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April 16, 2017 UPDATE

EASTER – Christians around the world, including in Romania, which is a predominantly Orthodox country, celebrated Easter on Sunday. At midnight, they received the holy light and sang Christ is Risen. This year, Easter, which symbolizes the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, is celebrated by all Christian denominations on the same days, which is quite rare, given that western churches celebrate it in keeping with the Gregorian calendar, while eastern churches use the Julian calendar. In the orthodox churches, on Sunday believers attended a mass known as the second Resurrection. Romanias President Klaus Iohannis conveyed a message to all Romanians, saying that the spirit of the Easter holiday should give them confidence and optimism for the future. At the Vatican, during his traditional Urbi et Orbi papal address and blessing, Pope Francis implored God to bring peace in the Middle East and Syria.

REFERENDUM – According to partial results, more than 55% of the Turks voted in favour of the proposed amendments to their Constitution. They said YES to changing the countrys governing system from a parliamentary into a presidential one. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been the main promoter of the reform, which he says its necessary in order to ensure stability, economic growth and security. Opponents, however, argue that these changes will lead to authoritarianism, in a country in which 40,000 people were arrested and 120,000 fired after the failed coup of July 2016. Changing the Constitution will allow Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stay in power for another two 5-year terms, that is by 2029. The office of prime-minister will be abolished and the president will appoint the Cabinet and the vice-presidents, whose number is not certain. Also, he will be able to declare a stage of emergency, without having to ask for the Cabinets approval and will also be in charge of drafting the state budget.

ATTACK – At least 126 people, including 68 children, died in Rashideen, Syria, on Saturday, in a suicide bomb attack on buses that were carrying people evacuated from two besieged government-held towns, according to an updated toll made public by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “The suicide bomber was driving a van supposedly carrying aid supplies and detonated near the busses”, the Observatory said. The attack is one of the bloodiest recorded in Syria in 6 years of conflict. The revolt against Bashar al-Assads regime, which started in March 2011, has turned into a devastating war, which has claimed more than 320,000 lives.

NORTH-KOREA – President Donald Trumps National Security Adviser, General H.R. McMaster, said on Sunday that Pyongyangs latest missile test was a provocation and the US was working together with its allies, including China, to settle the North-Korean nuclear issue. In an interview on ABC, McMaster said that North Koreas consistently antagonistic behaviour “is a situation that just cant continue”. On Sunday, the North- Korean army unsuccessfully tried to launch a missile from a shooting range on the countrys east coast. According to the US Army, the missile exploded within seconds after its launch. The test, which came in violation of the UN resolutions, was attempted just one day after Pyongyang had warned Washington it was not afraid of a potential conflict. In another move, the US vice-president Mike Pence arrived in South Korea on Sunday, the first leg of a 10-day Asian tour, focusing on talks about Pyongyangs weapons programmes. The tension has escalated in the region against raising concern that North Korea might soon conduct the 6th nuclear test.

MEASLES – 700 new cases of measles have been reported in Romania in the past week. According to the Romanian Microbiology Society, the epidemics, which broke out last year, is the result of the severe drop in the vaccination rate against this virus. So far, 21 people have died, and the number of the sick has grown to 4800. In order to prevent the measles from spreading even further, authorities continue the vaccination of children aged 9 months to 9 years.

TENNIS – The pair made up of the Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu and the Taiwanese Su-Wei Shieh on Sunday won the match against the Swiss pair Timea Bacsinszky/Martina Hingis in the doubles final of the WTA tournament in Biel Bienne, Switzerland, with 250,000 dollars in prize money. This is the eighth doubles title for the Romanian tennis player, after the ones won in Budapest in 2009, Hobart in 2012, Shenzhen and Hobart in 2014, Shenzhen, Washington and New Haven in 2016. This has been the first doubles finals for Monica Niculescu this year, after the one in the singles in January, in the Hobart tournament.

HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball champion CSM Bucharest on Saturday qualified for the Champions Leagues Final Four. On Saturday they defeated the Hungarian side Ferencvaros 27-26. In the Final 4 in Budapest, on May 6-7, CSM Bucharest will take on Buducnost Podgorica of Montenegro, Vardar Skopje of Macedonia and the Hungarian squad Gyor. These are the same three teams that CSM played against in 2016, when it won the trophy for the first time.

16 April 2017
April 16, 2017

EASTER – Christians around the world, including in Romania, which is a predominantly Orthodox country, celebrate Easter. At midnight, they received the holy light and sang Christ is Risen. This year, Easter, which symbolizes the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, is celebrated by all Christian denominations on the same days, which is quite rare, given that western churches celebrate it in keeping with the Gregorian calendar, while eastern churches use the Julian calendar. Orthodox believers today attend a mass known as the second Resurrection. The Resurrection of Christ is the very foundation of Christian faith and the celebration of this event symbolizes the victory of Christs merciful love over sin, hell and death.

REFERENDUM – Some 55 million Turks are expected to cast their vote today in a constitutional referendum. The outcome of the referendum might give the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan enhanced power and trigger the most radical change in modern Turkeys political system. The president and his supporters say that amendments must be made to the current Constitution, written by generals after the coup of 1980. The opponents, however, argue that these changes will lead to authoritarianism, in a country in which 40,000 people were arrested and 120,000 fired after the failed coup of July 2016. If the amendments are endorsed by the population, the office of prime-minister will be abolished and the president will appoint the Cabinet and the vice-presidents, whose number is not certain. Also, he will be able to declare a stage of emergency, without having to ask for the Cabinets approval and will also be in charge of drafting the state budget. Changing the Constitution would also allow Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stay in power for another two 5-year terms. Polls show that 50-51% of the voters will say yes to amending the Constitution.

ATTACK – At least 112 people died in Rashideen, Syria, on Saturday, in a suicide bomb attack on buses that were carrying people evacuated from two besieged government-held towns, according to an updated toll made public by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “The suicide bomber was driving a van supposedly carrying aid supplies and detonated near the buses”, the Observatory said. The attack has not been claimed yet. The revolt against Bashar al-Assads regime, which started in March 2011, has in six years turned into a devastating war, which has claimed 320,000 lives.

NORTH-KOREA – The North- Korean army have today unsuccessfully tried to launch a missile from a shooting range on the countrys east coast, according to South-Korean and US officials. The attempt came just one day after the military parade held in Pyongyang to mark the birthday of the states founder, during which what looked like new ballistic missiles were presented. According to the US Pacific Command, the missile exploded within seconds after launch. In another move, the US vice-president Mike Pence has today arrived in South Korea, as part of a 10-day Asian tour. According to his advisers, the tour is proof of the USs commitment to it allies with regard to the growing tension relating to Pyongyangs military programmes. The tension has escalated in the region against raising concern that North Korea might soon conduct the 6th nuclear test.

