Radio România Internațional

Tag: August 10 protest

  • September 27, 2018 UPDATE

    September 27, 2018 UPDATE

    Resignation. The Romanian Education Minister Valentin Popa announced his resignation on Thursday, after a meeting with the leader of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea and against talks about a potential government reshuffle. Also on Thursday, Valentin Popa stated that Romania and the Romanian language are not negotiable and all children in Romania must know Romanian, for them to be able to live and work in the country. A few days earlier, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania had announced it suspended cooperation with the governing coalition until the issue of the Romanian language taught in primary schools with teaching in minority languages was resolved. This is the second resignation in the Cabinet headed by Viorica Dancila, after that of the Research Minister Nicolae Burnete.



    Ordinance. The Romanian Government on Thursday adopted an emergency ordinance that changes the legislation regarding insolvency. The new provisions are aimed at putting an end to some abusive practices and at providing equal chances for business development. Currently, more than 6,000 companies, with some 65,000 employees, are insolvent, the Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici said at the end of the meeting. Also on Thursday, the Government took several measures to support certain categories of the population exposed to poverty and social exclusion and decided that Romanian language in primary minority schools will be taught by the teachers of the respective classes.



    UN. A Romanian delegation headed by the countrys president Klaus Iohannis is attending the 73rd UN General Assembly session. Romania will promote an open approach to migration based on identifying consensual solutions among EU member states during its presidency of the EU Council in the first six months of next year, president Klaus Iohannis said during a meeting in New York with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. At the UN, Iohannis pleaded for Romania to be elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council in the 2020-2021 period. In his address before the UN General Assembly, he said Romania would be a responsible partner in promoting the UNs common agenda. He also said that Romania, as a holder of the EU Council presidency, would consolidate the Unions partnership with the United Nations.



    Rule of law. The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament announced on Thursday that the vote on the resolution regarding the observance of the rule of law in Romania was postponed until the November plenary session. The vote should have taken place in the second plenary session in October, when the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is invited to give a speech on the future of Europe. Next week, in Strasbourg, the meeting will only include a debate on the situation in Romania, with the Romanian PM Viorica Dancila attending. PM Dancila already held talks with leaders of the main parliamentary groups in the European Parliament in Brussels early this week.



    Investigation. Colonel Ionut Catalin Sindile, the interim head of the Romanian Gendarmerie, appeared before the General Prosecutors Office on Thursday in connection to the intervention of the riot police during the antigovernment protest on August 10th in Bucharest. He is under criminal investigation, alongside other gendarmerie officials, for complicity to abuse of office and complicity to abusive behaviour. Military prosecutors have opened a criminal case into the brutal way in which the gendarmes acted on August 10th. The General Prosecutors Office says 770 criminal complaints have been filed against the reaction of the security forces, who used tear gas and water canons to disperse the crowds. The protest was treated as a potential risk to public order and the security forces intervention was legal, said the interior minister Carmen Dan.



    African swine fever. The Romanian agriculture minister Petre Daea has held talks in Brussels about the compensations to be granted to Romania by the European Commission for the African swine fever epidemic. According to official data, the Romanian state has awarded compensations to more than 4,000 of the 6,000 cases approved, amounting to around 15 million Euros. Since the outbreak of the virus, some 900 hotbeds have been reported in a number of counties. On the other hand, the simple motion filed by the National Liberal Party against Petre Daea was rejected on Wednesday by the Chamber of Deputies. The Liberals criticised the way in which the situation was handled, while the agriculture minister said the Romanian authorities have taken the standard measures established at European level.



    Appointment. The Superior Council of Magistracy has postponed for the 8th of October an interview with prosecutor Adina Florea, who was proposed by the justice minister Tudorel Toader to take over the leadership of the National Anticorruption Directorate. The Councils opinion, which is advisory, will be submitted to the minister. Later, the proposal will be sent to president Klaus Iohannis. In her application, Adina Florea said that, apart from good things, the activity of the anticorruption prosecutors also contained considerable deviations from the rule of law. Adina Florea, who formerly worked with the Prosecutors Office of the Court of Appeal in Constanta, has been proposed as head of the National Anticorruption Directorate after a second selection round. The post had become vacant in July, when Laura Codruta Kovesi was sacked by president Klaus Iohannis in keeping with a Constitutional Court ruling.



    Industrial action. The Sanitary Solidarity Federation is to begin consultations with trade union members about a programme of wide-scale protests going all the way to a general strike, given that the government has not signed the collective employment agreement for the sector, the Federation has announced. Healthcare trade unions have a list of ten demands, including the awarding of the salary increases corresponding to 2019 beginning in January for all categories of employees who have not benefited from an increase in the basic salary. They also demand taxing the food benefit in the same way as meal vouchers.

