Radio România Internațional

Tag: censure motion

  • September 4, 2021 UPDATE

    September 4, 2021 UPDATE

    Motion – The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, said on Saturday that the new alliance made up of the Save Romania Union- PLUS – USR PLUS Alliance, a member of the ruling coalition, and the ultranationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR, is an insult to the Romanian people. He called on USR PLUS to put an end to these political gestures, which he described as irresponsible, to respect their voters and to return to dialogue, in order to work out a viable and rational solution with the Coalition partners to overcome the current situation. The head of state says that, by making an alliance with a party that does not respect the western values, USR PLUS betrays the will of the citizens who put their hopes in a center-right coalition that promised to develop Romania. Undermining the Coalition and compromising the entire reform package assumed through the government program risks throwing Romania into a deep economic and social crisis, the president warned. MPs from the USR PLUS and AUR on Friday tabled a censure motion against the cabinet led by the Liberal Florin Citu, after his refusal to resign and after the National Liberal Party – PNL refused to withdraw their political support for the PM. USR PLUS had requested the departure of the PM Florin Citu, whom they accused of cynicism and ill-will, after he unexpectedly dismissed the Justice Minister, Stelian Ion, representing USR, because he had blocked a large financing plan for the local infrastructure. The prime minister said that the only governing solution for Romania is the current coalition, an opinion shared by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR, the third partner in the governing coalition. The timetable for the censure motion will be set on Monday.




    Afghanistan — The inter-institutional crisis cell managed to obtain, on Saturday, the successful evacuation from Afghanistan of another 15 Afghan citizens, collaborators of the Romanian armed forces as well as students with scholarships in Romania, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. Earlier on Saturday, 45 Afghan citizens, magistrates and their families, were evacuated from Afghanistan, the Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu announced at the Black Sea and the Balkans Security Forum, which takes place in Bucharest. The head of the Romanian diplomacy pointed out that another 11 Afghan citizens – judges, physicians and journalists – were evacuated from Kabul with the support of the Romanian state. All in all, the Romanian authorities contributed to the evacuation of 76 Afghan citizens, in addition to the 49 Romanian citizens and 7 citizens of the partner states. On the other hand, President Klaus Iohannis on Friday had a phone conversation about Afghanistan with the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “Romania remains concerned about the serious situation in Afghanistan and is ready to contribute to NATOs efforts to address this crisis. Allied unity is essential. Afghanistan must not become a safe haven for terrorists again,” Klaus Iohannis wrote on Twitter. In his turn, the NATO secretary general wrote on Twitter that he discussed with the Romanian president and the prime ministers of the Netherlands and Spain about the developments in Afghanistan. “NATO allies will continue to bring people to safety, and we remain determined and united against international terrorism,” Stoltenberg wrote.



    Covid-19 – Against the backdrop of a low vaccination rate in Romania, the number of infections continues to grow. On Saturday, 1,568 new cases and 28 deaths were reported. 358 patients are hospitalized in ICUs. In the last 24 hours over 6,600 people have been vaccinated of whom 4,500 with the first dose or the single dose. All in all, 5.1 million people have been fully vaccinated, which means less than a third of the eligible population.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, seed no. 12, has qualified to the eighth finals of the US Open, the last grand slam tournament of the year, after she defeated, in 3 sets, on Friday, the Kazakh Elena Ribakina, ranked 20th in the WTA classification. On Sunday, Halep will play for a place in the quarterfinals against the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, ranked 5th in the WTA classification. Svitolina passed, in the third round, the Russian Daria Kasatkina. The score of the matches between the two is equal, 5-5. Simona Haleps best performance at the US Open is the semifinal played in 2015.



    Enescu — The 25th edition of the George Enescu International festival continues. On Saturday, Bucharest hosted the concert of the Transylvania Philharmonic Orchestra from Cluj conducted by Alexander Liebreich featuring soprano Diana Țugui, pianist Andreas Haefliger and mezzo Iulia Merca. Attending the festival for the first time was the State Orchestra from Athens which performed George Enescu’s ‘Fantasia for piano and orchestra’ featuring pianist Saskia Giorgini, winner of the Mozart Competition in Salzburg in 2016. Saturday’s program will end with one of the Enescu’s most impressive works, Symphony no. 3 performed by the famous British orchestra Philharmonia Orchestra London under the baton of Santtu-Matias Rouvali. (LS)

  • September 4, 2021

    September 4, 2021

    Motion – The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, said on Saturday that the new alliance made up of the Save Romania Union- PLUS – USR PLUS Alliance, a member of the ruling coalition, and the ultranationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR, is an insult to the Romanian people. He called on USR PLUS to put an end to these political gestures, which he described as irresponsible, to respect their voters and to return to dialogue, in order to find a viable and rational solution with the Coalition partners to unblock the current situation. The head of state says that, by making an alliance with a party that does not respect the western values, USR PLUS betrays the will of the citizens who put their hopes in a center-right coalition that promised to develop Romania. Undermining the Coalition and compromising the entire reform package assumed through the government program risks throwing Romania into a deep economic and social crisis, the president warned. MPs from the USR PLUS and AUR on Friday tabled a censure motion against the cabinet led by the Liberal Florin Citu, after his refusal to resign and after the National Liberal Party – PNL refused to withdraw their political support for the PM. USR PLUS had requested the departure of the PM Florin Citu, whom they accused of cynicism and ill-will, after he unexpectedly dismissed the Justice Minister, Stelian Ion, representing USR, because he had blocked a large financing plan for the local infrastructure. The prime minister said that the only governing solution for Romania is the current coalition, an opinion shared by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR, the third partner in the governing coalition. The timetable for the censure motion will be set on Monday.




    Afghanistan — The inter-institutional crisis cell managed to obtain, on Saturday, the evacuation from Afghanistan of 45 Afghan citizens, magistrates and their families, the Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu announced at the Black Sea and the Balkans Security Forum, which takes place in Bucharest. The head of the Romanian diplomacy pointed out that another 11 Afghan citizens – judges, physicians and journalists – were evacuated from Kabul with the support of the Romanian state. All in all, the Romanian authorities contributed to the evacuation of 61 Afghan citizens, in addition to the 49 Romanian citizens and 7 citizens of the partner states. On the other hand, President Klaus Iohannis on Friday had a phone conversation about Afghanistan with the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “Romania remains concerned about the serious situation in Afghanistan and is ready to contribute to NATOs efforts to address this crisis. Allied unity is essential. Afghanistan must not become a safe haven for terrorists again, “Klaus Iohannis wrote on Twitter. In his turn, the NATO secretary general wrote on Twitter that he discussed with the Romanian president and the prime ministers of the Netherlands and Spain about the developments in Afghanistan. “NATO allies will continue to bring people to safety, and we remain determined and united against international terrorism,” Stoltenberg wrote.




