Justice minister: Sufficient evidence-collecting instruments to prove Russia's war crimes

Justice Minister Radu Marinescu participated on Friday in Warsaw in the informal meeting of the EU justice ministers, which tackled topical issues such as mutual cooperation on justice, the consequences of Russia's war crimes in Ukraine, and the future of justice - figuring out new perspectives.During the working session titled "The Consequences of Russia's War Crimes in Ukraine", Radu Marinescu said with regard to a tentative increased efficiency of evidence collection and transfer between states, international organizations and international investigative bodies, that the already existing instruments made available to the member states by Eurojust and Europol are sufficient.He emphasized that Romania has offered war victims both assistance with getting access to justice, through professional bodies (lawyers, notaries), and other forms of counseling, through Romanian NGOs and authorities. Where appropriate, these activities were coordinated with similar actions of other EU member states and third countries.At a different working session, Radu Marinescu welcomed the initiative of the Polish Presidency to continue talks on judicial cooperation under the umbrella of the rule of law."The principle of mutual recognition is based on a high degree of trust between member states, which have committed to preserving and developing the shared values provided for in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and their own constitutional traditions. From Romania's perspective, it is equally essential that member states and judicial authorities do not lose sight of the principle of loyal cooperation. They must respect and assist each other, adopt all measures required for ensuring the fulfillment of the obligations arising from the Treaties or from the acts of the Union institutions, facilitate the fulfillment by the Union of its mission, and refrain from any measure that could jeopardize the achievement of the Union's goals," declared the Romanian minister.At the working lunch, the justice ministers discussed the topic "The Future of Justice - Imagining New Openings", and Radu Marinescu said that "the current judicial regulation is certainly perfectible, and our task, as politicians, as ministers of justice, is to constantly seek ways to translate the people's aspirations for justice and equity into functional and efficient norms and institutions.""In this sense, we consider that, while we ensure through judicial systems compliance with the legal framework, in the development thereof we must strive to offer citizens equal opportunities, through fair and equitable regulations. Therefore, I believe that the EU should try to take as much as possible into account the citizens' perspective, improving communication tools with society in order to identify its regulatory needs," said the Romanian justice minister.