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Tag: arrest

March 7, 2025

EU The European Union has put together an arms plan agreed on Thursday evening by the leaders of the member states. The plan will prioritise strengthening defence on the eastern flank, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, to withstand Russia’s expansionist tendencies. European leaders have once again expressed their support for Ukraine and for providing security guarantees, together with the United States, if a ceasefire is agreed. Member states will have a fund of EUR 150 billion available for defence spending. The priorities are air and missile defence systems, artillery, high-precision strike systems, drones and anti-drone systems, various types of ammunition and AI technology. The Baltic states, Poland and Romania have garnered support for their view of prioritising the eastern flank in terms of EU-funded projects.

TREASON The Bucharest Court of Appeals last night ordered that 2 members of the so-called “Vlad Ţepeş” Command be placed under pre-trial arrest. They are charged with treason and ties to Russian agents. Four other members of the organisation are under court supervision for a period of 60 days. Radu Theodoru, a retired major general, aged 101, is also being investigated as a suspect in the case. According to the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism Offences, the group aimed to replace the constitutional order and pull Romania out of NATO.

ELECTIONS The non-affiliated mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, has today submitted his candidacy and list of support signatures for the presidential elections in May to the Central Electoral Bureau. The independent candidate Călin Georgescu, backed in the presidential race by AUR and POT parties (in opposition), will also register his candidacy today. On Sunday, the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu, backed by the ruling coalition’s electoral alliance, “Romania Forward”, is expected to arrive at the BEC headquarters. Another competitor is the former Social-Democratic prime minister Victor Ponta, who announced that he will run as an independent and that he will register his candidacy next week. Prospective presidential candidates have one week left to register with the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), as the registration deadline is March 15. Candidates must submit lists with at least 200,000 supporter signatures.

ECONOMY Romania’s economy grew by 0.9% last year, and in the last quarter of 2024 the GDP rose by 0.7% compared to the corresponding quarter of 2023 and by 0.8% compared to the third quarter of 2024, according to unaudited data released on Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INS). The 2.9% drop in net exports, a result of the 3.6% decrease in exports of goods and services concurrently with a 3.4% increase in imports, had a negative impact on GDP growth.

PROTEST Trade unionists at the Damen Shipyard, operated by a Dutch company in the south-eastern Romanian town of Mangalia, jointly with employees who have been laid off or idled, today picketed the Dutch Embassy and the headquarters of the administrator in Bucharest. The announcement was made by the “Navalistul” Union, which said in a statement that the action aims to warn against the major crisis the shipyard is facing. According to the source, there is a risk that the shipyard will be closed, which will affect the entire local community.

SPORTS Romania’s champions CS Dinamo Bucharest defeated the Danish side Fredericia HK, 37-32 on Thursday evening in Odense in its last match in Group A of the men’s handball Champions League. Dinamo, which had already qualified for the play-offs, finished the group in fifth place and will face the German team SC Magdeburg in their effort to qualify into the quarter-finals. In football, Romanian champions FCSB were defeated at home by the French team Olympique Lyon, 3-1, in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16. The decisive leg will be played next week in France. (AMP)

7 March 2025
July 21, 2024 UPDATE

Olympics – The delegation of Romania’s Olympic Team that will participate in the 2024 Olympic Games left on Sunday with a TAROM (national airline) charter flight to Paris, aboard a Boeing aircraft recently renamed ‘Nadia Comăneci’, AGERPRES reports. The aircraft was renamed specifically for this purpose, following the agreement received from the great Romanian gymnast, winner of five gold medals at the Olympic Games. Romania’s Olympic team – Team Romania is made up of 107 athletes who will compete in 18 different sports disciplines at the Olympic Games. ‘The road to the Paris Olympic Games means getting closer to the Olympic dream. Our team is ready and is looking forward to entering the Olympic arena. We are glad that we embarked on our trip together with ‘Nadia Comăneci’, a symbol of world sports, and I am convinced that this association with the TAROM aircraft will be a good omen for our athletes. In Paris, Team Romania will be Romania in front of the world”, said Mihai Covaliu, the president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee.

Violence – Related to the incidents produced, at the end of the week, in Leeds, the United Kingdom, the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Romania’s diplomatic mission and the Consulate General in Manchester continued communication with the family of the Romanian citizens affected by the authorities’ measures to take over their minor children and with the representatives the community and of the religious denominations, while also continuing the dialogue with the British local authorities. The latter informed, on Sunday, about the detention of nine Romanian citizens involved in the incidents of the evening of July 18. Later, eight of them were released. The Romanian Foreign Ministry explains that, at this moment, an investigation by the local police authorities is underway, and it is essential to clarify all aspects regarding the incident. The Consulate General in Manchester gives priority attention to the situation in Leeds and is prepared to continue providing consular assistance, according to the competences held, in compliance with the British legislation in force. Romanians and members of other communities in Leeds would have been involved in violent incidents, triggered by the attempt of the authorities for the protection of children in Leeds to take several Romanian minors into the care of the state, after abuses had been reported to them.

Olympiad – Six high school students from Romania won medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad, according to an Education Ministry press release. They won one gold medal, four silver and one bronze medal. All six students are from Bucharest. The 65^th edition of the Olympiad took place in Bath, Great Britain.

Brussels – The EU foreign ministers are meeting, on Monday, in Brussels, for the first time since the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s visits to Ukraine, Russia, China and the United States, and the meeting is expected to discuss the reaction of the community block to this tour, which did not have the EU approval, EFE reported on Sunday. All EU countries, except Slovakia, and the EU institutions have condemned Orban’s meetings with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the former US President and the Republican presidential candidate in the November 5 election, Donald Trump, insisting that he has no mandate to speak on behalf of the community bloc about the war in Ukraine. The 27 members are divided on how to show their discontent: they do not agree on whether they should boycott the informal meetings held during Hungary’s six-month presidency of the EU Council, by sending to these meetings some lower-ranking officials instead of the line ministers. The EU countries’ foreign ministers will talk about military support for Ukraine, especially in terms of anti-aircraft defense, about the war in Gaza and its possible extension to the rest of the Middle East.

Talks – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, talked on the phone with her Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, about concrete ways to further increase economic and sectoral cooperation, especially in areas of priority mutual interest, such as tourism, agriculture, trade and investments, labor and energy. According to the Foreign Ministry, the two high officials discussed the deep bilateral relations that the two countries have built over time, with over 115 years of official diplomatic interactions. The two ministers also had an exchange of opinions on security developments in the immediate vicinity of the two countries. The increasingly worrying developments in the Middle East were also reviewed. The Romanian FM expressed appreciation for Egypt’s special role in identifying solutions to the current regional crisis. (LS)

21 July 2024
March 17, 2023 UPDATE

ECCC The European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) will be
inaugurated on May 9th, on Europe Day, in Bucharest, at the Polytechnic
University, rector Mihnea Costoiu told Radio Romania. He also said this is the
first European agency headquartered in Romania’s capital. The ECCC has a
4.5-billion euro budget for investment. Bucharest could thus become a hotspot
for global cybersecurity leaders, given that the EU lays great emphasis on
digital economy and protecting companies and citizens in the online
environment. The ECCC aims to increase Europe’s cybersecurity capacities and
competitiveness, working together with a Network of National Coordination
Centres (NCCs) to build a strong cybersecurity community.