    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, seed no. 12, has qualified to the eighth finals of the US Open, the last grand slam tournament of the year, after she defeated, in 3 sets, on Friday, the Kazakh Elena Ribakina, ranked 20th in the WTA classification. On Sunday, Halep will play for a place in the quarterfinals against the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, ranked 5th in the WTA classification. Svitolina passed, in the third round, the Russian Daria Kasatkina. The score of the matches between the two is equal, 5-5. Simona Haleps best performance at the US Open is the semifinal played in 2015.




    Covid-19 – Against the backdrop of a low vaccination rate in Romania, the number of infections continues to grow. On Saturday, 1,568 new cases and 28 deaths were reported. 358 patients are hospitalized in ICUs. Less than 11,000 people have been vaccinated, 8,000 with the first or single dose in the last 24 hours. All in all, 5.1 million people have been fully vaccinated, which means less than a third of the eligible population.



    List – A new list of countries with an epidemiological risk, published by the National Committee for Emergency Situations in Romania, takes effect on Sunday. Spain moves out of the red list and gets into the yellow list, while Austria moves from the green list to the yellow one following the increase in the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate. Israel, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey and Portugal are still in the red zone, and the Netherlands and Bulgaria remain on the yellow list. (LS)

  • The Liberal Government faces censure motion

    The Liberal Government faces censure motion

    The extraordinary plenary sitting
    of the Romanian Parliament kicked off abruptly with a read-out of the text of
    the censure motion filed by the Social-Democratic Party and the Democratic
    Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania against the Liberal Government led by
    Ludovic Orban. The Social-Democrats have accused the Government for taking
    responsibility over the law modifying the election law, in the sense that the
    local elections due this summer will be held in two rounds. Motion signatories
    say the Government must be urgently removed, because modifying the election law
    ahead of an election is breaching Constitutional Court rulings and goes against
    the recommendations of European bodies. The reasons behind the Liberals’ move
    are purely political and disregard citizens’ rights, signatories also say. In
    turn, the Liberals claim the modified election law ensures a better
    representation of elected officials and guarantees their legitimacy. Even if it
    occurs in an election year, the return to the two-round election system will
    improve election legislation, therefore it would not infringe on European
    recommendations in the field. To pass, the motion needs 233 votes in favor.
    Social-Democrat interim president Marcel Ciolacu seems confident, saying the
    Social-Democrats will nominate a Prime Minister from outside the party ranks.


    I am confident we have the
    necessary votes. We also had a thorough conversation with my colleagues from
    across the country and it seems we will be nominating a Prime Minister from
    outside the party. I will never vote any Liberal Government and as long as I am
    interim leader I will recommend against voting Orban as Prime Minister.


    Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
    however believes the motion will fail.


    MPs from the National Liberal
    Party will be attending the sitting and voting openly against the censure
    motion. I have entrusted the leaders of parliamentary parties with the task of
    negotiating with our partner groups and MPs individually, to persuade them of
    the benefits of the two-round voting system and hence to make them vote against
    the motion.


    Whereas at first the motion was
    seen as a symbolic gesture, as the Social-Democrats were believed not to go all
    the way towards snap elections, the perception has now changed. The risk that
    the snap elections should follow the removal of the Orban Cabinet is still high,
    but the Social-Democrats have done the math and want to preserve their regional
    influence, which has won them so many elections. For that, they must do
    everything in their power to block the two-round voting system, in a year when
    the election score is close and local and legislative elections can go either
    way.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • October 9, 2019 UPDATE

    October 9, 2019 UPDATE

    Attack — The EU, NATO, the UN have reacted to the military offensive Turkey launched on Wednesday in northeastern Syria, a few days after the withdrawal of the American troops from the area. The president of the European Commission on Wednesday called for the cessation of the military operation and warned that, if Ankara intended to create a safe area, it would not receive any European funding. In turn, the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Turkey’s action in Syria should be proportionate and measured, adding that “It is important to avoid actions that may further destabilize the region, escalate tensions and cause more human suffering.” The president of the UN Security Council the South-African ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila called on Turkey to protect civilians and exercise maximum restraint. An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was scheduled for Thursday meant to discuss the Turkish offensive. Turkish planes on Wednesday bombed the region of Ras al – Ain, on Syria’s northern border with Turkey. The Turkish president called the operation ‘Spring of Peace’ saying that the targets are the Islamic state and the YPG Kurdish militias which Ankara considers the allies of PKK, a party forbidden in Turkey. The Turkish president added the ‘safe zone’ cleared of Kurdish militias will also house Syrian refugees. An alliance of the Kurdish and Arab fighters announced the air strikes already killed and wounded people.



    Revolution file — The first court date in the December 1989 revolution file was set by the Supreme Court for November 29. The pre-trial hearing will take place without the access of the public. In this file, the former leftist president Ion Iliescu was prosecuted for crimes against humanity. The former deputy prime minister Gelu Voican Voiculescu and general Iosif Rus, the former head of the Military Aviation were prosecuted for the same crimes in the same file. Prosecutors claim that Ion Iliescu was the head of a dissident group made up of military officials and civilians, whose aim was to remove from power the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu but to maintain Romania in the sphere of influence of the former USSR.



    Nobel Prize — Researcher John B. Goodenough of the USA, M. Stanley Whittingham of Great Britain and Akira Yoshino of Japan on Wednesday received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2019, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced. The three were made laureates for the development of lithium-ion batteries. Through their research the Nobel prize in chemistry winners have set the basis for a wireless society and without fossil fuels. The Nobel Prize in Literature will be awarded on October 10 and that for Peace on October 11. The Riksbank Sveriges Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel will be announced on October 14.