MEASLES – 700 new cases of measles have been reported in Romania in the past week. According to the Romanian Microbiology Society, the epidemics, which broke out last year, is the result of the severe drop in the rate of vaccination against this virus. So far, 21 people have died, and the number of the sick has risen to 4800. In order to prevent the measles from spreading even further, authorities continue the vaccination of children aged 9 months to 9 years.

HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball champion CSM Bucharest on Saturday qualified for the Champions Leagues Final Four. On Saturday they defeated the Hungarian side Ferencvaros 27-26. In the Final Four in Budapest, on May 6-7, CSM Bucharest will take on Buducnost Podgorica of Montenegro, Vardar Skopje of Macedonia and the Hungarian squad Gyor. These are the same three teams that CSM played against in 2016, when it won the trophy for the first time.

TENNIS – The pair made up of the Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu and the Taiwanese Su-Wei Hsieh is today taking on the Swiss pair Timea Bacsinszky/Martina Hingis in the doubles final of the WTA tournament in Biel Bienne, Switzerland, with 250,000 dollars in prize money. In the semifinals, the pair defeated Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland and Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-4. This will be the first doubles finals for Monica Niculescu in 2017, after the one in the singles in January, in the Hobart tournament.

16 April 2017
April 15, 2017

HOLY SATURDAY – Today is Holy Saturday for Christians around the world, including in Romania, a country with a predominantly Orthodox population. The Holy Light mass is being held in Jerusalem, a unique Orthodox ritual, during which the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem enters the Holy Tomb with 33 candles, which are lit by the holy light. Then the Patriarch exists the tomb and gives light to the believers in the church. A delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Church will bring the light to the country tonight, on a special plane. At midnight, Orthodox and Catholic believers will celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. In his Easter message, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church Daniel calls on Romanians to promote peace and joy, to help the sick, the orphans, the poor and all those who feel alone and sad.

EASTER – 75% of the Romanians say that they usually spend the Easter holidays at home. For this years Easter they have allocated some 110 Euro for food, according to a survey conducted by the Romanian Evaluation and Strategy Institute, published on Friday. 83% of the interviewees say they normally attend the Resurrection mass. Also, according to 92% of the respondents, traditional celebrations are important or very important. Two thirds of them say that there are Easter customs specific to the area they live in, the most common of which are church going (31%), egg painting (20%) and sacrificing lambs (7%). The research was conducted on a sample of 1.084 people, aged over 18.

BORDER TRAFFIC – Some 1.4 million people have crossed the Romanian borders this week, ahead of the Easter celebrations. The border police has reported that, on average, 175,000 people crossed the border checkpoints every day, which is 40% more than usual. The traffic is no longer that heavy as it has been until recently, due to the enforcement of a new European regulation that tightens control on the borders of the Schengen area and of the EU and ahead of the Easter holidays, when lots of Romanians that work abroad have returned home to spend Easter with their families.

CORRUPTION – The former Romanian deputy Sebastian Ghita will remain in police custody in Serbia for two months, as a preventive measure until extradition formalities are ready. Ghita was spotted and detained by the Serbian police in Belgrade on Thursday night, after four months since his disappearance. When asked to show his IDs, he presented a false document allegedly issued by an EU state. Sebastian Ghita went missing on December 21st 2016 and a national warrant was issued on his name, for breaking the terms of the judicial restrictions imposed on him pending trial. On January 10th a European search warrant was issued on his name and he was also put on the Interpol list. Ghita is being tried in two cases of corruption and prosecuted in another two.

MEASLES – 700 new cases of measles have been reported in the past week in Romania. Authorities have warned that the most exposed to getting sick are those who have not been vaccinated. Since the start of the epidemics in September last year, 21 people have died, and the number of the sick has risen to 4800. In order to prevent the measles from spreading even further, authorities continue the vaccination of children aged 9 months to 9 years.

REFERENDUM – Today is the last day of the campaign for the referendum on changing the Turkish Constitution, as a result of which the executive powers of the President would grow significantly. According to the BBC, amending the Constitution is something that president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has wished for a long time. Those who oppose this move are afraid that too much power will be thus placed in the hands of just one person. One day before the referendum, the Turkish population is divided. Two opinion polls show that 50-51% will probably say YES at the referendum. Reuters reports that the voting on April 16th will decide on the biggest change in Turkeys governing system since the establishment of the modern republic, a century ago, as the parliamentary system might be replaced by an executive presidency.

BASEBALL – The Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta is today playing host to a unique event, a baseball game between the US soldiers from the Mihail Kogalniceanu base and Romanias national team. Baseball has been played in Romania for 27 years and this year it has been declared an Olympic sport. This match marks 70 years since the first African American athlete was accepted as member of the Major League Baseball. Thus Jackie Robinson became a symbol of equality, justice and fairplay. According to the Adviser for press and culture with the US Embassy in Bucharest Ronald Hawkins Jr, the audience will enjoy a typically American celebration atmosphere, with lots of refreshments, music, joy and many surprises.

HANDBALL – Romanias womens handball champion CSM Bucharest is today taking on the Hungarian side Ferencvaros, in a decisive match for the qualification into the final four of the most important European competition. In the first match, the Romanian squad defeated the Hungarian squad 30-25. in 2016, CSM Bucharest won the Champions League playing the final against another Hungarian team, Gyor.

15 April 2017
April 14, 2017

CORRUPTION – The former Romanian deputy Sebastian Ghita was localized and detained by the police in Belgrade last night, after four months since his disappearance. Romanian authorities will take the necessary measures to have him extradited. When he was found, he presented false documents apparently issued by an EU state. Sebastian Ghita disappeared on December 21st, 2016 and a national search warrant was issued on his name as he had violated the terms of the legal restrictions imposed on him pending trial. On January 10th, the High Court issued a European warrant and he was also placed on the Interpols wanted list. Ghita is being tried in two cases of corruption and prosecuted in another two. More on this after the news.

EASTER – Christians across the world, including in Romania, which is a predominantly Orthodox country, are commemorating on Good Friday the crucifixion and the burial of Jesus. This evening, believers will attend masses recalling the burial procession. On Saturday night Christians will celebrate Easter, the Resurrection of Christ. This year, the Orthodox and Catholic Christians celebrate Easter on the same day.

