Radio România Internațional

Tag: Constitutional Court

December 24, 2019

BUDGET – The Constitutional Court of
Romania announced it has received the notification filed by the
Social-Democratic Party regarding the manner in which the Government adopted
the state budget for 2020 and the modifications operated to the emergency
decree no. 114. The Court expects opinions by January 10 from all parties, and
will issue a date for the subsequent debate. The Government has passed the
budget law in Parliament without a debate and a vote, arguing it needed a
balanced budget that could be adopted by the year’s end. The Government
accepted several amendments, although none tabled by the Social-Democrats.

CONVICTIONS – Former Liberal Chamber of
Deputies Speaker, Bogdan Olteanu was earlier today sentenced by the Bucharest
Tribunal to seven years in prison for influence peddling, in a case where he
was charged with receiving 1 million euros from a businessman. The court also
ordered the seizure of an equivalent in local currency of the peddled sum. In
another move, former Social-Democrat deputy Viorel Hrebenciuc was sentenced to
three years in prison in a case where the former head of the National
Audio-Visual Council, Laura Georgescu, was also sentenced to 4 years and 4 months
in prison. In the same case, Gheorghe Stefan, the former Liberal mayor of
Piatra Neamt, and Narcisa Iorga, a former member of the Audio-Visual Council,
were also handed down prison sentences. The rulings can be appealed.

RATIFICATION – Romania’s President
Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday signed the decree ratifying the law on declaring
November 1 National Radio Day. Central and local authorities can organize
cultural and scientific events to mark this special day or provide logistic or
financial support to NGOs and other institutions that organize similar events,
the law stipulates. The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation and the
Romanian Television Station can include in their programmes shows and excerpts
from events dedicated to this day as public broadcasters. In 2019 the Romanian
Radio Broadcasting Corporation celebrated 91 years of uninterrupted public
service.

FUNDS – The European Commission has
disbursed some 16 million euros to Romania. The funds are non-refundable and
serve as compensations for the losses incurred this year due to the African
swine fever virus. The president of the National Sanitary, Veterinary and Food
Safety Authority, Robert Chioveanu, says the authorities have presented the
Commission with all the measures taken to combat the virus, as well as the
challenges the authorities were faced with in their efforts to eradicate it.
The Romanian official said that, in the last two weeks, some 10,000 checks were
carried out in traffic in order to limit the circulation of livestock,
especially pigs. Fines were handed out, dozens of pigs were seized in addition
to some 2 thousand kg of meat products.

CHRISTMAS EVE – Orthodox,
Eastern-Catholic and Roman-Catholic Christians in Romania today celebrate
Christmas Eve, making all the final preparations ahead of the celebration of
the Nativity of Christ. On Christmas Eve people go caroling, which involves singing
ceremonial songs, accompanied by various dances and gestures. Romanian Orthodox
Church Patriarch Daniel has highlighted the importance of family, which is
often confronted in present-day society with a series of challenges and crises,
determined by poverty, migration, depression and alcohol and drug consumption.
In turn, His Holy Father the Archbishop of the Bucharest Roman-Catholic
Bishopric Ioan Robu says Jesus is born even in today’s world, such as it is.
The High Bishop of the Eastern Catholic Church in Romania, Cardinal Lucian,
also says the blood shed in the name of faith and liberty compels us to take a
stand whenever the rights and liberties of the underprivileged are being
discarded. Recalling the words of Pope Francis during his visit to Romania,
Cardinal Lucian has called for fraternity and dialogue among Christians.

(Translated by
V. Palcu)

24 December 2019
The EU focuses on the developments in the Republic of Moldova

Everybody in Chisinau, Bucharest and Brussels was relieved after the
hallucinating political blockage had been removed without violence. After for
one week two parallel governments had assumed legitimacy and accused each other
of coup d’etat and the Constitutional Court had announced the dissolution of
Parliament and the president’s impeachment, the supporters of the controversial
oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc ceded power and started to expatriate, Plahotniuc
in the first place. Pavel Filip’s cabinet made up of Plahotniuc’s Democratic
Party announced it entered the opposition. The Constitutional Court cancelled
its own rulings.

The pro-Russian socialist president Igor Dodon resumed his
prerogatives. The government headed by the pro-European Maia Sandu, supported
by the Socialists, which had taken office on June 8th, could finally
exert the power. In one of her first statements, Maia Sandu promised that the
Republic of Moldova would go ahead with the implementation of the EU
Association Agreement with the Republic of Moldova concluded in 2014. Brussels
has cautiously hailed that commitment. EU High Representative for Foreign
Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini has urged the new authorities in
Chisinau to carry out the reforms laid down in the Association Agreement if
they want to get the EU’s support. We will
remain very vigilant on the next steps and encourage our Moldovan friends to
keep a positive and concrete commitment to work in the direction of the reform
agenda that the country has waited for so long, and I believe it is
now time for them to deliver on that.- Mrs. Mogherini said.

The European
Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations
Johannes Hahn said that next week he would go to Chisinau for talks with the
new government on all sensitive issues. Johannes Hahn stated that
in case of need the European Union would render a quick support and consultancy
as soon as the new Government met the country’s earlier-taken conditions and as
the new Government ensured the observance of the supremacy of law, media
pluralism and implemented a judiciary reform. Deeply worried about the
situation in the neighbouring state where three million speakers of Romanian
live, one million of them being Romanian citizens, Bucharest was happy to see
the peaceful settlement of the crisis. President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister
Viorica Dancila and Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu have reiterated Romania’s
support for the normalization of the situation in the Republic of Moldova and
the fulfillment of its European aspirations. However, pundits are skeptical
about the new left-right wing rulers. Described by many as against nature,
the pro-Russian socialists’ association with the pro-Europeans called up a similar alliance made 15 years ago
when the former pro-Russian communist party made a government alliance with
their fiercest opponents, the anti-Soviet Christian-Democrats advocating the
reunification with Romania. A few years later, that alliance was toppled by a
violent people’s revolt. Today there are no communist and Christian-Democrat
MPs.

(Translated by A.M. Palcu)

18 June 2019
December 21, 2018 UPDATE

EU COUNCIL – On January 1st, 2019, Romania takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU from Austria, which has been a serious and reliable partner, said on Friday in Bucharest president Klaus Iohannis, in a joint press conference with the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The Romanian head of state stressed the very good collaboration between the two countries institutions and the support provided by Austria in ensuring an effective transition to the Romanian presidency of the Council. Also, Klaus Iohannis hailed the results obtained by Austria during its term. In turn, the Austrian Chancellor thanked the Romanian president for taking care of democracy and the rule of law, stressing that the head of state is a guarantor of the two values. With the Romanian PM Viorica Dancila Sebastian Kurz talked about the main issues on the European agenda, such as the future of the EU and the bilateral relation between Romania and Austria.

