Over 10.000 protesters
went into the streets of cities across Romania to denounce the government's backtracking
on efforts to fight corruption. They demanded the withdrawal of draft
legislation that would overhaul the justice system and reduce its
anti-corruption investigative powers. Critics argue
that the changes would stop the progress achieved in Romania in recent
years, something the EU institutions have frequently asked for since its EU accession in 2007. Augustin Lazar, Romania’s prosecutor general, also denounced the draft law, saying it would 'weaken the independence of prosecutors'.