) may unintentionally contribute to the undermining of Romanian democracy”.

The Commission said the Integrity Law will be assessed as part of Romania’s sixth and final RRF payment request, which has not yet been submitted. Its services are holding technical discussions with the Romanian authorities to support implementation of the PNRR by the August 31 deadline.

“We can confirm receipt of the letter and will respond in due time,” a European Commission spokesperson told Agerpres.

The EPP and Renew Europe specifically criticised an amendment affecting the mandate of Dominic Fritz, the mayor of Timisoara and president of Romania’s reformist Save Romania Union (USR). They said the provision raised concerns that the legislation was designed to address an individual case rather than establish a general legal framework.

The lawmakers argued that the amendment could violate the principle of non-retroactivity and the prohibition against using legal instruments against political opponents. They also referred to EU law protecting the electoral rights of EU citizens, noting that Fritz is a German citizen elected in Romania under Article 22(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Romania’s Chamber of Deputies approved the Integrity Law on August 24, while the legislation still requires approval by the Senate and promulgation by President Nicusor Dan.

The Romanian government has maintained that the legislation meets the European Commission’s requirements. Minister of Investments and European Projects Dragos Pislaru previously said the reform fulfils the relevant conditions attached to the PNRR milestone.