  • September 22, 2018 UPDATE

    September 22, 2018 UPDATE

    POLITICS – A
    reshuffling of the ministers members of the Social Democratic Party, the main
    partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, will take place after the ‘family’
    referendum of October 6-7. The Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea has
    announced that the reshuffle will be decided at the next meeting of the
    executive committee, and one of the skills that a minister must have is good
    communication. One of the offices that is likely to see a new occupant is that
    of Secretary General of the Government, currently held by Andreea Lambru. She could
    be replaced by the former judge with the Constitutional Court Toni Grebla,
    acquitted by the High Court of Cassation and Justice in a case of corruption
    investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate. We recall that on
    Friday night, most leaders of the Social Democratic Party decided to keep
    supporting Liviu Dragnea, at the end of a very long meeting of the executive
    committee of the party. The meeting was held after a few top-level members signed an open
    letter requesting the resignation of Liviu Dragnea as president of the party
    and as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The authors of the letter claimed,
    among other things, that Dragnea’s legal problems had turned into a major
    weakness for the party, particularly considering the forthcoming European
    Parliament and presidential elections due in 2019 and the local and legislative
    elections scheduled for 2020.






    INDICTMENT – The chief of the Romanian Gendarme
    Forces, col. Ionuţ Cătălin Sindilie, his Senior Deputy Chief col. Gheorghe
    Sebastian Cucoş, Major Laurenţiu Cazan, the chief of the Bucharest Gendarme
    Directorate, and Chief Commissioner Mihai Dan Chirică, secretary of state with
    the Interior Ministry, have been indicted in relation to the anti-Government
    protest of August 10th in Bucharest. They are under investigation, among other
    things, for complicity in abuse of
    office and abusive behavior. We recall that, during the August 10th protests,
    violent clashes took place between the participants and the gendarmes, and the
    latter used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. As many as 770
    people have filed criminal complaints. The interior minister Carmen Dan has
    recently stated that the protest was approached as an event posing risks to
    public order, and that the gendarme intervention was lawful.






    MEDAL – Princess Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, on
    Friday awarded the ‘Nihil Sine Deo’ royal decoration to the US Ambassador to
    Bucharest Hans Klemm. Just like the ‘King Michael I Loyalty’ Medal and the ‘Cross
    of the Royal House of Romania’, ‘Nihil Sine Deo’ is granted by decision of the
    chief of the Royal House. It was introduced in 2009 and it may be granted to
    leading social, scientific, educational, cultural, spiritual, economic,
    political and military personalities. The medal can also be awarded to Romanian
    or foreign current and former ambassadors having made a noteworthy contribution
    to Romania’s international relations.








    BREXIT – Brexit negotiations
    have reached a deadlock, the British PM Theresa May said after the summit in
    Salzburg, where no progress was recorded. The Union is not willing to
    compromise in any way, that was the conclusion of the summit, which had Theresa
    May say that the EU does not treat Great Britain with respect. In a more
    optimistic tone, the President of the European Council Donald Tusk has voiced
    conviction that a compromise benefiting both parties is still possible and has
    recommended that the British should reanalyze their proposals. One of the
    thorniest issues is that of the type of border between Northern Ireland, which
    is part of the UK, and Ireland, which is a member of the EU. Another source of
    tension is economic relations, as the British would like to benefit from at
    least part of the advantages provided by the single European market even after
    Brexit. The European leaders have decided that Brexit negotiations are due to
    end next month and, if real progress is made, a new summit of the heads of
    state and government will be held in November, to render the understanding with
    the UK official.




    BUCHAREST – Events celebrating the City of
    Bucharest continued on Saturday, marking
    559 years since the Romanian capital was first mentioned in official records,
    as well as 100 years since the Union of December 1, 1918, when the Romanian
    provinces were united into a nation state. On Friday, the famous Romanian panpipe
    player Gheorghe Zamfir gave a memorable show and on Saturday Bucharest hosted one
    of the biggest 3D video-mapping shows in the world. The Days of the City of
    Bucharest will end on Sunday with an extraordinary concert by the famous Rod
    Stewart.






    OLYMPIAD – Romanian pupils won
    nine prizes at the 4th International French Language Olympiad in
    Ohrid, Macedonia, held between the 15th and the 19th of
    September. They won four first prizes (two in individual and two in team
    events), three second prizes and two third prizes. The International French
    Language Olympiad gathered pupils from 6 countries members of the International
    Organization of La Francophonie: Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, the
    Republic of Moldova and Romania. The competition is enlisted in the program of
    the activities carried out by the Regional Office of La Francophonie for
    Central and Eastern Europe.











