BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's president has blasted politicians that make scapegoats out of the European Union and foreign companies to consolidate their grip on power.

President Klaus Iohannis claimed some Romanian politicians "in their reckless efforts to save themselves," blame "cunning multinationals ... and demonize the European Union," in veiled criticism of the government which has embarked on a judicial overhaul that critics say will dilute efforts to fight corruption.

Iohannis was speaking at a ceremony Monday evening where he gave one of Romania's highest honors to eight Romanian Jews who survived the Holocaust and dedicated their lives to keeping the memory of Holocaust victims alive.

He said: "Let us not forget that in the name of a so-called supreme ideal, the Nazi state was consolidated by changing laws and taking over institutions."