1989 REVOLUTION – Ceremonies commemorating the heroes of the 1989 Revolution will be held across Romania on Saturday. In Bucharest, events will be hosted by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, one of the hotspots of the Revolution, as well as by the Romanian Television and the Telephone Palace. On Friday, Romania commemorated 29 years since the anti-Communist Revolution extended from Timisoara to Bucharest and the whole country. The Revolution culminated on December 22nd with protesters laying siege to the headquarters of the Communist Party and with dictators Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu attempting to flee Bucharest. Over 1,000 people died and some 3,400 others were wounded in the shootings in Romania, the only Eastern Bloc country where the communist regime was toppled violently and where the communist leaders were executed.

MOTIVATION – President Klaus Iohannis failed to fulfill his constitutional responsibilities when he did not acknowledge the resignations of two ministers and the vacancy of the two posts, reads the motivation issued on Friday by the Constitutional Court to the decision under which the Court had ruled that there was a constitutional conflict between the Government and the head of state. Also, the prime-minister cannot reiterate a proposal for a ministers appointment, in the sense that they cannot indicate the same person for the same office, at the same ministry, the motivation also reads. The Constitutional Court of Romania is of the opinion that, in order for the conflict to be settled, the president of Romania should issue immediately the decrees acknowledging these vacancies and to respond, in writing, to the proposals made by the Prime Minister. On December 7th, PM Viorica Dancila announced that the Government had informed the Constitutional Court that the president did not make a decision about the appointment of the ministers of transport and regional development respectively. Previously, Klaus Iohannis had refused the proposals, saying they were inappropriate.

JUDICIARY – Romanias High Court of Cassation and Justice has continued to suspend the serving of prison sentences received by several high-level officials under corruption charges. Among them are the former chief of the anti-terrorism and anti-mafia directorate Alina Bica, who requested asylum in Costa Rica, the former head of the tax authority, Serban Pop, and former Social Democratic ministers and MPs Dan Şova and Constantin Niţă. They have been released, until final rulings are passed on their appeals. The argument put forth for the suspension of their sentences was that the membership of the 5-judge panels passing the rulings had not been set correctly.

DEFENSE – A new session of the Romanias Supreme Defense Council will be held on the 28th of December, to analyze the requests made by the National Defense Minister Gabriel Les, concerning some vacancies in the leadership of the Romanian Army, the Presidential Administration announced on Friday. On Wednesday, Gabriel Les had announced that he would not extend the term of the current Chief of Staff, Nicolae Ciuca, whose contract expires on the 31st of December. The previous meeting of the Council was held on December 19th to approve the 2019-2028 army equipment programme and the means and forces to be deployed next year for missions and operations abroad.

RUSSIA – Romania is open to a dialogue with Russia on topics that do not come in violation of international sanctions, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu said on Radio Romania. He explained that one of the goals of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council is to have the Black Sea area acquiring the status of priority area, both in terms of security and also economically. “Lately, we have been very much concerned about the growing Russian military presence in the Black Sea area and on the eastern borders of the EU and NATO. That is why, one of the topics that Romania will focus on while holding the presidency of the EU Council is the Black Sea area and the fact that this is a priority issue for the EU” Teodor Melescanu has stated.

ICE HOTEL – On December 23, the only ice hotel in Romania will be opened at Balea Lac in the Southern Carpathians. The official inauguration of the entire compound, to also include an ice church and several igloos, will take place next February. The ice hotel, built entirely of ice blocks, is located at an altitude of 2034 meters. This year, the theme that has inspired the hotels decoration is Frozen Love, promoting love and passion for nature, fresh air and trekking in the winter season. A perfume inspired from this theme will also be launched. Bookings for tourists who want to experiment sleeping at minus 2 degrees Celsius were made months in advance, especially by Britons. The Ice Hotel has been built every year, starting 2005.

21 December 2018
October 11, 2018

TRANSPORTS – Intercity passenger transport is severely disrupted in many counties in Romania, where carriers protest the line ministrys plans to change the rules for the award of licenses. The protest was organised after the Transport Ministry announced it would change the scoring system for the companies taking part in bids for transport routes, on grounds that the current system has led to a monopoly in the market. Carriers around the country are waiting for a meeting with PM Viorica Dăncilă, before they make a decision regarding future protests. Meanwhile, the Transport Committee in the Chamber of Deputies has invited the line minister, Lucian Sova, to provide explanations.

JUDICIARY – The Public Ministry has all the resources required in order to make the Section investigating magistrate offences operational, the Prosecutor General Augustin Lazăr announced today. The statement comes after the Government passed an order on Wednesday regarding the establishment of that section, which is to take over all pending and finalised cases from the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, as of October 23. Augustin Lazăr said the act has already been made public in the Official Journal. Under the law, the new Section is to start working within six months after the law has taken effect, and the Higher Council of Magistrates is yet to initiate the procedures for making it operational. The new unit will be made up of 15 prosecutors, and its chiefs will be appointed further to a selection process run by a commission of 3 judges and a prosecutor from the Higher Council of Magistrates.

PENSIONS – In Romania, a new Pension Bill is to be sent to Parliament, after having been passed by the Government. The Labour Minister Olguta Vasilescu says no pension will be reduced under the new law, nor will the standard retirement age and contribution period be amended. Novelties include the introduction of masters degree and doctoral degree studies as corresponding to pension fund contribution periods. The new law is to come into force in several stages until 2021, when it has taken full effect. Its provisions will regulate the benefits paid to over 5 million Romanian pensioners.

COURT – The Constitutional Court of Romania is discussing today the notifications filed by the Supreme Court, the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and President Klaus Iohannis against a bill amending the Code of Criminal Procedure, as it has been drafted and approved by the ruling coalition. The magistrates claim the text is fraught with ambiguities, whereas the Opposition says the bill helps favour offenders. Also today the Constitutional Court is to discuss the bill on the organisation of courts.

BREXIT – German Chancellor Angela Merkel says progress has been made in the Brexit negotiations, just one week ahead of a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels for what might be one of the last chances to reach an agreement on the terms of the separation between Britain and the European bloc. Merkel said the 27 remaining EU member countries are very united and that they have great confidence in the EU chief negotiator, Michel Barnier. Negotiations are stuck particularly over the Irish border issue and ways to monitor trade over that border.