US ATTACK – Last night, Washington used in Afghanistan the largest non-nuclear bomb ever launched by the US. The bomb targeted several grottos and tunnels in the east of the country, where Islamic State terrorists were allegedly hiding. The clashes between the terrorist group and the Afghan forces in the region have grown in intensity lately. The bomb used by the Americans, dubbed the mother of all bombs, weighed some 10,000 kg and was guided by means of a GPS system. According to the Pentagon, the super-bomb is the right weapon to destroy the ISIS hiding places and to carry on the offensive against terrorists. This is the second massive ordinance air blast used by the Pentagon within a week, after the bombing of Shairat airport, controlled by the Assad regime in Syria. The US arsenal contains another 19 such bombs, costing more than 300 million dollars. We recall that Donald Trump promised in his election campaign that he would drop a shower of bombs against terrorists.

NATO – As of today, the Cincu shooting range in Sibiu County, central Romania, is hosting the international military exercise Resolute Castle 17. By September 30th, Romanian soldiers will be training alongside US and British soldiers. The exercise, carried for the third consecutive year, is aimed at ensuring a better training of the forces in order for them to be able to deal with crisis situations. Another goal of the exercise is to increase the level of interoperability between the three countries military engineers and to improve the infrastructure of the training center, the Romanian Defense Ministry has announced. The extremely complex security situation in the region has urged NATO to organize a large number of such exercises, especially involving soldiers from the Baltic countries. 120 Romanian soldiers have already been integrated into the NATO combat force in Poland, and a marine corps is attending the Summer Shield exercise underway in Latvia.

BORDER SECURITY – Romanian check points are getting crowded, because of a new European regulation tightening EU and Schengen border checks, which took effect last week, and because of increased traffic ahead of the Easter holidays. The most crowded is the Vama Siret checkpoint in the north, on the border with Ukraine, where trucks have to wait 10 hours to exit the country and two hours to enter. Also crowded are the checkpoints on the borders with the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria and Hungary. Authorities say that the borders will remain croweded in the following days, because restrictions have been imposed in Hungary too for the Easter holidays period.

HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball team and winner of the Champions League CSM Bucharest is playing in Budapest on Saturday against the Hungarian squad Ferencvaros. The match is decisive for qualification into the final four of the most important European competition. In the first match, in Bucharest, the Romanians won 30-25 and became 1 seed. We recall that CSM Bucharest won the Champions League in 2016, playing the final match against another Hungarian team, Gyor.

14 April 2017
April 5, 2017 UPDATE

VISIT – Romania is a profoundly pro-Europe state, and a supporter of the project aimed at relaunching the EU, said Romanias president Klaus Iohannis during the meeting he held on Wednesday in Bucharest with the President of the German Bundestag Norbert Lammert. In turn, the German official said that the EU was the best response to globalisation, and the idea promoted by some politicians that sovereign competences would be regained by weakening the EU was an illusion. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Presidential Administration, the two officials also approached bilateral cooperation, the future of the EU and the refugee issue. The Bundestag President voiced his support for the continuation of the fight against corruption and strengthening the rule of law, as well as his appreciation for the Romanian citizens civic and pro-European spirit.

JUSTICE – The Romanian justice minister Tudorel Toader announced on Wednesday that the bill aimed to harmonize the provisions of the Criminal Codes with the rulings issued by the Constitutional Court will be open for public debate and then submitted to Parliament to undergo the appropriate legislative procedures. He underlined that the bill does not establish a minimum cap for the damage caused in a case of abuse of office. Partially decriminalising the offence of abuse of office, by introducing a ceiling of 45,000 Euro, under which such acts would have not been considered criminal offences, was one of the amendments introduced by Toaders predecessor Florin Iordache in the controversial emergency decree number 13, adopted in January. The emergency decree, which was later repealed, caused the largest street protests in post-communist Romania.

CORRUPTION – The former head of the National Health Insurance Agency Lucian Duta is subject to judicial restrictions pending trial, in a case in which he is accused of bribe taking. According to anti-corruption prosecutors, he reportedly took some 8 million Euros in bribe, in several instalments, from representatives of various companies. In exchange for the money, Duta allegedly signed several contracts related to the single IT system and the implementation of the health card. The former head of the Health Insurance Agency in Romania has 10 days to pay a 1 million Euro bail. Otherwise, a more severe measure might be enforced.

EU – Romania and France share their vision of the future of the EU, with focus on unity and cohesion and a better cooperation between the 27 member states, the Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs Ana Birchall has stated. On Wednesday, she concluded her two day visit to Paris, where she held talks with the French Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir and the Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the French Senate Jean Bizet. The officials approached issues such as the future of the EU, Brexit and the Schengen area. Also, the agenda of talks included the preparation for Romanias taking over the presidency of the EU council in the first half of 2019.

NORTH KOREA – On Wednesday, the Romanian Foreign Ministry reacted to the news that North Korea had launched another medium-range ballistic missile, terming it a violation of the UN Security Councils resolutions. The Romanian Foreign Ministry also stressed the fact that such repeated actions were major threats to world peace and security and made an appeal to the Pyongyang authorities to fully observe the international regulations in force and to avoid actions that might destabilize the situation in the peninsula and in the world. In the past years, North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests and in 2016 it launched some 20 ballistic missiles. The international community is concerned that Pyongyang might actually work on building an inter-continental ballistic missile.

BREXIT – The European Parliament (EP) on Wednesday endorsed, by a large majority, a resolution establishing priorities in the negotiations over the UKs exiting the Union. According to the Radio Romania correspondent, the resolution benefits from the support of the big political parties in the EP. The main provision of the resolution is ensuring a fair treatment of all the EU citizens in Great Britain, while at the same time protecting the rights of the British who live in EU countries. Also, the resolution provides that, by the time Brexit becomes official, the UK should observe the four European fundamental freedoms: the free movement of goods, people, services and capital. The EP plays a major role with regard to the Brexit issue, especially through the vote on the final agreement.

AWARD – The Culture Palace in Blaj, central Romania, is the recipient of the 2017 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage, in the Conservation category. In the Dedicated Service category, the award went to Zoltan Kallos, an ethnologist with a research career spanning more than 70 years and focusing on the Hungarian, Romanian, Saxon and Rroma communities in Transylvania. The prize, known as Europa Nostra, is the highest distinction awarded in Europe in this field. The 29 winners from 18 countries are recognized for their outstanding contribution in the fields of conservation, research, dedicated services and education, training and awareness. The jury was made up of independent experts and examined some 200 applications submitted by organizations and natural persons from 39 European countries.