  • September 22, 2018

    September 22, 2018


    POLITICS – A reshuffling of the ministers members of the Social Democratic Party, the main partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, will take place after the family referendum of October 6-7. The Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea has announced that the reshuffle will be decided at the next meeting of the executive committee, and one of the skills that a minister must have is good communication. One of the offices that is likely to see a new occupant is that of Secretary General of the Government, currently held by Andreea Lambru. She could be replaced by the former judge with the Constitutional Court Toni Grebla, acquitted in a case of corruption investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate. We recall that on Friday night, most leaders of the Social Democratic Party decided to keep supporting Liviu Dragnea, at the end of a very long meeting of the executive committee of the party. The meeting was held after a few top-level members signed an open letter requesting the resignation of Liviu Dragnea as president of the party and as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The authors of the letter claimed, among other things, that Dragneas legal problems had turned into a major weakness for the party, particularly considering the forthcoming European Parliament and presidential elections due in 2019 and the local and legislative elections scheduled for 2020.



    INDICTMENT – The chief of the Romanian Gendarme Forces, col. Ionuţ Cătălin Sindile, his Senior Deputy Chief col. Gheorghe Sebastian Cucoş, Major Laurenţiu Cazan, the chief of the Bucharest Gendarme Directorate, and Chief Commissioner Mihai Dan Chirică, secretary of state with the Interior Ministry, have been indicted in relation to the anti-Government protest of August 10th in Bucharest. They are under investigation, among other things, for complicity in abuse of office and abusive behavior. We recall that, during the August 10th protests, violent clashes took place between the participants and the gendarmes, and the latter used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. As many as 770 people have filed criminal complaints. The interior minister Carmen Dan has recently stated that the protest was approached as an event posing risks to public order, and that the gendarme intervention was lawful.



    MEDAL – Princess Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, on Friday awarded the Nihil Sine Deo royal decoration to the US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm. Just like the King Michael I Loyalty Medal and the Cross of the Royal House of Romania, Nihil Sine Deo is granted by decision of the chief of the Royal House. It was introduced in 2009 and it may be granted to leading social, scientific, educational, cultural, spiritual, economic, political and military personalities. The medal can also be awarded to Romanian or foreign current and former ambassadors having made a noteworthy contribution to Romanias international relations.



    BREXIT – Brexit negotiations have reached a deadlock, the British PM Theresa May said after the summit in Salzburg, where no progress was recorded. The Union is not willing to compromise in any way, that was the conclusion of the summit, which had Theresa May say that the EU does not treat Great Britain with respect. In a more optimistic tone, the President of the European Council Donald Tusk has voiced conviction that a compromise benefiting both parties is still possible and has recommended that the British should reanalyze their proposals. One of the thorniest issues is that of the type of border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and Ireland, which is a member of the EU. Another source of tension is economic relations, as the British would like to benefit from at least part of the advantages provided by the single European market even after Brexit. The European leaders have decided that Brexit negotiations are due to end next month and, if real progress is made, a new summit of the heads of state and government will be held in November, to render the understanding with the UK official.



    MEASLES – 85 new cases of measles have been confirmed in Romania this week, according to the National Center of Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control. Most cases were reported in unvaccinated children. In all, the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 15,500, of which 59 have been fatal. Measles is an infectious disease that often causes complications. According to physicians, one in four measles patients needs hospitalization, and to one in 1000 people infected, the diseases is fatal.



    BUCHAREST – Events on the Days of the City of Bucharest continue today, marking 559 years since the Romanian capital was first mentioned in official records, as well as 100 years since the Union of December 1, 1918, when the Romanian provinces were united into a nation state. This evening, the worlds best multimedia artists will display spectacular light and laser shows on the walls of the Parliament Palace during the iMapp Bucharest international contest, which has reached its 5th edition. The Days of the City of Bucharest will end on Sunday with an extraordinary concert by the famous Rod Stewart.



    SEMINAR – The 17th international seminar Penser lEurope ends today in Bucharest, at the Romanian Academy. The participants in this years edition, titled Romania – Europe 1918-2018, organized by the Romanian Academy and the National Foundation for Science and Art in collaboration with the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences with the French Institute, tackled topics such as the fulfillment of the European nations ideals, hopes and worries triggered by WWI, the existence of several European cultural models, the indestructible relation between France and Romania, Europe today and its prospects. The first edition of the international seminar was held in 2002.




  • September 3, 2018 UPDATE

    September 3, 2018 UPDATE

    PARLIAMENT – The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate reconvened on Monday after the summer recess. The legislative priorities of the majority formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats are the adoption of a new pension law and amending national security laws and the adoption law. The opposition wants a return to a two-round voting system to elect mayors, the elimination of special pensions and a healthcare reform. Parliaments agenda also features finalising the justice laws, which have been challenged in the Constitutional Court, the criminal and criminal procedure codes and the offshore bill regulating the extraction of natural gas from the Black Sea.



