"The Romanian Prime Minister, Victor Ponta, who has been accused of plagiarism in his thesis in law, must resign if these accusations prove to be true", said Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the most influential parliamentary group in the European Parliament, the EPP Group.

"In accordance with European standards and now clearly-established jurisprudence, the Romanian Prime Minister cannot head a government of a European Union country if he has committed fraud in obtaining his university degree. Several Member States have recently applied this principle. This affair must be clarified as soon as possible as it is not only the credibility of a Member State that is at stake, but the credibility of the European Union as a whole."

In recent years, EPP Group Chairman, Joseph Daul, has strongly supported Romania in its desire to join the Schengen area. He believes that Romania will only be weakened on the European stage if its Prime Minister insists on staying in power when he has failed to respect a basic code of ethics.

(Translation from the original French)

For further information:

Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, Tel: +32-2-2847525

Antoine Ripoll, Chairman's Spokesman, Tel: +32-475-856290

Notes to Editors:

The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 271 Members and 3 Croatian Observer Members.