Radio România Internațional

Tag: Dancila

March 22, 2019 UPDATE

Brussels — The Romanian President Klaus Iohnnis on Thursday and Friday participated in Brussels in a European Council meeting. On the occasion, he highlighted the very important results obtained so far by the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU, one of the outcomes being the considerable number of files finalized. As regards Brexit, the Romanian head of state has stated that there is a real chance for an orderly exit of Great Britain from the EU. Klaus Iohannis has reiterated that a main concern of the Romanian authorities was the Romanian citizens living in the UK. At the Brussels summit, the EU leaders agreed with the postponement of Brexit and offered Great Britain two scenarios for leaving the EU.

EU — Romania’s sustainable economic growth reported in the past years has not been felt by large categories of Romanians, and poverty most often affects children said Friday in Bucharest the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu. She talked about the need for massive investments in the healthcare services, the transport infrastructure, the energy and environmental fields, upon the presentation of the 2019 Country Report for Romania, an event organized by the EC’s Representation in Romania. The report draws attention that the model of economic growth based on consumption affects the capacity to sustainably bridge the gaps separating Romania from the developed states. The document also shows that Romania’s foreign debt on medium and long term risks exceeding 60% of the GDP an that the economy has been affected by pay rises that were not correlated with productivity. The document drafted by the EC was criticized by finance minister Eugen Teodorovici who labeled it as being too pessimistic.

NATO — Romania is better prepared, from a military point of view, than 15 years ago when it joined NATO, said Friday the Romanian defense minister Gabriel Les. He participated in an event devoted to the launch of a public campaign entitled ‘Romania — 15 years within NATO. 70 years since the setting up of the North Atlantic Alliance’ and to the re-launch, in Romania, of a public information campaign called ‘#WeAreNATO’. Minister Les talked about Romania’s contribution within NATO both during the pre-accession period and after accession to NATO on March 27, 2004. According to the Romanian official at present as many as 1,000 military are on foreign missions. More than 2,500 military were involved in past missions. 29 Romanian soldiers lost their lives and 180 were wounded in external theaters of operations, minister Les recalled.

Protests — As many as 1,500 court clerks protested on Friday in front of the government headquarters in Bucharest, expressing discontent with their pay and work conditions. This week they have worn a white armband during work hours at the courts and prosecutor’s offices where they are employed. Court clerks threaten to start a grievance procedure if employers do not meet their demands. (translation by L. Simion)

22 March 2019
March 20, 2019 UPDATE

TALKS Negotiators of the European Parliament and of the EU Council on
Wednesday ended their first round of talks over the appointment of the European
Chief-prosecutor without reaching an agreement. We recall that the former head
of Romania’s main anti-corruption agency (DNA), Laura Codruta Kovesi, is also
running for this position. The next rounds of talks are to be held on 27th
March as well as on 4th and the 10th April. We recall
that the president of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani has sent an
official letter to the Romanian Delegate Minister for European Affairs, George
Ciamba informing him that Mrs. Kovesi is the European Parliament’s candidate
for the position of European chief-prosecutor. The EU Council is backing the
French candidate Jean-Francois Bohnert. The European Prosecutor’s Office, which
is due to commence activity by the end of 2020, is to be an independent office
in charge of investigating and prosecuting frauds against the EU budget. The
European Chief Prosecutor will have a 7-year mandate, which cannot be extended.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu is on the main draw of the WTA
tournament in Miami, Florida after 6-2, 6-4 win against Katerina Kozlova of
Ukraine in the last qualifying round. On Thursday, Romanian challenger Irina
Begu is playing the Romanian-born Canadian Bianca Andreescu, who has recently
won the Indian Wells tournament. Marius Copil also from the Romanian delegation
will be playing Albert Ramos Vinolas in the first round, while in the women’s
doubles, a Romanian-German pair made up of Simona Halep and Julia Goerges will
be up against Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France. Monica
Niculescu of Romania and Abigail Spears of the USA will be playing Anna-Lena
Groenefeld of Germany and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Romanians Irina
Begu and Mihaela Buzarnescu are meeting the Taiwanese pair made up of Hao-Ching
and Latisha Chan. In the men’s doubles the Romanian-Dutch pair Horia Tecau -
Jean-Julien Rojer will be playing Oliver Marach of Austria and Mate Pavic of
Croatia.

SUMMIT Romania constantly affirmed the importance of ensuring a standard of
living for citizens as high as possible, Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica
Dancila said in Brussels on Wednesday during the Tripartite Social Summit unfolding
under the motto ‘for a stronger united and forward-looking Europe’. The summit,
which also brought together representatives of European trade unions and employers
associations was co-chaired by the president of the European Council Donald
Tusk, the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and by
Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila as this country is currently holding
the EU rotating presidency. According to Dancila, besides moves at European
level, Romania has also taken a series of concrete measures at the domestic
level aimed at meeting the convergence objective. Also on Wednesday, Prime
Minister Dancila held talks with the First Vice-president of the European
Commission Frans Timmermans. According to a spokesperson for the Commission, the
two officials confirmed that Romania had stepped up measures aimed at
implementing recommendations from the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism and
concrete results in this respect could be expected shortly.