    MEETING – The Countrys Supreme Defence Council is to meet on Tuesday to discuss the governments proposals to adjust this years budget of state institutions with responsibilities in the area of national security. The meeting has been requested by the government and the date has been established by president Klaus Iohannis, who has explained that the government could have made budget adjustments in any field with no need for further approval, with the exception of national security. He made this comment after warnings from the government that a possible refusal from the president to hold an emergency meeting of the Countrys Supreme Defence Council to approve the proposed adjustments can jeopardise not only the incomes of the most vulnerable categories, that is pensioners, mothers and children, but also peoples access to medical services.



    HEARING – Bucharest Mayor Gabriela Firea will be deposed on Tuesday by the Prosecutor Generals Office in connection to the August 10 protest in Bucharest. Also on Tuesday Interior Minister Carmen Dan will attend the meeting of the Senates Defence Committee to provide clarifications with respect to the protest. The National Liberal Party will file a simple motion against Minister Dan and wants Prime Minister Viorica Dancila to appear before the Chamber of Deputies. We recall over 450 people, including 35 gendarmes, were injured in the violent anti-government protest in Bucharest.


    SWINE FEVER VIRUS – Romanian pork exports may be temporarily suspended because of the African swine fever, former prime minister of Romania and European commissioner for agriculture Dacian Ciolos has warned. He says the epidemic may destroy the pig farming sector in Romania and lead to an increase in imports, which would result in higher inflation rates. Two new cases of African swine fever were confirmed at the weekend in Romania, where the number of hotbeds is nearing 800. The authorities continue to take measures to contain the spread of the virus, and in the areas where the virus has been confirmed, that is a quarter of all counties in Romania, the pigs are being culled. As a precautionary measure, the authorities have also imposed restrictions on the sale of pork, and road checks are in place on the borders with the counties where the virus has been identified. The government has given assurances that the owners of the culled animals will receive compensations.



    DNA – The first three candidates applying for the position of chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) were interviewed on Monday by Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. The other three candidates will have their interviews on Tuesday. The results will be made public on Thursday. The Justice Minister will submit his nomination to the Superior Council of Magistracy before President Klaus Iohannis can approve it. The job was left vacant after Laura Codruta Kovesi was dismissed by President Iohannis in July in compliance with a Constitutional Court ruling.



    TOURISM – The tourism ministry in Bucharest has established a number of measures to improve activity. These include a reduction in the 5% VAT rate in areas such as: accommodation in the hotel sector and sectors with a similar function, including rental of camping sites, and restaurant and catering services with the exception of alcoholic beverages, others than beer, and sports, recreational and entertainment activities. Tourism will thus have the lowest VAT rate of all economic sectors. Another measure aims at stimulating spa tourism by applying no charges for geothermal and natural mineral water for public use in designated public places. According to the governments estimate, the development of spa tourism requires investments of at least 1 billion euros worth of projects over the next ten years. A third of Europes thermal and mineral springs are to be found in Romania.



    FESTIVAL – More than 100 singers and musicians are participating this week in the World Experience Festival in Bucharest. The events, held under the theme The Music of the World, include many workshops, such as those dedicated to Irish dance, the tea ceremony and the art of wearing a kimono in the Japanese style. Presentations are held of instruments from 30 different countries in the Orient, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The festival also features a food section. The main stage is located in one of the Bucharests parks.



    (Translated by C. Mateescu & V. Palcu)

  • August 23, 2018 UPDATE

    August 23, 2018 UPDATE

    COMMEMORATION – On Thursday, Romania celebrated the day
    commemorating the victims of fascism and communism. On the occasion, President
    Klaus Iohannis said that people should never forget these victims, and that the
    present generation has to actively fight for democracy and the rule of law. The
    president recalled that recently there have not been any regimes more
    bloody than fascist and communist dictatorships, which had a major impact on
    the development of states in Central and Eastern Europe, destroying the lives
    of millions of people. Forgetting these victims, the president said, would be
    an affront to history and humanity. The day of August 23rd is also the day when
    the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact was signed.




    MIGRATION – The annual net migration of EU
    citizens to Great Britain dropped in March this year to the lowest level since
    2012, with Romanians and Bulgarians accounting for half of the total number,
    according to data made public on Thursday by the British Office for National
    Statistics. The figures show that, for the first time in the past 10 years, the
    number of EU citizens leaving Great Britain is higher than that of people going
    to that country. In all, net migration has reached 271,000 people, by 28,000
    more than in the previous year, due to a record migration of citizens from
    outside the EU. The number of EU citizens migrating to Great Britain has
    dropped significantly after the British voted for the country’s separation from
    the EU, in June 2016. Employers’ associations are worried that companies will
    find it difficult to hire the personnel they need.




