Radio România Internațional

Tag: Brussels attacks

  • March 28, 2016

    March 28, 2016

    Anti-corruption – The Higher Council of Magistrates has approved today the nomination of Laura Codruta Kovesi for a new term in office as head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate. She said that over the past three years, during her term, the number of indictments had increased by 50%, and the number of dignitaries indicted in corruption cases had risen 6 times. She added that the investigation of high-level corruption and recovering the losses incurred by the State remained her main priorities. Also today, the Justice Minister, Raluca Prună, said the decision to nominate Kovesi was based on the remarkable performance of the institution under her leadership. The chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate is nominated by the justice minister, approved by the Higher Council of Magistrates and appointed to office by the president, for a three-year term. The Directorate has been consistently praised in the reports issued under the Cooperation and Verification mechanisms, an instrument used by the European Commission to monitor the Romanian judiciary.



    Brussels – The local authorities of Brussels criticised the federal administration for failing to prevent a group of far-right protesters from reaching Place de la Bourse, where a memorial was held for the victims of the March 22 attacks. Over 400 right-wing militants Sunday took part in a rally against the Islamic State group and chanted Nazi slogans. They also protested against the authorities response to the attacks at the Brussels metro and international airport. The police fired a water canon at the group. Meanwhile, investigations continued, and 9 more suspects were arrested, believed to have ties with the Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks. Thirty-one people, including the 3 suicide bombers, died in the Brussels attacks. Of the 28 victims, 16 were Belgian nationals and the others were citizens of 8 different countries, the Belgian authorities announced.



    Pakistan attacks – The Romanian Foreign Ministry firmly condemned Sundays terrorist attack in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, which left more than 70 people dead and hundreds wounded. The Foreign Ministry reiterated Romanias firm commitment to fighting terrorism and the need to strengthen international efforts to curb all its forms. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, also condemned the suicide bombing, which he described as an “appalling act of terrorism. The attacks were perpetrated in a park where Catholic Christians were celebrating Easter. A Pakistani Taliban splinter group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had targeted Christians. A mostly Muslim country, Pakistan has a roughly 2-million strong Christian community, accounting for some 1% of the total population.




    Football – Romanias football team ended the match against defending champions Spain last night in a goalless draw. The game, played on home turf in Cluj, was part of the training stage for this summers European Championship in France. On Wednesday Romania had defeated Lithuania, also at home, 1-nill. In Euro 2016, the Romanian team will play the opening game of June 10th against France, in a group that also includes Switzerland and Albania. Romania last took part in a continental final tournament in 2008, when it left the competition in the group stage.



    Tennis – The best ranking Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, number 5 in the world, will play today against Britains Heather Watson, in the eighth-finals of the Miami tournament, which has 6 million USD in prize money. In the same stage of the competition, also today, Monica Niculescu will face another British player, Johanna Konta. The third Romanian taking part in the Miami tournament, Irina Begu, will play for a spot in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, against the American Madison Keys.

  • The Week, 21-27 March

    The Week, 21-27 March

    Romania, in solidarity with Belgium after Brussels terrorist attacks


    Romania has joined the international community in firmly condemning the bloody attacks carried out in Brussels on Tuesday, which killed scores and injured hundreds of people, of 40 nationalities, among which 4 Romanians. In memory of those who fell victim to the attacks claimed by the Islamic State terrorist organisation, Romania observed a day of national mourning on Thursday. In token of solidarity, the government building in Bucharest was lit in the colours of the Belgian flag, and a book of condolences was opened at the Belgian Embassy in Bucharest. Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, politicians, foreign ambassadors accredited to Bucharest and ordinary people, alike, left messages in the book. The Romanian President said the scourge of terrorism can be combated only by solidarity and unity, and the Prime Minister underlined that in such situations the solution is to boost cooperation between the EU member states.