NATO Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has eventually agreed
with Finland’s NATO accession, but not with Sweden’s as well. We have decided
to initiate the ratification of Finland’s accession process to NATO in our
parliament, he said after a meeting in Ankara on Friday with his Finnish
counterpart, Sauli Niinisto. As far as Sweden is concerned, the Turkish
official said talks would be carried on. Hungary, the only other country yet to
approve Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession, announced it would back Finland
at the vote on March 27. Turkey’s veto so far to the 2 countries joining the
Alliance revolved around what Ankara called the harbouring of terrorists,
i.e. militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), on their territories.

WARRANT The International Criminal Court Friday issued a warrant for
the arrest of Russia’s president Vladimir Putin in relation to war crimes
committed in Ukraine since the start of the invasion in that country, France
Presse reports. Putin is allegedly responsible for the war crime of
unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of
population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation,
the ICC said, and emphasised that there are reasonable grounds to believe that
Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes.
A similar arrest warrant was issued against Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Commissioner
for Children’s Rights in Russia. For over a year, the ICC has been
investigating possible war crimes or crimes against humanity committed during the
Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow repeatedly denying allegations of its
forces committing atrocities in Ukraine.

FILM The nominations for the Gopo Awards, a yearly event dedicated
to Romanian cinema, have been made public. The film Metronome, directed by
Alexandru Belc, got most nominations, alongside Immaculate and Men of
Deeds, with 10 nominations each. The awards ceremony will be held on April 25
in Bucharest. (AMP)

17 March 2023
December 5, 2022 UPDATE

Summit — President Klaus Iohannis will participate, on Tuesday, in the EU – Western Balkans Summit, which will take place in Tirana, Albania. According to the Presidential Administration, the Summit in Tirana is the first event of the kind organized in a capital in the region, a fact that reconfirms the European commitment in relation to the states in the Western Balkans. On this occasion, the head of state will reiterate the availability of continued support for concrete efforts and actions to integrate the countries of the region into the European Union. At the same time, Klaus Iohannis will point out the aspects related to the need to strengthen the resilience of partners, as well as to the European support in sectors such as energy, digital transformation, cyber security and migration management. On the occasion of the Summit, the Tirana Declaration will be adopted, which reflects the support of the Union and of the member states towards the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

Budget — Romanias draft state budget and social insurance budget for 2023 will be posted on the website of the Finance Ministry on Tuesday for transparency reasons, and they will be on the agenda of the government meeting on Thursday. The ruling coalition proposes that the two draft laws should pass the Parliaments vote before the winter holidays. It will be the first time that the budget will be built on economic and social programs and also the first time that the amount allocated to Defense will be 2.5% of the GDP. It is believed that the budget built around programs will allow better monitoring of expenses, of the degree of implementation and of the real impact in the economy.

Bribe – The Romanian Parliament decided, on Monday, to dismiss Niculae Bădălău from the position of vice-president of the Court of Accounts, after the former Social Democratic MP was arrested on charges of bribery. There were 308 votes in favor and one abstention. The Social Democratic Party – PSD, which requested the dismissal, pointed out that keeping Niculae Bădălău in office would seriously affect the institutions credibility. The opposition equally demanded the initiation of the dismissal procedure. A week ago, the Bucharest Court of Appeal decided that former PSD senator Niculae Bădălău be arrested, for a period of 30 days, for bribery and influence peddling, in a case in which he is accused of offering bribe worth 170,000 Euros to a mayor from Giurgiu (south), in exchange for the granting of public works contracts.

Gaudeamus — The 29th edition of the Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair opens on Wednesday at the Romexpo Compound in Bucharest. The event thus returns, after the pandemic, to the format that made it famous for over a quarter of a century as a solid landmark of the book market in Romania. 200 participants will offer the public an extremely varied range of editorial products, on different supports, suitable for all ages and fields of interest, music and educational games. The fairs honorary president will be the poet Ana Blandiana.

Sanctions — New economic sanctions applied to Russia by the European Union and the G7 group have come into force. They consist in capping the price at which Russia exports oil and in the European embargo on Russian oil imported by sea. The measures are meant to reduce Russias incomes, which it uses to finance its war machine. Although some experts fear a destabilization of the world market, Brussels decision includes a reserve margin, so that Moscow should not be forced to stop its exports. Capping is rejected by Russia, which claims that it will only sell oil to those countries that do not cap its price. In Bucharest, the energy minister Virgil Popescu gave assurances that the embargo on Russian crude oil will not affect Romania, given that the oil companies in our country have found alternative resources. He pointed out that, as of last week, the domestic oil companies and refineries had started processing only non-Russian crude oil. For his part, the general director of the TRANSGAZ company, Ioan Sterian, emphasized that there are no reasons to fear that Romania will run out of gas this winter.

Hospitality – Romanians spending at restaurants, cafes, pubs or fast-foods this year could be more than 30% higher than in 2021, exceeding 7.5 billion Euros, which is an absolute record for the food service industry, shows a study co-financed by the actors in the field and launched by the Hospitality Culture Institute. Practically, foodservice is becoming the most attractive sector for investments, which is also faced with two big problems: poor digitization and lack of staff, Florin Maxim, founder of the organization, said. According to the cited source, 9% of Romanians who go out spend more than 100 lei (20 Euros) per person on a restaurant meal, a figure that is growing significantly. This year too, even if the anti-pandemic restrictions on the operation of the hospitality industry units were removed, the food delivery sector retained its supremacy. (LS)

5 December 2022
May 24, 2022 UPDATE

Schengen — The European Commission on Tuesday reiterated its recommendation that three member states, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania, should be admitted to the Schengen area after they have complied with the accession criteria, shows the State of Schengen Report 2022, published on the website of the EC. The same is true for Cyprus once that country successfully completes the Schengen evaluation process. It is the first time that the European Commission has presented such a report, following the Schengen Area Strategy adopted last year. The report sets out a list of priority actions for the period 2022-2023 to be addressed at both national and European levels.

Refugees – The number of Ukrainian nationals entering Romania on Monday was 2.4% smaller than on the previous day, reaching 7,709, the Romanian border police announced. Since the start of the crisis, more than one million refugees crossed the border into Romania. Meanwhile, new checkpoints will be opened on Romania’s border with Ukraine, leaving the Siret checkpoint, in the north-east, where trucks are currently waiting up to 14 hours to leave the country, will give priority to humanitarian assistance shipments. In a first stage, a checkpoint will be opened at Vicovu de Sus (north) for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, and another one at Racovăţ (north-east) for vehicles of up to 7 tonnes. Later on, a new checkpoint will also be operational in Ulma (north-east).

Chisinau — The former President of Moldova between 2016-2020 Igor Dodon was detained for 72 hours on Tuesday after prosecutors ordered searches of his residences. In the criminal case opened against him, the former leader of the Socialist Party is suspected of passive corruption, acceptance of his political party being financed by a criminal organization, treason and illicit enrichment. The interim chief prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office, Elena Cazacov, said that law enforcement officers searched 10 buildings and 3 cars, where they found significant amounts of money, contracts and receipts, as well as several luxury goods that were confiscated for checks. The Moldovan authorities on Friday reopened the criminal case of corruption against the pro-Russian politician.