    BUCHAREST – The Romanian Prime Minister
    Viorica Dancila has accused what she termed as an assault against state
    institutions and an attempt to divide the country and has called on the Cabinet
    members to avoid the spiral of conflict. This is the first reaction of the head
    of the Executive since the violent events of August 10, during the
    anti-Government protest of the Diaspora. Hundreds of people, mostly
    participants in the protest, but also gendarmes, needed medical care. Hundreds
    of complaints have been filed at the Prosecutor’s Office in relation to the way
    in which security forces reacted during the meeting. The right-wing opposition
    has called for the resignation of the Interior Minister Carmen Dan, who, they
    say, is politically responsible for the disproportionate reaction of the
    gendarmes. In turn, the Social Democratic Party has stated that the whole thing
    was an attempt to topple the country’s legitimate government by force.




    AMCHAM – The American Chamber of Commerce in
    Romania, AmCham, has called on Romanian decision-makers and holders of public
    offices to show responsibility both in action and in statement and to stop
    discriminating against certain categories of Romanians depending on their
    employers. On behalf of the business community it represents, approximately 430
    American, Romanian and international companies, AmCham states in a communiqué that
    for 25 years it has mediated the dialogue between Romanian authorities and
    companies that have helped develop the Romanian economy by means of investments
    worth more than 22 billion dollars and have created some 250,000 jobs. The
    private sector put Romania on the global map of investments and it’s the most important
    contributor to the state budget, the communiqué also reads. We recall that the
    president of the ruling Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, has stated on a
    TV station that there are multinationals that finance protests in Romania and
    some companies have interests that run counter to the interest of the Romanian
    state.




    ARMY PROGRAM -
    On Thursday, the Romanian Government approved a new army equipping program,
    titled ‘Mobile anti-ship missile system’. According to the Executive, the
    supply contract, which will be multi-annual and will cover the 2018-2022
    period, is worth 137 million Euros. The documents approved by the Romanian
    Government on Thursday include a simple ordinance promoted by the Ministry of
    Regional Development and Public Administration, under which local public
    authorities are helped to finalize projects that benefit from European funding.
    It’s a support mechanism that allows local administration to access loans from
    revenues from privatizations, registered with the Treasury, up to a maximum of
    170 million Euros. Also, the Government approved an ordinance that completes
    several provisions in the field of education.




    DIPLOMACY – The
    Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu received on Thursday the Ambassador
    of the United Kingdom Andrew Noble. According to a communiqué issued by the
    Foreign Ministry, the two officials discussed the excellent relations between
    Romania and the United Kingdom and cooperation prospects. Also, they agreed
    that the strategic partnership between the two countries should be strengthened,
    by adapting it better to the current European and bilateral realities, including
    Romania’s taking over the presidency of the Council of the EU on January 1st,
    2019.




    WEST NILE VIRUS – The number of people infected by the West Nile virus, which is
    transmitted by mosquitoes, has doubled in the past two weeks, according to the
    National Centre of Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control. The cases
    reported include 56 cases of meningitis or meningoencephalitis and also 6
    deaths caused by the virus. Most cases were reported in the counties of Dolj,
    Iasi and in Bucharest. Doctors warn that the infection is not transmitted from
    humans to humans, only through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The Health
    Ministry has announced that, in order to eliminate the risk of transmission
    through transfusion, safety measures have been put in place in all transfusion
    centers in the country. Also, local
    authorities have been urged to take carry out disinfection in order to prevent
    the spread of the virus.




    ATTACK
    – The Islamic State terrorist organization has claimed the attack on Thursday
    in Trappes, in the western suburbs of Paris. A man stabbed to death his mother
    and sister and seriously injured another person, before being apprehended by
    security forces. According to the police, some 50 people from the area have
    been recruited to fight in Iraq and Syria. The town, which has 30,000
    inhabitants, is one on the list of 30 areas that need additional police forces
    and logistics.

  • August 22, 2018 UPDATE

    August 22, 2018 UPDATE

    MEETING – The Romanian coalition Government has called for an urgent meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense to endorse the latest budget adjustment. According to a communiqué issued by the Government, formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the request was submitted to president Klaus Iohannis. The announcement was made after on Tuesday the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, accused the head of state of trying to block the adjustment, by not summoning the Defense Council. Also on Tuesday, the presidency informed that the secretariat of the Supreme Council of National Defense was trying to get the individual approval of the members of the Council regarding the proposed budgets for the institutions dealing with national security. According to the Government, the adjustment is needed in order to provide the necessary money for salaries, social welfare, the payment of Romania’s contribution to the EU budget, local budgets and measures to combat the African swine fever.



    MOLDOVA — Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has reiterated the special importance Romania pays to the strategic partnership with the Republic of Moldova as part of Wednesday’s meeting she had in Bucharest with representatives of the Association of Investors in Romania. According to a Government release, the Prime Minister underlined the importance of intensifying bilateral talks and cooperation on topics of mutual interest, such as investment, Moldova’s EU accession and the interconnection of the Romania and Moldova’s energy grids. Prime Minister Dancila earlier this year attended the launch of the Association of Investors in the Republic of Moldova.