ICE HOCKEY – On Thursday, Romanias national mens ice hockey team will take on Iceland, in the third match of the World Championship, Second Division, underway in the Romanian city of Galati, in eastern Romania. In the first two matches, Romania defeated Belgium 9-1 and Serbia 4-1. The Romanian teams goal is to come in first in the group, as this would secure its promotion to the next stage. These are the first matches played under the training of the new coach of the Romanian team, the Canadian Martin Lacroix.

HANDBALL – The Romanian Cristina Neagu, playing for Buducnost Podgorita, designated the worlds best handball player in 2016 and four players with the CSM Bucharest handball club, namely Majda Mehmedovic, Isabelle Gullden, Anastasia Lobaci and Carmen Martin, have been nominated to be part of the Champion Leagues All-Star Team. This year, the European Handball Federation has nominated 50 players and trainers from 18 countries and 12 clubs that have played in the Champions League in the current season. The voting will be held online, between April 5th – May 2nd. The membership of the All-Star team will be announced at the final tournament in Budapest, due on May 6th -7th.

5 April 2017
March 4, 2017 UPDATE

REPORT – Corruption continues to be one of Romania’s major problems, according to the US Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016. According to the report, bribe giving and taking continues to be a widespread practice in the public sector, the laws are not always enforced effectively and the officials, including judges, are sometimes corrupt and are not being punished. The report also mentions that the immunity held by former and current ministers, who are also parliament members, has sometimes blocked criminal investigations. The report denounces discrimination against the Rroma minority, prison overcrowding and the media politicisation. Politicians and political groups own or control indirectly numerous national or local press groups and the news often reflect the owners’ political convictions, the reports also reveals.

QUAKE — Romania commemorated on saturday 40 years since the devastating quake of March 4, 1977, measuring 7.2 degrees on the Richter scale, that killed 1,570 people. The quake also caused material damage worth over 2 billion dollars. About 230 thousand homes were seriously damaged and 760 economic units became unfunctional. The earthquake generated an economic and social crisis that, according to historians, the communist dictatorship of that time was unable to overcome. Experts have warned that hundreds of buildings risk collapsing in the capital Bucharest in case of an earthquake of an equal magnitude.

PNL – The National Coordination Council of the right-of-centre National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania, on Saturday decided on the roadmap, procedures and manner of electing its president. Although many Liberals favoured the idea of the partzzy president to be elected directly, by all party members, this will only be the prerogative of the delegates at the Congress due in June. Until then, Raluca Turcan will continue to be the party’s interim president, after being validated by most members. So far, former ministers Ludovic Orban and Catalin Predoius have voiced their intention to run for party president, after Alina Gorghiu resigned this position following the defeat in the parliamentary elections.

JUSTICE — Romania’s new justice minister, Tudorel Toader, announced that in about six weeks he would present the Government a draft law that would modify the criminal law in keeping with the Constitutional Court’s decisions. In an interview on Radio Romania, the minister said the law would be debated and adopted in Parliament. Tudorel Toader was appointed at the helm of the justice ministry in February, following the serious political crisis triggered by the government’s attempt to change the criminal laws through emergency decrees.

TENNIS — The team made up of the Romanian Horia Tecau and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer won on Saturday the men’s doubles final of the Dubai tournament with 2.4 million dollars in prize money. Tecau and Rojer defeated the Indian-Polish tem Rohan Bopanna/Marcin Matkowski, in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 10-3. Horia Tecau has so far won 30 ATO tournaments in men’s doubles and lost 17 finals. The Romanian won 13 titles together with Jean-Julien Rojer.

RUGBY – Romania’s rugby team on Saturday defeated Russia away from home, 30-10. The match played in Sochi and counts for the third round of Rugby Europe Championship. In the first game, the Oaks lost 38-41 to Germany, and then they defeated Spain, 13-3. Romania’s next fixtures are the match against Belgium away from home on March 11 and the home game against Georgia, scheduled for March 19.

WOMEN’S HANDBALL – European champions CSM Bucharest qualified to the Champions League’s quarterfinals after defeating on Friday evening, on home turf, the Slovenian team Krim Ljubljana, 28-26. In the last match of the group CSM Bucharest will be up against the Danish team Ebsjerg. Most probably, the Romanian team’s opponent in the quarterfinals will be the Macedonian side Vardar Skopje.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

4 March 2017
March 4, 2017

REPORT – Corruption continues to be one of Romania’s major problems, according to the US Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016. According to the report, bribe giving and taking continues to be a widespread practice in the public sector, the laws are not always enforced effectively and the officials, including judges, are sometimes corrupt and are not being punished. The report also mentions that the immunity held by former and current ministers, who are also parliament members, has sometimes blocked criminal investigations. The report denounces discrimination against the Rroma minority, prison overcrowding and the media politicisation.

JUSTICE — Romania’s new justice minister, Tudorel Toader, has announced that in about six weeks he will present the Government a draft law that will modify the criminal law in keeping with the Constitutional Court’s decisions. In an interview on Radio Romania, the minister said the law will be debated and adopted in Parliament. Tudorel Toader was appointed at the helm of the justice ministry in February, following the serious political crisis triggered by the government’s attempt to change the criminal laws through emergency decrees.

PNL – The National Coordination Council of the right-of-centre National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania, on Saturday decided on the roadmap, procedures and manner of electing its president. Although many Liberals favoured the idea of the party president to be elected directly, by all party members, this will only be the prerogative of the delegates at the Congress due in June. So far, former ministers Ludovic Orban and Catalin Predoiu have voiced their intention to run for party president, after Alina Gorghiu resigned this position following the defeat in the parliamentary elections.

QUAKE — Romania commemorates today 40 years since the devastating quake of March 4, 1977, measuring 7.2 degrees on the Richter scale, that killed 1,570 people. The quake also caused material damage worth over 2 billion dollars. About 230 thousand homes were seriously damaged and 760 economic units became unfunctional. The earthquake generated an economic and social crisis that, according to historians, the communist dictatorship of that time was unable to overcome. Experts have warned that hundreds of buildings risk collapsing in the capital Bucharest in case of an earthquake of an equal magnitude.

WOMEN’S HANDBALL – European champions CSM Bucharest qualified to the Champions League’s quarterfinals after defeating on Friday evening, on home turf, the Slovenian team Krim Ljubljana, 28-26. In the last match of the group CSM Bucharest will be up against the Danish team Ebsjerg. Most probably, the Romanian team’s opponent in the quarterfinals will be the Macedonian side Vardar Skopje.