Reserves — Romania has no problems with the stocks of products from the state reserve, says the president of the National Administration of State Reserves and Special Issues, Georgian Pop. He said, however, that strategic reserves would be increased in the context of the war in Ukraine and of a possible food crisis. In exceptional cases, the Romanian state keeps food, fuel, antibiotics and other products in its warehouses or private ones. Recently goods have been taken out from the national reserve to help the Ukrainian refugees. The stocks are substantial but from the lessons we have learned from the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, we have greatly diversified the products in stock, the Romanian official said.

Ports — The Romanian authorities have not yet found solutions for the ships waiting in the Black Sea, even for two weeks, to enter the Sulina canal (southeast) and thus reach the Danube ports to load or unload products. Since the beginning of the month, dozens of ships have been in this situation, and the crews of some of them have been left without supplies. The Lower Danube River Administration in Galati, an institution that ensures navigability on the Sulina Canal, says the situation is caused by the inability of the Danube ports, especially of the Ukrainian ones, to rapidly operate the ships docking there. In this context, the navigation of ships heading for destinations other than the Ukrainian ports is also made difficult.(LS)

24 May 2022
April 9, 2022

REFUGEES – More than 76 thousand people entered Romania on Friday, through the border checkpoints, of whom 8,623 Ukrainian citizens, down by 5.9% as against the previous day, the Border Police General Inspectorate has announced today. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, almost 660 thousand refugees have entered Romania. Most of them only transited the country on their way to Western Europe.

ELECTIONS — France holds presidential elections on Sunday. The 49 million eligible voters will pick their favourite from among 12 candidates, four women and eight men. The most likely scenario for the runoff is incumbent president Emmanuel Macron running against Marine Le Pen, a representative of the far right. Opinion polls have recently shown Macron only 3-4 points ahead of Le Pen, from 12 points in mid-February, which means that some 26%-27% of the people would vote for Macron and 23% for his contender. Coming out third in opinion polls, with 16%, is the far left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.

GAS — The ruling coalition in Bucharest has sped up talks on modifying the offshore law that regulates the exploitation of the natural gas reserves that Romania has in the Black Sea. The National Liberal Party, The Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania have agreed on a final version of the law. The document will be debated by Parliament next week and is to be adopted through emergency procedure. Thus, the Romanian state should receive at least 60% of the profit obtained after the extraction of natural gas, while private companies would get 40%. Energy Minister Virgil Popescu has recently said that as of this year, Romania will benefit an additional 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas by exploiting the deposits in the Black Sea.

RATING – Fitch Ratings has put Romania’s long-term foreign currency issue default rating (IDR) at BBB- with a negative outlook, the agency said in a statement. The negative outlook reflects “continued uncertainty regarding the implementation of policies to address structural fiscal imbalances” over the medium term and the impact of the Ukraine war and energy crisis on Romanias economic, fiscal and external performance, the agency said. Fitch Ratings expects Romania’s GDP growth to slow down to 2.1% in 2022 (from 5.9% in 2021), primarily reflecting a slowdown in private consumption and exports. Investment dynamics is expected to accelerate in 2023, which combined with the assumption of a normalisation of external trade and supply chains, will lift economic growth to 4.8%, the agency also said.

ARREST – Former Romanian Transport Minister, Elena Udrea, is in the custody of the Bulgarian Police and may be extradited to Romania next week. On Friday, Bulgarian judges postponed ruling on the extradition request because the European extradition warrant was not translated into Bulgarian. Udrea left Romania on Thursday, hours before the ruling of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, which maintained the initial 6-year prison sentence for bribe-taking and abuse of office. Udrea has also been sentenced by a court of first instance to 8 years in prison for the election campaign of 2009, and she is a defendant in a third case as well. The former minister first rose to power as an advocate of the fight against corruption and the chief aide to ex-president Traian Băsescu, himself recently confirmed by a Court as a former collaborator of the Securitate, the communist political police. (EE)

9 April 2022
January 18, 2021

COVID-19 Romania – Almost 205,000 Romanians have been vaccinated against the new coronavirus so far, with minor and common side effects having been reported in several hundred patients. Sunday was also the first day when the second dose of vaccine was given to the medical staff from infectious disease hospitals who opened the national vaccination campaign on December 27th. The second stage of the campaign continues for people over the age of 65, those with chronic diseases, as well as for the staff working in key areas. On Monday, about 1,500 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Romania, bringing the total number of cases to 700,000. More than 17,000 Romanians have died from COVID-19 infection, and about 1,000 are in intensive care.

Protests – The Romanian government continues to draft the state budget for this year, with a budget deficit target of 7% of the GDP. The executive also intends to correct the date from which the increase in the minimum wage is applied, so that the increase of 70 lei to the gross salary (about 14 euros) should come into force from January 1 and not from the day when the increase was published in the Official Gazette. The protests of one of the largest trade union confederations, Cartel Alfa, continue. The trade unionists, who are picketing the presidential headquarters, are dissatisfied with the level set by the government for the gross minimum wage in Romania, as well as with the capping of revenues in the public sector at last years level.

Arrest – The German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday called on Russia to immediately release the opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, who was arrested on Sunday on his arrival to Moscow, France Press reports. Navalny returned from Berlin, where he had been hospitalized since August last year after being poisoned with the nerve agent Noviciok. Maas also called for a thorough investigation into Navalnys poisoning and for bringing the perpetrators to justice. In turn, the British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab called on Russia to release Aleksei Navalny immediately and said that Moscow had to explain how he was attacked with a chemical weapon. European Council President Charles Michel and the team of the US President-elect Joe Biden have called for Navalnys immediate release. In Bucharest, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, condemned the arrest of the Russian opponent, and described the repression of the opposition as a purely undemocratic gesture. Navalny is accused by Russian authorities of violating the terms of a conviction by going to Germany.

Moldova – The President of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet country with a majority Romanian-speaking), pro-Western Maia Sandu, is paying a two-day visit to Brussels to re-establish ties with the European Union, ties which were affected by the policy of his pro-Russian predecessor, Igor Dodon. She is to meet with EC President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Council President Charles Michel, with the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the European Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn, and with the president of the EP David-Maria Sassoli. On Sunday, before the official visit, Maia Sandu already had a discussion with the head of the European Public Prosecutors Office, the Romanian Laura Codruţa Kovesi, with whom she agreed on joint actions to combat smuggling and money laundering. The first high-level visit that Maia Sandu received after taking office was, on December 29, went her Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, went to Chsinau where they adopted a Joint Declaration, meant to strengthen the strategic partnership of the two neighboring countries.