FOOTBALL – Romanias national football team is playing today, away from home, against Lithuania, in the UEFA Nations League. On Sunday the Romanians will take on Serbia, in Bucharest. In the group standings, Montenegro and Serbia have 4 points each, Romania 2 and Lithuania nil. Depending on its performance in Nations League, Romania may have a better position in the draw for the Euro 2020 preliminaries. Moreover, if they fail to qualify, the Romanians might still have a chance in the play-offs, provided they finish at least 2nd in their group. Meanwhile, Romanias Under 21 team is playing on Friday against Wales, at home, and on Tuesday against Liechtenstein, in the last games of the 2019 European Championships qualifiers. Top of the group is Bosnia, with 18 points, followed by Romania. The last time Romania took part in a Euro Under 21 final tournament was 20 years ago.

YOUTH OLYMPICS – The Romanian table tennis player Andreea Dragoman won the bronze in the womens singles event at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. This is the 7th medal for Romania, which Wednesday night was ranking 7th in the nations with 2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals. Romanias Youth Olimpics delegation is made up of 34 athletes, 21 girls and 13 boys, competing in 14 events. The Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires conclude on October 18th.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

11 October 2018
September 26, 2018

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, will give a national address during the general debate of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly. He will refer to the current challenges to peace, equitability and sustainability of the UN member states and to the role played by the UN in tackling these issues. The Romanian president will also dwell on Romania’s commitments as a member state, the more so as the country will hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019, underlining that strengthening the relationship between the EU and the UN is a priority. Last but not least, Klaus Iohannis will also approach the issue of Romania’s candidacy for a new mandate of non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020 — 2021 period. The UN General Assembly this year is focussing on gender equality, migration and refugees, working in decent conditions, the role of young people with respect to peace and security, supporting the rights of disabled people, actions taken in the field of climate change and revitalising the activity of the organisation.

VISIT– Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă is currently on a working visit to Brussels. During the talks she will approach topical issues on the European agenda, in the run up to Romania’s taking over the rotating presidency of the EU Council. Dancila will also reiterate Bucharest’s readiness to actively contribute to the process of reflecting on and building Europe’s future. On Tuesday, Viorica Dăncilă held talks with European officials, among whom Udo Bullmann and Manfred Weber. The Romanian PM has also made a presentation of the reforms initiated by the government in key domains for Romania and has shown that they are the result of transparent inter-institutional cooperation, the opinion of European partners having been requested when drafting them. The talks in Brussels are unfolding ahead of the EP plenary session due in Strasbourg, next week. The Romanian PM has been invited to attend a debate on the anti-governmental protests of August 10 in Bucharest, which were ended by the forceful gendarme intervention.

MOTION– The Chamber of Deputies has today rejected the simple motion tabled by the National Liberal Party, in opposition, against the agriculture minister, Petre Daea. The document was debated on Tuesday. The Liberals denounce minister Daea’s lack of action to contain the African swine fever epidemic in Romania and demanded his resignation. The National Liberal Party says the population’s food safety was at risk and that the pork industry has been compromised in Romania for a long time from now on. In response, the agriculture minister said the relevant authorities had taken the measures established at European level for such cases and the evolution of the Swine fever, for which there is no vaccine or cure at the moment, is strictly monitored. Some 900 outbreaks have been confirmed in several counties across the country since the emergence of the first outbreak in Romania in late July 2017.

DEFENCE — Romanian defence minister Mihai Fifor underlined in Washington on Tuesday Bucharest’s efforts to consolidate security on NATO’s eastern flank. He also mentioned Romania’s commitment to observe the equitable role, risk and responsibility sharing principle within the Alliance. According to a communiqué issued by the Defece Ministry, during his visit to the US, Fifor has had a series of meeting with representatives of companies active in the defence industry, together with whom he approached issues related to prospective cooperation in the field. On that occasion, the Romanian official restated the Romanian government’s intention to develop all national strategic acquisition programs, through the Romanian defence industry.

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT — Romania’s Constitutional Court has today postponed until October 16 the discussion on the notification sent by president Klaus Iohannis relative to the changes brought to the Law on the Status of local officials. The president says the changes introduce new sanctions for local and county counsellors, which are stipulated by another law, namely that referring to the conflict of interest. Klaus Iohannis also shows in the notification he sent to the Constitutional Court that these provisions run counter to the Constitution, which provides for law clarity.

RadiRo — Season tickets are available as from today for the symphonic concerts given during the RadiRo International Festival, the only festival in Europe and the world devoted to radio orchestras, organised by Radio Romania. The festival runs between October 18 and 25, in Bucharest. The musical highlight of the autumn in Bucharest will bring together some of the best known radio symphony orchestras in Great Britain, Switzerland, Ireland and Germany, Big-Bands from Denmark and Croatia, alongside Radio Romania’s National Orchestra and the Big Band. The novelty this year is a series of jazz concerts given among others by the Romanian-born vocalist, Aura Urziceanu.

26 September 2018
August 1, 2018 UPDATE

LOAN — Romania signed on Wednesday a loan agreement with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, worth 50 million Euro, for a project of improving disaster risk management, the Finance Ministry has announced. The loan is aimed at improving emergency and response infrastructure in case of disasters and enhancing the institutions’ capability to plan investment, with the purpose of reducing the risk of disasters and adjusting to climate change. The loan is granted for up to eight years and will be paid back between November 1st 2024 and May 6th 2026.

NOTIFICATION – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has notified the Constitutional Court in relation with the Law on the status of local elected representatives. Iohannis says the law is not clear enough and contradicts other legal provisions. Also, according to the Presidency, the definition of the conflict of interests in the case of local elected representatives comes against the rule of law as defined in Romania’s Constitution and the European treaties.

SWINE FLU – The authorities in Bucharest presented on Wednesday new measures to combat African swine flu, which has been affecting Romania this summer. New measures will be taken after a government meeting attended by eight ministers, the head of the Emergency Department, and public health officials. According to a tally issued a few days ago, over 440 hotbeds have been identified. 99% of the cases were in household raised pigs, and two in pig farms. The first payments to owners have been issued, worth over 130,000 lei, the equivalent of about 28,000 Euro. The payments are reimbursements for culled pigs, as well as collateral losses. The swine flu was discovered in Romania last summer, but it reemerged two months ago. The disease does not affect people, but it has a high social and economic impact.

GAS — Natural gas for consumers went up in price by 5.85% starting August 1, according to the National Energy Regulatory Agency. This is the third price hike for home consumers this year. Starting on April 1 2017, the price of gas for domestic consumption was liberalized, with producers no longer being state regulated in terms of prices. The agency issued calculations showing that between 2013 and March 2019 gas prices go up almost 76%.