    HEARING — Bucharest prefect Speranta Cliseru on Wednesday appeared before the Prosecutor General’s Office, claiming her signed order sanctioning the intervention of the riot police during the August 10 protests fully complies with the legislation in force. On Tuesday, the Romanian Interior Minister Carmen Dan was heard by the Defense Committee of the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest in relation to the violent events that occurred during the anti-Government protest of August 10. On Sunday, the Interior Minister apologized to all those who suffered as a result of gendarmes intervention. Hundreds of complaints have been filed against the riot police. Army prosecutors have initiated criminal proceedings for abusive behavior, abuse of office and professional misconduct.



    SWINE FEVER — The number of confirmed swine fever hotbeds in Romania has reached 725, identified in over 150 towns and villages in 10 counties in the northwest and southeast, the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority announced on Wednesday. So far eight hotbeds have been confirmed in trade units in Tulcea and Braila. The total number of pigs slaughtered has exceeded 117 thousand both in trade units and local households. Some 5,000 wild boars in the areas where outbreaks of African swine fever have been confirmed are to be hunted down. The decision was made after the sanitary-veterinary authorities confirmed new outbreaks, as the virus was furthered spread by wild boars. Specialists say there is no danger for food safety.



    PRINCE CHARLES – Prince Charles of Great Britain financially supports the restoration of a medieval church in a village in Hunedoara, western Romania. The church is a historical monument built in the 14th century and requires repair works, estimated to cost approximately 6,500 Euro. Works are due to start in September, under the program called ‘Ambulance for Monuments’, to which Prince Charles provides constant support. Since 2016, 15 monuments in the west and centre of Romania have been refurbished under this program. We recall that Prince Charles has several properties in Romania, which he visits on a regular basis.



    AIRCRAFT — Two Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets based in Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in southeastern Romania on Wednesday intercepted two Russian Su-30 Flanker fighter jets close to NATO’s air space over the Black Sea, the Royal Air Force reports. The two British aircraft were part of the NATO’s air surveillance mission as Great Britain takes part in ensuring the security of Romania and its other NATO allies. Last week six Russian bombers were intercepted over the Black Sea by RAF aircraft carrying out air policing missions in Romania. Four Typhoon bombers are deployed as part of this mission at the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase, currently hosting hundreds of US military.



    EXTRADITION — The Court of Appeal in Belgrade has ruled against the request to extradite former Romanian MEP Sebastian Ghita. The ruling is final. According to Tanjug news agency, the Court upheld the decision of the High Court in Belgrade, which rejected the request on grounds that Ghita had been given political asylum in Serbia in June 2018, claiming persecution in his country of origin due to his political convictions. According to the Court of Appeal, the court of first instance was justified in claiming that Ghita’s situation could deteriorate if the Romanian were extradited to Romania. Sebastian Ghita fled the country in December 2016, being wanted in several criminal investigations. An international arrest warrant was issued in his name and he was arrested in April 2017 in Belgrade, after Ghita used a fake Slovenian passport. Ghita subsequently made bail.



    VISIT — Culture Minister George Ivascu on Wednesday is paying an official four-day visit to Edinburgh, Scotland, to attend the 4th International Cultural Summit. The Romanian official will meet his Scottish counterpart Fiona Hyslop, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture, Tourism and Foreign Affairs, and will meet with artists and men of culture living in Scotland. This year the summit brings together artists and ministers of culture seeking answers to the challenges of globalized society.



    SIMONA HALEP – According to Forbes Magazine, with 7.7 million dollars, the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no. 1 in the WTA standings, ranks 8th among the players with the highest incomes this year. She has won the Grand Slam in France, at the Roland Garros and also another two WTA tournaments. Besides the prizes awarded at these competitions, Simona has received an important amount of money from sponsorships. The classification is topped by the US tennis player Serena Williams, with 18.1 million dollars.


    (Translated by M. Ignatescu and V. Palcu)

  • August 21, 2018 UPDATE

    August 21, 2018 UPDATE


    HEARING – On Tuesday, the Romanian Interior Minister Carmen Dan was heard by the Defense Committee of the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest in relation to the violent events that occurred during the anti-Government protest of August 10th. The Police and the Gendarmerie are carrying on their duties and as soon as we get more information about the number of criminal cases, the measures taken and any other aspect relating to the events of August 10th we will immediately inform you, Carmen Dan stated before the committee. On Sunday, the Interior Minister apologized to all those who suffered as a result of gendarmes intervention. Army prosecutors have initiated criminal proceedings for abusive behavior, abuse of office and professional misconduct.



    SWINE FEVER – The Romanian sanitary-veterinarian authorities have confirmed new outbreaks of African swine fever. The situation is worrying especially in the farms where bio-security measures have already been taken. In all private households where people breed domestic pigs the experts are trying to limit the spreading of the virus by setting up disinfection filters. Despite the proliferation of the disease among pigs, food safety for the population is not endangered.