RUGBY – Romania’s rugby team is today taking on Russia away from home. The match will be played in Sochi and will count for the third round of Rugby Europe Championship. In the first game, the Oaks lost 38-41 to Germany, then they defeated Spain, 13-3. Romania’s next fixtures are the match against Belgium away from home on March 11 and the home game against Georgia, due on March 19.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

4 March 2017
February 25, 2017 UPDATE

MIGRATION 8 Syrian citizens were discovered on Saturday by Romanian policemen while trying to illegally cross the border into this country in a minibus. The minibus, which was driven by a Bulgarian national, was bound for Germany. The 8 Syrians with ages ranging from 15 to 30 years have confessed that they have paid 16 thousand euros each to be taken to Germany, a police communiqué says.

VISIT Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu, on Monday will be paying a formal visit to Budapest for talks with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto and Prime Minister Viktor Orban. For the first time, the Romanian official will deliver a speech at the annual meeting of the Hungarian diplomacy. During the talks, the head of the Romanian diplomacy will be pleading for stepping up political-diplomatic dialogue and boosting economic cooperation particularly in fields like energy or infrastructure. The two sides are expected to also tackle the issue of national minorities’ rights. Melescanu is also to meet representatives of the Romanian community in Hungary with whom he will discuss their preoccupation for maintaining their ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity as well as ways through which the Romanian state can support them.

MUSEUM Brukenthal, a national museum based in Sibiu, central Romania, on Saturday celebrated 200 years of existence. This is the oldest museum in Romania and some of Europe’s first. It was opened upon the last will of baron Samuel von Brukenthal, a Saxon lawyer and governor of Transylvania between 1777 and 1778. The massive baroque palace, which is housing the museum, with its famous collections of paintings, old books, coins, stamps and maps, was also built in Sibiu’s square around that year. We recall that in 2007 Sibiu and Luxembourg were European capitals of culture.

HANDBALL The International Handball Federation announced that Swedish Isabelle Gullden currently playing for CSM Bucharest and Romanian Cristina Neagu who is to join the team in the next season had been nominated for the IHF Best Handball Player of the year. We recall that Neagu, 28, was also nominated the world’s best handballer in 2010 and 2015. Gullden also 28 was the best scorer of the Champions League’s last edition.

DRILL Romanian and US troops will be attending a joint drill at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in southeastern Romania, part of the Atlantic Resolve operation aimed at strengthening NATO’s eastern flank. According to the Defence Ministry in Bucharest, Tuesday will see operations of loading and gunships attacks involving Black Hawk helicopters belonging to the 10th US brigade, the first big army unit deployed to Eastern Europe as part of the Atlantic Resolve operation. In another move, a 20 strong Romanian infantry unit will join the international drill Dynamic Front ll due in Germany between February 26th and March 10th. The drill involves the participation of nearly 1400 military from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Great Britain, Romania, the USA and Turkey.

25 February 2017
February 25, 2017

VISIT Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu, on Monday will be paying a formal visit to Budapest for talks with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto and Prime Minister Viktor Orban. For the first time, the Romanian official will deliver a speech at the annual meeting of the Hungarian diplomacy. During the talks, the head of the Romanian diplomacy will be pleading for stepping up political-diplomatic dialogue and boosting economic cooperation particularly in fields as energy or infrastructure. The two sides are expected to also tackle the issue of national minorities’ rights. Melescanu is also to meet representatives of the Romanian community in Hungary with whom he will discuss their preoccupation for maintaining their ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity as well as ways through which the Romanian state can support them.

RALLY Several thousands took to the streets of Targoviste in southern Romania to participate in a support rally for the PSD-ALDE cabinet, staged by the Social Democrats. We recall that for almost 4 weeks, Romania saw large-scale anti-government protests sparked off by attempts by Sorin Grindeanu’s government to amend the penal legislation through an ordinance. Bucharest and other several cities have also seen support rallies. The ordinance had no effects because it was repealed by the government and later by Parliament.

DRILL Romanian and US troops will be attending a joint drill at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in southeastern Romania, part of the Atlantic Resolve operation aimed at strengthening NATO’s eastern flank. According to the Defence Ministry in Bucharest, Tuesday will see operations of loading and gunships attacks involving Black Hawk helicopters belonging to the 10th US brigade, the first big army unit deployed to Eastern Europe as part of the Atlantic Resolve operation. In another move, a 20 strong Romanian infantry unit will join the international drill Dynamic Front ll due in Germany between February 26th and March 10th. The drill involves the participation of nearly 1400 military from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Great Britain, Romania, the USA and Turkey.

HANDBALL Romania’s and Europe’s champions in women’s handball, CSM Bucharest will today be playing Norwegian side Larvik in the Champions League’s group two. The first match ended in a 26-all draw and CSM is currently ranking fourth in a group dominated by Hungarian side Gyor. Danish side Midtjylland is coming second followed by Larvik. The fifth and sixth positions in the group are occupied by Krim Ljubljana of Slovenia and Team Esbjerg of Denmark respectively.

ATTACKS Over 40 people were killed on Saturday in a series of attacks targeting bases of the security forces in Homs, Syria’s third largest city, mainly controlled by troops loyal to the regime in Damascus. The attacks carried out by suicide bombers have been claimed by a former Al Qaeda cell based in Syria. An army intelligence chief is reported to have been killed in the blasts.

25 February 2017
February 21, 2017 UPDATE

FINANCES – Romanian Finance Minister Viorel Stefan met on Tuesday in Brussels with the European Commission’s Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, and with the EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Pierre Moscovici. According to a release by the Finance Ministry in Bucharest, the talks, that were held on the sidelines of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting, focused on the macroeconomic aspects in Romania and on the 2017 state budget proposed by the leftist government. At the meeting, Romania supported the measures aimed at curbing fiscal evasion at EU level and the adoption of a directive in this respect, due to be implemented in late 2019, the release also reads.

EMERGENCY DECREE — Romania’s Chamber of Deputies rejected on Tuesday the controversial emergency ordinance 13, amending the criminal codes, and endorsed ordinance 14 that repeals ordinance 13. The Chamber of Deputies is the decision making body on this matter. We remind you that the government’s move to change the criminal law by an emergency ordinance brought hundreds of thousands of Romanians into the streets. The anti-government protests started on January 31, when decree no. 13 was passed, and have continued daily ever since, even after it was repealed by means of decree no. 14. At the same time with the anti-government protests, rallies were also staged against president Klaus Iohannis who has been accused of being an inefficient mediator in the political crisis and for siding with the anti-government protesters.