OSCARS – Radu Judes movie I dont care if we go down in history as men is Romanias entry to the 2019 Oscars in the foreign film category. The film is a behind the scenes look at a historical reconstruction of the battle of Odessa in WWII as a street performance. This is Radu Judes sixth feature length movie, and was dubbed by international critics as a smart alarm signal regarding populism, a challenging, sarcastic and crucial look into the past and the present, and a daring comedy drama. I dont care if we go down in history as men is Radu Judes second film submitted by Romania for the Oscars. The first was Aferim!, which ran in 2016.

UNTOLD – The Untold electronic music festival starts on Thursday in Cluj, central Romania, lasting until August 5. Around 350,000 people are expected to attend. Festival goers are from 75 countries, including New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Africa, Argentina, and Canada. In total, 10 stages have been set up this year, for the 250 artists performing, such as The Chainsmokers, Armin van Buuren, Tiesto, Tujamo and Afrojack. The authorities say that the security measures taken make this the safest festival in Europe. Along the four days of the festival, over 1,100 gendarmes, police, firefighters and medical staff will provide security and safety. 70 surveillance cameras will monitor the perimeter of the festival.

WARNING — The Romanian Foreign Ministry has issued a travel alert of bad weather for the Romanian citizens who are in Greece or are planning to travel to this country. Thus, heavy rain and storms and also hail have been forecast for Greece. A travel alert has also been issued for southern France, where high temperatures of 40 to 42 degrees Celsius are expected. On Thursday, there will be a code red alert in Italy’s capital Rome and in several other cities in the north and center of this country.

WORKERS — The General Inspectorate for Immigration in Romania issued in the first half of the year over 4,000 work permits for foreign citizens, more than twice the number in the same period last year. According to GII data published Tuesday, Romania hosts over 100,000 foreign citizens, most of them living in and around Bucharest, Timisoara, and Cluj. In terms of the highest numbers of citizens by country, top is Vietnam, followed by Turkey, China, Serbia, and Sri Lanka.

1 August 2018
The Week in Review 16 – 22 July

The
justice laws in the focus again

President
Klaus Iohannis has challenged at the Constitutional Court the law on the status
of judges and prosecutors, modified in Parliament, but has announced that he
was forced to promulgate the law on judicial organization. In a news conference
on Thursday, Iohannis called on Parliament to reintroduce the law into the parliamentary circuit as of next autumn and
put it in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission. The President
has criticized the lack of transparency of the ruling coalition made up of the
Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in passing
these laws and has said the outcome is worrying. Iohannis has also announced
that he notified the Constitutional Court about the law on the status of
magistrates.

Klaus Iohannis:
At the moment, as regards the law on judicial organization, I have
unfortunately exhausted all constitutional ways to challenge it, and therefore
I must promulgate it. But this does not mean that the road is closed for good.
As regards Law 303/2004 that has been modified, regarding the status of judges
and prosecutors, recently reexamined by Parliament, I will notify the
Constitutional Court and firmly require that the Venice Commission’s opinion be
taken into account.

President
Iohannis has pointed out that parliamentarians’ loyalty should lie with the
Romanian people, who still want to be part of the EU and not be shown as a
negative example in Europe.

In
response to that, representatives of the governing coalition have recalled that
the justice laws have been amended in keeping with the rulings of the
Constitutional Court and say that discussing them again in parliament would
make no sense. The opposition, however, supports the request made by the head
of state, namely for the Government to take into consideration the
recommendations made by the Venice Commission.

On
Monday, the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader said Romania would send its
official opinion to the Venice Commission before the latter’s final report on
the matter. The Venice Commission’s recommendations are generally complied with
by the member states. The Venice Commission has warned that the changes brought
to the three justice laws will most likely undermine the independence of
Romanian judges and prosecutors and weaken people’s trust in the judiciary.

The setting up of the Sovereign Fund for Development and Investment,
declared unconstitutional

The
Sovereign Fund for Development and Investment will be set up through a Government
decree, after the Constitutional Court ruled that this cannot be done by means of a law, the
Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has announced. On Wednesday, the
Constitutional Court accepted the
notification made by the Romanian President and the opposition parties,
according to which the setting up of the Fund was not the prerogative of
Parliament but of the Government, and therefore Parliament violated the principle
of separation of powers.Under that law, 33 companies, in which the Romanian state is a
shareholder, were to be included in the Sovereign Fund for Development and
Investments, whose initial capital would amount to around 2 billion Euros.

Bucharest asks for EU support to
combat the effects of African swine flu

Romania has requested funds from the European Union
for the farmers affected by an outbreak of African swine fever in pigs. The
request was made on Tuesday by the agriculture minister Petre Daea at a meeting
in Brussels with his EU counterparts.The money would help cover the losses suffered by
farmers following the culling of the sick pigs, the suspension of meat
production and a drop in the price of pork in the areas affected. The aid will
also cover costs related to cleaning and disinfection and the destruction of
fodder, the Agriculture Ministry has announced, saying
that Romania continues to take measures to
contain the virus. At the moment, most outbreaks have been reported near the
border with Ukraine.More
than 300 cases have been reported so far.

The Romanian Government earmarks 1
billion Euros for the protection of the cultural heritage

The
Bucharest Government has approved the financing of two extensive cultural
projects worth a total of 12 million Euros. These projects are E-culture:
Romania’s Digital Library and Historical monuments, strategic planning and
optimized public policies, respectively. Under the E-culture project, 550,000 cultural resources will be
included in Romania’s digital library, and an IT platform for the digital
library and a catalogue titled ‘culturalia.ro’ will be created. Also, some
200,000 cultural resources will be included in the europeana.eu portal. The
second project’s outcome will be a cultural heritage code, as well as a
national strategy concerning the preservation of historical monuments. The
projects will benefit from European non-reimbursable funding. Also on
Thursday, the government adopted an emergency ordinance regarding the approval
of an investment program in culture. One billion Euros have been allocated for
its implementation, based on which multi-annual financing programmes can be
signed. Its beneficiaries are the central public authorities, including the
Ministry of Culture and National Identity, as well as its subordinated
institutions, irrespective of the system of financing, as well as the local
public administration. The money will be used for the purchase of historical
monuments and classified tangible cultural assets, by exerting the state’s right
of preemption, the construction of cultural buildings to host cultural,
information and educational activities, as well as for intervention,
rehabilitation and/or modernization and restoration works.

21 July 2018
The justice laws in the focus of politicians’ attention

President Klaus
Iohannis has challenged the law on the status of judges and prosecutors at the
Constitutional Court, but has announced that he had to promulgate the law on
judicial organization. The two bills, alongside the one regarding the
organization and functioning of the Supreme Council of Magistracy, make up the
legislative package to which the left wing majority represented by the Social
Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats brought dramatic
changes, which have been criticized not only by the president of the country,
the opposition and magistrates’ associations, but also by the Venice
Commission.