    TRANSGAZ – Transgaz will invest 360 million Euros in the construction of a pipeline that will take over gas extracted from the Black Sea and carry it into the export pipelines, reads the six-month report published by the Romanian companys management. The major target of this investment is to build a 308 km long pipeline, which will connect the natural gas resources to the corridor linking Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria. According to Transgaz officials natural gas will thus be conveyed to Bulgaria and Hungary through the existing interconnecting pipelines between Giurgiu and Ruse and between Nadlac and Szeged.



    PRAGUE SPRING – Czechs and Slovaks are commemorating 50 years since the reprisal of the Prague Spring movement. On August 21st, 1968, the former Czechoslovakia was invaded by tanks and troops of the countries members of the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance formed against NATO by the countries in the eastern block. The aim of the invasion was to stop the reforms initiated in the spring of 1968 by the then new leader of the Communist Party, Alexander Dubcek. Dubcek launched a program of liberalization and reform, aiming, among other things, at ensuring more freedom for the press, laying the grounds for a multi-party type of governing, the formation of trade unions and the possibility to travel to the Western countries. Fearing the effect such reforms would have on the Communist block, the Soviet Union decided to take military action and put an end to the experiment, and the invasion ended in the death of dozens of people. Romania refused to send troops to Prague.



    MOLDOVA – A code orange alert for measles has been issued in Romanias neighboring country, Moldova, after several children have lately come down with measles. The authorities speak of a rapid spread, so the pupils who have not been vaccinated yet should be immunized against childhood diseases by September 1 when a new school year begins. So far, almost 100 cases of measles have been confirmed mainly in the south of Moldova, but the number is likely to increase. Measles cases have reached a record level in Europe. In the first half of the year, 41,000 cases were registered in both children and adults, almost double the number reported last year, the World Health Organization announced. In Romania, in almost two years since the outbreak of the measles epidemic, the total number of measles cases has reached 15,000. 59 people have died of measles.



    TENNIS -Worlds no. 1 tennis player Simona Halep will not participate in the WTA tournament of New Haven, Connecticut, the US, because of an Achilles tendon injury, the organizers of the competition have announced. The Romanian tennis player was the top seed of the tournament and was to play directly in the eighths finals of the tournament that precedes the last Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, due to start on Monday in New York. Simona Halep had two intense weeks in North America, where she won the tournament in Montreal and played in the Cincinnati final on Sunday, which she lost to Dutch Kiki Bertens.




  • Excuses and accusations on the Romanian political scene

    Excuses and accusations on the Romanian political scene

    Fiercely contested for the way in which the Gendarmerie acted during the Diasporas anti-government protest of August 10, the Interior Minister Carmen Dan presented some aspects of a report on the events of August 10, which is a classified document for the moment. As compared to other protests, the behavior of the mass of protesters was different on this occasion, says Carmen Dan, according to whom the peaceful protesters were reticent to take a step back from the aggressive intruders, therefore the gendarmes mission to isolate and extract the violent persons from the group of protesters was made difficult if not impossible to fulfill.



    Football fans supposedly had an important role in the violent actions. According to minister Carmen Dan, they infiltrated the crowd in different spots, which prevented the gendarmes from blocking their access to the protest area. The authorities report shows that the first violent actions were reported in the afternoon, when the violent persons forced their advance towards the government courtyard through the line of gendarmes. Incidents and provocations continued until 10 p.m. when the gendarmes issued a last warning, minister Dan added, and order was re-established after midnight. 450 people needed medical assistance on the spot, during the protests, of whom 33 gendarmes.



    Minister Carmen Dan: “I start by presenting my apologies to all those who had to suffer following last weeks violence, be they civilians or military gendarmes. We started an internal investigation into the actions of the gendarmes involved in the August 10 mission and, so far, we identified 5 cases of alleged abuse against peaceful people.”



    The interior minister also denounced what she called “fake news and lies” that circulated in the online environment and the mass-media and said that people should separate truth from lies in the case of the August 10 violent repression. The president of the opposition Save Romania Union party, Dan Barna, has again called for Carmen Dans resignation, whom he accuses of trying to cover up the responsibility of the gendarmes who used tear gas against and brutalized the peaceful demonstrators. In a Facebook post, he says that it is unacceptable to put the blame for what happened on the peaceful protesters and to actually accuse the very victims of the repression.