    Holocaust — Each year on October 9 Romania pays homage to the victims of the Holocaust. October 9 was chosen for this commemoration as on this day in 1941 the deportation of Jews from Romania to Transdniester. The Romanian Foreign Ministry paid homage to the victims of the Holocaust expressing solidarity with the survivors of the tragic events of WWII. The Foreign Ministry officials recall that Romania made significant efforts of late to assume its past, condemn the denial of the Holocaust and of anti-Semitism. On Tuesday, President Klaus Iohannis promulgated the law under which the National Museum of History of the Jews and the Holocaust in Romania will be set up. The museum will be based in Bucharest and will host a permanent exhibition about the history of the Jewish communities on Romania’s territory from the 17th century until the present time. (update by L. Simion)

  • The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats parts with the government coalition

    The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats parts with the government coalition

    The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats ALDE on Monday announced its parting with the governing coalition and going in opposition, and expressed its readiness to vote for a possible censure motion against the cabinet headed by the Social Democratic leader Viorica Dancila. The break up of the coalition occurred after the Social Democratic Party’s (PSD) refusal to accept ALDE’s requests related to a government restructuring and the improvement of the governing program, ALDE leader Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu explained. He added that ALDE could no longer endorse faulty budgets or measures such as those provided in the famous emergency decree that overtaxed banks, energy and telecommunications companies. Why did the coalition break up now?



    Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu explains: “We have tried for a long time to endorse this government because we have considered that we need political stability and I don’t usually have opposing viewpoints inside the government. That is why I think it is fair to part in a civilized manner today, and we wish the PSD and the PM to carry on their mission easily.”



    After almost 3 years of collaboration with the PSD, ALDE changes partners and is now counting on an alliance with the PRO Romania party, set up by the former Social Democratic PM and leader Victor Ponta. The PSD has now been left alone in the government, and it is determined to carry on with its governing program.



    The announcement was made by the party leader and PM Viorica Dăncilă: “My colleagues say we have to continue to govern, we have a responsibility towards those who gave us their vote in 2016, we have the responsibility to implement the governing program, a responsibility that we have assumed together with ALDE, but now we, the Social Democratic Party, have to carry on alone.”



    The opposition has so far failed in its repeated attempts to topple the government through a censure motion. ALDE’s leaving the coalition changes the power balance and the leader of the opposition National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban says he supports the idea of a censure motion if the PSD does not give up governing, in spite of losing the majority. He explained that Parliament’s rejecting a restructured cabinet meant the dismissal of the government.



    A censure emotion might be supported by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania whose votes would be decisive in a possible parliamentary face-off between the PSD and the opposition. However, the Union does not agree with early elections, which, they claim, are illegal less than 6 months ahead of the presidential election due in November. The leaders of the alliance made up of the Save Romania Union and PLUS parties, Dan Barna and Dacian Cioloş, favor the idea of early elections, as they claim a simple change of government is not enough. The next legislative elections are due in one year’s time. (translation by L. Simion)

  • June 12, 2019 UPDATE

    June 12, 2019 UPDATE

    SIGNAL – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has called on the
    government on Wednesday to take measures for the quick consolidation of public
    finances and to improve tax collection. Attending a meeting of the Coalition
    for Romania’s Development, Iohannis has pointed out that at the start of the
    year he sent the 2019 budget back to Parliament for reexamination. He also said
    that the Social Democrats, representing the most important party of the
    governing coalition, have neglected investment in favor of a policy with short-term
    effects, and that this will affect everyone in the future. Iohannis also
    pointed out that the business environment has been affected lately by
    unexpected measures. Private investors and employers need infrastructure
    modernization and development, Iohannis said, explaining that he refers not
    only to motorways but to everything related to modern living standards for the
    citizens, such as hospitals, schools, railways, airports, energy infrastructure
    and so on.








    MOTION – The censure motion filed by the right-wing
    opposition against the ruling coalition in Bucharest was read on Wednesday in
    Parliament and will be submitted to vote on Tuesday. 233 MPs need to vote the
    motion in order to pass. The National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and
    the People’s Movement Party in opposition also need the support of the Pro
    Romania party headed by the former Social Democrat PM Victor Ponta, by the MPs
    of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), of the other
    national minorities and even of the ruling coalition. On the other hand, Prime
    Minister Dancila has asked the Social Democratic MPs to be present at the
    meeting to secure the quorum but not to cast their vote.








    EXERCISE – The Saber
    Guardian 2019 military exercise continues in Romania until June 24. Its main
    goal is to enhance the cohesion, unity and solidarity of the partner and allied
    countries, with a view to ensuring defense against any type of aggression,
    especially by means of rapid mobilization and response, anywhere in Europe. In
    order to render international military training more effective, Saber Guardian
    is correlated with a number of other national and multinational exercises, so
    the total number of participants stands at some 13,500. Attending are 14 allied
    and partner countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany,
    Great Britain, the Republic of Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,
    Romania, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the US. 7,600 of the participants are
    Romanian. Saber Guardian was held every year between 2013 – 2017, and was
    hosted, in rotation, by Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. The exercise is included
    in the United States Army Europe and designed to improve the integration of
    multinational allied and partner combat forces.








    VISIT – Romanian Senate Speaker, Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, is
    paying a two-day official visit to France that started on Tuesday, at the
    invitation of his counterpart Gérard Larcher. The visit is aimed at
    consolidating and diversifying political dialogue and strengthening the
    traditional friendship ties with this country. From Thursday to Saturday
    Tariceanu will also attend, in Paris, the 20th meeting of the Association of
    European Senates.








    FORUM – Current or former high government officials, both
    civilian and military, leading think tanks and prominent scholars and political
    analysts from EU and NATO member states and partner countries, including a
    strong contingent from the United States are taking part, as of Wednesday, in
    the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum held in the Romanian city of Constanta
    between June 12 and 14, 2019. This third edition of the Black Sea and Balkans
    Security Forum is held under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the
    Council of the European Union and in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign
    Affairs and the Ministry of Defense. In a complex and troubled international
    environment, the Forum of 2019 seeks to address security concerns in the Black
    Sea and the Balkans. The 16 scheduled panel discussions will cover a vast range
    of topics such as the militarization of the Black Sea, the classical and newly
    emerging security challenges, the vital importance of the transatlantic ties
    and the on-going regional cooperation initiatives. Also tackled will be cyber
    security, energy, climate change, religion and security, connectivity and
    military mobility, urban and community development, hybrid operations and
    information warfare.








    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Elena-Gabriela Ruse (221
    WTA) on Wednesday advanced to the round of 18 at the WTA tournament in
    Nottingham, UK, totaling 250,000 dollars in prize money. Ruse ousted Evgenyia
    Rodina of Russia (76 WTA), 6-3, 6-3. After two days of heavy rain at
    Nottingham, organizers have decided to move some of the matches indoors. Ruse
    was originally supposed to play against Dayana Yastremska, but the Ukrainian
    player withdrew. In the next round Ruse will play the winner of the match
    pitting Ludmilla Samsonova of Russia against Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland.