(translated by bill)

20 March 2019
20.03.2019 (mise à jour)

Bruxelles – La
Roumanie a toujours soutenu l’importance d’assurer un standing aussi élevé que
possible pour tous les Européens, a déclaré à Bruxelles la première ministre
Viorica Dăncilă, à l’occasion du Sommet social tripartite, dont le principal
thème était « Pour une Europe plus forte, unie et tournée vers l’avenir ». Le
Sommet a réuni des représentants des syndicats et des patronats européens,
étant coprésidé par le président du Conseil, Donald Tusk, et celui de la
Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, ainsi que par la cheffe de l’Exécutif de
Bucarest, Viorica Dăncilă, dans le contexte de la présidence roumaine du
Conseil de l’Union. Selon Mme Dancila, et au-delà des actions entreprises au
niveau européen, la Roumanie a agi pour accroître la convergence. Mercredi
toujours, Viorica Dăncilă a rencontré le premier vice-président de la
Commission européenne, Frans Timmermans. Selon le porte-parole de la
Commission, les deux officiels ont confirmé prendre les mesures qui s’imposent
pour que la Roumanie mette en œuvre les recommandations du Mécanisme de
coopération et de vérification de la Commission européenne en matière de
Justice, des résultats concrets étant en vue.

Procureur européen
– Le premier round de négociations entre le Parlement et la Commission
européenne n’a pas débouché sur la désignation du nom du futur procureur
européen, alors que l’ancienne patronne du Parquet anticorruption roumain,
Laura Codruţa Kövesi, est en lice pour occuper le poste. Les négociations se
poursuivront le 27 mars, ainsi que les 4 et 10 avril prochain. Antonio Tajani, président
du Parlement européen, avait transmis au ministre roumain délégué aux Affaires
européennes et président en exercice du Conseil de l’UE, George Ciamba, la
lettre officielle annonçant la désignation de Laura Codruţa Kövesi en tant que
candidate au nom du Parlement européen pour occuper les fonctions de procureur
européen. Le Conseil européen soutient, lui, la candidature du Français Jean-François
Bohnert. Le Parquet européen devrait être opérationnel avant la fin de l’année
2020, étant chargé de lancer des poursuites contre les auteurs des
malversations et des fraudes aux fonds européens. Le procureur européen est
nommé pour 7 ans, un mandat non renouvelable.

Motion – La Chambre des députés a
rejeté ce mardi la motion simple contre le ministre des Finances, Eugen
Teodorovici. La motion contre Eugen Teodorovici avait été débattue lundi par
les députés. Les signataires de la motion demandaient l’abrogation du décret
gouvernemental 114, contesté aussi par le milieu d’affaires à cause des mesures
fiscales qu’il introduit. Le ministre des Finances a rejeté cette possibilité,
soulignant que l’objectif de l’acte réglementaire en question était de protéger
les consommateurs vulnérables. Néanmoins, le ministère annonce apporter des
modifications au décret avant la fin du mois de mars par rapport à la taxation
des compagnies énergétiques, de télécommunications ou du milieu bancaire. La
Chambre des députés a également rejeté la motion simple contre le ministre de
la Justice, Tudorel Toader. Ce dernier avait été critiqué par l’opposition pour
son activité et pour la modification des lois de la justice, et par les
parlementaires du pouvoir pour les modifications qu’il n’a pas opérées.

Visite papale -
Les autorités de Bucarest préparent la visite du Pape François en Roumanie,
pays majoritairement orthodoxe, entre le 31 mai et le 2 juin. Un Commandement
opérationnel national a été constitué au niveau des directions des institutions
qui opèrent dans les domaines de la défense et la sécurité nationales et de
l’ordre public. C’est ce Commandement qui sera responsable pour la mise en
place des mesures de sécurité nécessaires au moment de la visite. Un nombre
important de participants est attendu aux apparitions publiques du Pape,
prévues à Bucarest, Iaşi (dans l’est du pays), Blaj et Şumuleu Ciuc (au centre
de la Roumanie). Des réunions de travail ont déjà eu lieu avec les autorités
locales concernées, pour faire en sorte que les activités quotidiennes se
déroulent normalement au moment de ces rassemblements publics, sans devoir
imposer des restrictions particulières. Il est également possible que le Pape
François officie, dans le cadre de sa visite, une cérémonie de béatification de
sept évêques gréco-catholiques roumains, victimes de la dictature communiste.

Brexit – La
Commission européenne rejette la prorogation de la date du Brexit jusqu’au 30
juin, comme le lui avait officiellement sollicité mercredi la chef de
l’Exécutif britannique, Theresa May. Selon une note interne de la Commission,
consultée par Reuters et l’AFP, le Brexit devrait avoir pour date butoir soit
le 23 mai, jour des élections européennes, soit être retardé suffisamment pour
que le Royaume-Uni puisse organiser des élections européennes. C’est le seul
moyen pour préserver le fonctionnement correct des institutions européennes et
leur capacité à prendre des décisions, précise le document. Theresa May avait
écrit au président du Conseil européen, Donald Tusk, une lettre demandant la
prorogation de la date du Brexit pour le 30 juin, après le rejet par le
Parlement de Londres de l’accord convenu entre son gouvernement et la
Commission européenne. Mme May envisage soumettre prochainement le texte de
l’accord à un nouveau vote du Parlement britannique.

Météo – Une météo
de saison est attendue pour les 24 prochaines heures en Roumanie. Le ciel sera
toujours plutôt couvert dans le centre et
le sud du pays, des pluies de faible intensité pouvant faire leur apparition.
Les températures maximum seront comprises entre 7 et 15°C.

