WRITTEN QUESTION E-2918/03 by Marco Cappato (NI) and Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Council. Case of Italian citizen Maurizio Trotta, imprisoned in Romania.
Date: 2003-10-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU national, Italy, Romania, criminal procedure, drug traffic, independence of the judiciary, judicial power

C 78 E/766

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

(2004/C 78 E/0815)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2918/03

by Marco Cappato (NI) and Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Council

Subject: Case of Italian citizen Maurizio Trotta, imprisoned in Romania

(2 October 2003)

On 2 August 2002, Mr Maurizio Trotta, an Italian citizen from Reggio Emiliano, was arrested in Romania
on charges of international drugs trafficking for possession of 11 grammes of hashish, found in his rented
apartment in Craiova.

Mr Maurizio, who has been held in Craiova prison since his arrest, was tried in a court of first instance and
sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, following the withdrawal of the charge of international trafficking,
which is punishable by up to 25 years’ imprisonment.

Having received a two-year sentence, and in the light of his good conduct, Mr Trotta ought to be released
in December 2003. However, following an appeal against the sentence of the court of first instance lodged
by the public prosecutor’s office, the case is to be re-tried, with the result that the outcome is highly
uncertain and Mr Trotta is still in prison.

In the meantime, Mr Trotta’s family has spent substantial sums on visiting Romania and on the fees of
Italian lawyer Mr Liborio Catagliotti and the succession of Romanian lawyers assigned to the case.

There is no knowing how long the case will last or what the eventual sentence will be and there have been
reports of substantial bribes being requested by those seeking to take advantage of the situation.

After making the necessary enquiries with the Romanian authorities, will the Council say whether it
considers that the fundamental rights established under the EU treaties may have been infringed in this
case?

Will the Council provide details of the response from the Romanian authorities and say what possible
steps might be taken?

Reply

(4 March 2004)

The Honourable Parliamentarian of the European Parliament is informed that the Council can not take a
position in respect of an ongoing criminal procedure.

As the Honourable Parliamentarian are certainly aware, the EU is pressing for reform of the judiciary in
Romania in view of EU accession. The EU has continuously stressed that the establishment of an
independent, reliable and efficient judiciary is of paramount importance for Romania and has strongly
invited Romania to strengthen the independence of the judiciary vis-à-vis the executive.

(2004/C 78 E/0816)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2926/03

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Council

(6 October 2003)

Subject: Urgent need to expand voluntary fire services

Mediterranean countries have again been hit this summer by devastating forest and bush fires. Large
numbers of people have fallen victim to fires in Portugal and the south of France, which have been
unusually frequent and have affected an unusually wide area. Enormous damage has also been caused both
to the natural environment and the economy. It was only by deploying large numbers of personnel, and
thanks to the help of numerous volunteers, that the fires were able to be brought under control.
Discussions on the possibility of promoting the use of voluntary fire services date back to 1996.