Visit – The Secretary of State for European Affairs with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Iulia Matei, is today participating in the informal meeting of the EU General Affairs Council. The meeting, which takes place in videoconference format, has on its agenda the presentation of the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council and a briefing on the organization stage of the Conference on the Future of Europe. According to MAE, in the run up to the informal meeting of European leaders, on January 21, the meeting will address issues related to the coordination at EU level of the strategy for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. (tr. L. Simion)

18 January 2021
February 29, 2020

COVID19 Romania has 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, with the patients current state reported as good. Another 52 people are quarantined across the country, and 8,796 under home monitoring. The healthcare authorities in the counties Timiş in the west and Maramureş in the north-west are running investigations to establish the people who were in contact with the 2 persons who tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. Both of them had travelled to Italy recently. The first patient in Romania, a 25 year old man from Gorj County, in the south, is feeling well, and Fridays tests came out negative, doctors say. If the next test is also negative, the patient will be discharged. In Europe, Italy remains the most affected country. As the epidemic spread, stock exchanges across the world reported total losses of over 5 trillion US dollars. The BBC says the US financial markets have not been hit so hard since the 2008 financial crisis. Investors fear that the growing number of coronavirus cases outside China may turn the disease into a pandemic.

ARREST The former healthcare minister in the Social Democratic government Sorina Pintea, currently the manager of the Baia Mare Emergency Hospital in the north-west of the country, was detained on Saturday by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for continuing bribe taking. According to the DNA, between December 2019 and February 28, this year, Pintea received 10,000 euros and 25,000 euros from a business operator, in 2 instalments, accounting for 7% of the value of a public procurement contract concerning the design and building of a cardiovascular and thoracic surgery unit. The contract was signed in 2019 by the hospital with the company in question. Pintea allegedly received the money in exchange for completing some of her duties as a manager and authorising officer, anti-corruption prosecutors say. They requested the Bucharest Court to approve a 30-day pre-trial arrest order against Pintea. Sorina Pintea was a healthcare minister in Viorica Dancilas left-wing government dismissed last October.

DISEASE Romania has too few doctors able to diagnose rare diseases, experts warn today, the International Rare Disease Day. They say investments in medical equipment in the field of genetics, which are vital for accurate diagnoses, are scarce. Physicians also warn that rare disease patients and their families face severe challenges in terms of access to care. So far more than 6,000 different rare diseases have been identified, most of which are without treatment across the world. In Romania, such diseases are underdiagnosed.

MIGRANTS Greece prevented 4,000 migrants to enter its territory “illegally from Turkey, a spokesman for the Greek government announced on Saturday after an emergency meeting chaired by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis, AFP and Reuters report. On Friday, the country faced a mass, organised and illegal border crossing attempt, but it managed to overcome it, the government spokesperson explained. He added that Greece protected its borders and the borders of the EU. Also on Saturday, in an address in Istanbul, Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will open its borders to enable migrants to leave, and criticised the EU for not helping Ankara enough. Turkey says it was forced to ease border controls for the refugees trying to reach the EU from Turkey, because of the pressure of the refugees coming from Syria amid clashes in the rebel stronghold of Idlib.

SLOVAKIA Slovakia is voting on Saturday for a new Parliament, hoping to fight corruption, frequently linked to the populist, left-of-centre ruling party Smer-SD. The vote may be crucial for the history of the country, which is still outraged by the murder of anti-corruption journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee in 2018, AFP reports. His killing, ordered by a businessman with political connections, mobilised the public, and polls suggest that the ruling party Smer-SD is running shoulder to shoulder with the centre-right opposition party OLaNO, which turned the fight against corruption into its rallying call. The double murder in 2018 triggered massive street protests against the government, and prime minister Robert Fico had to resign.

RUSSIA Hundreds of Russian opposition supporters gathered in Moscow on Saturday to protest the constitutional reforms initiated by president Vladimir Putin and to pay tribute to opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, murdered 5 years ago near Kremlin, AFP reports. In Sankt-Petersburg, nearly 2,000 people rallied in the centre of the city. The authorised march is the first important public gathering since Putin announced a Constitution review set to strengthen the role of the president and of the State Council. The killing of Boris Nemtsov in February 2015 had huge echoes in Russia and abroad. Nemtsov was in the middle of an investigation into the involvement of the Russian Army in the east Ukraine war.

HANDBALL Romanias womens handball champions, CSM Ramnicu Valcea, play today at home against the Swedish side Savehof, in the Champions League Main Group 2. In Main Group 1 in the same competition, vice-champions CSM Bucharest play away from home on Sunday against the French team Metz. The Romanian teams are ranking 4th in their respective groups and CSM is the only one having secured a place in the quarter-finals. In mens handball, champions Dinamo Bucharest take on Sporting Lisbon, on Sunday night, after a 26-25 win away from home. If they go past the Portuguese team, Dinamo move into the Champions League round of 16.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

29 February 2020
November 20, 2019 UPDATE

ELECTIONS The campaign ahead of the second round of Romania’s presidential elections on Sunday continues until Saturday morning at 7 am local time. The incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, who is endorsed by the National Liberal Party, now in power, is facing the former Social Democrat prime minister Viorica Dancila. The Standing Electoral Authority has announced that the electoral register has been updated and the total number of voters in the lists is 18,217,411. The total number of citizens residing abroad and entitled to vote in this election is 715,064. In the first round, which included 14 candidates, Iohannis won almost 38% of the votes and Dancila a little over 22%. Voter turnout stood at 51.19%. In the diaspora, where voting took place over three days, a record turnout was reported, with 675,000 people casting their ballots. The second round of voting is also taking place over three days abroad: on Friday between 12 am and 9 pm and on Saturday and Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm, with the possibility for the voting to be extended until midnight. The foreign ministry has already distributed the materials needed for the voting process abroad. 4 million, six hundred and eight thousand and 175 ballots were distributed among the 835 polling stations set up abroad, 100,000 more ballots than was requested in the first round.

FINANCE The European Commission Wednesday recommended that Romania should implement an annual structural adjustment of 1% of the GDP in 2020, to ensure that the nominal increase in net primary government expenditure will not exceed 4.4%. Romania is also advised to use any exceptional revenues in order to reduce the deficit, with budget consolidation measures aimed at ensuring sustainable improvement of the government structural balance, able to encourage growth. Bucharest is also requested to present the Council with a report on the measures taken in this respect, no later than April 15, 2020.

MEETING The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu had a meeting on Wednesday with the US State Secretary Michael Pompeo, on the side-lines of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. The Romanian minister appreciated the US constant support for strengthening NATOs defence and deterrence posture on the eastern flank and pleaded for enhanced American military presence in Romania, given the volatile security context in the Black Sea region. He also reiterated the firm commitment of the new government in Bucharest for a fair sharing of responsibilities within NATO, confirming that Romania will continue to earmark 2% of its GDP to defence and to take part in foreign military missions. Also on Wednesday, Bogdan Aurescu had talks with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on which occasion he mentioned the Common Declaration on the Strategic Partnership signed in 2018 by the presidents Klaus Iohannis and Emmanuel Macron, which re-launched the bilateral relation.