    (Translated by Elena Enache & V. Palcu)

  • June 24, 2018

    June 24, 2018

    Motion — The censure motion tabled by the Romanian opposition parties will be read out on Monday in Parliament plenum and Wednesday it will be debated and voted on. The initiators of the motion called “Ousting the Dragnea-Dancila government, a national emergency” claim that the current cabinet, through the measures taken, destroyed the economy and the justice system. On Saturday thousands of people protested in Bucharest and other cities of Romania against the Social Democratic government and the Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea, asking for his and the government’s resignation. Also on Saturday, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced that he would run for a new term in office as president of Romania in 2019, saying that his decision was motivated by the troubled political environment in Romania. He said he had to clarify his position on the matter given that 80% of the population was discontented with and no longer trusted the political class. According to President Iohannis the PSD leader Liviu Dragnea should withdraw completely from Romania’s political life. On Friday the Social Democrats announced they would continue to support Dragnea in all the offices he is currently holding although he received a first instance sentence of 3 and a half years in prison for instigation to abuse of office. Dragnea said he would not resign so as to be able to implement his goals, among which the governing program.



    Chisinau — A protest rally will take place Sunday in Chisinau to contest the court decision that invalidates the election as mayor of Chisinau of the pro-European opposition leader Andrei Nastase. The police announced on Saturday that they started criminal prosecution in the case of the rally, based on suspicions related to possible violent actions to take place at the rally. The US Department of State, the EU as well as diplomatic missions accredited to Chisinau conveyed messages in which they express concern with the developments in this case.



    Brussels — Leaders from 17 EU states are today meeting in Brussels to discuss differences over migration in the run up to the EU summit scheduled for the coming weekend. The German chancellor Angela Merkel wants to obtain certain concessions that should allow her to maintain the governing coalition. The French president Emmanuel Macron is pleading for financial sanctions to be imposed on those EU members that turn away migrants with proven asylum status. He referred to Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, countries that are opposed to the asylum-seeker relocation program. The Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boiko Borisov, whose country is holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union until June 30, announced he would propose the immediate closure of the EU’s external borders for migrants and the setting up of centers for war refugees outside the community space, Reuters reports.



    Turkey elections — Turkey is seeing Sunday early presidential and parliamentary elections. The presidential election is considered the most important challenge for the current president Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has been ruling the country for 15 years. If he gets another 5-year term in office Erdogan intends to remove the prime minister position, a measure which the opposition claims will erode democracy in Turkey. His main challenger is Muharrem Ince representing the most powerful opposition party, the Republican People’s Party. If none of the candidates gets more than 50% of the votes on Sunday, a second round will be held on July 8. Also on Sunday Turks are called to the polls to elect 600 MPs for a 5-year term in office, the elections taking place in the context of a state of emergency imposed by president Erdogan himself in 2016 after the failed coup d’etat against him.



    Romanian Blouse — The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse is marked each year on June 24. The traditional Romanian blouse is the staple element of the national traditional dress and an international symbol of Romanian culture. On January 21, 2013 the online community “La Blouse Roumaine” proposed June 24 as the day devoted to the Romanian Blouse. In the same year the community “La Blouse Roumaine” organized the first Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse, which has become a global event marked in more than 50 countries. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • June 21, 2018 UPDATE

    June 21, 2018 UPDATE

    Sentence – The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Thursday sentenced the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea to 3 and a half years in prison for abuse of office. In the same case he was acquitted for intellectual forgery. The decision is not definitive and can be appealed. Last month, the prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate asked for a sentence of 7 years and 5 months imprisonment for abuse of office and of 2 and a half years for intellectual forgery. They accuse Dragnea that in his capacity as president of the Teleorman County Council he ordered the fictitious employment of two Social Democratic Party members with the Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection. They were paid from public money although they worked exclusively for the PSD. Liviu Dragnea denied the accusations. In 2016 Dragnea received a definitive 2-year suspended sentence for attempted electoral fraud. The Court cancelled, through Thursday’s decision, the sentence he had previously received in the Referendum case as sentences cannot be cumulated.



    Motion — The censure motion filed by the opposition parties in Romania will be read on Monday in the plenum of Parliament and on Wednesday it will be debated and voted on, according to the decision of the joint permanent bureaus of Parliament’s two chambers. The initiators of the motion claim that the current government destroyed the Romanian economy and the judiciary through the measures they took.



    Cyber threat — 9 EU members including Romania will set up rapid reaction teams to respond to potential cyber threats, the Lithuanian officials announced on Thursday, as Lithuania is leading this project. The Lithuanian foreign minister Raimundas Karoblis said that his counterparts from Croatia, Estonia, the Netherlands and Romania would to Luxemburg on Monday to sign this agreement, while Finland, Poland and Spain will do that later this year. The rotating teams of experts will be ready to assist national authorities in case of a cyber attack, Raimundas Karoblis also added. Cyber force is among the first projects implemented as part of the European Defense pact signed last year, in a context created by the doubts of the American President over the role of NATO and by Brexit, France Press reports.



    Chisinau — The invalidation of the elections in Chisinau was one of the issues on Thursday’s agenda of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. According to a communiqué of the EP, the Committee shows deep concern with the decision of the court in Chisinau, that decided not to confirm the legality of the recent local elections for the mayor of Chisinau, invoking dubious and non-transparent reasons. The communiqué also shows that political interference in the judicial system and the elections runs counter to the European standards which the Republic of Moldova decided to adopt as part of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement. The court in Chisinau declared the elections for mayor null. They were won by one of the leaders of the pro-European opposition, Andrei Nastase. Previously he had been found guilty of having broken the electoral code, as he allegedly urged the citizens to go to the polls on the very day of the vote. The mayor elect labeled the decision arbitrary and said he would contest it in Court.



    London — NATO will survive despite current tension between the US and Europe, said Thursday, in London, the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. According to him, the bridge between Europe and the US will survive despite any differences over trade, climate change and the Iranian nuclear deal. He added that it was more important than ever before that NATO should maintain its unity.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Mihaela Buzarnescu, 30 WTA, will take on the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (5WTA) on Friday in the quarter finals of the Birmingham tournament which has total prizes worth 850 thousand dollars. Buzarnescu has already won a 25 thousand dollar check and 100 WTA points. In their latest match, in the 3rd round of this year’s edition of Roland Garros, Buzarnescu defeated Elena Svitolina 2-0 in the sets. (news translated and updated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • May 2, 2018 UPDATE

    May 2, 2018 UPDATE

    JUSTICE LAWS – Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday announced he would submit the package of justice laws to the Constitutional Court and notify the Venice Commission. According to Iohannis, in its present form, the package of laws meets neither the standards of the rule of law, nor the expectations of the Romanians. The laws do not fit the legal framework and do not meet the European standards, Iohannis also said. The Romanian head of state has argued the new amendments may hinder the justice process allowing for the setting up of new structures that may put pressure on the magistrates. The president also said that after the Constitutional Court has its say over the issue he would make a new assessment and decide if a new revision of the amendments is needed. The ruling coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, says that the President’s move is an attempt to postpone the enforcement of the justice laws which have already been adjusted in keeping with the Constitutional Court’s and the Venice Commission’s rulings.