Here is President Klaus Iohannis:

At
the moment, as regards the law on judicial organization, I have unfortunately
exhausted all constitutional ways to challenge it, and therefore I must
promulgate it. But this does not mean that the road is closed for good.

The country’s
president has criticized the lack of transparency with which the ruling
coalition amended the laws and has stated that the outcome is worrying. Failing
its own supporters after the dismissal of the head of the Anticorruption
Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi, when he let his spokesperson make the
announcement, Klaus Iohannis has tried to come back into the battle. Parliamentarians’
loyalty should lie with the Romanian people, the president has stressed:

We
must not turn into a negative example in Europe by drafting laws aimed at
protecting certain political leaders against prosecution. No politician can or should
trade the principles that shaped democratic Romania after the 1989 Revolution
for their own benefit. No political decision maker has been mandated by the
Romanian people to do that.

The president’s
warning was clearly targeted at the iron fist in the ruling coalition, the
president of the Social Democratic Party and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies
Liviu Dragnea, who’s been accused of maiming the justice system only to get
away unscathed from the cases of corruption he is involved in. In response to
that, representatives of the governing coalition have recalled that the justice
laws were amended in keeping with the rulings of the Constitutional Court and
say that discussing them again in parliament would make no sense.

The
opposition, however, supports the request made by the head of state, namely for
the Government to take into consideration the recommendations made by the
Venice Commission. In a preliminary report, the advisory body of the Council of
Europe warns that the changes brought to the justice laws in Romania might
undermine the independence of the judiciary and create negative effects with
regard to the fight against corruption.

20 July 2018
July 17, 2018

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT — Romania’s Constitutional Court is today discussing the notification filed by the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, as regards the revision of the law on the organisation and functionning of the Higher Magistracy Council, as well as the notification signed by 90 deputies with the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and unnafiliated MPs on the same matter. President Iohannis has argued that Parliament rejected without any motivation his request for the stipulations regarding the functioning of the Higher Magistracy Council to be reexamined, which he says affect the role of the head of state as the one who guarantees the independence of the judiciary and the functionning of the Judicial Inspection. Iohannis also mentions, invoking a Counstitutional Court decision in this respect, that Parliament must reexamine all signalled aspects.

MEETING — President Klaus Iohannis has required a meeting with the Social Democrat PM Viorica Dancila, to be held on Wednesday. The meeting will take place against a sensitive political background, with the media saying that the ruling coalition is negotiating the issuing of an emergency order regarding amnesty and pardoning. This continues to be a controversial issue that triggered large-scale proteststs 18 months ago. The previous meeting between Iohannis and Dancila was held two months ago, also at the president’s request, following the heated debates sparked by the possible relocation of Romania’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President Iohannis asked PM Dancila to resign, at the end of April, saying she is unable to cope with the responsibilities incurred by her position.

BREXIT – UK junior defense minister Guto Bebb has resigned after voting against a government-backed amendment on the customs bill, BBC news reported on Monday. Bebb, who was minister for UK defense procurement, voted against the amendment that will stop Britain from collecting tariffs for the European Union after Brexit. The British government voted to support an amendment proposed Prime Minister Theresa May. The Brexit negotiations between London and the European Union started last year and are due to be completed by the end of March 2019.

CRITICISM – President Donald Trumps discourse at Monday’s news conference in Helsinki drew widespread criticism in the US, including from Trump’s own party, news agencies report. Several Republican senators and a former CIA chief were stunned by Trumps refusal to condemn Putin for what U.S. intelligence agencies have said is solid evidence of Russias sustained effort to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Donald Trump, in a joint news conference with Vladimir Putin on Monday in Helsinki, said that both the United States and Russia were to blame for what he also called the worst relationship between the two countries in their history and said that was about to change. President Putin said in turn the meeting was a good one and that the first steps towards mutual trust were being taken.

BUDGET REVISION – The Bucharest Government convenes today to discuss the first budget revision this year. According to the meeting’s agenda, a draft law initiated by the Defense Ministry, regarding the purchase of equipment aimed at securing Romania’s Black Sea area, will be analyzed. Minister Fifor has said that at the recent NATO Summit in Brussels it was emphasized the fact that Romania is part of a group of five countries that have allotted 2% of the GDP to defense. He has also said that most of this amount will be used for the equipping and modernization of the army.

WATER POLO – Romania’s water polo team was defeated by title holder Serbia, 11-5 in their first match in Group D of the European Championships in Barcelona, attended by the best 16 national teams in Europe. In the other match of the group, Russia beat Slovakia 12-6. Romania will be up against Slovakia on Wednesday. At the 2016 edition of the European Championships, Romania ranked 10th, while in 1993 and 2006 was 4th placed.

17 July 2018
July 13, 2018 UPDATE

VENICE COMMISSION — The Venice Commission on Friday presented its preliminary report on the modifications brought to the justice laws in Romania, following notifications filed by the Romanian President and the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly Monitoring Committee. The report urges Bucharest authorities to reexamine the manner in which high-ranking prosecutors are appointed and dismissed, including by revising key provisions in the Constitution, in the sense of ensuring neutral procedures that should maintain the role of the country’s president and the Superior Council of Magistracy to counterbalance the influence of the Justice Ministry. Other recommendations are related to removing or clarifying provisions seen as ungrounded, lifting restrictions regarding the freedom of expression of judges and prosecutors. The Commission will publish a final report in October, when it will also present its opinion on the modifications brought to the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes.

ANALYSIS — Romania’s Prosecutor’s Office on Friday announced it finalized its analysis on the modifications Parliament has brought to the Criminal Code, finding a total of 21 unconstitutional articles, and recommending a referral to the Constitutional Court. According to an official press release, the aforementioned articles include provisions which lack clarity, coherence and predictability or blatantly violate Constitutional stipulations. Some of them refer to influence peddling, abuse of office, extended confiscation, first-degree murder, false testimony or the setup of an organized crime group. The Prosecutor’s Office also states that a series of modifications have been brought to criminal legislation without taking under advisement the observations and recommendations formulated by the Superior Council of Magistracy and judges and prosecutors’ associations, also without consulting and cooperating with the related institutions in the system.

SUMMIT — Romania has fulfilled its set targets for the NATO summit in Brussels, the most important of which regards Romania hosting a three-star NATO command, whose future structure will be decided by autumn this year, Defense Minister Mihai Fifor announced on Friday. By hosting this NATO structure, Romania proves it is one of the most important players on the NATO eastern flank, Minister Fifor said.