    The first vice-president of the Liberal Party Raluca Turcan believes that the Gendarmerie was discredited and the interior minister Carmen Dan and the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea, the strongman of the Social Democratic Party, should take all the blame for this situation. As many as 300 people made criminal complaints against the gendarmes. There are many video recordings showing peaceful people being hit by gendarmes. These images clearly prove that the riot police acted abusively, the President Klaus Iohannis and the opposition parties accused in one voice. In reply, the Social Democrats denounce an alleged attempt to overthrow the government by force. (translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • August 19, 2018 UPDATE

    August 19, 2018 UPDATE

    PROTEST – On Sunday, the
    Romanian Interior Minister held a press conference concerning the events that
    occurred during the anti-Government protest on August 10th in
    Bucharest. Carmen Dan apologized to all those who suffered, both civilians and
    military. The Interior Minister said that she had received the report on the
    events and voiced her availability to present the data before Parliament.
    According to the minister, 21 criminal records have been opened, 3 people have
    been arrested and 2 have been placed under judicial control. As regards the
    tear gas used, Carmen Dan said that the substances used are authorized, have
    certificates of conformity and are sold by authorized manufacturers. She also
    explained the gendarmes’ violence with the fact that the peaceful protesters
    did not disassociated themselves from the violent ones. Until Sunday night, the
    Army Prosecutor’s Office in Bucharest had registered approximately 300 criminal
    complaints against gendarmes, filed by participants in the protest. 130 people
    have been heard so far. Army prosecutors have initiated criminal proceedings
    for abusive behavior and professional misconduct in relation to the
    intervention of the gendarme forces during the protest. Ionel Corbu, Chief
    Prosecutor of the Army Prosecutor’s Office with the Bucharest Military
    Tribunal, has stated that the aggression displayed was not justified, as there
    were other means that could have been used instead.




    ITALY – The search
    operation for those missing after the Morandi motorway bridge collapsed in
    Genoa ended overnight after the last bodies were found, bringing the official
    death toll to 43. Two of the dead are Romanian citizens. We recall that a
    200-meter section of the bridge gave away in busy traffic on Tuesday, plunging
    vehicles, concrete and twisted metal to the ground, 50 metres below. The
    viaduct was part of the A10 motorway and was managed by the private operator
    Autostrade per l’Italia. The Italian
    government blames Autostrade for the disaster, though the company denies any
    negligence on its part. On Friday, the Government launched a procedure to
    revoke the concession agreements with
    Autostrade, which allow the latter to operate toll roads.






    DIASPORA – The Romanians who
    live and work abroad and spent their summer holidays in the country are now
    going back to work, so border crossing points, especially in the west of the
    country, are extremely crowded. Official data show that, in the past few days,
    the Romanian border has been crossed by more than 1,300,000 people, both
    Romanian and foreign citizens. In another development, Romanian police and its
    foreign partners discovered some 20,000 people reported in the Schengen
    Information System or wanted by INTERPOL in the first six months of the year.
    Also, more than 400 wanted by the Romanian authorities at international level
    were brought to the country, and more than 360 people wanted by Romania’s
    international partners were handed over to the countries wanting them.






    CYBER ATTACK – The Romanian
    Intelligence Service has announced that it possesses intelligence according to
    which large-scale cyber attacks were perpetrated against financial institutions
    in Romania in the June-August 2018 period. The American banks too had received
    warnings from the FBI that certain hackers were prepared to attack ATMs and
    payment processing devices. The Romanian Intelligence Service has stated that
    the hackers use several attack methods, including the Cobalt Strike arsenal,
    associated with a cyber-crime group in Eastern Europe.




    TALKS – The German chancellor
    Angela Merkel and the Russian President Vladimir Putin have made no real
    progress with the talks regarding the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, the relations with
    Iran and the North Stream 2 gas pipeline, the issues that the two officials
    discussed on Saturday night, Reuters reports. The two leaders met in a formal
    bilateral meeting for the first time since the annexation of Crimea by Russia.
    After the talks, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peksov told the press that no
    agreement was reached following the discussions held at the Meseberg castle, north
    of Berlin. He stated that both Merkel and Putin believed the North Stream 2
    project was purely commercial, despite opposition from both the US and Ukraine.
    The pipeline should be rendered operational in late 2019, and would supply Europe
    with Russian natural gas, going round Ukraine. This project, initiated by
    Moscow, is being implemented despite the EU’s energy strategy to reduce the
    dependence on gas imported from Russia.




    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis
    player Simona Halep, world’s no.1, has qualified for the final of the WTA
    tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, with approximately 3 million dollars in prize
    money, after defeating on Friday 6-3, 6-4 Arina Sabalenka of Belarus. The
    Romanian player, who is the tournament’s first seed, will play the final match
    against the Dutch Kiki Bertens, no 17 in the WTA rankings. To Simona, the
    Cincinnati final will be the 33rd in her career, whose record
    includes 18 titles won so far. In another move, the pair made up of the
    Romanian Horia Tecau and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer failed to qualify for the
    final of the doubles competition of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in
    Cincinnati. They were defeated on Saturday by the British-Brazilian pair Jamie
    Murray – Bruno Soares.