LONDON — In Britain, Tuesday was a second day of discussions in the House of Lords on the governments European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, which, if passed, will allow Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, allowing formal talks with the EU to start. The House of Commons have already passed the bill. PM Theresa May has called on the House of Lords to take the example of the House of Commons and rapidly pass the bill. After last year’s historic vote in favor of Brexit, Theresa May promised to initiate the Brexit procedure by the end of March. At the same time, discussions are taking place in Brussels on the size of the bill to be presented to Mrs May when she launches the talks. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has recently said in a speech to the Belgian Federal Parliament that exit will not come “at a discount or at zero cost.”

WASHINGTON — The American President, Donald Trump, appointed general Herbert R. McMaster (54) as national security advisor. He replaces Michael Flynn who has recently stepped down for failing to tell the truth about a conversation he had with the Russian ambassador to Washington. Herbert R. McMaster is one of the most appreciated generals of the American army and an excellent strategist. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, general McMaster criticized the way in which the former president George W. Bush intervened in Iraq, drafting a different strategy against terrorism. General David Petraeus, a former commander of the American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, used this strategy that changed the fate of a war which the US was about to lose.

HANDBALL – Handball player Cristina Neagu will return home to play for CSM Bucuresti, the municipality’s club. Neagu, who has been playing for ZRK Buducnost (Montenegro) since 2014, signed a two-year contract with CSM Bucuresti. She will be officially presented during a press conference scheduled for early-March. The International Handball Federation voted Cristina Neagu World Handball Player of the Year in 2010 and 2015 but the Romanian player also won the title of Best Romanian Handball Player in 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2016.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

21 February 2017
28 January 2017, UPDATE

2017 budget. The draft budget for 2017 will be discussed
on Tuesday by the government after a meeting of the Country’s Supreme Defence
Council called by president Klaus Iohannis on Friday to approve the draft
budget of national security institutions proposed by the government. Prime
minister Sorin Grindeanu explained that his cabinet’s wish was for the new
budget to cover all measures contained in the governing programme and that the
fact that certain institutions may receive less money does not threaten their
activity. The 2017 budget is based on a 5.2% economic growth rate, while the
budget deficit is estimated at 2.96% of the GDP.

Merkel-Iohannis. German
chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday called Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis to
express her support for the continuation of the fight against corruption in
Romania. She also voiced her concern about the possibility that certain actions
may affect the country’s efforts to combat this phenomenon. President Iohannis
assured the German chancellor that he was firmly committed to continuing the
fight against corruption in Romania with a view to building a mature and solid
democracy. The president said that, at regional level, Romania remains a
reliable partner and one of the most important pillars of stability. He said
that, in the context of complex crises at international level, Romanian-German
cooperation has become very dynamic, both within the European Union and NATO, a
trend that must continue. During their telephone conversation, the two leaders
also spoke about the excellent stage of the special strategic relationship
between their countries and the consolidation and deepening of bilateral
political dialogue, as well as enhancing coordination on European matters.

Prison pardon. The president of the Democratic Union of
Ethnic Hungarians in Romania Kelemen Hunor said any change to the criminal and
criminal procedure codes must be made in Parliament, in keeping with the
decisions of the Constitutional Court, and not by government’s calling for a
vote of confidence or by its issuing an emergency ordinance. Hunor said it was
also Parliament that must decide in the matter of prison pardon and when such a
measure should be made. The justice ministry will hold a public debate on
Monday on the draft emergency ordinances on pardon and the amendment of the
criminal and criminal procedure codes. The right-wing opposition, civil
society, the main judicial institutions and magistrates organisations have
described the proposals as ill-timed. The justice ministry says however that
collective pardoning and certain changes to the criminal laws are necessary to
ease prison overcrowding, something the European Court of Human Rights has
criticised, and to comply with certain decisions of the Constitutional Court.
The government has been accused of trying to lift the convictions of influential
persons from politics and the administration.

Trump immigration. A number of American civil rights
groups, including the powerful American Civil Liberties Union, filed legal
action on Saturday challenging an executive order by US president Donald Trump
banning entry to the US of nationals of a number of Muslim-majority countries.
On Friday, Trump announced a tougher legal framework for immigration and
refugee admission to prevent what he called radical Islamic terrorists from
entering the US. Trump banned the entry of Syrian refugees until further
notice. He also halted the issuing of visas for the citizens of seven
Muslim-majority countries, namely Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and
Yemen, for three months. Rights groups
have immediately condemned the
measures. The United Nations has
called on Trump to continue the US’s long tradition of protecting those who
are fleeing conflict and persecution and not to distinguish on account of
race, religion and nationality.

Handball. CSM Bucharest, the European defending champion in women’s
handball, drew 26-all at home against the Norwegian side Larvik HK in a
Champions League group match on Friday. CSM will next face the Slovenian side RK Krim Mercator on the 4th
of February in Ljubljana. The latter lost on Saturday to the Hungarian side ETO
Gyor, the leader of the group with 8 points. Krim are in the second position
with 6 points, followed by Larvik with 5, the Danish side FC Midtjlland with 4,
CSM Bucharest with 3 points and another Danish side, Team Esbjerg, with 2
points.

28 January 2017
28 January, 2017

Merkel-Iohannis. German
chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday called Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis to
express her support for the continuation of the fight against corruption in
Romania. She also voiced her concern about the possibility that certain actions
may affect the country’s efforts to combat this phenomenon. President Iohannis
assured the German chancellor that he was firmly committed to continuing the
fight against corruption in Romania with a view to building a mature and solid
democracy. The president said that, at regional level, Romania remains a
reliable partner and one of the most important pillars of stability. He said
that, in the context of complex crises at international level, Romanian-German
cooperation has become very dynamic, both within the European Union and NATO, a
trend that must continue. During their telephone conversation, the two leaders
also spoke about the excellent stage of the special strategic relationship
between their countries and the consolidation and deepening of bilateral political
dialogue, as well as enhancing coordination on European matters.