US SUPPORT – Washington supports the territorial integrity and political sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia and reiterates its support for the democratically elected governments and people of those three countries, shows a US Congress resolution. The document shows the US’s commitment to supporting the three former Soviet republics on their way to European integration, and to obtain energy security and intensify commercial cooperation. The resolution also condemns the Russian aggression in the region, and calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and ammunition which are illegally deployed on the territory of these three states. The resolution asks the allies from the EU and the UN to continue to put pressure on Moscow for it to comply with its international commitments and calls on the US Department of State to have a full-fledged and active dialogue against Russia’s interference in the democratic processes of the three sovereign nations. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has recently reiterated the need for a complete withdrawal of foreign armed forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, and NATO called for the pullout of Russian troops stationed in the three states, without their consent, in line with international commitments.

LOANS — The Parliament in Chisinau on Friday ratified a loan agreement with the European Investment Bank worth 80 million euros for the interconnection of Romania and Moldova’s electricity grids. Covering a period of 25 years, the money will be used to build the first link from Isaccea to Vulcanesti, which will provide an alternative energy source to the Republic of Moldova. Construction works are due to complete in 2022. Moldova will receive a second loan, also worth 80 million euros from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a third loan worth 70 million euros from the World Bank and a 40-million-euro grant from the European Commission.

REFERRAL — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis has referred to the Constitutional Court the latest modifications Parliament has brought to the law on local public administration. The president claims the new law allows the possibility for the transfer of assets with unclear property documents into public domain, through a simple statutory declaration of the secretary of the administrative-territorial unit in question. The president also criticized the instatement of certain procedural exemptions under which the concession of assets from the private domain of local municipalities no longer requires a public tender.

PROSECUTION — Anticorruption prosecutors have indicted 90 people, including leaders of the National Health Insurance Authority, the Health Insurance Agency of Bucharest and public officials from the two institutions, but also private health providers, in a case of health insurance fraud. According to the National Anticorruption Directorate, some 4,5 million euros were embezzled by illegally refunding home-based medical care services by the Bucharest Health Insurance Agency.

TRUMP — Great Britain and the United States will try to further post-Brexit cooperation, British Prime Minister Theresa May told a press conference held on Friday jointly with US President Donald Trump. On a visit to London, the White House leader said relations between the two countries are very strong, just hours from harshly criticizing Prime Minister May’s Brexit strategy. The British Government on Thursday outlined its plans on future UK-EU relations after Brexit, which provides for the setup of an area of free trade with the 27 EU Member States. With simplified customs procedures, the accord would also prevent the creation of a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The proposals have stirred harsh reactions from Euroskeptics, while Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and Brexit Minister David Davis resigned, unhappy with London’s approach to negotiations.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

13 July 2018
June 19, 2018 UPDATE

JUSTICE LAWS – The Public Ministry has voiced concern over the way in which the Romanian Parliament endorsed a number of amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure. According to the Public Ministry, the observations and proposals made by the Higher Council of the Magistracy and magistrates professional associations were not taken into consideration. The changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure were endorsed on Monday by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making chamber of parliament on this matter, after the Senate had passed it as well. 175 Deputies voted in favour and 78 against.

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court of Romania rejected as ungrounded the notifications filed by the opposition National Liberal Party and the High Court of Cassation and Justice concerning changes to the law on the status of judges and prosecutors. In its notification, the High Court had stated that the phrasing was general and imprecise, leading in turn to the impossibility of applying the law. The Constitutional Court also rejected president Klaus Iohannis notification concerning changes to the referendum law. One of the claims was that the document included provisions concerning the initiation and procedural steps in revising the Constitution, which fall outside its competence.

PRESIDENCY– President Klaus Iohannis had a meeting on Tuesday with the EU ambassadors to Bucharest, to discuss the forthcoming Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2019. According to a news release issued by the Presidency, Klaus Iohannis stated that a compromise solution for the multi-annual budget must be balanced and meet the new priorities of the Union, such as border protection, migration, the ERASMUS programme, innovation and defense, and keep a substantial level of funding for traditional policies such as cohesion and the common agricultural policy. The President also stressed Bucharests determination to support the efforts to resume the full implementation of the Schengen system, adding that the consolidation of the visa-free area cannot be completed without the full integration of Romania and Bulgaria.

US-ROMANIA– Romanias deputy PM for strategic partnerships Ana Birchall had a meeting on Tuesday with the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell, as part of the 6th annual political meeting for Romania-US Strategic Dialogue. Ana Birchall emphasized Romanias interest in identifying and implementing new joint projects contributing to the development and strengthening of the Strategic Partnership with the US. She pointed out the huge potential in the fields of energy, IT and film industry. On the other hand, she requested the support of the American side for Romanias Visa Waiver application and thanked the US for its support to Romanias efforts to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. On Monday, in an address at the University of Bucharest, the American official said Romania made progress towards a strong judicial system and must not backtrack on it. The US official added that the US appreciated the resilience of the Black Sea countries, but also warned against the danger posed by the influence of Russia and China in the region.

TALKS – The Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu held talks in Brussels on Tuesday with the European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Gunther Oettinger and with the Commissioner for Research Carlos Moedas. During the meeting with Oettinger, Negrescu said that the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in the first half of 2019, will make efforts to conclude in the best of conditions several European files. Also, the Romanian official assured Commissioner Moedas that Romania will pay special attention to research and innovation.

CHINA – At a meeting in Beijing with the North-Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the Chinese President Xi Jinping voiced hope that North Korea and the US would implement the conclusions of last weeks summit in Singapore. International agencies report that the Pyongyang regime wants Chinas support to have international economic sanctions eased, in exchange for promises of denuclearization. The visit is Kims third to China since March.

FOOTBALL – Romanian football champions CFR Cluj on Tuesday found out their potential opponents in the second preliminary round of the Champions League, following the UEFA draw in Nyon, Switzerland. CFR Cluj will play against the winner of the match between the Swedish squad Malmo FF and the winner of the competitions qualifiers. On Wednesday, vice champion FCSB (former Steaua Bucharest) and Viitorul Constanta will find out their opponents in the Europa League. The Romanian cup winners CSU Craiova will play straight into the third preliminary round.

19 June 2018
June 19, 2018

PRESIDENCY – President Klaus Iohannis has a meeting today with the EU ambassadors to Bucharest, to discuss the forthcoming Romanian presidency of the Union Council in the first half of 2019. According to a news release issued by the Presidency, Klaus Iohannis will state that a compromise solution for the multi-annual budget, must be balanced and meet both the new priorities of the Union, such as border protection, migration, the ERASMUS programme, innovation and defence, and keep a substantial level of funding for traditional policies such as cohesion and the common agricultural policy. The President will also express Bucharests determination to support the efforts to resume the full implementation of the Schengen system and will add that the consolidation of the visa-free area cannot be completed without full integration of Romania and Bulgaria.