ARREST The owner of the Romanian company that provided pest extermination services to 2 apartment buildings in Timişoara, western Romania, was taken in pre-trial custody for 30 days, under accusations of manslaughter, bodily harm and trafficking in controlled substances. Three people died, including a 9-day baby, over 40 others, mostly children, are hospitalized, and the buildings have been evacuated. The tragedy caused panic among the locals, with scores of people requesting medical check-ups. Investigations have revealed that the substances used for pest extermination had been purchased on the black market and contained a highly toxic compound. Concurrently with the criminal investigation, new decontamination operations were conducted on Wednesday, and a Health Ministry team is running on-site tests.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

20 November 2019
The Week in Review, October 1-6, 2018

Debate in the European Parliament on the rule of law in Romania

The rule of law in Romania has been discussed in the European Parliament this week, with focus on the recent changes brought to the justice laws by the ruling coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila too was invited to Strasbourg for talks. The European Commission has been following with concern the latest developments in Romania, said the First Vice-President of the Commission Frans Timmermans at the start of the debate. He said that the country had taken steps backwards as regards the reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, speaking of the controversial changes brought by the left wing ruling coalition in Romania to the justice laws and the sacking of the head of the Anticorruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi, although the directorates activity had brought about a positive evaluation in the latest CVM report. In reply, Viorica Dancila said that a viable justice system must be built first for the citizens, and not for magistrates, politicians and institutions. She also said she did not come to Strasbourg to account, but out of respect and appreciation for the European forum, and called for a similar attitude towards Romania, just like the other member states.

Viorica Dancila: “This mechanism has failed to meet the aim it was created for and I officially request for us to be told who drew up the CVM reports, who provided the data and failed to mention, out of negligence or in bad faith, these realities which are unconceivable in the European Union.

Viorica Dancila also defended the Romanian Gendarmerie, accused of acting disproportionately at the anti-Government protest on August 10th in Bucharest. In her opinion, the gendarmes intervened just as other similar structures from other European countries have done. We recall that following the gendarmes brutal intervention, 770 criminal complaints have been filed by people who suffered during the protest, and several gendarmerie chiefs are being prosecuted. The debates in Strasbourg have triggered different reactions from the Romanian EMPs, who have criticized Frans Timmermans for his opinion or blamed one another or the current government. In Bucharest too, the stands taken by representatives of the various parliamentary parties have been different. The leaders of the ruling coalition hailed the prime-ministers speech, while the opposition National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union believe that Viorica Dancila presented a parallel reality.

The EU chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, on a visit to Romania

The European Unions chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, had a meeting in Bucharest with key Romanian political leaders. They looked at the current stage of the Unions negotiations with London, and at the next steps to be taken in Britains withdrawal from the European bloc. President Klaus Iohannis has underlined that preserving the unity of the 27 member states in the Brexit talks is extremely important. In turn, Michel Barnier emphasized that Romania, as the holder of the rotating presidency of the EU Council, will play a key role in the negotiations on the future relations between the EU and the UK. In turn, the Romanian PM Viorica Dancila underlined that Romania pays special heed to the Brexit file, given that a large Romanian community is living in the UK. Dancila also said that Romania will closely monitor the implementation of the exit agreement, so that all the Romanian citizens residing in the UK may continue to live, work and study in the same terms as they have done so far. Romanians make up the second largest foreign minority in the UK, after the Polish one.

A former tourism minister and a former head of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Romania (DIICOT) have been detained in Costa Rica

The Romanian police have confirmed that the former tourism minister Elena Udrea and the former head of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), Alina Bica, have been detained in Costa Rica. They have been placed under pre-trial arrest for two months. The two women have applied for asylum in Costa Rica. Udrea and Bica were under investigation, surveillance and monitoring by the Costa Rican authorities, as they were wanted internationally by Interpol, following the sentences they had received in Romania. For a long time seen as the most influential character in the former president Traian Basescus entourage, Udrea received from the High Court of Cassation and Justice a final 6-year prison sentence for bribe taking and abuse of office. The same court sentenced Bica to 4 years in prison, in a case in which she was accused of aiding and abetting a criminal.

Referendum to revise the Constitution

Some 19 million Romanian voters are called to the polls on Saturday and Sunday to vote in a referendum on redefining family in the Romanian Constitution, to say whether they agree to see the definition in the Constitution, which currently reads “the consented marriage between spouses, changed into “the consented marriage between a man and a woman. The draft has been voted in Parliament. Over 18,600 polling stations are set up at national level. 378 other polling stations have been opened for the Romanians living abroad. More than half of them have been set up at the diplomatic missions, consular offices and cultural institutes abroad, and the rest of them in other locations. Most polling stations have been opened in Italy, Spain, the Republic of Moldova, the US, Great Britain, France and Germany. For the referendum to be valid, at least 30% of the voters registered on permanent electoral lists must take part, and at least 25% of the votes must be valid.

(translated by: Mihaela Ignatescu, Diana Vijeu)

6 October 2018
Die Woche 23.04.-29.04.2018 im Überblick

Paukenschlag in der rumänischen Politik

Rumäniens Präsident Klaus Iohannis hat der sozialdemokratischen Ministerpräsidentin Viorica Dăncilă das Vertrauen entzogen. Knapp drei Monate nach ihrem Amtsantritt forderte Johannis in einer Mitteilung ferner den Rücktritt der Ministerpräsidentin. Der Präsident sagte, Dăncilă würde ihrem Amt nicht gerecht und stelle einen wunden Punkt für Rumänien dar. Vor der Erklärung des Staatschefs hatte die Regierungschefin seine Einladung zu einer Beratungsrunde über den Konflikt mit der Nationalbank abgelehnt.

Regierung und Zentralbank hatten in der vergangenen Woche ein Zerwürfnis über die Inflationsrate gehabt. Iohannis brachte seine Befürchtung zum Ausdruck, dass die Exekutive und die wichtigste Koalitionspartei PSD die Nationalbank politisch kontrollieren wollten. Au‎ßerdem erwähnte der Präsident auch das jüngste au‎ßenpolitische Memorandum, mit dem die Regierung den Umzug der rumänischen Botschaft in Israel nach Jerusalem billigt. Die Entscheidung hatte landesweit für Aufregung gesorgt. Präsident Klaus Iohannis teilt die Begeisterung der Premierministerin nicht und gesteht, dass er den Zweck ihres Israel-Besuchs nicht verstanden hat:

Seien Sie versichert, dass ich Frau Dăncilă fragen werde, zu welchem Anlass sie zu einem bilateralen Besuch nach Israel ohne ein Wort zu sagen, gegangen ist. Nicht einmal aus Höflichkeit hat sie mich angerufen oder besucht. Auch wenn es der PSD nicht gefällr, bin ich der Präsident der Republik und ich bin für die Au‎ßenpolitik verantwortlich“.

Premierministerin Viorica Dăncilă, der Vorsitzende der Abgeordnetenkammer Liviu Dragnea und Au‎ßenminister Teodor Melescanu waren auf Staatsbesuch in Israel. Dort kam die Premierministerin mit dem israelischen Präsidenten Reuven Rivlin zusammen. Au‎ßerdem traffen sich sowohl die Ministerpräsidentin, als auch Dragnea, der Chef der Sozialdemokraten mit Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanjahu, der die Einleitung der internen Debatten über den Umzug der Botschaft durch die rumänische Regierung begrü‎ßte.

