European justice meets Romanian culture at Eurojust

Mr. Ladislav Hamran, President of Eurojust.

By Guido Lanfranchi.

On March 21^st, 2019, Eurojust opened its headquarters to host a socio-cultural event at the crossroads of justice priorities, art, culture, and gastronomy. The event, co-organized by Eurojust and the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, showcased the beauty of the Romanian culture, as well as Eurojust’s precious achievements.

Eurojust headquarters in The Hague might be used to host law enforcement experts, member states’ prosecutors, or even high-level political figures. Yet, on March 21^st, 2019, the organization’s premises looked different than in other days, as Eurojust prepared to host an unprecedented socio-cultural event, in collaboration with the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The building’s main hall was decorated with the flags of Eurojust, the European Union, and Romania; tables across the room were filled with snacks, drinks, and flyers advertising some of Romania’s touristic attractions; and all around, the walls were decorated with precious paintings. For an afternoon, Eurojust’s premises would be not just a workplace, but rather a crossroad between judicial cooperation, art, culture, and gastronomy.

Once the main hall had been filled by large groups of incoming guests, the organizers kicked off the official part of the event with their introductory remarks. Mr. Ladislav Hamran, President of Eurojust, was the first one to take the floor to welcome the guests. Introducing the event’s motto of “justice meets culture”, President Hamran showcased to the audience a tangible result of the intersection between these two worlds: a historical relic, a frame dating back to the times of Marcus Aurelius, stolen in 2002 in Romania and recently recovered thanks to the cooperation between member states’ judicial authorities and Eurojust.

H.E. Mrs. Brândușa Predescu, Ambassador of Romania in the Netherlands, took the floor right after Mr. Hamran, echoing his words of praise for the cooperation between Eurojust and the Embassy. In her remarks, the Ambassador underlined the importance of “cohesion”, the crucial priority of the Romanian Presidency. She stressed the importance of cooperation among European member states across different domains, including those of judiciary and culture, and concluded by inviting the guests to enjoy the typical Romanian art, music, and food featured in the event.

The Ambassador’s speech was followed by the remarks of Ms. Daniela Buruiană, Romania’s National Member at Eurojust, who stressed the importance of cooperation among states in the field of judiciary. Ms. Buruiană then introduced a keynote guest, Mr. Augustin Lazăr, the Romanian General Prosecutor, widely known for his contribution to judicial cases concerning artworks and historical relics.

Mr. Lazăr recalled Eurojust’s significance as the “first supranational prosecutor’s office authority in history”, also praising the contribution of Romanian professor Vespasian V. Pella in setting the spark for the creation of contemporary institutions such as Eurojust and the International Criminal Court.

The conclusion of Mr. Lazăr’s remarks paved the way for the cultural side of the event, as the music started to reach the ears of the guests. The stage was taken by a trio of talented Romanian musicians, all independently active in the jazz scene all over the Netherlands and Europe. With Ms. Tereza Catarov at the voice, Mr. George Dumitru at the guitar, and Mr. Alex Simu at the clarinet, the trio had prepared a particular repertoire for the occasion, showcasing a mix between jazz, the three musicians’ speciality, and Romanian folk – Mr. Simu explained.

The musical intermezzo was then followed by an introduction of the contemporary art exhibition “Transylvanian Lights”, by painter and professor Ioan Sbârciu and curator Ms. Maria Rus Bojan. Ms. Bojan, a member of the International Association of Art Critics, introduced the exhibition before giving the floor to Prof. Sbârciu.

Welcoming the new opportunity to exhibit his paintings in such an unconventional environment, the internationally renowned painter addressed the guests by stressing the great freedom enjoyed in our society nowadays, and inciting the audience to “move ahead, but always remembering our roots”.

As the musicians took the stage for another time, the guests started to mingle in Eurojust’s main hall, enjoying the sounds and tasting the snacks and the drinks offered by the organizers. All the participants, included the keynote speakers and the artists, remained for a long time in the room, enjoying conversations and exchanging greetings. The Romanian Presidency at Eurojust definitely started off on the right foot!