2017 budget. The draft budget for 2017 will be discussed
on Tuesday by the government after a meeting of the Country’s Supreme Defence
Council called by president Klaus Iohannis on Friday to approve the draft
budget of national security institutions proposed by the government. Initially,
the latter said it would adopt the draft budget on Friday and submit it to
Parliament for debate. Prime minister Sorin Grindeanu explained that his cabinet’s
wish was for the new budget to cover all measures contained in the governing
programme and that the fact that certain institutions may receive less money
does not threaten their activity. The 2017 budget is based on a 5.2% economic
growth rate, while the budget deficit is estimated at 2.96% of the GDP. The
areas of transports, agriculture, healthcare and small and medium sized
enterprises will receive the largest amount of funds. Education, energy,
regional development, the home office, the foreign office, the president’s
office, the two chambers of Parliament and the Foreign Intelligence Service are
to receive less money than in 2016.

Foreign workers quota. Romanian
employers may hire this year 5,500 foreign nationals newly admitted to the
labour market, according to a decision issued on Friday by the government in
Bucharest. These are citizens of countries other than those part of the
European Union and the European Economic Area or Switzerland and whose access
to the labour market is regulated by agreements and treaties signed by Romania
with other states. The government has also established the number and type of
newly admitted foreign workers: 3,500 permanent workers, 200 seasonal workers,
200 internship workers, 100 cross-border workers, 800 highly qualified workers
and 700 posted workers. The number of newly admitted foreign workers in Romania
is established every year by government decision. This ensures a control of
foreign workers entering Romania and restricts the number of foreign posted workers
whose social security contributions are paid in the country of origin.
According to the government, the budget revenue resulting from the issuing of
hiring and posting authorisations for newly admitted workers in Romania is
estimated at 1.1 million euros.

USA measures. US president Donald Trump on Friday announced a
tougher legal framework for immigration and refugee admission to prevent what
he called radical Islamic terrorists from entering the US. Trump has banned
the entry of Syrian refugees until further notice. He also halted the issuing
of visas for the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, namely Iraq,
Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, for three months. The federal
programme for the admission of refugees of all nationalities from countries at
war has been halted for four months. Rights
groups have immediately condemned
the measures. The United Nations has
called on Trump to continue the US’s long tradition of protecting those who
are fleeing conflict and persecution and not to distinguish on grounds of
race, religion and nationality. The American Civil Liberties Union criticised
the use of the words extreme vetting, saying it was a euphemism for discrimination
against Muslims.

Handball. CSM Bucharest, the European defending champion
in women’s handball, drew 26-all at home against the Norwegian side Larvik HK
in a Champions League group match on Friday. The winner of the European title
in 2011, Larvik are now third in their group. The leaders of the group are the
Hungarian side ETO Gyor and the Slovenian side Krim Ljubljana, with 6 points each, followed by Larvik with
5 points, the Danish side FC Midtjlland with 4 points, CSM Bucharest with 3
points and another Danish side, Team Esbjerg, with 2 points. CSM will next face
Krim on the 4th of February in Ljubljana.

28 January 2017
11 November, 2016

CAMPAIGN — Romania kicks off today its parliamentary election campaign, scheduled for December 11. Almost 6,500 people have registered as candidates for the 466 seats in the Senate and the lower chamber, on behalf of political parties or as independents. This election, the list system has been reinstated; the last time it was used was in the 2004 elections, with new norms of representation introduced for senators and deputies.

CHISINAU — Pro-Russian Socialist candidate Igor Dodon and pro-European reformer Maia Sandu face off on Sunday in the second round of elections in the Republic of Moldova. About three million citizens are called to the polls to vote directly for the president for the first time in 16 years, time in which the head of state was appointed by Parliament. Analysts say that this election has geopolitical implications. Dodon wants to join the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Union, while Sandu pleads for reforming the state and joining the EU.

TRUMP — Protests against Donald Trumps victory in the US presidential elections continued yesterday for a second day in several cities across the country, according to the Associated Press. Protesters fear that the future president will put a dent in civil rights and freedoms, given his campaign rhetoric regarding immigrants, Muslims and other groups. Trump tweeted in reaction to protests, saying that the protesters were hired by the media. In the meantime, the president elect had his first meeting with President Barack Obama to arrange a smooth transition of power. President Obama described the discussion as being encouraging. In turn, Trump thanked the president for his advice, and said that he would continue working with him in the future.

FOOTBALL — Romanias national football team plays today in Bucharest against Poland, in a game counting towards the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In the first three games in Group E, Romanians scored a devastating victory against Armenia in Yerevan, 5-0. They tied at home 1-all against Montenegro, and tied away from home in Kazakhstan with no goals scored. Montenegro and Poland lead the group with 7 points, and Romania follows, with 5 points. We recall that the national team is trained for the first time in its history by a foreign coach, German Cristoph Daum.

VETERANS DAY — Romania celebrates today Veterans Day, in military units and at heroes tombs across the country. In Bucharest, ceremonies and laying of wreaths were held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and at the Monument of Heroes Fallen in Theaters of Operations and on Romanias Territory. Romanians have been celebrating Veterans Day on November 11, alongside the other European countries, the United States, Canada and Australia. This date marks the 1918 armistice between the Allies and the Central Powers which put an end to WWI.

PIPELINE — The gas pipeline between Romania and Bulgaria was inaugurated today, according to the Ministry of Energy in Sofia. It runs over 25 km, the longest such installation in Europe so far. The Bulgarian portion runs over 15.4 km, the one in Romania is 7.5 km long, with 2.1 km running under the river Danube, separating the two countries. The pipeline provides a secure and permanent supply of natural gas for home and industry consumers in the two countries. Its inauguration meets the requirement of the European Energy Union requiring the creation of gas transportation systems between member states. The gas pipeline is part of a wider plan to link natural gas networks in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria by the end of 2019.

HANDBALL — Romanian womens handball champions, CSM Bucharest, play today in an away game against the Russian team Rostov Don in the preliminaries of the Champions League. After three consecutive defeats, CSM is last in its group, with only two points, same as their Russian opponents, who are in third place. The group is led by Hungarian team Gyor, who hold eight points, followed by the Danish team FC Midtjylland, who are in second place with four points. CSM must secure a win in Russia in order to qualify. The first three teams in groups qualify for the main groups.

11 November 2016
October 28, 2016

Romanian prime minister Dacian Ciolos on Friday met
survivors and relatives of people wounded in the fire that broke out a year ago
at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest in which 64 people were killed and more
than 100 injured. On Wednesday, the government decided to prolong by two years
the reimbursement of the expenses incurred by the wounded for their treatment
abroad. The court has recently begun a trial in the case. The three owners of
the nightclub are accused of manslaughter, bodily harm and for failing to take
the required legal health and safety measures. The owners of the company that
supplied the pyrotechnics, an employee and two legal persons will also stand
trial. The tragedy was followed by large-scale street demonstrations that led
to the resignation of the then Social Democrat prime minister Victor Ponta and
the appointment of Dacian Ciolos’s technocratic cabinet.

