[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4807-4808]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      WINDS OF CHANGE IN ROMANIA?

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise to congratulate the people of 
Romania and newly elected President Traian Basescu on the success of 
their recent national elections, and to encourage them in their efforts 
to consolidate democracy in Romania. In the 15 years since the 
overthrow of the brutal Communist dictatorship which ruled that country 
for decades, Romania has undertaken four successful national elections 
and peaceful transfers of power, and has made important strides in 
building democratic institutions and the rule of law.
  I was recently appointed chairman of the Commission on Security and 
Cooperation in Europe--the Helsinki Commission--and have followed 
events in Romania for many years. In that capacity, I look forward to 
working with the government and the people of Romania on the challenges 
confronting both of our countries.
  Romania is a good friend of the United States and a strong partner in 
the war on global terrorism. I thank the Government of Romania for its 
steadfast support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, where a 
battalion serves on the ground, and for its support of the U.S.-led 
military action in Iraq. More than 700 Romanian soldiers contributed to 
the efforts that supported the people of Iraq in their historic ballot. 
Romania is our NATO ally and anticipates accession to the European 
Union in 2007.
  President Basescu has recognized that endemic corruption and the 
poverty it breeds are a threat to Romania's national security, and his 
government is already taking steps to combat this scourge and to 
institute effective government reform. We commend the President's 
efforts and stand ready to assist him as he shines the light of 
transparency across Romania.
  President Basescu's focus and determination give me hope that 
progress can also be made on a number of matters that have been of 
concern.
  In 2001, Romania imposed a moratorium on all international adoptions 
under pressure from the European Union, and amid allegations of ``baby 
selling.'' This moratorium was extended several times pending 
development of comprehensive child protection legislation to include 
new rules on adoption. The new legislation came into effect in January 
of this year and limits international adoption to the grandparents of 
the Romanian child--effectively ending international adoption. More 
than 200 U.S. families were in the process of adopting Romanian 
children when the moratorium was established, and the Government of 
Romania indicated that it would proceed with those adoption requests 
that were ``already in the pipeline.'' However, to date, these cases 
remain unresolved. This total ban on international adoptions is 
regrettable and means that many children in Romania will now grow up 
without permanent families. I am particularly concerned about the over 
200 adoption cases which were already being processed for U.S. parents, 
and I urge the Government of Romania to resolve these cases quickly, so 
these children can be placed with the families as promised. I also urge 
President Basescu to consider revising existing law to allow the 
resumption of international adoptions with appropriate safeguards.
  The Government of Romania enacted a comprehensive antidiscrimination 
law in 2000 and has in place a national action plan on Roma. Yet the 
great majority of Roma and Sinti in Romania remain marginalized, living 
in abject poverty due to severe discrimination in employment, housing, 
and education. President Basescu should take bold and concrete steps to 
ensure that Romani citizens have full opportunity to participate in the 
civil and political life of Romania. The establishment of a fund to 
implement school desegregation would be an important step toward 
achieving that goal and would make the Romanian government's 
participation in the Decade of Roma Inclusion truly meaningful.
  Following decades of denial, the Government of Romania has made great 
strides in the past year in recognizing Romania's role in the 
Holocaust. I commend the government for taking steps to examine this 
dark and painful chapter in the country's history. The International 
Commission for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania, led by Elie 
Wiesel, officially issued its findings last November in Bucharest. In 
addition to the establishment of a national Holocaust Remembrance day, 
which Romania marks on October 12, the Commission's recommendations 
include the construction of a national Holocaust memorial and museum in 
Bucharest, the annulment of war criminal rehabilitations, and the 
establishment of Holocaust education curricula and holocaust courses in 
secondary schools and universities. The government should move quickly 
to implement that Commission's recommendations.
  In a related matter, I hope that the Government of Romania will 
finally bring to closure the rehabilitation and honoring of World War 
II dictator, Marshall Ion Antonescu, Hitler ally and war criminal 
condemned for the mass murder of Jews and Roma. During the past 3 
years, government officials publicly condemned efforts to honor 
Antonescu and removed from public land three statues that had been 
erected in his honor. One statue remains on public land in Jilava, the 
site of Antonescu's execution, and important streets in the cities of 
Cluj, Targu Mures, and Campulung Muscel continue to be named after him. 
I urge the Government of Romania to remove these remaining vestiges 
honoring the former dictator.
  The process of providing restitution or compensation for property 
confiscated by former regimes in Romania has been slow, complicated, 
and difficult. Government records indicate that more than 200,000 
claims for property restitution have been filed by individuals, and 
more than 7,000 claims have been filed by religious denominations and 
communal groups. The plight of Romania's Greek Catholic Uniate Church, 
which was banned by the Communist government in 1948, is particularly 
troubling. More than 2,500 churches and other buildings seized from the 
Uniates were given to Orthodox parishes. The government decree that 
dismantled the Greek Catholic Church was abrogated in 1989, however, of 
the thousands of properties confiscated from the Greek Catholics, fewer 
than 200 have been returned. I

[[Page 4808]]

hope that this government will finally take significant steps toward 
the restitution of Greek Catholic property as well as that of other 
religious denominations. Romania's failure to return religious 
properties to their rightful owners 15 years after Communist rule is 
inexcusable and, in my view, a destabilizing element in Romanian 
society.
  Trafficking in human beings will continue to challenge the new 
government. Romania is a source and transit country primarily for women 
and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation. While the Romanian 
Government has made tremendous progress in its antitrafficking 
initiatives in the past several years, there are still some areas of 
concern including corruption within the law enforcement community, 
light penalties for those convicted of trafficking, and proposals to 
legalize or regulate prostitution.
  Greater accountability is needed among members of the law enforcement 
community in view of allegations that officials have assisted 
traffickers in obtaining false passports, facilitated illegal border 
crossings and accepted bribes to tamper with witnesses' testimony. 
Traffickers are increasingly likely to be prosecuted for their crimes 
in Romania, however, the penalties imposed by judges are still too 
low--usually 1 year or less in prison. Penalties should be severe 
enough to reflect the heinous nature of the crime and to serve as a 
deterrent to other prospective traffickers. Finally, it is important 
for the government to take a firm stance against all efforts to 
legalize or regulate prostitution. Legalized and regulated prostitution 
is a magnet for human trafficking and provides a shield behind which 
traffickers hide.
  While many challenges remain on the road ahead for President Basescu, 
his new government, and the people of Romania, I am convinced that, 
working together, they will move toward a bright and prosperous future. 
I stand ready to assist our friends in Romania in any way I can.

                          ____________________