PRIME MINISTER – PM Viorica Dăncilă presents the joint Parliament Chambers with a progress report on Romanias preparations to take over the EU Council presidency in January 2019. “The talks occasioned by this presentation will be a substantial support to the Governments drawing up and adopting a first working programme for the Presidency, Dǎncilǎ said. She believes the Council presidency will be an opportunity for Romania to prove its capacity to contribute to re-launching the European project, by means of a powerful political vision and relevant administrative capacity.

CODE – The changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure were endorsed on Monday by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making chamber of Parliament in this case, after having been passed by the Senate as well. 175 Deputies voted in favour and 78 against. The National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union in opposition announced they will refer the bill to the Constitutional Court.

JUDICIARY – The Constitutional Court of Romania today discusses President Klaus Iohannis notification concerning changes to the Referendum Law. One of the claims is that the document includes provisions concerning the initiation and procedural steps in revising the Constitution, which fall outside its competence. Also today, Constitutional Court judges discuss the notifications filed by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union in opposition, as well as by the High Court of Cassation and Justice, concerning the bill on the statute of judges and prosecutors. The High Court argues that the phrasing in the new bill is too broad and imprecise making the law impossible to enforce.

US-ROMANIA – Romanias deputy PM for strategic partnerships, Ana Birchall, has had a meeting today with Wess Mitchell, Assistant US State Secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, as part of the 6th annual political meeting for Romania-US Strategic Dialogue. Ana Birchall emphasised Romanias interest in identifying and implementing new joint projects contributing to the development and strengthening of the Strategic Partnership with the US. She pointed out the huge potential in the fields of energy, IT and film industry. On the other hand, she requested the support of the American side for Romanias Visa Waiver application and thanked the US for its support to Romanias efforts to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and development. On Monday, in an address given at the University of Bucharest, the American official said Romania made progress towards a strong judicial system and must not backtrack on it. The US official added that the US appreciates the resilience of Black Sea countries, but also warned against the danger posed by the influence of Russia and China in the region.

FOOTBALL – Romanian football champions CFR Cluj are finding out today their opponents in the second preliminary round of the Champions League, in a UEFA draw in the Swiss city of Nyon. The draw for the Europa League will take place tomorrow, with Romanian vice-champions FCSB (former Steaua Bucuresti) and Viitorul Constanta taking part. The Romanian Cup winners CSU Craiova will play straight into the third preliminary round.

WORLD CUP – Poland-Senegal and Columbia-Japan, in Group H, and Russia-Egypt in Group A, are the football World Cup games scheduled for today. On Monday in Group A, Sweden defeated South Korea 1-0, while in Group G Belgium outplayed Panama, 3-0 and England beat Tunisia 2-1. The Panamanian goalie Jaime Penedo, playing for Dinamo Bucharest, is the only footballer from the Romanian championship taking part in the Russia World Cup. The last final tournament Romania took part in was in 1998.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

19 June 2018
June 12, 2018 UPDATE

VENICE COMMISSION – On Tuesday, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis met with a delegation of the Venice Commission, which is in Romania for talks on the modifications brought to the justice laws. At the end of the meeting, the head of state said he was looking forward to the specialists opinion. Also on Tuesday, the delegation held talks with members of the Special Parliamentary Committee in charge with the laws. Previously, the experts had met with judges of the Constitutional Court and asked for clarifications about the letter sent by the Court to several European institutions concerning the pressures that the court is allegedly subject to. On Monday, the delegation talked to the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader and the Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar. We recall that president Iohannis and the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have requested the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the changes brought to the justice laws. The request was made against accusations launched by the right-wing opposition, part of the press and civic organizations according to which the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats are trying to stop the fight against corruption and get control over the magistrates. In another move, the Venice Commission has also been notified by the Constitutional Court of Romania about what the court magistrates say are attacks against the institution, following the courts opinion, which says that there is a legal constitutional conflict between the justice minister and the president of the country. The latter has rejected as ungrounded the request made by the justice minister regarding the removal from office of the head of the National Anticorruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi.

RULING – Judges with the High Court of Cassation and Justice have postponed for June 29th the verdict in the case involving the former head of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism Alina Bica, businessman Dorin Cocos and his son. Bica is accused of aggravated abuse of office while employed as a secretary of state and representing the Justice Ministry in the Central Commission for Compensation Settlement within the National Authority for Property Restitution. The former chief of the anti-mafia prosecutors office is in Costa Rica, together with Dorin Cocos ex-wife, Elena Udrea, herself a former minister and tried for corruption. For a very long time, Elena Udrea was dubbed the most influential member of the ex-President Traian Basescus circle. The 2 have requested political asylum in Costa Rica.

INFLATION – The annual inflation rate in Romania went up to 5.4% in May, the highest level registered in the past five years. The increase occurred against the background of prices going up for foodstuffs, by almost 4%, for non-food products by almost 8% and for services by almost 3%. The National Bank of Romania has recently revised upwards, to 3.6%, the inflation rate forecast for the end of the year, and to 3% the inflation rate for the end of 2019.

CONFERENCE– At a conference held on Tuesday under the title “We are inventing the future! Our bet on science!”, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis said that there is still a gap between Romania and Western Europe in economic and social terms and pointed out that Romanias modernisation in the future depends a great deal on its investment in innovation. Iohannis said that special attention needs to be paid to the development of major projects in strategic fields and that research is the key of any sustainable economic growth strategy. “Increased European funds absorption and private investment are a must for Romania to be able to develop its research infrastructure,” the head of state also said.

SUMMIT– The US President Donald Trump has stated he is very proud of the outcome of his historic meeting with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The latter has in turn promised that the world will see a major change. Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have pledged to work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The American leader has given assurances that this process will start very soon and that the relationship with North Korea will be very different. According to Reuters, although the summit in Singapore marks only the beginning of a diplomatic process, it could fundamentally change the security landscape of Northeast Asia, just as former U.S. President Richard Nixons visit to Beijing in 1972 led to the transformation of China.

THEATRE – The 25th International Theatre Festival continues in Sibiu (central Romania). This is the largest performing arts event in Romania and one of the most important in Europe. Some 60 events were held on Tuesday, the 5th day of the festival, including 14 street performances, 5 dance shows and 8 theatre performances. Thousands of artists from over 70 countries are performing every day both in theatre halls and in unconventional venues.