    The Romanian President paid an official visit to Turkey


    During his official visit to Ankara on Wednesday and Thursday, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, firmly condemned terrorism and stood for solidarity. Iohannis said countries should have a common and clear response, in the effort to combat the attacks. He underlined that Turkey, as a country which is hosting a large number of refugees on its territory, plays a key role in solving the migrant crisis, in terms of humanitarian assistance, the control of the migration inflow and the fight against networks of human traffickers. Klaus Iohannis:



    Klaus Iohannis: “This visit comes against the backdrop of a complicated geopolitical and regional context. There are many security risks and challenges that we should face and find solutions to. I am confident that together, based on a strong partnership between Romania and Turkey, we can better manage these risks. Our citizens want security and prosperity.



    Ways to combat terrorism and the migration crisis were also approached during President Iohannis talks with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. The two sides agreed to boosting bilateral cooperation in several fields. Iohannis and Davutoglu also approached the need to boost bilateral cooperation based on the Strategic Partnership between the two countries, to enhance cooperation in the Black Sea area and within NATO. The two officials laid special emphasis on economic cooperation, given that Turkey is Romanias largest non-EU trade partner and the fifth largest world partner. The two countries also intend to increase the volume of trade, up to 10 billion dollars. Klaus Iohannis also met in Istanbul with representatives of the Romanian community in Turkey.



    The Prime Ministers Control Unit presents the conclusions of the report on the Colectiv nightclub tragedy in Bucharest


    Nearly five months after the devastating fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, which killed 64 people and wounded another 200, the Prime Ministers Control Unit made public a report on the events that night. The document reveals that response operations on the night of the fire were largely uncoordinated and improvised. The situation was caused due to the lack of training in emergency situations, legislative inconsistencies and the scarcity of materials, the report also states. According to the same document, the code red intervention plan was not started immediately, being delayed by bureaucratic procedures, although at least one of the calls received clearly signalled the seriousness of the situation, in which case the legislation in force allows for the use of faster intervention mechanisms. The report also notes that there were institutions that did their job properly and others that did not, such as the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.




    Work-to-rule strike action in the Romanian health sector

    Some 12,000 medical staff in Romania this week called a work-to-rule strike. Their demands concern a consistent salary system, the payment of bonuses and observing working and rest hours. Family physicians have also started a protest this week, unhappy with the low budget allocations and the faulty IT system. Here is the vice-president of the National Association of Family Medicine, Sandra Alexiu:


    Sandra Alexiu: The most important thing we demand is better funding for family medicine. This year we got even less funds than in previous years, way below the European average allocation to family physicians. Whereas the budget share is 9% at European level, we only get 5,8%, which makes family medicine a difficult job.


    Mondays strike action is the first in a series of protests trade unions in the health sector say will continue also in April.

  • March 26, 2016 UPDATE

    March 26, 2016 UPDATE

    Brussels attacks – The Belgian Interior Minister, Jan Jambon, urged people not to take part in a “march against fear scheduled to take place on Sunday in response to the terrorist attacks in Brussels, which killed 31 and wounded around 300 others. He said all police resources were needed for the completion of the investigation into Tuesdays attacks. Previously, the authorities announced that Brussels international airport, Zaventem, would not be reopened before Tuesday. Meanwhile, the freelance journalist Fayçal Cheffou, arrested on Friday by the Belgian federal police, was identified as the third member of the crew that perpetrated the terrorist attacks at the airport.



    Politics – Deputy Valeriu Steriu was elected on Saturday president of the National Union for the Progress of Romania, the third-largest party in the Parliament of Romania. Steriu, 50, is an engineer currently at his second term in office in the Chamber of Deputies, and between 2001 and 2004 he was a state secretary for European integration in the Agriculture Ministry, as part of a Social Democratic Cabinet. His election came after the founding president of UNPR, the ex-deputy PM and interior minister Gabriel Oprea, resigned. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate accused Oprea of abuse of office in two corruption investigations. In the meantime, the interim leader of the party, the Bucharest District 2 mayor Neculai Onţanu, was arrested for bribe-taking.



    Anniversary – Street events will mark, on Sunday night in downtown Bucharest, the 98th anniversary of the union of Bessarabia with the Kingdom of Romania. On March 27, 1918, as the Russian Empire fell apart, the legislative body of Bessarabia voted in favour of the mostly Romanian speaking province joining the Kingdom of Romania. The establishment of the Romanian nation state was to be completed late that same year with the union of Bukovina, in the north-east and Transylvania, Banat, Crisana and Maramures, which had that far been part of the Habsburg Empire. In 1940, further to an ultimatum, Moscow annexed both Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, which are currently part of the national territories of the ex-Soviet republics of Moldova and Ukraine.