Der Vorschlag, die rumänische Botschaft von Tel Aviv nach Jerusalem nach Israel zu verlegen, die Konsolidierung der bilateralen Zusammenarbeit in wirtschaftlichen und militärischen Bereichen, sowie strategische Themen wurden besprochen. Am Ende des Besuchs sagte die Regierungschefin dem Korrespondenten von Radio Rumänien in Israel, dass der offizielle Besuch in Israel sehr gute Ergebnisse gebracht habe.

Viorica Dăncilă: Infolge des Treffens mit Ministerpräsident Netanjahu haben wir uns darauf geeinigt, eine gemeinsame Regierungssitzung in Bukarest abzuhalten, wo wir über Projekte diskutieren können. Ich hatte einen Besuch beim israelischen Präsidenten, einen Besuch, bei dem wir die Lage in der Region, die geopolitische Lage, aber auch die Tatsache, dass ein rumänischer Botschafter in Israel benötigt wird, besprochen haben. Ich erwähnte, dass wir eine Nominierung gemacht haben, wir erwarten, dass Herr Präsident Iohannis diese Nominierung unterschreibt. Nicht zuletzt habe ich das Heilige Grab besucht, wir haben uns vorher mit dem Patriarchen von Jerusalem getroffen; Für mich war es eine gro‎ße Freude, dass ich mit dem Kreuz und dem Stern von Jerusalem gewürdigt wurde.“

Am Montag, vor dem Besuch der Premierministerin, wurde die Verärgerung des Präsidenten eher durch die unerwartete Art und Weise verursacht, in der die Regierung das Thema der Umsiedlung der Botschaft in Angriff nahm. Eine Sondierungsdiskussion zu diesem Thema ist nicht falsch — erklärte das Staatsoberhaupt. Er erinnerte jedoch daran, dass es viele UN-Resolutionen und eine feste EU-Empfehlung an alle seine Mitglieder gibt: Bis die Israelis und Palästinenser den Status Jerusalems klären, sollte kein Staat seine Botschaft dorthin verlegen.

Präsident Iohannis hat alle Vorwürfe des Antisemitismus zurückgewiesen und die Tatsache begrü‎ßt, dass die Beziehungen zwischen Rumänien und Israel ausgezeichnet sind. Vorhin hatte man dem Präsidenten Antisemitismus vorgeworfen, als er sich betreffend den Besuch der Premierministerin Viorica Dăncilă und des Vorsitzenden der Abgeordnetenkammer Liviu Dragnea in Israel gefragt hat: Wer wei‎ß welche geheimen Abmachungen er dort mit den Juden macht?“

Vierer-Treffen Rumänien — Bulgarien — Griechenland — Serbien findet in Bukarest statt

In Bukarest hat am Dienstag ein Vierer-Treffen auf hoher Ebene zwischen Rumänien, Bulgarien, Griechenland und Serbien stattgefunden. Debattiert wurde über Projekte zur regionalen Vernetzung, Serbiens EU-Beitritt sowie über die europäische Perspektive der ganzen Region. Es beteiligten sich die rumänsiche Premierministerin Viorica Dăncilă, der serbische Präsident Aleksandar Vucic, der griechische Premierminister Alexis Tsipras, sowie der bulgarische Ministerpräsident Boiko Borisov. Es geht um das dritte Treffen in dieser Formel, nach Begegnungen in Warna (Bulgarien) und Belgrad (Serbien). Dancila betonte, dass das Format der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Rumänien, Griechenland, Serbien und Bulgarien den Ausbau der regionalen Kooperation und die Entwicklung der Region innerhalb der Europäischen Union fördern. Die Premierministerin fügte hinzu, dass Rumänien den europäischen Weg Serbiens unterstützt. Sie versicherte dem bulgarischen Ministerpräsidenten Bojko Borisov, dass er auf die Hilfe Bukarests zur Umsetzung der Ziele des bulgarischen Ratsvorsitzes der Europäischen Union zählen kann, wobei der Westbalkan eine wichtige Rolle spielt. Dancila begrü‎ßte den ersten griechischen Amtskollegen Alexis Tsipras in Bukarest. Sie betonte, dass Griechenland der wichtigste Partner Rumäniens in der Region sei und Rumänien die bilaterale Zusammenarbeit fördern wolle. Das nächste Treffen der Vertreter Rumäniens, Griechenlands, Bulgariens und Serbiens wird im Juni in Athen stattfinden.

Erneut Proteste in der Gesundheit

Am Donnerstag hat der Vizepremier Viorel Stefan den Gewerkschaftlern vom Gesundheitswesen versprochen, ihnen am 2. Mai eine Lösung zu präsentieren, damit das Personal keine Einkommensverluste mehr hat. Tausende rumänische Angestellte aus dem Gesundheitwesen haben am Donnerstag an einer Protestkundgebung teilgenommen, die vom Gewerkschaftsverband Sanitas in Bukarest organisiert wurde. Die Gewerkschaften sind mit der Senkung der Einkommen einiger Angestellten unzufrieden. Grund dafür sei das neue Lohngesetz, das die Zulagen auf 30% beschränkt. Nach Angaben der Protest-Veranstalter gebe es zwei Kategorien von Angestellten – Ärzte und Assistenten -, deren Gehälter gestiegen sind. Auf die Bukarester Kundgebung wird am 7. Mai ein Warnstreik folgen, und am 11. Mai ist ein Generalstreik im Gesundheits- und Sozialhilfesystem geplant.

Abgeordnetenkammer billigt Alternativma‎ßnahmen zum Arrest

Die Bukarester Abgeordnetenkammer hat am Mittwoch in ihrer Eigenschaft als beschlussfähiges Gremium den Gesetzentwurf betreffend alternative Vollstreckungsma‎ßnahmen der Strafen. Diese setzen unter anderen Hausarrest oder am Wochenende in speziellen Anstlaten für Personen mit einer Freiheitsstrafe unter fünf Jahren, die bereits ein Fünftel ihrer Strafzeit abgesessen haben. Au‎ßnahme bilden Wiederholungstäter oder jene, die Straftaten mit Gewalt begangen haben oder wegen Einflussnahme, Korruptionstaten, Zahlung und Annahme von Bestechungsgeldern verurteilt wurden. Ende letzter Woche hatte das amerikanische State Department daran erinnert, dass die rumänischen Gefängnisse überbevölkert sind und die vom Europarat festgelegten Standards nicht einhalten. Darüber hinaus hatte die Stra‎ßburger Anstalt Bukarest mit besträchtlichen Geldstrafen bedroht, wird die Lage nicht behoben. Folglich wurde in Rumänien bereits ein Gesetz erlassen wodurch die Gefängnistrafe der Personen, die unter nicht entsprechenden Bedingungen untergebracht sind, reduziert wird.

28 April 2018
November 4, 2017 UPDATE

UNIONS – The “Solidaritatea Sanitara union federation announces its opposition to the Governments plan to transfer the payment of social security contributions from employers to employees, and says it will join the all-out strike planned by the countrys main union confederations. Previously, trade union federations Frăţia, Cartel Alfa and the National Union Bloc had voiced fears that this transfer would entail a drop in salaries and the loss of jobs. In turn, employer associations say that should this measure be implemented, they will have to lay off employees, while the National Liberal Party in opposition announced it would notify the Constitutional Court unless the Government gave up these plans. President Klaus Iohannis described the Governments initiative as fiscal confusion through which average gross salaries would only go up by a rough 70 eurocents. In response, PM Mihai Tudose and his Social Democratic Party chief, Liviu Dragnea, say they do not understand the opposition to the measures announced for next year, given that in fact both employers and employees would stand to gain. The Cabinet postponed to Monday the meeting in which the new provisions were to be discussed, on grounds that some of the bills on the agenda had not received all the required approvals.