    CENSURE MOTION — The National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania, on Wedensday tabled a simple motion against the health Minister Sorina Pintea. The Liberals reformulated the text after the Chamber of Deputies’ leadership rejected the document last week, as it also addressed the labout Minister, which is against the rules. The Liberals argue that Sorina Pintea is handling in a faulty manner the problems in the health system.




    HEALTHCARE – Romania’s Health Minister Sorina Pintea announced she would inform Prime Minister Viorica Dancila about the problems signalled by the representatives of the healthcare trade unions. Last week, thousands of medical employees staged large-scale protests in Bucharest. Numerous categories of personnel had seen significant pay cuts after the implementation of new regulations aimed at capping their benefits. Trade unions have threatened with a token strike on May 7th that can be followed by an all-out strike four days later.




    EC – European Union members that fail to meet EU standards on the rule of law could lose access to its financing, according to a proposal by the European Commission on Wednesday. The European Commission President, Jean Claude Junker explained that the plan has general application and is not aimed against any member state. On May 2nd the European Commission started negotiations on the next EU budget, proposing to plug the gap left by the UK’s living the community bloc by cutting traditional policies and focusing on migration and security challenges.




    PROSECUTION – Former deputy prime minister and interior minister, Gabriel Oprea, is being prosecuted for manslaughter in the case regarding the road accident that caused the death of police officer Bogdan Gigina in October 2015. The police officer died while providing official escort to Oprea, who was serving as interior minister at the time.




    LAW – The Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu has hailed the coming into force of a directive on the consular protection for European citizens, including Romanians, who live or travel outside the EU. Under the document, the EU citizens, who are in difficulty in a third country, have the right to benefit the protection of embassies and consulates of other countries in the community zone, if their own country isn’t represented. The EU countries must offer the non-represented European citizens the same assistance they offer their own citizens such as, assistance in case of death, severe accidents or disease; assistance in case of arrest or detention, assistance when a citizen falls victim of an attack or crime, assistance and repatriation in emergency cases. The origin country of the applicants will always be consulted by the country, which offers assistance. Applicants can get information concerning the available assistance and to any agreements in force between consulates by contacting the EU delegation in the respective country. (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • November 23, 2017

    November 23, 2017

    NO CONFIDENCE VOTE — The two chamber Parliament in Bucharest is today debating a censure motion tabled by the right-of-centre opposition against the coalition government. Signed by MPs from the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union, the People’s Movement Party and by independent MPs and read out in Parliament on Monday, the motion calls for the resignation of the cabinet led by the Social Democrat Mihai Tudose, whom they accuse of disturbing the economic environment and the legal system, and of worsening the population’s living standard. In response, the Prime Minister claims that thanks to the fiscal reform, more money will go to the budget and the pension fund next year, and companies will benefit from simplified procedures. Commentators say the chances for the motion to be adopted are slim, especially after the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania has announced it will abstain from voting, because its MPs agree with some of the measures taken by the government, and disagree with others.



    EUROPEAN FUNDS — Romania has available over 5 billion Euros under the Large Infrastructure Program, but in order to efficiently absorb this sum of money the country needs realistic planning, thorough preparation works and an efficient implementation of transport projects. The statement has been made by the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, who met in Brussels with Romanian transport minister, Felix Stroe, for talks on transport projects and draft projects for the 2014-2020 Large Infrastructure Operational Program, co-funded through the European Regional Development Fund. Cretu has underlined the need for the line minister in Bucharest to play the leading role in managing the sides involved in the projects, considering that contractual litigations between entrepreneurs and major transport beneficiaries have led to delays in implementing projects. At present, the Romanian authorities are tightly cooperating with international experts to draft a new standard contract, with clauses of arbitration to solve conflicts.



    JUSTICE LAWS — In Bucharest the special parliamentary committee on the justice laws has today decided that the Romanian President should no longer be able to refuse the appointment of judges and prosecutors. The Liberals’ representatives have criticised this proposal and have explained that the Romanian President is also the head of Romania’s Supreme Defence Council and should have the right to refuse the appointment of a judge or of a prosecutor. The committee’s proceedings started on Wednesday and the debates have been marked by disputes between the power and a part of the opposition. The Liberal MPs left the room, being discontent about the rejection of their proposal that the justice laws package be debated in a normal parliamentary procedure and not by a special committee. The justice laws are vehemently contested by civil society. President Klaus Iohannis has also said he is worried about this issue.



    GAUDEAMUS BOOK FAIR — The Gaudeamus Book Fair, organised by Radio Romania, continues in Bucharest today. The second day of the event will truly be a special one, offering readers the chance to see the most sought-after books of the moment and interesting debates on literary themes. One such meeting is the round table talks “Life after life — undeciphered destinies”. The fair brings together, until Sunday, 300 exhibitors and over 800 editorial and professional events. Exhibiting are Romanian publishing houses boasting a long tradition in the field, universities, book distributors and sellers, publications, professional associations and NGOs. The honorary president of the Gaudeamus Book Fair is the famous Romanian playwright and journalist established in France, Matei Visniec, and the honorary guest of the fair this year is the European Commission.



    FOOTBALL — Romania’s vice-champion team, FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, tonight take on Viktoria Plzen, away from home, in a last-but-one fixture of Europa League’s Group C. With 10 points they won in the first four games played, FCSB are at the top of the table in their group and mathematically, they have already secured their ticket in the Cup’s round of 32, to be held in 2018. Czech contenders Viktoria Plzen are the runner-up team in Group C, followed by Hapoel Beer Sheva of Israel, with 4 points, and Switzerland’s Lugano, with 3 points on their record sheet.

  • November 22, 2017 UPDATE

    November 22, 2017 UPDATE

    LANGUAGE – The Romanian Government passed on Wednesday a series of measures aimed at granting direct support to the Romanian ethnics who study in their mother tongue in the neighbouring Ukraine and also to the teachers who teach courses in the Romanian language. The measures, proposed by the Ministry for the Romanians Abroad, consolidate the legal framework that allows for educational support from Romania for the Romanian ethnics in Ukraine. The Ministry for the Romanians Abroad will continue dialogue with the Ukrainian side, in trying to promote and protect the minorities’ right to study in their own language. The purpose is to find solutions so that the Romanian ethnics’ right to linguistic identity be respected.