20 March 2019
March 15, 2019

Budget — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday promulgated the 2019 state budget law. He said that he would have liked to promulgate a better budget for Romania and its citizens. President Ioahnnis criticized the fact that the Social Democratic Party, the main force in the ruling coalition, allotted only one day for the re-examination of the budget bill requested by the president and decided to send the bill back to the president without any modifications. President Iohannis labeled the MPs’ gesture as an ill-intentioned act and lack of responsibility. According to Klaus Iohannis the entire Social Democratic governance is a black hole for the Romanian economy and society. On Wednesday the Romanian Parliament adopted in its initial form the 2019 state budget law, which was re-submitted to Parliament by Klaus Iohannis. The Romanian President had previously notified the Constitutional Court over the budget bill but the Court rejected his recommendations. The ruling coalition claims the budget has the necessary resources for all the important domains of the economy.

Wellington — The Romanian Foreign Ministry officials firmly condemned the terrorist attacks perpetrated on Friday on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, which left behind around 50 dead and many injured. They conveyed a message of condolence to the families of the victims and reiterated Romania’s support in fighting terrorism. The PM of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, described the attack as “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence” adding that the authorities are on maximum alert level. She said 4 extremist suspects were arrested, and none of them were on security watch lists. PM Ardern underlined that New Zealand was a place of diversity, wellbeing and compassion, a home for those who share these values, that cannot be shaken by this attack. Islamic and political leaders from Asia have expressed their abhorrence at the attack, as their fellow nationals were allegedly killed in the attack.

Prague – The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila is paying an official visit to Prague upon the invitation of her Czech counterpart Andrej Babis. Talks are aimed at consolidating economic and political ties and are focusing on the main files currently negotiated within the EU and on the way in which the Czech Republic could support Romania to reach the key objectives of the presidency of the Council of the EU. The visit agenda also includes meetings with high officials from the Czech Republic, the PM Andrej Babis and the speakers of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate.

Brexit — European leaders are looking into the request of British MPs for Brexit to be postponed. The British Parliament on Thursday evening passed the motion through which the government headed by Theresa May is asking for a postponement of Brexit that should first be accepted by the European leaders. The president of the European Council Donald Tusk is having talks today with the Dutch premier Mark Rutte, with the German chancellor Angela Merkel and the French President Emmanuel Macron. The EU leaders are to meet in Brussels on March 21 and 22, when they are expected to make a decision in relation to extending the deadline for Brexit beyond the current dealine of March 29.

European summit — The participants in the 8th European Summit of regions and cities on Friday adopted the Bucharest Declaration entitled ‘Building the EU from scratch, together with the regions and cities’. The declaration was officially handed in, on Friday, to President Klaus Iohannis by the president of the European committee of Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, and it represents the contribution of local and regional authorities within the EU to the drafting of the 2019-2024 strategic agenda, which will be presented to the EU leaders in Sibiu on May 9, 2019. The document also includes ten measures aimed at consolidating the democratic basis of the EU and at strengthening the EU actions at local level in order to build a better future for the European citizens. (translation by L. Simion)

15 March 2019
Brexit, a never-ending story?

An
unprecedented occurrence in the history
of the EU, Brexit now seems much harder to manage than any number of EU
expansions. For three years now, Brexit has paralyzed London, encumbered
Brussels and caused unrest and confusion everywhere. On June 23, 2016, some
17.5 million Brits, out of a population of over 66 million, voted in favor of
their country leaving the community bloc. They accounted for less than 52% of
the total voter turnout. At the time, voting intentions were contrasting:
Scotland, Northern Ireland and London voted to stay, while big industrial
cities in England, rural areas and Wales voted to leave.

The then Conservative
Prime Minister David Cameron, an advocate of his country staying in the Union
and the man who organized the referendum, resigned shortly after the result of
the referendum became clear. Next to replace him was Theresa May, a Eurosceptic
by continental standards, yet one who voted against Brexit. She has since been
managing this hot topic, trying to strike a balance between the EU’s demands
and the expectations of her fellow citizens, be they pro- or anti-Brexit.

Two
years ago, Theresa May announced the UK could no longer be part of the EU
single market, as that no longer fitted London’s clampdown on immigration.
Subsequently, the British Prime Minister and the European Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncker reached a preliminary agreement on three essential aspects
of Brexit: financial regulation, the rights of EU citizens in the UK and of
British citizens in Europe and the Irish border. That did not satisfy the
British Parliament though, which has repeatedly voted against an agreement with
the EU, which might postpone the deadline for Brexit, originally slated for
March 29.

On a visit to Bucharest on Thursday, the EU Chief Negotiator for
Brexit Michel Barnier said no one has yet succeeded to prove to him the
benefits of Brexit, and Parliament’s second negative vote on Prime Minister
May’s negotiated agreement is complicating things even more. This is a
lose-lose situation, the EU official said, saying however that the Union
respects the decision of the majority of British people.

On the other hand, Romanian
President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and Minister Delegate
for European Affairs, George Ciamba all seemed to agree on the importance of
guaranteeing the rights of the over 400,000 Romanian citizens living in the UK
in case of a no-deal Brexit. The Government in Bucharest will make sure the
rights of the British citizens in Romania are observed, the Foreign Ministry has
stated. Political pundits say that, irrespective of the bureaucratic confusion
created by Brexit, Romanian-British relations remain strong. Also, the two
countries will remain allies as part of NATO after the UK leaves the European
Union.