BY-ELECTIONS – The town of Deva, in western Romania, as well as 16 villages in 12 counties hold by-elections on Sunday. 16 localities elect their mayors, and a village will elect its local council. In Deva, the mayor position has been vacant since the former mayor, Mircia Muntean, re-elected to office last summer, was sentenced to six months in prison for abuse of office and DUI.

HEALTHCARE – The Romanian healthcare and tourism ministries will work together to come up with medical tourism packages. The announcement was made by the Healthcare Minister Florian Bodog at a medical tourism conference in Bucharest. The healthcare services in the highest demand from foreign patients in Romania are dental treatments, spa treatments, and plastic surgery, Bodog explained. He added that the Government is working to adopt the public-private partnership bill, which will allow foreign partners to invest in Romania, including in the healthcare sector. The Romanian official added that he had already received offers from foreign investors interested in setting up hospitals and cardiovascular surgery and recovery centres.

CAMPAIGN – MEP Cătălin Ivan has announced he intends to start a signature campaign to ban bearer shares in Romania. Such shares, which are not registered, may be transferred from one holder to another without tax and accounting records. Ivan argues that this enables civil servants to own stock in companies that are awarded public procurement or service contracts, without any means of combating corruption. According to official data there are around 400 companies in Romania having issued bearer shares, and most of them have been awarded government contracts worth hundreds of millions of euros. Bearer shares have already been banned in countries like the UK, Belgium, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Malta and Cyprus.

PUIGDEMONT – Belgian authorities announced having received the international arrest warrant issued by Spain against the ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and 4 members of his secessionist cabinet. The source added that prosecutors would study the documents before submitting them to a judge. The five Catalan ministers arrived in Brussels this week, after Spain issued an arrest warrant for sedition. Puigdemont insists that he is not in Belgium to escape justice, and that he is facing a potential 30-year prison sentence for keeping his promise to his voters. A Spanish court approved the arrest after the five failed to appear in court on Thursday to respond to accusations regarding the Catalan independence declaration. Before the arrest warrants were issued, the European Commission said the trial of the Catalan separatists was for the judiciary to settle.

HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball team CSM Bucharest beat the Danish side Nykobing at home, 39-26, in the 4th round of Champions League Group A, making up for the surprising defeat they had sustained two weeks ago, in Denmark, 22-25. In the first 2 games in Group A, the Romanians defeated Krim Ljubljana of Slovenia and Vistal Gdynia of Poland, and are now qualified into the main group stage. Romanias target in the current competition season is to reach the Champions League Final Four.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

4 November 2017
September 2, 2017

PARLIAMENT – In Bucharest, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate have convened for the second regular parliamentary session of the year. Romanian MPs are scheduled to handle overdue bills from previous sessions, and the new draft legislation tabled by the Government. Debates are to begin next week. Apart from the emergency orders concerning special pension benefits, child allowances and police salaries, Parliament is also to discuss a bill on mandatory vaccination. The most eagerly awaited debates concern the new Pension Bill, which is to reach the Parliament chambers by October 1, and the changes of the laws on the judiciary and the set-up of a Sovereign Investment Fund.

CORRUPTION – The former president of the National Healthcare Insurance Agency, Marian Burcea, has been placed under 30-day arrest in an investigation into illegal refunds for healthcare services. According to the Bucharest Court of Appeals, in the same case the judges have also decided to place other individuals under pre-trial arrest. Anti-corruption prosecutors suspect frauds involving the funds of the Bucharest City Healthcare Insurance Agency, consisting in the refund of fictitious healthcare expenditure. The refunds were allegedly granted based on hundreds of fake medical records and involved agency personnel protected by top officials of the National Healthcare Insurance Agency. Tens of searches conducted at the offices of companies and institutions as well as at the homes of several individuals in Bucharest seem to indicate losses of 3 million euros caused to the public budgets.

ENESCU FESTIVAL – The George Enescu International Festival, one of the most prestigious music events in Europe, opens today. For 3 weeks, 80 concerts and other events will bring together in Bucharest and 7 other major Romanian cities more than 3,000 of the best international artists. The honorary president this year is the famous conductor Zubin Mehta, and another conductor, Vladimir Jurowski is the artistic director. Radio Romania is the only media institution in the country to broadcast the concerts live, on its channels Radio Romania Music and Radio Romania Culture. The opening show, a performance of George Enescus opera “Oedipus by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with conductor Vladimir Jurowski, will include multimedia features. First organised in 1958, 3 years after the famed Romanian composer had died, the George Enescu Festival was discontinued in 1971 by the communist regime, and was resumed in 1989. It has been held every 2 years ever since.

HARVEY – The US President Donald Trump has requested Congress to earmark 7.85 billion US dollars for relief and reconstruction following hurricane Harvey, Reuters reports. Trump is to visit the disaster-hit areas today, for the second time. Harvey, one of the worst hurricanes to have hit the US in terms of the damages it has caused, forced one million Americans out of their homes. Tens of people died. Houston, the largest city in Texas and the fifth-largest in the US, is still paralysed by floods. In Beaumont, over 120,000 people are without drinking water.

FOOTBALL – Romanias national football team had some difficulties defeating Armenia. The Romanians only managed to score in extra time, although they missed a penalty shot and the guests had a player taken off the pitch. Ranked 4th in the group, 7 points behind the group leader Poland and 4 points behind Denmark and Montenegro, Romania will play its next match on Monday, in Podgorica, against Montenegro. In this qualifying campaign, Romania is for the first time coached by a foreign manager, the German Cristoph Daum, who has been the target of growing criticism lately, from supporters, experts and the media, because of the poor performance of the national squad.

BASKETBALL – The national basketball team of Romania plays today against Croatia, in Cluj-Napoca, in Group C of the European Basketball Championship, FIBA Eurobasket 2017. Romania was defeated on Friday by the Czech Republic, 83-68. Returning to continental basketball elite competitions after a 3-decade gap, Romania was only able to keep up with the Czech team in the first half of the game. In the other matches played on Friday in the same group, Croatia beat Hungary 67-58, and defending European champions Spain defeated Montenegro 99-60. The best 4 teams in each group will move on to the eighth-finals held in Turkey. The FIBA EUROBASKET 2017 final will be played in Istanbul, on September 17.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

2 September 2017
March 27, 2017

ALDE – Daniel Constantin, co-president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), has lost the political support of his party for the positions of deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister, which he was holding in the leftist government in Bucharest led by Sorin Grindeanu. Gratiela Gavrilescu has been proposed to replace Daniel Constantin. The decision was made after Constantin had contested a decision by some party colleagues that an extraordinary congress be staged next month, the other ALDE co-president Calin Popescu Tariceanu explained. He has also criticized Constantin for his latest political moves. Constantin has rejected the allegations adding the decision runs against the partys status. At present Gavrilescu is minister for the relation with Parliament but ALDE proposed this portfolio be taken over by Viorel Ilie. Social-Democratic Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu on Monday said upon the latest PSD-ALDE session that it would forward the proposals to president Klaus Iohannis.