    EC — The European Commission has established that Romania took no effective action in response to the EU Council’s recommendation of June to correct its significant deviation from the adjustment path towards the medium-term budgetary objective, according to a EC release on Wednesday. In this context, the Commission proposes that the EU Council should adopt a revised recommendation to Romania, of an annual structural adjustment of at least 0.8% of the GDP in 2018. The European Commission recommends Bucharest to use any windfall gains for budget deficit reduction, while the budgetary consolidation measures should secure a lasting improvement in the general government structural balance, in a growth-friendly manner. Romania must report to the EU Council by April 2018 on the action taken in response to the EC’s recommendation.




    WAR CRIMES — Former Bosnian Serb army leader Ratko Mladic was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday after being found guilty of genocide, for atrocities committed during the Bosnian war from 1992 to 1995.The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted Mladic of crimes it labelled as some of the “most heinous” in human history. Mladic, aged 75, is responsible for the slaughter of 8,000 unarmed Bosnian Muslim men and boys in the town of Sebrenica and for his role in the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, during which 100,000 people were killed and another 2.2 million displaced. Mladic had pleaded not guilty to all charges. His legal team said he would appeal against the verdict.




    SMART CITIES – Romania is a good place for investors, but there are two things that scare business people off, namely, the unpredictable legal system and the bribes, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday in Ploiesti, in the south. Taking part in the debate “Romania’s cities 100 years since the Great Union. A smart future for Ploiesti”, the head of state signalled again the fact that the government’s so-called fiscal reform created confusion likely to affect investors’ confidence. Iohannis also said that the concept of smart city means a more active involvement of the citizens in the local governing and the communitys life.




    PARLIAMENT — The no-confidence motion introduced by the right wing opposition against the ruling coalition in Bucharest will be debated and voted on in full Parliament session on Thursday, as decided by the two chambers on Wednesday. The motion calls for the resignation of the cabinet headed by the Social Democrat Mihai Tudose, who is accused of sparking confusion in the economic environment and the legal system, as well as of lowering the living standard of the population. In response, PM Tudose claimed that the fiscal reform will bring more money to the budget and the pension fund, while companies will benefit from simplified procedures.




    PARADE — About 3,500 Romanian and foreign soldiers take part in the December 1st parade in Bucharest for Romanias National Day, the Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday. 50 aircraft will fly over the city’s Triumphal Arch, with 300 vehicles being part of the parade. December 1st marks the moment, right after WWI, when Greater Romania was formed of formerly divided territories with a majority Romanian population. This date was proclaimed the national day after the 1989 regime change in Romania.




    FAIR – The 24th edition of the Gaudeamus – Book of Learning International Fair, organized by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, opened on Wednesday in Bucharest. It features 300 participating companies and over 800 editorial and professional events. The honorary president of the fair is Matei Visniec, a French based writer and journalist from Romania while the honorary guest this year is the European Commission. The event marks 60 years from the signing of the Rome Treaties, three decades since the launch of the Erasmus program, and 10 years since Romania joined the EU.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)


  • November 18, 2017 UPDATE

    November 18, 2017 UPDATE

    CENSURE MOTION – The leadership of the Social Democratic Party, PSD, the main party making up the left of centre Government in Bucharest, has adopted a resolution reiterating its support for the PSD-ALDE coalition government and its governing program and claims it has complied with the commitments it has made to the electorate. According to PSD, the Gross Domestic Product exceeds the estimates, the budget deficit is 3% lower than expected, over 250,000 jobs have been created and pay-rises have been granted in healthcare, education and culture. PM Mihai Tudose has announced the draft state budget for 2018 will be presented in Parliament within 10 days. He defended the newly adopted Fiscal Code, which provides, among others, for the complete transfer of social contributions from employers to employees and a cut in the income tax from 16 to 10%. The National Liberal Party, in opposition, says the coalition government has destabilised the Romanian economy and has filed a censure motion in Parliament, also backed by the Save Romania Union, the Peoples Movement Party and some independent MPs. According to the signatories, the benefits of a substantial economic growth have been cancelled by the Governments measures which they deem “populist and chaotic. The opposition says a governing program promising pay-rises has actually led to salary decreases, or in the best of cases, to small increases, adding that public investments have plummeted to a historic low. This is the first censure motion filed against the Tudose government, the second cabinet made up of the PSD-ALDE majority following the legislative elections held last year



    DEFENCE – The US Department of State has greenlighted the sale of Patriot missile systems to Poland, the transaction being estimated at 10.5 billion USD, the Pentagon announced on Friday evening. According to Reuters, Poland, which is a NATO member state, has boosted its efforts to consolidate its defence in the wake of Russias annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, in 2014, and in response to Moscows enhanced military capacity in the region. The transaction should still however be endorsed by Congress, because it entails the purchase of advanced military technology for which special permits are needed. Romania, too, wants to purchase surface to air Patriot missiles, under a contract worth some 3.9 billion USD, without VAT. The first such system, worth 764 million USD, is to be contracted by the end of the year and become operational in 2019. The draft law on purchasing Patriot missiles from the USA was submitted to the Romanian Parliament for debate on Monday.



    ANTIBIOTICS – Romania is among the fifth largest consumers of antibiotics in the EU and is the country with the highest consumption of antibiotics taken without a medical prescription, a report issued by the Romanian Health Observer, an NGO whose declared mission is to contribute to improving health services in Romania and Eastern Europe shows. According to the report, more often than not patients exert pressure on the medical staff for the release of antibiotics, even when their use is not grounded. Antibiotics do not have healing effects in the case of colds and respiratory infections and the World Health Organisation recommends that antibiotics be taken only based on medical prescription. November 18 is the European Day of rational use of antibiotics.


    HIGHSCHOOL – 1.9 million pupils have finished high school in Romania in the past 10 years, of which 900,000 failed to pass the high-school leaving examination, the Baccalaureate, education minister Liviu Pop said in Iasi on Saturday. Pop also said that, for this reason, the experts of the ministry are working on new framework plans for high-school education. The minister also said that these plans will be sent for public debate as of December 15 and afterwards school curricula for high school education valid for the next school year are to be rewritten.