    Sports – Romanias national football team is playing Sunday night against the defending European champions Spain, in a friendly game on home turf, in preparation for the European Championship scheduled to take place this summer in France. On Wednesday, Romania won a match against Lithuania, 1-nill, in the southern Romanian town of Giurgiu. In Euro 2016, the Romanians will play the opening game, on June 10, against France, in a group that also includes Switzerland and Albania. Romanias last participation in a continental final tournament was in 2008, when they left the competition in the group stage.

  • March 26, 2016

    March 26, 2016

    BRUSSELS ATTACKS – The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that the security threat level in Belgium, in the wake of Tuesdays attacks in Brussels, was lowered to 3, indicating a “serious threat. The Brussels metro was reopened, but restrictions remain in place on several lines and security forces run random checks. The international airport remains closed at least until Monday. On Friday Belgian police arrested another three individuals suspected of having ties with the terrorist cell that staged Tuesdays attacks, which killed 31 people and wounded another 300. Six other suspects were arrested on Thursday, after French and German police also arrested presumed militants having ties with the perpetrators of the attacks in Brussels and those in Paris last November. In France, president François Hollande said the network responsible for those attacks was about to be annihilated, but that other networks remained a threat.



    ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS – In March, Romanian authorities decided to escort out of the country 23 foreigners who were staying in Romania illegally, the General Immigration Inspectorate announced on Saturday. According to a news release, nation-wide operations led to the identification of 163 illegal foreigners. The police also issued 475 warnings and fines against people who breached the Romanian immigration laws. During the same month, 78 asylum applications were filed in Romania, most of them by citizens of Syria, Yemen and Somalia seeking international protection.



    ROYAL CELEBRATIONS – The Romanian Royal Family celebrates today 135 years since the proclamation of the Kingdom of Romania, as well as the birthday anniversary of Crown Princess Margareta. On behalf of King Mihai I, she will award medals to a number of personalities and institutions in Romania, Germany, France and the UK. An anniversary concert will also be organised. The former sovereign of Romania, aged 94, retired from public life early this month, and appointed Crown Princess Margareta to represent him in all public activities. Diagnosed with two types of cancer, King Mihai has recently undergone surgery at a clinic in Switzerland.



    POLITICS – The National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR), a small party in the former ruling coalition, is today electing its president in a special congress. The position has been vacant since the ex-Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea resigned, further to a corruption scandal in which he is accused of abuse of office in two cases. The partys interim president, the mayor of Bucharests District 2, Neculai Onţanu, was also arrested for bribe taking. The participants in the National Extraordinary Conference will also discuss the partys political platform, regulations and preparations for the local and parliamentary elections due this year.



    EASTER – Roman-Catholic and Protestants celebrate Easter this Sunday, five weeks ahead of the Orthodox and Eastern Catholics. Romania has a Catholic and Protestant community of nearly 1.5 million people. At midnight, they will take part in the special mass celebrating the Resurrection of Christ.



    DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME – Clocks change in Romania on Saturday night, when 3 am becomes 4 am. The practice, known as Daylight Saving Time, is meant to use sunlight as much as possible. In summer, clocks are turned forward by one hour. When Romania switches to summer time, there will be a 3-hour difference between Romanias time and UTC. More than 100 different countries worldwide use Daylight Saving Time. In Romania, it has been used since 1932.

  • March 25, 2016 UPDATE

    March 25, 2016 UPDATE

    Belgian police have arrested several people in connection with Tuesdays attacks in Brussels, in which at least 31 people died and more than 270 were wounded. The authorities carry on counter-terrorism operations, and 3 suspects were arrested on Friday in one of these operations, which was linked to the foiling of a plot in France on Thursday. The French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that plot was at an advanced stage. Meanwhile, the US State Secretary John Kerry said in Brussels on Friday that “we will not be intimidated and (…) will not rest until we have eliminated the nihilistic beliefs of the Islamist groups. Also on Friday, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, called on states to step up security against “nuclear terrorism. According to Belgian authorities, originally the targets of the Brussels attacks were the nuclear facilities in that country.