CALL – The European Union has called on Moscow to release immediately the several hundred protesters the authorities arrested during the peaceful anti-graft rallies in Russia on Sunday. Famous anti-Putin campaigner Aleksei Navalny is reportedly among those arrested. Tens of thousands protesters all over the country have chanted anti-government slogans asking for the resignation of Prime Minister Medvedev whom they accuse of corruption. Navalny, who is a lawyer, has been denouncing high-level corruption in Russia for years now and has made public his intention to run in the presidential election in 2018.

CELEBRATION – Bucharest and other big cities across Romania are today hosting events aimed at celebrating 99 years since the union of Bessarabia with Romania, an event recently declared a national holiday by the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest. On Sunday in Chisinau, hundreds of people attended a rally in support of the national flag, where they unfolded a 100-meter long flag chanting unionist slogans. On March 27th 1918, after the dismantling of the Czarist Empire, the countrys legislative body, which convened in solemn session, ruled with an absolute majority the union of Bessarabia with the Romanian kingdom after 106 years of Russian occupation. Through an ultimatum in 1940, Soviet Moscow annexed both Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, territories today belonging to the former soviet republics of Moldova and Ukraine.

TALKS – A new round of talks is taking place in Bucharest between the authorities and representatives of the policemen discontented with their low salaries. Interior Minister Carmen Dan said she would try to identify solutions together with trade unionists so that policemen may benefit from bonuses of 40% and 100% if they work during the weekends and other legal holidays. The minister of Public Consultations and Social Dialogue, Gabriel Petrea has explained that pay differences and other flaws in the system cannot be settled without affecting the budget. The policemen claim a 20% pay rise as well as bonuses for difficult work conditions, night shifts, for working on weekends and other legal holidays.

GAME Romanias national eleven ended in a draw their home fixture on Sunday against the Danish side in qualifying group E for the next years World Cup in Russia. Also on Sunday Montenegro conceded a 1-2 defeat to Poland and Armenia outperformed Kazahstan 2-0. The qualifyiers next leg is due on June 10th when Romania will be up against Poland in an away match. On the same date Kazahstan will be playing Denmark and Montenegro takes on Armenia. Poland tops the groups table with 13 points followed by Montenegro and Denmark both with 7, Romania and Armenia each with 6 and Kazahstan with 2 points. We recall the Romanian national side is for the first time in its history led by a foreign selector, German Cristoph Daum, who came to the helm in autumn upon the teams lackluster play at Euro 2016 in France.

TENNIS The worlds fifth tennis player, Romanian Simona Halep, today takes on Australian Samantha Stosur (WTA19) in the round of sixteen of the tournament in Miami, Florida, a competition with 6.9 million dollars in prize money. In the third round on Sunday the Romanian secured a two-set win 6-3, 6-0 against Estonian Anett Kontaveit. Another Romanian playing in Miami Patricia Tig has conceded a two-set defeat, 6-3, 6-0, to Venus Williams of the USA.

(translated by: Daniel Bilt)

27 March 2017
November 16, 2016 UPDATE

ARREST — The former head of the Permanent Electoral Authority in Romania, Ana Maria Patru, on Wednesday was taken into custody, pending trial, in a file in which she is accused of influence peddling and money laundering. According to the anti-corruption prosecutors, she allegedly demanded and received over 200,000 euros in bribe, in exchange for implementing IT procurement contracts with a particular company, and tried to conceal the source of the money by setting up a fictitious circuit. Ana Maria Patru announced her resignation as head of the Permanent Electoral Authority.

VERDICT — The ex-MEP Adrian Severin on Wednesday was sentenced to four-year imprisonment, in a final ruling issued by the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest. Anti-corruption prosecutors requested penalties of 6 and a half years for bribe taking and 5 years for influence peddling. Adrian Severin was accused of having accepted the 100,000 euros per year promised by two journalists from “The Sunday Times”, who were running an undercover investigation, in exchange for submitting amendments in the specialised committees of the European Parliament. Two other MEPs, from Slovenia and Austria, also accepted to sell their services to The Sunday Times journalists. Unlike Adrian Severin, they resigned following this corruption scandal.

ECONOMY – In Romania, the hard-won macroeconomic balance must be preserved, the governor of the National Bank of Romania Mugur Isarescu warned once again. The central bank official says that in spite of Romania’s economic growth, encouraging demand and consumption has created jobs in other countries rather than in Romania, given that the demand has been primarily met by imports, which are going up at a much faster rate than exports. Financial-banking analysts estimate that Romania needs a 5% annual growth rate for a long period if it is to recover its development delays compared to Western Europe.

DIPLOMACY — US acting president, Democrat Barack Obama, on Wednesday reiterated the United States’ commitments to its European allies, amidst fears that his successor, right-wing populist Donald Trump, is a threat to democracy, international news agencies report. In a speech delivered in Athens, President Barack Obama said he and President-elect Donald Trump “could not be more different” but he added that American democracy is bigger than any one person. He also said that now, more than ever, the world needs a democratic Europe. In the following days, Obama will meet German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president, Francois Hollande, and the Prime Ministers of Great Britain and Italy, Theresa May and Matteo Renzi, respectively. Afterwards, Obama will travel to Peru, to attend the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Summit. His successor at the White House, Donald Trump, will take over his mandate on January 20, 2017.

INVESTIGATION — Romania’s technocratic PM, Dacian Ciolos, on Wednesday sacked state secretary Adrian Sanda, the head of the Secretariat for recognising the merits of the fighters against the communist regime, in the 1945-1989 period. Also on Wednesday, prosecutors and police conducted more than 20 house searches in several counties in Romania, in a case concerning the status of fighter with a determining role in the 1989 Revolution. The investigation is conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, and targets offences like aggravated abuse of office, influence peddling, and forgery of private documents. According to official statistics, in the December 1989 anti-communist revolution, 1,100 people died and over 3,000 were wounded.

SURVEY – 29% of the Romanian household owners choose to give bribe in order to have easier access to public services, this being the highest percentage registered in the whole of the EU, a report issued by Transparency International shows. According to the survey, young people in Romania are mainly requesting a social organisation of the public and business environments, so that access to services and careers no longer be conditioned by the existence of a mechanism of relations. In another move, the report also underlines that public institutions and private companies do not generate a real integrity environment. Civil society in Romania should move on to a new type of approach, in order to enjoy the support of the public at large in the fight against corruption, the report also shows.

BOOK FAIR — Bucharest is hosting until Sunday the 23rd Gaudeamus International Book and Education Fair, the longest-lived and most dynamic book fair in Romania, organised by Radio Romania. The highlights of this year’s fair include events devoted to the Romanian film industry, attended by the directors Cristian Mungiu and Radu Jude, and some of the most recent international releases launched in their Romanian version. This year’s guest of honour is China. During its 96 editions in various Romanian cities in 20 years of existence, the fair has brought together more than 2,600,000 visitors and some 10,500 special events. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

16 November 2016