Mr President, I went to Romania last November to speak about the Portuguese prohibition of bearer shares. I met with Romanian NGOs and journalists and was impressed with their high quality and commitment, and it pains me to hear that a draft law that was endorsed by the Romanian Senate in the meantime is actually closing the space for civil society. These NGOs and journalists work to expose and stop corruption.

This debate should actually be about the fight against corruption in Romania because the justice system, despite the constraints, seems to be working, and so is the Romanian National Anti-Corruption Directorate, which, working together with OLAF, concluded that the leader of the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), Mr Liviu Dragnea, is responsible for serious fraud using EU funds, ‘creating an organised criminal group' for that purpose, and ‘misusing his position for personal gain'. I am reading this from OLAF's report: it is a press release of 13 November. So my question to Romanian colleagues and the Government - and I wish the Minister could speak - is how come this person has not been relieved of his position in the parliament and in the party?

(The President cut off the speaker)