15 March 2019
EU-Vizepräsident Frans Timmermans plädiert für Rechtsstaatlichkeit

Die rumänische Premierministerin, Viorica Dăncilă, und der erste Vizepräsident der Europäischen Kommission, Frans Timmermans, trafen sich am Montag in Bukarest und werden nächste Woche noch einmal in Brüssel zusammenkommen. Grund für die Häufigkeit dieser Treffen ist der Status Rumäniens, das in diesem Semester den Vorsitz des EU-Rates innehat. Bei den Diskussionen geht es jedoch nicht ausschließlich um das reibungslose Funktionieren der Europäischen Union. So hat sich Frans Timmermans am Montag mit der heiklen Frage der Behörden in Bukarest, mit dem Zustand der Demokratie und mit der Rechtsstaatlichkeit in Rumänien befasst. Die jüngsten Änderungen der Justizgesetze, zuerst im Parlament und dann durch Dringlichkeitsverordnungen, sind zumindest fragwürdig, und dies hat die EU-Partner Rumäniens alarmiert.

Nach der Veröffentlichung eines ungünstigen Berichts im Rahmen des Kooperations- und Kontrollverfahrens im Justizbereich im vergangenen Herbst sagte nun Frans Timmermans, dass er in Rumänien keine Fortschritte feststellen konnte, sondern nur die Weigerung der linksgerichteten Regierung, das Dokument zu berücksichtigen. Der EU-Würdenträger hofft, dass Experten beider Seiten rasch Lösungen für die Umsetzung der Empfehlungen des Kooperations- und Prüfungsverfahrens im Justizbereich finden. Wir wollen uns vergewissern dass in puncto Rechtsstaatlichkeit in Rumänien Fortschritte erzielt werden, und wir wollen sicherstellen, dass die Korruptionsbekämpfung nicht aufgegeben wird, sagte der erste Vizepräsident der Europäischen Kommission.

Nächste Woche werden Viorica Dăncilă und Frans Timmermans erneut zusammenkommen, um das Thema zu besprechen. EU-Vizepräsident Timmermans, der als Kandidat der europäischen Sozialisten die Präsidentschaft der Europäischen Kommission anstrebt, wird bei jedem Treffen mit rumänischen Würdenträgern für die Rechtsstaatlichkeit in Rumänien plädieren.

Am Montag erhielt Frans Timmermans in Bukarest den Titel Doctor Honoris Causa der Nationalen Hochschule für Politische und Verwaltungsstudien SNSPA. In seiner Dankesrede sprach er wieder über sein Lieblingsthema. Er gab zu, dass er sich vor drei Jahrzehnten nicht hätte vorstellen können, dass Rumänien 2007 der Europäischen Union beitreten würde. Mit den Privilegien der EU-Integration kommen auch zusätzliche Verantwortlichkeiten, so Timmermans; eine solche Verantwortlichkeit ist das Erfülllen der im Kooperations- und Kontrollverfahren für die Justiz festgelegten Bedingungen.

Dieses Verfahren wurde geschaffen, um Probleme zu lösen, die vor dem Beitritt hätten gelöst werden müssen. Unsere Gesellschaft und unsere Institutionen basieren auf einem drefüßigen Stativ: Demokratie, Rechtsstaatlichkeit und Achtung der grundlegenden Menschenrechte. Man darf diese drei Grundelemente nicht gegeneinander instrumentalisieren, und es ist riskant zu glauben, dass ein Wahlsieg einer Mehrheit die Macht verleiht, Kontrolle über die Justiz und über die Medien auszuüben, warnte Frans Timmermans.

Wenn die Rechtsstaatlichkeit bedroht ist, nimmt die Korruption fast automatisch zu. Deshalb hat die Europäische Kommission vorgeschlagen, dass in Zukunft ein Zusammenhang zwischen der Gewährung europäischer Mittel und der Einhaltung der Rechtsstaatlichkeit in den Mitgliedstaaten bestehen sollte, erklärte der erste Vizepräsident der Europäischen Kommission.

12 March 2019
The Week in Review, March 4 -10

Former chief prosecutor of the National
Anti-Corruption Directorate face to face with prosecutors.

The former chief
prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi,
was informed on Thursday, after many hours of hearings at the special section
for the investigation of magistrates that she was charged in a second file, in
relation to the coordination of a crime group made up of prosecutors from the
same Directorate. Mrs. Kovesi rejected the accusations as mere confabulation
and claimed she is innocent. She says that she has been publicly harassed for
two years, and the Judicial Inspection representatives have verified her on 50 occasions
already. She claims that her summoning to the Prosecutor’s Office on the very
day when discussions for the election of the chief prosecutor of the future
European Public Prosecutor’s Office were being held in the European Parliament,
was not a coincidence.

Laura Codruta
Kovesi: I don’t think it’s a
coincidence, I think I was summoned on purpose for this particular day, I think
it was on purpose that I was hindered today to give statements and clear things
and I also think it was on purpose that I was summoned in relation to one case only
to find out that I was being heard in a different case, without being summoned
for it in a procedural and correct manner.