    The chief prosecutor of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), Daniel Horodniceanu, said there were suspicions of terrorism financing in Romania. He announced that a Counter-Terrorism Office would be again established within the Directorate. The order concerning the resumption of the operations of the Counter-Terrorism Office has been submitted to the Justice Ministry and will then be forwarded to the Higher Council of Magistrates for approval. Meanwhile, Horodniceanu proposed the criminalisation of acts such as the repeated accessing of jihadist websites or the establishment of an organised criminal group specialising in acts of terrorism. The measures were proposed by DIICOT several days after the brutal attacks in Brussels.



    The Mayor of Bucharests district 2, Neculai Onţanu, was arrested for 30 days under bribery charges, after on Friday the Bucharest Court of Appeals approved the request lodged by the prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate. Ontanu is suspected of having received as bribe, in 2006 – 2007, a plot of land in Bucharest, in return for having helped the holder of disputed property rights to acquire several properties. Onţanu, currently at his fourth term in office as district mayor, is also the interim president of a parliamentary party, the National Union for the Progress of Romania.



    Healthcare education should be a compulsory school subject, the Romanian Healthcare Minister Patriciu Achimaş-Cadariu said on Friday. After consultations with civil society and professional organisations, the Ministry will present a new bill concerning the introduction of health education as a school subject. The doctors and nurses working in education institutions may play a major role in teaching this subject, the Minister added.



    The Romanian Ambassador to the US, George Maior, said the development of bilateral economic relations, particularly attracting American investments, is one of the priorities of his term in office. Together with the US Ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, he took part in a roundtable in Washington, organised by the American-Romanian Business Council. Among others, Maior emphasised the performances of the Romanian economy and its positive prospects, encouraging American investors to take advantage of the opportunities that Romania has to offer. In turn, the representatives of major US companies with operations in Romania appreciated the openness of public institutions, but warned that governmental policies are still needed in order to ensure fiscal stability and the investment climate.

  • 25 March, 2016

    25 March, 2016

    The Belgian police have arrested seven persons in
    connection with Tuesday’s attacks in Brussels, in which at least 31 people were
    killed and 270 wounded, the BBC reports. The police are still looking for two
    other persons believed to be directly involved in the attacks claimed by the
    so-called Islamic State. The two were caught on surveillance cameras in the
    company of the three suicide bombers responsible for the attacks. The latter,
    who had Belgian nationality, were on a list of most wanted suspects in
    connection with the Paris attacks last November, in which 130 people were
    killed. In a bid to ensure Belgium of Washington’s support in the fight against
    terrorism, US Secretary of State John Kerry today met senior officials in
    Brussels. The US lost two citizens in the attacks.
    Separately, the French police made one arrest on Thursday, thwarting a plot that was in an advanced stage, according to the French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who added that no link was established to either the Paris or the Brussels attacks. EU justice and interior ministers who held an emergency meeting in the wake of the Brussels attacks decided on Thursday to speed up a plan to tighten control on the Schengen borders and take measures to fight terrorism financing.

    Romanian
    prosecutors investigating the deadly fire at the Colectiv nightclub in
    Bucharest last October have requested a new expert report to be ready by the 1st
    of April. Investigators say the three reports submitted so far, from the
    National Institute for Research and Development in Mine Safety and Protection
    to Explosion, the Forensics Institute and the General Prosecutor’s Office,
    contradict each other and generate confusion. The fire, which has claimed 64
    lives so far, sparked large-scale street protests last autumn that led to the resignation
    of prime minister Victor Ponta. The three owners of the club, who are currently
    in house arrest, are facing charges of manslaughter.




    Clocks change in Romania on Saturday night, when 3 am
    becomes 4 am. The practice, known as Daylight Saving Time, is meant to use
    sunlight as much as possible. In summer, clocks are turned forward by one hour.
    When Romania switches to summer time, there will be a 3-hour difference between
    Romania’s time and UTC. Sunday will thus be the shortest day of the year, with
    only 23 hours. More than 100 different countries worldwide use Daylight Saving
    Time. In Romania, it has been used since 1932.




