BUDGET – Romanian PM Sorin Grindeanu announced that the draft budget bill for 2017 will be finalized in Friday’s government session, and sent to Parliament for debate right away. The head of the executive said that the budget includes all the measures provided for in the governing coalition platform. The largest portion of the budget is earmarked for transportation, agriculture, health and SME incentives. A lower portion of the budget as compared to 2016 goes to energy, education, regional development, as well as the ministries of the interior and foreign affairs, the Presidency, the chambers of Parliament, and the Foreign Intelligence Service. The budget bill is structures on the supposition of an economic growth of 5.2%, and a budget deficit of 2.96% of the GDP.
ROMANIAN INTELLIGENCE – The Romanian Intelligence Service will issue an ethical conduct code for its employees, to be published in a few days in the National Registry, as announced by intelligence chief Eduard Hellvig. He explained that the document will clarify the possible incompatibilities facing an intelligence officer. The announcement comes after the leadership of the service was called to hearings in Parliament by the expert committee. At the end of the seven hour sitting, the head of domestic intelligence said that recently his institution was the target of unprecedented attacks, but that it would not be involved in power plays.
MOLDOVA – The President of the Republic of Moldova, pro-Russian Socialist Igor Dodon, announced he would hold a referendum on amending the Constitution, which would enhance his prerogatives, allowing him to dissolve Parliament. The press and constitutional law experts say that Dodon, who was elected in November, is attempting to put in place a dictatorial regime, and is vying for total power. According to the Moldovan Constitution, the president does not have the right to introduce a referendum to amend the Constitution. Only citizens, the government, or a third of the chamber of deputies can do so.
BLACK CUBE – Israeli citizen Ron Weiner received a definitive conviction from the Bucharest Court of Appeals after pleading guilty in the so-called Black Cube case, being sentenced to 2 years and 8 months in prison. He was convicted for harassing in March 2016 the head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi. In November 2016, another Israeli citizen involved in this case, David Geclowicz, got the same sentence, which got suspended. A third Israeli citizen involved in the case, Yossi Barkstein, managed to flee Romania, with an arrest warrant issued.
PACE – Romanian Social Democratic Senator Titus Corlatean, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, was elected for a new term as head of the Middle East subcommittee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The session was attended by Israeli and Palestinian delegations. According to the Senate in Bucharest, the participants stressed the need to continue the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, as well as the threat of international terrorism.
MIGRATION- Romanian police, under the coordination of organized crime prosecutors, are carrying out raids at the houses of suspected human traffickers, a communiqué issued by the Romanian police says. The operation is being run in several Romanian counties, as well as the capital Bucharest. The investigation shows that between August and December last year, a criminal group specializing in the illegal transport of migrants on the Turkey-Romania-Hungary route brought to Romania over 100 illegal migrants from Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan and Morocco. Their final destination was Germany. Five transports of migrants have been discovered, and in one situation 42 people, included 18 minors, were hiding in a tanker. We recall that in the past months, the Romanian border police have been confronted with numerous illegal border crossing attempts at the countrys southern and western borders.
