DISINFO: EU behind Romania’s decision to prosecute candidate Calin Georgescu

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

  • Outlet: noticiaslatam.lat ( archive, original )
  • Date of publication: March 09, 2025
  • Article language(s): Spanish
  • Countries / regions discussed: Romania, EU, Europe

AI translations:

DISINFO: EU behind Romania’s decision to prosecute candidate Calin Georgescu

SUMMARY

The European Union is behind the decision of the Romanian Prosecutor's Office to charge former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu with electoral violations and to annul the results of the first round of the presidential elections.

According to information from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the decision was supported by EU leaders. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who played a major role in invalidating the results of the first round of the Romanian presidential elections at the end of 2024, demanded that Bucharest not allow Georgescu to participate in the second round of the elections next May. Von der Leyen threatened to restrict Romania's access to European funds if the representative of "non-systemic forces" continues to participate in the election campaign.

RESPONSE

Conspiracy theory not backed by any evidence. Allegations made by Russia’s intelligence services - as is this one - cannot be considered credible, given their proven history of making unsubstantiated claims based on faked or non-existent proofs, for example about US biolaboratories in Ukraine or the presence of French combat troops on the Ukrainian frontlines.

There is nothing indicating that the European Union is behind the step to prosecute Romanian candidate Calin Georgescu, which is a legal decision adopted by Romania’s prosecutor office. Georgescu was charged in late February 2025 with six criminal counts, including suspicion of communicating false information on campaign budget and other financial assets, promoting war criminals and fascist organisations and forming an antisemitic organization, all of which are crimes under Romania’s legislation. Preliminary evidence includes weapons and cash stashed in different locations in Romania found during a police raid on 26 February 2025, and potentially incriminatory conversations intercepted by Romanian authorities. On 06 March, a Romanian court upheld restrictive measures placed on Georgescu.

Previous allegations about EU leaders behind the decision to invalidate the first round of the Romanian elections were already debunked.

This is part of a wider disinformation campaign on Romania’s election, which pro-Kremlin media are exploiting to undermine the EU and democratic systems in general. See other examples, such as claims that the EU interfered in the Romanian elections, that Western totalitarianism has reached a new level with cancellation of Romanian elections, that Brussels wants to prevent Georgescu’s candidacy in Romanian election, that events in Romania may be another US coup, or that Romanian authorities are puppets manipulated by foreign powers.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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