    Romania’s majority Orthodox
    community, as well as its Greek-Catholic minority are today celebrating the
    religious feast of the Annunciation. This is the celebration of the announcement
    by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive the Son of God.
    For Catholics, it’s Holy Friday today, the commemoration of Christ’s
    crucifixion and death three days before his resurrection. This year,
    Roman-Catholic and Protestant Christians celebrate Easter on Sunday, 27th
    of March, while Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians celebrate it on the 1st
    of May.

    The 98th anniversary of Romania’s union with Bassarabia, an eastern province that had until then been under Tsarist occupation, is celebrated in Bucharest and across Romania. The Romanian Academy is holding a special event today, musicians from the Republic of Moldova are having concerts in Bucharest, and street events are held on Sunday in the centre of Bucharest to celebrate the union.




    World no. 5
    Simona Halep of Romania defeated the Russian player Daria Kasatkina to reach the third
    round of the WTA Premier tournament in Miami, with 6 million euros in prize
    money. Two other Romanian players are vying for a place in the third round:
    Irina Begu, world no. 35, who faces Sabine Lisicki of Germany, world no. 37,
    and Monica
    Niculescu, world no. 33, who faces the Chinese player Shuai Peng, world no. 664. Both matches are held
    today.




    Romania face defending European champions Spain on Sunday in Cluj in a
    friendly game ahead of the European Football Championship hosted by France this
    summer. In another friendly on Wednesday, Romania defeated Lithuania 1-nil in
    Giurgiu, also at home. Romania will face France in the opening game at the
    European Championship on the 10th of June, in a group that also
    includes Switzerland and Albania.

    (Translated by: C. Mateescu)

  • Reactions to the Terrorist Attacks in Brussels

    Reactions to the Terrorist Attacks in Brussels

    Sharm el-Sheikh, Beirut, Paris, Bamako,
    San Bernardino and Ankara are cities on four different continents targeted by
    Jihadists in less than six months. Hundreds of people have been killed in these
    attacks. Brussels, the European Union’s administrative capital and the host of
    the NATO headquarters was too the site of a bloodshed on Tuesday. In November,
    when for fear of such attacks the Belgian authorities had raised the terrorist
    alert to the maximum level and the army started patrolling the streets on
    armored vehicles, there were voices, dubbed as alarmist at the time, who
    warned that it was only a matter of time until the city would be attacked.

    It
    was also in November that the European media accused Belgian authorities of
    having allowed the setting up of a genuine Jihadist neighborhood in Brussels,
    the infamous Molenbeek. Disturbed people, grounding their criminal actions on
    religious reasons, were already at the heart of Europe. Pundits had warned about
    the threat of a so-called Islamic
    spring in Western Europe, which they saw as more vulnerable than ever.
    Unfortunately, Tuesday’s carnage confirmed their fears. The civilized world has
    once again been gripped by suffering, disbelieve and anger.

    Belgium’s ally
    within NATO, its EU partner and colleague in the Francophone movement, Romania
    shares this country’s grief. Over 30,000 Romanian citizens are currently living
    in Brussels and the surrounding areas and at least four of them were injured in
    the blasts at the airport and metro station. Against this background, Romanian
    President Klaus Iohannis, currently on an official visit to Turkey, has said
    that terrorism can be fought against by making efforts for peace and
    solidarity:


    Klaus Iohannis: These
    attacks must be countered with our strong will for peace, collaboration and
    solidarity in working out the big problems facing the region in which both
    Romanian and Turkish people live.


    A crisis
    management team of the Romanian Foreign Ministry is constantly in touch with
    Belgian authorities and a mobile consular team has traveled to Brussels to join
    the embassy staff. Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu has announced that Romania
    is ready to assist Belgium. Comanescu has insisted on the need for solidarity
    within the EU. In Bucharest, additional security staff have been deployed in
    airports and at the headquarters of diplomatic missions, although the terrorist
    alert level has not been raised.

