This report is partly from freenations and partly from german-foreign-policy.com
Dateline: 2nd March 2004
The German MEP Elmar Brok (Christian Democrat) has accused the Romanian Government of corruption. Bucharest had just ignored German interests in the planning of an important motorway and had awarded a billion Euro contract to an American firm. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament of which Brok is the Chairman meeting on 19th February 2004 effectively put Romania’s EU application on ice, calling on the European Commission to “reorient the accession strategy” of Romania.
But that wording replaced a much tougher draft proposal put forward by the Dutch MEP Arie Oostlander and the Parliament’s rapporteur for Romania, Emma Nicholson (formerly Lady Caine, divorced, a Conservative MP then a Liberal Democrat MP now Liberal Democrat MEP), who were urging the European Commission to suspend altogether the current EU membership negotiations with Romania. Romania first applied for EU membership in 1995!
The report asked the country to eradicate corruption and to establish a rule of law by separating the judiciary from politics (This from the EU, an organisation whose own Constitutional Court in Strasbourg has openly admitted its political commitment to eradicating the power of national constitutions!) The adopted report also demands better monitoring of the implementation of theacquis communautaire – the historic and binding body of EU law – in administrative and judicial reform. (The acquis communautaire– so called “occupied field” – is of course the key to the EU’s permanent domination of member states’ affairs, not just in constitutional but, more powerfully, in day to day affairs in administrative regulations and law).
The conflict with the Germans and the EU about the motorway project also demonstrates the continuing spread of economic conflicts between the USA and Berlin. The 415 kilometer long motorway from Brasov to Oradea, part of the road link Bucharest – Budapest and the largest motorway project in Europe is designed to link western Europe with the Black Sea. (1) The project belongs to the measures described as “logistical spacial planning” (from the EU’s Spacial Directive, a term based on the German concept used so threateningly by the Nazis – Lebensraum – Living Space, now used in the concept “European Space”). The EU funds this to the tune of 400-500,000 million Euro under the titles “Trans-European-Networks” and “Pan European Transport Corridors”. The construction is designed to extend the core European market and is supposed to guarantee the import of raw materials and the export of goods, as well as the mobility of labour. (This Pan European infrastructure was of course planned and begun by Nazi Germany in order to bring cheap – and slave – labour from the East and aid the transport of troops to the East!) The Romanian stretch of the motorway will cost 2,500m Euro and since summer 2003 the Romanian Government had been negotiating with the US Construction Group Bechtel.
BERLIN’S REQUIREMENTS
In the Autumn of 2003 Berlin made clear its requirements of the EU funded scheme. The Romanian President Iliescu was summoned to a conference organised by Deutsche Bank and the Eastern Committee of German Industry to discuss the Romanian contract terms. (2) In the end Deutsche Bank took up the negotiations for the financing of the motorway. A request from the German Parliament sought to change the route of the motorway. They wanted it to be built via Sibiu (“Hermannstadt”) which is a centre of the German speaking minority in Romania whom the German Government regards as coming under its “protectorate” (3). In fact, according to the existing plan, the motorway runs via a centre of the Hungarian speaking minority in Romania -Tirgu Mures (“Marosvasarhely”)! (4)
CORRUPTION
Without considering German interests the Romanians signed a contract with Bechtel on 19th December to build the Brasov-Oradea section of the motorway. Reports in the German Press claimed that the award of the contract to Bechtel had “irritated” the EU (The German political class always sees the EU and Germany as the same!). The German Commissioner Guenter Verheugen accused Romania of “lack of cooperation”.
NO CORRUPTION
There was however no German criticism of the genuinely corrupt methods used by the Romanian Government in October 2003 to push through constitutional change in preparation for entry into the European Union.
In order to achieve the legally stipulated minimum vote of 50% of the electorate the period for voting was extended to two days. Further manipulations led to Opposition protests of “massive vote rigging” and “irregularities”. The Government even mobilised the clergy who urged people to vote. Local mayors of the Governing Party are said to have threatened pension reductions for those refusing to vote. The voting booths were in some places on the streets and voting was possible even with out of date identity cards. (5)
The new Constitution corresponds with Germany’s demands and prepares the way for the more effective pursuit of “minority politics”.
Meanwhile the United Kingdom has sold two regenerated and updated warships (the former HMS Coventry and the former HMS London) to Romania. A Statement was made in the House of Commons by a Minister in the Department for Defence, Mr Ingram:
“A ‘Back to Back’ contract between the MOD and BAE Systems was signed on 20 March 2003, permitting the Acquisition Agreement to become effective on 26 March 2003. Subsequently, the regeneration package has been refined and a suite of alterations and additions to the original design has been developed”.
1) s. auch ,,Von Berlin bis in den Orient” und ,,Reiche Bodenschätze, billige Löhne”
2) s. auch ,,Außergewöhnliche politische Investition” und ,,Der Weg nach Europa führt über Deutschland”
3) s. auch Deutscher Sicherheitsberater für rumänische Regierung
4) s. auch Wert der Waffen und Deutschland – Ungarn: ,,Spiel mit der völkischen Karte”
5) s. dazu Anpassungsschwierigkeiten