In a first file
opened by the special section for the investigation of magistrates Mrs. Kovesi
has been accused of abuse of office, false testimony and bribe-taking. We
recall that Mrs. Kovesi was dismissed last summer from the position of chief
prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and the justice minister
Tudorel Toader criticized her for having defied Parliament and for having
contested the decisions of the Constitutional Court.

Minister Tudorel Toader is being contested

This week the
justice minister Tudorel Toader has been faced with a simple motion but he has
been rescued by the lack of quorum, as the vote on the simple motion filed by
the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Party was rescheduled. On
Wednesday the plenum of Parliament did not have the required quorum as the
Social Democratic MPs decided not to participate in the vote, because they claim
the motion includes many fabrications. Meanwhile, the Social Democratic leader
Liviu Dragnea explained that the situation of Tudorel Toader will be discussed
in the coalition, underlining the state of discontentment with this minister
which needs to be clarified with their junior partners in the coalition, the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats – ALDE. An independent supported by ALDE,
Tudorel Toader has been criticized both by the Social Democrats and the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, which is backing the
government in Parliament. According to the Liberal Party representatives, by not
ensuring the quorum at the vote on the simple motion on justice, the ruling
coalition is putting pressure on minister Toader to promote the legislative
changes they badly require. Minister Toader is also being contested by part of
the civil society. Teachers and students on Thursday protested to show
solidarity with the magistrates’ protest, and condemned what they consider the
political subordination of the judiciary. Previously, actors from several
theaters in Bucharest and from across Romania had protested against the
subordination of justice. They are all discontented with the recent government
decree no. 7 which changes the justice laws.

The 2019 state budget bill returns to
Parliament

The 2019 state
budget bill is constitutional, the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday,
following the notification made by President Klaus Iohannis. Refusing to
comment on the Constitutional Court’s decision, Klaus Iohannis announced he
would return the bill back to Parliament, claiming this is a budget of national
shame.

Klaus Iohannis:
The 2019 budget is based on a fantasy and there are no guarantees as to its
implementation, as also pointed out by the European institutions and other
international institutions. This budget bill places in doubt the compliance
with the international treaties Romania is part of, and, unfortunately, also
the legislation in the field. This year’s budget is designed to serve, first and
foremost, the political interests of a small group.

The
parliamentary opposition, represented mainly by the National Liberal Party and
the Save Romania Union, shares the president’s views. In exchange, the
governing coalition labeled the return of the budget bill to Parliament as
deceptive, political and irresponsible. It is obvious that president Iohannis
is only interested in winning another term and does things that endanger
Romania’s image and macroeconomic indicators.

To say that the
country is facing an economic disaster while official figures say the opposite,
shows lack of responsibility and respect for truth. Blocking the government has
become his main concern, prime minister Viorica Dancila has said. The deputy speaker
of the Chamber of Deputies Florin Iordache, speaking on behalf of the Social
Democrats, says they will send the bill to the president to sign as it was
initially passed by Parliament, without making any further changes. According
to the Social Democratic Party, the 2019 budget bill ensures the necessary
resources for all important economic sectors.

Romania at the helm of the Council of the
EU for 2 months

Romania’s
Prime Minister on Friday presented the balance of Romania’s first two months at
the helm of the Presidency of the Council of the EU. During the first two
months of its term in office, Romanian Presidency completed 67 files, half of
which have been already approved by ambassadors of EU member states. The
Romanian Presidency and the European Parliament also reached a preliminary
agreement on a set of temporary and limited measures to ensure basic road
freight and road passenger connectivity in order to mitigate the most severe
disruption in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a negotiated
agreement. During talks held in Brussels with EU chief negotiator for Brexit,
Michel Barnier, Prime Minister Dancila said this week that the Romanian
authorities have prepared for any scenario, including a no

9 March 2019
08.03.2019 (mise à jour)

Visite – La première ministre roumaine, Viorica Dancila, a dressé le bilan des deux premiers mois du mandat de la Roumanie à la présidence du Conseil de lUnion européenne. Un mandat efficace et de qualité, apprécié par tous nos partenaires européens, a précisé la cheffe du gouvernement de Bucarest, en rappelant que Bucarest est arrivé à mener à bonne fin 67 dossiers. Loccasion pour Viorica Dancila daffirmer que la Roumanie a réussi à obtenir le consensus de ses partenaires européens sur des dossiers importants tels le budget de lUnion après 2020, le marché unique européen, la compétitivité industrielle, la numérisation, la protection des droits sociaux, la sécurité intérieure, la lutte contre le terrorisme, la migration ou encore lavenir européen post Brexit, à travers une étroite coopération avec les représentants de la Commission européenne, du Parlement européen et du Secrétariat général du Conseil. La Roumanie a encore géré plus de 650 événements déroulés aussi bien dans le pays quà Bruxelles, a tenu à préciser Mme Dancila.