Independent
parties and candidates in Romania have submitted their candidate lists for the
parliamentary elections of December 11th. Most political parties
have candidates for all counties and say they propose many new names alongside
experienced parliamentarians. The election campaign takes place between the 11th
of November and the 10th of December.

Today is the final day of the election campaign ahead of
the first round of the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova, an
ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population. The country’s
president will be elected by direct vote instead of Parliament for the first
time in 16 years. Commentators say these elections are crucial for Moldova’s
geopolitical orientation, given that the pro-Russian Socialist leader Igor
Dodon is leading in all opinion polls. His main rival is the former reformist
education minister Maia Sandu, who campaigns for a reform of the state and
accession to the European Union and who enjoys the support of other pro-western
candidates, who pulled out of the race. Moldova’s ambassador to Bucharest Mihai
Gribincea said polling stations have been set up in neighbouring Romania at the
Moldovan embassy and the consulate in Bucharest, in Iasi, Galati, Bacau and
Suceava, all of which are in the east, close to the Romanian-Moldovan border,
as well as in Timisoara, in the west, Brasov, in the centre, Cluj, in the
north-west, Constanta, in the south-east and Craiova, in the south. The
government in Bucharest has decided to provide free railway transportation to
and from polling stations for Moldovan students in Romania wishing to cast
their votes.

Belgium’s regional parliaments are today to sign the
revised text of the EU-Canada free trade agreement. Yesterday, the federal
prime minister Charles Michel said the leaders of the Belgian regions reached
an agreement on CETA. The revised document must also be approved by the other
27 EU member states and Canada before being signed. The agreement, initially to
be signed on Thursday in Brussels, has been blocked by the regional government
of Wallonia, who was unhappy with a number of provisions, in particular the
rules of trade arbitration between private companies and governments. Romania
also made the signing of the agreement conditional on Canada’s lifting of visas
for Romanian citizens. Canada agreed to a gradual lifting of visas starting
next year, but only if the free trade agreement with the European Union is
signed.

On Saturday
night, Romania will turn the clocks back, with 4 am becoming 3 am. The 30th
of October will thus have 25 hours, being the longest day of the year. The move
corrects for summertime changes, when clocks turned forward to make full use of
natural light and reduce electricity consumption. Romania will return to
summertime on the last Sunday in March. The practice was initiated in 1916,
during World War One, by several countries in Europe and adopted by Romania in
1931.

The Romanian women’s handball
champions CSM Bucharest today face the Hungarian side Gyor in the Champions
League Group C. The two sides last met in the competition’s final in May in a
dramatic match eventually won by the Romanian side after overtime and 7-m
throws. This is the fourth time CSM Bucharest face Gyor, with the latter
leading their head-to-head meetings 2-1. In the first two group matches, CSM
defeated the Russian side Rostov Don and lost to the Danish side FC
Midtjylland. Gyor currently top the group with 4 points, followed by CSM and
Midtjylland, each with two points, while Rostov are yet to collect a single
point.

28 October 2016
October 17, 2016

EU – Romanias foreign minister Lazar Comanescu is attending, as of today, a meeting of the EU External Affairs Council in Luxembourg. Talks will focus on the Global Strategy for the European Unions Foreign and Security Policy, the EU-Canada trade agreement, migration and the situation in Tunisia and Syria. On the sidelines of the Council, Comanescu will attend a meeting of the Group of Friends of Ukraine to which the Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin is also invited.

ROYAL HOUSE – King Michael I of Romania is turning 95 on October 25th. The Royal House of Romania has made public the events marking his anniversary, to be held between October 20 and 28 in Bucharest and Sinaia. Among them is the first public broadcast of a radio drama produced by Radio Romania and written in 1960 by King Michael and his wife Ana, who died this summer. Photo exhibitions, gala concerts and book launches will also be held. King Michael I, who is seriously ill, is currently at his home in Switzerland. King Michael of Romania was born in 1921 as the son of Carol II of Romania and Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark. He was King of Romania from July 20th, 1927 to June 8th, 1930 and again from September 6th 1940 to December 30th, 1947. He was forced to abdicate in 1947 by the government controlled by the Communist Party of Romania.

ELECTION – The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the party of Montenegro’s long standing Prime Minister, Milo Djukanovic, has won most of the parliament’s seats in Sunday’s legislative elections. The pro-Western Democratic Party of Socialists has won, according to initial results, 40% of the votes, twice as much as the pro-Russian opposition alliance, the Democratic Front. If the minority parties, which ran independently in this election, choose to join him, Djukanovic will now be able to form a new government. The election day was overshadowed by the arrest of former Serbia Gendarmerie commander Bratislav Dikic, who was among 20 paramilitaries detained by Montenegrin police on Saturday with an alleged plan to disrupt Sundays election.

MOSUL – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has today announced the start of the operation of freeing the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul. A senior U.N. official says he is “extremely concerned” for the safety of civilians in Mosul in the fight to retake the Iraqi city from Islamic State fighters. Stephen O’Brien, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said in a statement that “depending on the intensity and scope of the fighting, as many as 1 million people may be forced to flee their homes in a worst-case scenario.” The U.S.-led international coalition is providing wide support for the Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the battle for Mosul. Turkey has also offered its support.

JUSTICE – The head of the Higher Council of Magistracy (CSM), Mircea Aron, has today announced that it notified the Judicial Inspection in the case of the Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu having urged parliament members to refuse, until the end of their term, to have their say on the anti-corruption prosecutor’s requests. According to the Higher Council of Magistracy, Tariceanu has thus violated the independence of justice. Tariceanu is prosecuted for false testimony and encouraging the offender. He is the second most important official in the state, given the position he is currently holding, that of Senate Speaker. He is also co-president of the recently set up centre-rightist Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, (ALDE).

HANDBALL – Champions League title holders, Romanian women’s handball team CSM Bucharest grabbed a 24-21 win against Russian contenders Rostov, in their Group C debut game counting towards the ongoing edition of the League. CSM had the lead for the most part of the game and secured their win in the final part, when they scored three times. In the other game of Group C, dubbed “the death group”, Hungarian team Györ Audi ETO trounced FC Midtjylland, 31-19. In the League’s forthcoming stage, CSM Bucharest take on FC Midtjylland, away from home.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

17 October 2016