    GAUDEAMUS BOOK FAIR – The 24th edition of the Gaudeamus-Book of Learning International Fair, organised by Radio Romania, opens its doors next week. No less than 800 editorial and professional events will be organised during the fair, which will be attended by 300 exhibitors: Romanian publishing houses boasting a long tradition in the field, education institutions, book sellers and publications, professional associations and other organisations active in the field of culture and education. The honorary president of the fair will be the well-known playwright and journalist Matei Vişniec and the honorary guest of this years edition of the fair will be the European Commission. Thus, the event will mark 60 years since the Treaties of Rome were signed, 30 years since the launch of the Erasmus program and 10 years since Romania joined the EU, says Angela Cristea, head of the EC Representation in Romania.



    HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball team, CSM Bucharest on Sunday will meet on home turf the Polish team Vistal Gdynia, in the last match of the Champions League Group A. With four wins and a defeat, CSM ranks first in the group, which is also made up of Nykobing Falster Handboldklub (Denmark) and RK Krim Mercator Ljubljana (Slovenia). CSM Bucharest won the Champions League in 2016 and is one of the favourites of the current edition of the most-powerful European inter-club competition.

  • November 18, 2017

    November 18, 2017

    CENSURE MOTION – The leadership of the Social Democratic Party, PSD, the main party making up the left of centre Government in Bucharest, has today adopted a resolution reiterating its support for the PSD-ALDE coalition government and its governing program and claims it has complied with the commitments it has made to the electorate. According to PSD, the Gross Domestic Product exceeds the estimates, the budget deficit is 3% lower than expected, over 250,000 jobs have been created and pay-rises have been granted in healthcare, education and culture. PM Mihai Tudose has announced the draft state budget for 2018 will be presented in Parliament within 10 days. He defended the newly adopted Fiscal Code, which provides, among others, for the complete transfer of social contributions from employers to employees and a cut in the income tax from 16 to 10%. The National Liberal Party, in opposition, says the coalition government has destabilised the Romanian economy and has filed a censure motion in Parliament, also backed by the Save Romania Union, the Peoples Movement Party and some independent MPs. According to the signatories, the benefits of a substantial economic growth have been cancelled by the Governments measures which they deem “populist and chaotic. The opposition says a governing program promising pay-rises has actually led to salary decreases, or in the best of cases, to small increases, adding that public investments have plummeted to a historic low. This is the first censure motion filed against the Tudose government, the second cabinet made up of the PSD-ALDE majority following the legislative elections held last year



    DEFENCE – The US Department of State has greenlighted the sale of Patriot missile systems to Poland, the transaction being estimated at 10.5 billion USD, the Pentagon announced on Friday evening. According to Reuters, Poland, which is a NATO member state, has boosted its efforts to consolidate its defence in the wake of Russias annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, in 2014, and in response to Moscows enhanced military capacity in the region. The transaction should still however be endorsed by Congress, because it entails the purchase of advanced military technology for which special permits are needed. Romania, too, wants to purchase surface to air Patriot missiles, under a contract worth some 3.9 billion USD, without VAT. The first such system, worth 764 million USD, is to be contracted by the end of the year and become operational in 2019. The draft law on purchasing Patriot missiles from the USA was submitted to the Romanian Parliament for debate on Monday.



    ANTIBIOTICS – Romania is among the fifth largest consumers of antibiotics in the EU and is the country with the highest consumption of antibiotics taken without a medical prescription, a report issued by the Romanian Health Observer, an NGO whose declared mission is to contribute to improving health services in Romania and Eastern Europe shows. According to the report, more often than not patients exert pressure on the medical staff for the release of antibiotics, even when their use is not grounded. Antibiotics do not have healing effects in the case of colds and respiratory infections and the World Health Organisation recommends that antibiotics be taken only based on medical prescription. November 18 is the European Day of rational use of antibiotics.


    GAUDEAMUS BOOK FAIR – The 24th edition of the Gaudeamus-Book of Learning International Fair, organised by Radio Romania, opens its doors next week. No less than 800 editorial and professional events will be organised during the fair, which will be attended by 300 exhibitors: Romanian publishing houses boasting a long tradition in the field, education institutions, book sellers and publications, professional associations and other organisations active in the field of culture and education. The honorary president of the fair will be the well-known playwright and journalist Matei Vişniec and the honorary guest of this years edition of the fair will be the European Commission. Thus, the event will mark 60 years since the Treaties of Rome were signed, 30 years since the launch of the Erasmus program and 10 years since Romania joined the EU, says Angela Cristea, head of the EC Representation in Romania.



    RUGBY– Romanias national rugby team is today facing the team of Samoa, in Bucharest, in the last but one test match of the year. The last test match of 2017, against Tonga, is scheduled for November 25, in Bucharest. If it wins both test matches, Romania stands chances to go up on the 13th place in the world classification, being better ranked than Italy and other strong national teams. This is the Romanians second match against the team of Samoa. The first match between the two nationals was played in 1989, when Romania defeated Samoa 32-24. Romania has qualified for the World Cup, due in Japan, in 2019.

  • November 17, 2017

    November 17, 2017

    CENSURE MOTION – The National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, in opposition, on Friday filed a censure motion in Parliament, against the government made up of the Social Democratic Party-the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. The motion has been signed by 148 MPs. The motion, initiated after the government amended the Fiscal Code, is also backed by the Peoples Movement Party and by the independent MPs. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania will not sign the motion and the Pro Romania party, led 8by the former PM Victor Ponta will not back the motion, either, saying a replacement of the PSD government with a PNL cabinet would not be a good solution for Romania. Amendments to the Fiscal Code provides for the transfer of social contributions from employer to employee and a cut in income tax from 16 to 10% as of January 1, 2018. Those contesting the measure say their incomes will actually decrease, and many others will run the risk of loosing their jobs. In exchange, Social-Democrat PM Mihai Tudose claims that, by the fresh fiscal reform, much more money will go to the budget and the pension fund, and companies will benefit from simplified procedures. Over the past few weeks, against the backdrop of the ruling coalitions plans to amend the Fiscal Code and the Justice Laws, people took to the streets in the big cities across the country, particularly in Bucharest.



    SUMMIT – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis is today attending the Social Summit on promoting equitable jobs and economic growth in the EU, venued by Gothenburg, in Sweden. The summit brings together EU heads of state and government, social partners as well as other key players. The summit includes an introductory plenary session and three thematic sessions on access to the labour market, the current situation on the labour market and the transition between jobs on the labour market. The Romanian President said Romania will stand for a new education system adapted to the needs of the economy, so that the best solutions be found to create jobs for young people, on the one hand, and to properly train youngsters to successfully enter the labour market, on the other. According to FP, the summit is part of the offensive launched by Brussels and Sweden to regain the citizens confidence in face of rising populism which renders Europe fragile. After the Brexit shock and against the backdrop of growing Euro-scepticism in the EU member states, including in Germany and Austria as of late, the European Commission is determined to show that the EU is not a mere big market, but it wants to reduce inequalities.