Lois de la justice – Le procureur général de la Roumanie, Augustin Lazar, a demandé vendredi au Conseil supérieur de la magistrature de vérifier lopportunité de saisir la Cour constitutionnelle au sujet dun possible conflit de nature constitutionnelle entre, dune part, le Parlement, et, de lautre, le Conseil supérieur de la magistrature et le Parquet général. Il sagit plus concrètement de la voie légale dont le gouvernement sest servi pour apporter les dernières modifications aux lois qui régissent le fonctionnement de la justice en Roumanie. Augustin Lazăr estime que le gouvernement a utilisé de manière abusive en cette occurrence la possibilité de légiférer via des ordonnances durgence, outrepassant donc ses limites constitutionnelles. Cette pratique constitue un risque pour de la démocratie et lEtat de droit, croit-il encore. La récemment adoptée ordonnance n° 7, qui a modifié le fonctionnement de la justice, fait lobjet des critiques véhémentes de la part des magistrats. Lactivité denviron 80 parquets et tribunaux de plus de la moitié des départements de Roumanie est affectée par les actions de protestation des magistrats. Des intellectuels, des acteurs, des universitaires et des étudiants, de Bucarest et dailleurs, ont rejoint le mouvement des magistrats, en signe de solidarité.

JAI – La ministre roumaine de l’Intérieur, Carmen Dan, et le ministre de la Justice, Tudorel Toader, ont participé ces jeudi et vendredi au Conseil Justice et Affaires Intérieures, déroulé dans le contexte de la présidence tournante de l’UE assurée par la Roumanie au premier semestre de cette année. Vendredi les débats ont porté sur le règlement de fonctionnement du Parlement Européen et sur les étapes de la désignation des candidats pour la fonction de procureur européen, un processus qui devrait s’achever avant la fin du mois, a déclaré le ministre roumain de la Justice. Il a également précisé que la nomination du candidat à la tête du futur Parquet européen n’a pas figuré à l’agenda des discussions, vu que c’est une procédure qui fait actuellement l’objet de négociations entre le Conseil de l’UE et le Parlement Européen. A son tour, la commissaire européenne à la Justice, Vera Jurova, a déclaré que la désignation d’un procureur européen devrait avoir lieu avant le mois d’avril ; elle a encouragé les parties concernées à avoir une démarche honnête, sans tentatives de discréditer tel ou tel candidat.

Budget – Les prévisions macroéconomiques sur lesquelles repose le budget public 2019 sont beaucoup trop optimistes, a fait savoir ce vendredi, à Bucarest, Cosmin Marinescu, conseiller sur des questions économiques auprès du chef de lEtat, Klaus Iohannis. A ses dires, les revenus sont surévalués à hauteur de 1% du PIB et reposent exclusivement sur des promesses. Par ailleurs, les investissements se retrouvent à un minimum historique de 1,2% du PIB, tandis que le budget adopté en février indique une baisse de presque 105 millions deuros de la contribution de la Roumanie à lUE. Cosmin Marinescu a également précisé que compte tenu de la hausse du déficit, lajustement par rapport à 2018 est pratiquement inexistant, ce qui contrevient aux recommandations de Bruxelles de mettre en place un ajustement structurel de 1% du PIB. Le chef de lEtat a renvoyé au Parlement la loi du budget 2019, après que la Cour constitutionnelle leut déclarée conforme à la loi fondamentale. Le projet du budget public repose sur une croissance économique de 5,5%, un déficit de 2,5% et un PIB de quelque 200 milliards deuros.

Handball – La championne de Roumanie au handball féminin, CSM Bucarest, a fait match nul, 23 partout, contre les Allemandes de Thuringer, lors de son dernier match du groupe principal 2 de la Ligue des Champions. Les bucarestoises occupent la 3e place dans leur groupe, et se trouvent dores et déjà qualifiées aux quarts de finale. Sur la première place on retrouve les hongroises de Gyor, championnes en titre. A part Gyor et CSM Bucarest, les Norvegiennes de Vipers et les hongroises de FTC ont obtenu la qualification pour la prochaine phase.

Météo – Un temps inhabituellement chaud nous attend ce week-end, même si le mercure baissera dun cran dans les thermomètres. Des pluies avec, parfois, un caractère daverse sont toutefois attendues sur le sud-ouest, le centre et lest du pays. Dans les Carpates, à plus de 1.800 mètres daltitude, des chutes de neige ne sont pas à exclure, alors que le vent pourrait atteindre, en rafales, les 70 km/h. Les températures minimum varieront entre -1 et 10°, alors que les maxima atteindront les 20°C.

8 March 2019
March 8, 2019

POPULATION Romania’s population continues to diminish due to a decline in
the fertility rate and due to migration, data publish by the National Institute
for Statistics (INS) show. 200 people, mostly men with ages between 30 and 40,
are leaving the country on a daily basis. According to the aforementioned
institute on January 1st 2018 there were 120 thousand people less
than on January 1st 2017. According to the same data, more Romanians
died than were born and the number of those leaving the country was higher than
those who entered it. A 2017 INS survey shows that more children were born in
Romanian families living in Italy than in Romania and the number of children
born in Romanian families abroad is double than in Romania.

MANDATE Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has
presented in Bucharest the results of the first two months of the Romanian EU
presidency. It is an efficient and high-quality mandate highly appreciated by
all our European partners, the Prime Minister has said underlining the completion
of 67 files during this period. Referring to major issues on the European agenda,
Dancila says that Romania managed to secure consensus on several pending files
like the post-2020 EU budget, the functioning of the European single market,
industry competitiveness, stimulating digitization, social rights protection,
internal security, fighting terrorism, handling migration challenges, the EU’s
future after Brexit through tight cooperation as well as open and constructive dialogue with
representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the
General Secretariat of the Council. In the first two months of its mandate,
Romania has managed over 650 events and meetings, both in the country and in
Brussels, the Prime Minister has also said.