HANDBALL– Romanias national womens handball team will play against Norway, Germany and the Czech Republic in group D of this years European Championships, according to the drawing of lots held on Tuesday in Paris. The final tour will take place between 29 November – 16 December. At the previous edition of the championships, two years ago, the Romanian squad came in 5th. On Wednesday, Romanias mens squad will play in Cluj, north-western Romania, against the Macedonian team, a decisive match in the qualifiers for the 2019 World Championship, to be hosted by Denmark and Germany. In the first game hosted by Skopje on Sunday, the Romanian handball players were defeated 24 – 32.

12 June 2018
Constitutional Court explains Kovesi dismissal ruling

The conflict between the Government and President Klaus Iohannis over the latters refusal to dismiss Laura Codruta Kovesi, the head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, ended with the Constitutional Courts decision calling on Iohannis to dismiss Kovesi.

The Constitutional Court claims the Presidents role in this process is strictly to check the legality of the procedure. The Court judges ruled that the Justice Ministers remit is not solely administrative, but also encompasses authority over prosecutors. As such, the Presidents refusal to remove Kovesi from office has prevented the line minister Tudorel Toader from exercising his legal authority, which created constitutional conflict, the Court judges explain.

Still, the Courts decision was not unanimous. There are some judges who found that the President did not exceed his constitutional prerogatives by rejecting Toaders proposal to dismiss Kovesi. The Court warns that, irrespective of who generated the constitutional conflict, the authorities have the obligation to abide by its rulings, which means the President has to sign the decree to sack Kovesi. Prior to the publication of the reasons, Klaus Iohannis gave assurances that he would observe the rule of law and make sure that his decision would not dent the independence of the judiciary. Justice Minister Tudorel Toader believes Iohannis has no other choice but to dismiss Kovesi:

Tudorel Toader: “I dont think the president, irrespective of who he is, can bypass the Constitution. There is no fine or prison sentence for that, but we do have constitutional ways to sanction him if that happens.

The leader of the Liberal Party in opposition, Ludovic Orban, criticises not just the Courts ruling, but also its reasons:

Ludovic Orban: “The Constitutional Courts ruling virtually violates the principle of the independence of the judiciary and of prosecutors. Prosecutors are being turned into agents of the executive power, servants to the Justice Minister, who is a politically appointed official and who can exert a biased control over the activity of his ministry, courts of law and prosecutors.

The members of the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats claim, without any substantiating evidence, that Laura Codruta Kovesi is part of an illegitimate structure which decides who should be removed from public office, by fabricating criminal charges. On the other hand, the National Anticorruption Directorate is constantly praised by the European Commission in its reports on Romanias progress in reforming the justice system under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. In turn, magistrates believe the real stake is not Kovesis fate as head of the Directorate, but the fate of the whole justice system being turned into a tool for the current political power.

(translated by: Vlad Palcu)

8 June 2018
June 6, 2018 UPDATE

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT — Romania’s Constitutional Court has notified the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission and the president of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts of what it called “the virulent attacks launched against the Court, through which representatives of public authorities and of some parliamentary parties have discredited and deligitimised the institution’s authority.” Romania’s Constitutional Court claims that the compulsory character of its rulings would thus be questioned and that the population and the country’s president would be urged not to respect and enforce the recent ruling by the court which took note of the existence of a legal conflict of a constitutional nature between the Justice Ministry and the President of Romania. Notified by the relevant minister, Tudorel Toader, the Court ruled that the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, should revoke the head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, DNA, Laura Codruţa Kovesi. We recall that president Iohannis had rejected as ungrounded the proposal made by the Justice Minister to revoke the DNA chief prosecutor. On Tuesday, Klaus Iohannis said he would make a public statement on the revocation issue only after he receives the Constitutional Court’s motivation, likely to be issued on Thursday. He underlined that he would observe the rule of law and would take care that prosecutors remain independent, in keeping with the provisions of the Constitution. The decision by which Romania’s Constitutional Court imperatively calls on the head of state to revoke Kovesi has stirred criticism and fuelled speculations that, given its current membership, the court would allegedly be politically influenced when issuing its verdicts.

DECISION — The Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday adopted a draft law on the setup of the Development and Investment Sovereign Fund (FSDI). The fund is a funding mechanism identifying and capitalizing on investment opportunities with an impact on sustainable development and creating new jobs on the long-term. The bill was passed after the Commission for Economic Policy tabled several amendments, which include increasing the cash contribution to 2 billion euros and expanding the list of economic operators. The opposition said it would refer the bill to the Constitutional Court and accused the power of undermining national economy.

VISIT — Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila is on a two-day official visit to Lisbon, Portugal, where she met with her Portuguese counterpart, Antonio Costa. In a joint press statement, Viorica Dancila announced the setup of a think tank in the field of European funds so that Romania should reach a high absorption level, similar to Portugal’s. The two officials agreed to boost economic relations and discussed the signing of bilateral agreements in the fields of research and innovation and healthcare. Prime Minister Dancila thanked her Portuguese counterpart for the interest and good care the Portuguese Government displays towards the Romanian community in Portugal. The Romanian Prime Minister also attended the inauguration of the Romanian square Rotunda da Romenia in Estoril. Also on Wednesday, the two countries’ healthcare ministers signed two bilateral cooperation memoranda.

DEFENSE — Romania’s Defense Minister Mihai Fifor on Wednesday held talks with his counterparts from Greece and Serbia over the security developments in the Western Balkans and regional cooperation opportunities, with a focus on developing military capabilities in a multi-national format, including as part of initiatives carried out at EU level. The three ministers met in Nea Peramos Attica in Greece, on the sidelines of the Day of Distinguished Guests to the SALAMIS STORM 2018 multinational exercise, bringing together military from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Serbia. The exercise is aimed at training troops to cope with specific challenges in peace-keeping and crisis-solving operations.

EDUCATION — Education must be adapted to the labour market, in cooperation with the business environment, while students should also learn about European values, such as fairness, in order to access this labour market, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Tibor Navracsics said in Bucharest. The European Commissioner met with Romania’s Education and Culture Ministers and talked to Romanian citizens about education and the future of Europe. In Targu Mures, on Thursday, Commissioner Navracsics will attend a forum on education and a debate on cultural heritage. Also on Thursday the EU official will meet with the president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world no. 1 and seeded first at Roland Garros, on Wednesday qualified to the semi-finals of the French Open, after defeating Germany’s Angelique Kerber, 12 WTA, 2-1. The Romanian is yet to win her first major, after losing the 2014 and 2017 finals in Paris, and the Melbourne final this year. Halep will take on Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who ousted Russia’s Maria Sharapova. In the other all-US semi-final Sloane Stephens will take on Madison Keys.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

6 June 2018