    TRANSCARPATHIA – Students and teachers in the schools with teaching in the Romanian language, in the Transcarpathia region in south-western Ukraine, which is home to over 40,000 ethnic Romanians, are currently being assessed by a commission of the Education Ministry in Kiev. The teachers are outraged, saying the evaluation, which hasnt been made for years, would be aimed at proving that the schools of the national ethnic minorities would not be proficient enough, teachers would not be able to teach at a high quality standard and pupils would not be properly educated and ready to take national evaluation tests. Teachers say the evaluation will actually be a disguised form of exerting pressure and of intimidation, following the contested education law in Ukraine, which infringes upon the constitutional rights of the ethnic minorities to study in their languages. In late October, experts of the Venice Commission paid a visit to Kiev to assess the newly created situation following the adoption of the education law, which has been criticised also from Bucharest.



    NICOSIA – The state secretary for bilateral and strategic affairs in the Euro-Atlantic area, George Ciamba, has held consultations in Nicosia, with several Cypriot officials together with whom he approached the migration issue as well as the priorities of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019. During the meeting with the Cypriot foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides, George Ciamba has underlined the interest taken by Romania in rendering the dialogue more dynamic, given the traditional cooperation between the two states, and has also referred to the presence of a large Romanian community in Cyprus and of a Cypriot business community in Romania. In the field of migration, the officials reiterated their support for the EUs actions to strengthen cooperation with foreign partners, origin and transit countries, and for further implementing the EU-Turkey Declaration. Relative to the Eastern Neighbourhood, the officials underlined the need to further support the Republic of Moldova on its European path. The Cypriot officials reiterated their support for Bucharests candidacy for a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020 – 2021 period and for Romanias Schengen accession.



    TRAVEL FAIR– The 38th edition of Romanias Travel Fair bring together until Sunday over 200 tour operators and travel agencies. 12 foreign countries from around the globe chose to have their own stands at the fair, just like Romanian county councils which try to promote Romanias travel destinations.

  • February 8, 2017 UPDATE

    February 8, 2017 UPDATE

    CENSURE MOTION – The first censure motion filed by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, in opposition, against the sitting coalition Government made up of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), was rejected by the Romanian Parliament in a plenary session held on Wednesday. 161 yeas and 8 nays were registered. At least 233 votes were needed for the motion to be adopted. PSD, ALDE and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania abstained from voting. The motion titled the Grindeanu Government-Government of national defiance. Do not legalise theft in Romania was tabled last week and read out on Monday, in a plenary session of Parliament. The initiators of the motion called on the Social Democratic Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu to assume responsibility for the error of adopting the emergency decree amending the Criminal Codes and of drawing up a pardon bill. Also, the signatories to the motion called on the cabinet to resign, accusing it of having committed institutional abuse. We recall that the adoption of the emergency decree amending the criminal law, later repealed, triggered wide-scale protests across Romania and among the Romanian communities living abroad.



    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – Romanias Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled there is no legal constitutional conflict between the state powers following the adoption by the Government of an emergency decree amending the Criminal Codes. The Court drew that conclusion after having discussed the requests made by the countrys president, Klaus Iohannis, and the head of the Higher Council of Magistracy, Mariana Ghena. Earlier, the Government had rescinded the emergency decree and had announced it temporarily abandoned the idea of amending the Criminal Codes. On Tuesday, President Iohannis attended a plenary session of Parliament, calling on the left wing Government to come up with solutions to the crisis it generated by adopting the emergency decree amending the Criminal Codes.



    PROTESTS – Protests against the Government continued in Bucharest and other cities across the country, for the ninth day in a row, against the backdrop of changes being brought to the criminal law. The protesters, who gathered in a lower number than in the previous days, called for the resignation of the left-wing Government. The largest number of protesters was registered on Sunday, when half a million people protested in Bucharest and other big cities across the country and abroad, against an emergency decree amending the Criminal Codes, even though the emergency decree had been rescinded earlier on that day. Also on Wednesday, President Klaus Iohannis tried to start a dialogue with the protesters calling for his resignation in front of the Cotroceni Palace. It is for the fourth day that people gather near the offices of the Presidential Administration to back the Grindeanu Government.



    EXCLUSION – The Department for Judges with the Higher Council of Magistracy, CSM, on Wednesday decided to exclude judge Camelia Bogdan from magistracy. Camelia Bogdan is the judge who, back in 2014, sentenced tycoon Dan Voiculescu to 10 years in prison in the case of the fraudulent privatisation of the Food Research Institute (ICA) in Bucharest. CSMs ruling is not final and can be appealed at the High Court of Cassation and Justice. Judge Camelia Bogdan is accused of committing the disciplinary offence of violating the legal provisions on incompatibilities and interdictions regarding judges and prosecutors. She was accused of attending a specialisation course in Romania, sponsored by the Agriculture Ministry, which was a damaged party in the ICA case, at the time.



    JOINT DRILLS – The 500 US ground troops to be deployed in Europe, who left Poland on Monday, heading for Romania, are being stationed these days at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Constanta county, in the south-east of Romania, a communiqué issued by the Romanian Defence Ministry shows. The American soldiers of the Fighting Eagles Battalion 1 will participate in joint drills alongside Romanian soldiers, as part of the US commitment to ensure the security of NATOs eastern flank, a component of the Atlantic Resolve Operation.



    QUAKE – An earthquake measuring 5 degrees on Richters scale rocked Romania at 17:08:20 local time, on Wednesday, according to the National Institute for Earth Physics. The tremor, with the epicentre in Buzau County, eastern Romania, was felt in Bucharest, too. This is the second quake registered on the same day, after a first tremor measuring 4.2 degrees, with the epicentre in Vrancea County, in the east, rocked Romania at 11:52:06. The quake registered on Wednesday at 5.08 PM is the most powerful this year.



    WEATHER – It is getting colder in Romania, particularly in the south-eastern half of the country. It will snow lightly in the south, south-east and the mountains. Rain and sleet are reported in the west and the centre. Gale force wind is reported, in places, in the south and south-east and on mountain crests. The highs will range between minus 8 and plus 7 degrees Celsius. (Translated by D. Vijeu)