GROWTH With a 0.7% growth in the fourth quarter of 2018 as against the
previous three months of the year, Romania’s economic growth was three times
higher than the 0.2% reported in the eurozone and more than double of the 0.3%
in the EU, says the statistical office of the European Union, Eurostat. However,
the growth rate of the Romanian economy in the last three months of 2018 is below
the ones in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech
Republic, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Slovakia. Finland, Denmark and Spain have also
reported a growth rate of 0.7% whereas Germany, Europe’s biggest economy,
reported zero growth in the same period of last year. Greece and Italy experienced
a decline of 0.1%. In comparison with the same period of 2017, in the fourth
quarter of 2018, Romania’s economy registered a growth rate of 4%, nearly four
times higher than the 1.4% EU rate and 1.1% in the eurozone.

FORECASTS The macroeconomic forecasts the 2019 state
budget is based upon are unrealistically optimistic, Cosmin Marinescu, economic
councilor for the Romanian president, has today said in Bucharest. According to
Marinescu, incomes are over evaluated by 1% of the GDP and are based
exclusively on pledges. Investments from local authorities are at an all-time
low of 1.2% of the GDP and the budget adopted in February indicates a Romanian
contribution to the EU diminished by 105 million euros. Marinescu went on to
say that the big deficit shows that the adjustment to 2018 is practically
non-existent, which runs counter the European Commission’s recommendation of a
1% of the GDP. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has sent back to Parliament the
law on the 2019 state budget. The president had previously notified the
Constitutional Court, which deemed the law as constitutional. The 2019 budget
is based on a 5.5% economic growth, a 2.5% deficit and a GDP of 200 billion
euros.

(translated by bill)

8 March 2019
March 6, 2019 UPDATE

BUDGET – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced on Wednesday that he would send the 2019 budget bill back to Parliament. Previously, the President had challenged the bill in the Constitutional Court which ruled that the legislation in question is constitutional. Iohannis has refused to comment on the Court’s decision and has said that the 2019 budget is one of ‘national shame’, based on fake figures. Iohannis has pointed out that the budget presented by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main party of the government coalition, is designed to serve mostly the political interests of a small group. His opinion is shared by the right of center opposition, who agree to the bill being resent to Parliament and who say that only a realistic budget can save economy and help regain investors’ trust. In turn, the Social Democrats have announced they will send for promulgation the same version of the bill adopted initially by Parliament, as it ensures the necessary resources for all important economic sectors. PSD accuses President Iohannis of telling lies when he criticizes the budget bill, which they say gives the healthcare system the biggest amounts this sector has ever got.

MOTION – The vote on the simple motion filed by the right of center opposition, made up of the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union, will be rescheduled after Wednesday’s plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies was suspended due to a lack of quorum. Social Democratic MPs have decided not to participate because, they say, the no-confidence motion includes untrue things, while the party leader Liviu Dragnea has explained that Toader’s situation will be discussed in the ruling coalition given that there is a state of discontent as far as he is concerned, which needs to be addressed with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), the junior partner in the ruling coalition. An independent supported by ALDE, Toader has also come under criticism from the Social Democrats, the main force in government, as well as from the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, who support the government in Parliament. The Liberals, however, say that through the lack of quorum the ruling coalition puts pressure on Minister Toader to promote the legislative changes that the power wants. Even if the motion passes, only Prime Minister Viorica Dancila can decide if minister Toader is dismissed.

EUROSTAT – In 2017, around 825,000 persons acquired citizenship of a Member State of the European Union (EU), down from 995,000 in 2016 and 841,000 in 2015, Eurostat has announced. Of the total number of persons obtaining the citizenship of one of the EU Member States in 2017, 17% were former citizens of another EU Member State, while the majority were non-EU citizens or stateless. Romanians (25,000 persons), Poles (22,000) and Britons (15,000) were the three largest groups of EU citizens acquiring citizenship of another EU Member State. Half of the Member States granted citizenship to more people in 2017 than they did in 2016. The largest relative increases were recorded in Romania (from 4,527 persons in 2016 to 6,804 persons in 2017. The naturalization rate is the ratio of the number of persons who acquired the citizenship of a country during a year over the stock of foreign residents in the same country at the beginning of the year. In 2017, the highest naturalisation rates were registered in Sweden (8.2 citizenships granted per 100 resident foreigners), Romania (5.9) and Finland (5.0), followed by Portugal (4.5), Greece (4.2) and Cyprus (3.9).

EXERCISE – Two Romanian war ships are taking part this week in manoeuvres at sea together with two Turkish military vessels as part of the Mavi Vatan exercise conducted by the Turkish Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea, the chief of staff of the Romanian Navy has said. The two ships will carry out exercises in the Romanian territorial and international waters aimed at deterring asymmetric threats. The activity forms part of the provisions of the strategic partnership signed by Turkey and Romania in 2011. The bilateral training activities in which Romanian Navy military are also involved are included in a set of measures to discourage threats and risks to the security of NATO states, measures adopted at the NATO summit held in Brussels last year.

