Romanias Senate passes law targeting Timișoara mayor, risking 770 million in EU funds

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9 days · 5 summary articles
Romania’s Senate approved a controversial integrity law on Wednesday that includes an amendment set to remove liberal leader Dominic Fritz from his position as mayor of Timișoara, risking €770 million in EU recovery funds.
The law passed with 109 votes in favor and 19 against, with only senators from Fritz’s Save Romania Union (USR) party opposing it. The legislation mandates that any public official subject to a final conflict-of-interest ruling automatically loses their mandate. Fritz, a German national, was found to have been involved in an administrative conflict of interest related to a 2020 urban planning document he approved. The law’s retroactive application has drawn criticism at the European level.
Leaders of the European People’s Party (EPP) and Renew Europe, Manfred Weber and Valérie Hayer, wrote to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, urging her to consider freezing EU funds earmarked for Romania to pressure Parliament into removing the so-called "Fritz amendment." The law is part of Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and its adoption before the Aug. 31 deadline is required to unlock the €770 million in post-pandemic funding.
The bill now goes to President Nicușor Dan, who can either sign it into law or ask Parliament to reconsider. Dan is the founder of USR, the party Fritz currently leads. The legislation could also face another challenge before the Constitutional Court, though a judicial rejection is considered unlikely.
An unusual alliance between the left-leaning Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians pushed the law forward, while the center-right National Liberal Party (PNL) did not oppose it in the Senate, despite criticism from their European political family.
Separately, Romanian political parties failed to reach consensus on a public sector wage law, which risks the same €770 million in EU funds. President Dan announced that PSD, PNL, USR, and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) had acknowledged the potential loss of the funds and agreed to adopt the wage law by the end of the year, respecting the salary envelope agreed with the European Commission. PSD and PNL have since blamed each other for the impasse, with PSD accusing PNL of secrecy and lack of consultation, while PNL has not publicly responded to the allegations.
The Senate’s debate saw sharp exchanges, with a USR senator accusing Socialists of acting as "worthy successors to Stalinists who used legislation to eliminate political opponents," according to Romanian press reports.
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