European Commission: Romania's integrity law to be assessed as part of 6th and last RRF payment request

  The integrity law will be assessed as part of Romania's sixth and final payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which has not yet submitted by the authorities, the European Commission said in a statement, noting that its services remain engaged in technical discussions with Bucharest to support the implementation of the RRF until the deadline of 31 August 2026.The clarification comes after the EPP and Renew Europe groups in the European Parliament urged Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to state unequivocally that Romania's access to Recovery and Resilience funds depends on fully respecting the rule of law, EU law, human-rights standards and Venice Commission recommendations. Their letter, reported by Politico, refers to the recently adopted 'Fritz amendment' which, they note, raises serious concerns regarding not only its compatibility with the Romanian Constitution, but also with several safeguards under the European Convention on Human Rights and of Union law.EPP leader Manfred Weber and Renew Europe chair Valérie Hayer warn of the risk that releasing EUR770 million under the RRF could "inadvertently contribute to undermining Romanian democracy" and call for the Commission's "urgent attention and action."The two leaders argue that the Romanian Parliament adopted a law that "directly affects the mandate of a specific elected official, Dominic Fritz, Mayor of Timisoara," raising concerns that the legislation was designed to target an individual case rather than address a general legal matter.They also contend that the amendment breaches principles such as non-retroactivity and the prohibition on using legal instruments against political opponents, as well as EU law, since Fritz is a German citizen elected in Romania under rights granted by Article 22(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.A Commission spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter and said a reply will be issued "in due time.""The integrity law will be assessed by the Commission as part of the 6th and last payment request, which has not yet been submitted by the Romanian authorities. As with all Member States, the Commission services are engaged with the Romanian authorities in technical discussions supporting the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility until the deadline of 31 August 2026. We cannot provide any further comment at this stage," the spokesperson added.