Romania cannot be a real democracy without real civilian control of the secret services. For almost a year, SRI no longer has civilian leadership / PNL and PSD tried to bury the project to strengthen civilian control of services

The spokesman of the USR, Ionuț Moșteanu, declared on Tuesday that Romania cannot be a real democracy without real civilian control of the secret services, stressing that, for almost a year, the SRI no longer has civilian leadership. Moșteanu specified that PNL and PSD tried on Tuesday, in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, to bury the project to strengthen civilian control of the secret services.

“Romania cannot be a real democracy without real civilian control of the secret services! For almost a year, SRI no longer has a civilian leadership. It is inadmissible. This is the democracy that Iohannis is trying to impose with the help of Ciucă and Ciolacu”, stated Ionuț Moșteanu in the plenary of the Chamber, quoted in a USR press release.

According to the cited source, the USR fought to keep a bill that sought to strengthen civilian control over the secret services from being rejected. The law was returned to the committees.

“We need to press for the Services to be truly under parliamentary control. Now they are on their own, playing in business, playing in politics, where they would have nothing to look for in a state with a liberal democracy”, Moșteanu emphasized.

The bill was submitted in March this year and had a deadline for submitting amendments on May 8 and for a report on May 16. “PNL and PSD rushed to bring it today to the debate at the Chamber of Deputies’ plenary session to try to bury it”, USR says.

The draft law provides for the same procedure to be instituted for the appointment and dismissal of an Intelligence Service chief, for a single commission to remain in Parliament to monitor the activity of all secret services in Romania and to be consulted on the appointment and dismissal of service chiefs . The draft law provides prohibitions for employees of intelligence services to be able to work in the Judiciary, the press or to be active in the political area.