    The Romanian Intelligence Service chief,
    Eduard Helvig, has said in a news conference that there is no intelligence
    leading to a direct connection between the attacks in Brussels and threats to
    Romania’s national security. Hellvig has warned, however, that the events in
    Belgium do affect Romanians, as terrorism has become a global threat.

    The
    president of the Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee Georgian Pop has said: Unfortunately we are in a very
    complicated situation. What has happened in
    Brussels, but also in Paris, Ankara and
    Istanbul, have not been isolated events. They were carefully planned,
    cascade-based attacks. At present, in Romania, the Intelligence Service and the
    terrorist attacks prevention system have managed to maintain the caution-blue
    alarm level, which means a relatively low threat level. Keeping it that way
    involves a great deal of work.


    Romania’s Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, a former European Commissioner for Agriculture, who lived in Brussels many years, has
    voiced his compassion for the victims of the attacks and conveyed a message of
    support for the Belgian authorities.



  • March 23, 2016

    March 23, 2016

    Belgium observes 3 days of mourning, with a minutes silence held at noon today across the country, and the international community condemns Tuesdays attacks in Brussels, which killed at least 30 people and wounded more than 200. The IS group claimed responsibility for the attacks at the Brussels airport and metro. Belgian media announced today that one of the presumed perpetrators, Najim Laachraoui, was arrested in Brussels, but the report was later withdrawn. The other 2 perpetrators, the Belgian brothers Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui, apparently blew themselves up at the Brussels airport. Police say there were previously involved in the Paris attacks in November, coordinated by the French Salah Abdeslam, who was arrested in Brussels on Friday. Experts and officials see the recent attacks as proof that the Jihadist networks in Belgium and other European countries are still able to organise large-scale operations, in spite of the pressure coming from security and police forces. The Dutch Justice Minister, Ard van der Steur, has announced an emergency meeting of EU ministers will be held on Thursday in Brussels, at the request of Belgium. The anti-terrorist alert across that country remains at maximum levels, and the Brussels airport is still closed today, while security around the EU institutions and Belgian nuclear power plants was stepped up.




    The Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that 4 Romanian citizens were wounded in the Brussels attacks. A mobile unit of the Romanian Embassy in Belgium travelled to the hospitals in Brussels to provide consular assistance. Another diplomatic team was deployed to Brussels to give additional support to the Romanian citizens in that country. In Romania, the terrorist alert remains at the so-called level “Blue (Guarded), but security around diplomatic missions and airports has been strengthened.



    The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, is holding talks in Ankara today with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and with PM Ahmet Davutoglu. The talks will primarily focus on strengthening efforts to fight terrorism, against the backdrop of the recent terrorist attacks in Turkey. Yesterday the head of the Romanian state had a meeting in Istanbul with representatives of the Romanian community in Turkey. The Romanian Presidents visit to Turkey, which concludes today, is designed to help consolidate the bilateral cooperation, which is based on the strategic partnership signed in 2011, and reinforced by shared interests.



    The Romanian Defence Minister, Mihnea Motoc, is on an official visit to France on Wednesday and Thursday, at the invitation of his French counterpart Jean-Yves le Drian. According to the Romanian Ministry, the two officials will discuss the recent regional and international security developments and the means to step up bilateral cooperation and the cooperation between the two countries within the EU and NATO. They will also exchange information on key European security and defence policy aspects. The agenda of talks will also include the preparations for the Summit due in Warsaw this July. The Romanian Defence Minister will also make research visits to a number of military sites.



    Romania loses an annual 15% of its GDP because of corruption, reads a survey commissioned by the European Parliament. According to the report, the figure includes both direct losses, e.g. rigged public procurement bids, and indirect losses, in that other companies are no longer interested in such procedures and competition is therefore distorted. Apart from Romania, the black list of EU corruption also includes Bulgaria, Croatia and Latvia. The survey indicates that the price of corruption at EU level ranges between 179 billion and 990 billion euros per year. The document recommends the extension of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, which Romania would like to see lifted as soon as possible, or the establishment of an EU-level online public procurement system that may reduce the annual losses caused by corruption by some 900 million euros. Another 200 million euros could be saved through the establishment of a European Public Prosecutors Office, the report also says.