TALKS – The Romanian prime minister Viorica Dancila is in Brussels for talks with representatives of EU institutions. On Wednesday she met the first vice-president of the European Commission Frans Timmermans to discuss the recent changes to the justice legislation in Romania. She will also have talks with the Commissions chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier ahead of the UKs scheduled date for leaving the European Union, March 29th. Talks will focus on the protection of the rights of EU citizens. Dancila is also expected to attend two events on equality of chances and the promotion of womens rights. This years edition of the Womens European Council is held in partnership with Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament and looks at ways to improve womens representation in politics and in leadership positions.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

6 March 2019
Nachrichten 07.02.2019

Die Regierungskoalition PSD-ALDE hat den Entwurf des rumänischen
Staatshaushalts im Jahr 2019 fertiggestellt, der am Freitag zur Verabschiedung
auf der Regierungssitzung vorgelegt wird. Die Ankündigung wurde von
Finanzminister Eugen Teodorovici am Donnerstag nach einer neuen Gesprächsrunde
in der Regierungskoalition, aber auch mit Bürgermeistern, gemacht. Die Bürgermeister
haben es nicht geschafft, den Finanzchef davon zu überzeugen, die Übertragung
von Sozialausgaben an die Kommunalverwaltung aufzugeben. Bei dem Treffen am
Mittwoch, an dem der Vorsitzende der Sozialdemokratischen Partei PSD, Liviu
Dragnea, teilnahm, haben die Bürgermeister 27% mehr Mittel als im Vorjahr
zugesagt bekommen. Die Burgermeister der Großstädte sagen jedoch, dass eine
Aufstockung der Budgets nicht ausreicht, wenn die Regierung die
Sozialschutzausgaben an die Kommunalverwaltungen überträgt. Der Entwurf des
Haushaltsplans basiert auf einem Wirtschaftswachstum von 5,5%, einem Defizit
von 2,5% und einer durchschnittlichen jährlichen Inflation von 2,8%.

Die Wachstumsrate der rumänischen Wirtschaft wird sich in diesem Jahr auf
3,8% verlangsamen und 2020 bei 3,6% liegen, von geschätzten 4% im Jahr 2018, so
die veröffentlichte Winter-Wirtschaftsprognose am Donnerstag von der
Europäischen Kommission (EG). Laut der genannten Quelle wird der private Konsum
der Haupttreiber des Wirtschaftswachstums bleiben. Die Kommission warnt davor,
dass die Entwicklung der Investitionen von den Auswirkungen der Ende letzten
Jahres von der Regierung eingeführten fiskalischen Maßnahmen aufgrund möglicher
negativer Auswirkungen auf die Kreditvergabe und der Berechenbarkeit des
wirtschaftlichen Umfelds abhängen wird. Wir erinnern daran, dass die Bukarester
Behörden den Haushaltsentwurf für 2019 auf ein Wirtschaftswachstum von 5,5%
aufgebaut haben, eine Zahl, die der Finanzrat und die International Financial
Assessment Agency Fitch für unrealistisch halten.

Der Terrorismus, die polizeiliche Zusammenarbeit, der Schengen-Raum und die
Migration sind die Hauptthemen auf der Tagesordnung des informellen Treffens
der Innenminister der EU-Mitgliedstaaten, das am Donnerstag in Bukarest
begonnen hat. An dem von der rumänischen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft unter dem
Vorsitz der rumänischen Innenministerin Carmen Dan organisierten Treffen sind
auch die EU-Kommissare Dimitris Avramopoulos (Migration, Inneres und
Bürgerschaft) und Julian King (Innere Sicherheit), der EU-Koordinator für
Terrorismusbekämpfung, Gilles de Kerchove, Vorsitzender des Ausschusses für
bürgerliche Freiheiten, Justiz und Inneres des EU-Parlaments, Claude Moraes,
FRONTEX-Exekutivdirektor, Fabrice Leggeri und andere europäische Vertreter. Das
informelle Treffen des Rates Justiz und Inneres in Bukarest geht am Freitag mit
dem ThemaJustiz weiter.

Die rumänische Premierministerin Viorica Dăncilă ist am Donnerstag in
Brüssel mit dem Präsidenten des Europäischen Rates, Donald Tusk, und dem
Vizepräsidenten der Europäischen Kommission, Frans Timmermans,
zusammengetroffen. Bei den Treffen wurden wichtige Dossiers auf der
europäischen Agenda angesprochen. Bei dem Treffen mit Donald Tusk bekräftigte
Viorica Dancila die Unterstützung Rumäniens für ein starkes und einheitliches
Europa in all seinen Dimensionen – politisch, wirtschaftlich und sozial. Nach
dem Brexit werde die rumänische EU-Ratspräsidentschaft die Bürgerrechte der
EU-Bürger weiter verteidigen, so die rumänische Ministerpräsidentin. Bei den
Gesprächen mit dem Ersten Vizepräsidenten der Europäischen Kommission, Frans
Timmermans, wurde die Frage der
Rechtsstaatlichkeit und der Unabhängigkeit der Justiz in Rumänien angesprochen.
Premierministerin Viorica Dăncilă versicherte, die Regierung von Bukarest werde
sich für die Einhaltung der Werte und Grundsätze der Europäischen Union, für
die Verteidigung der Bürgerrechte, der Bürger, der Rechtsstaatlichkeit, und der
Unabhängigkeit der Justiz einsetzen, und auch dafür, dass die rumänischen
Bürger die gleichen Rechte und Freiheiten wie jeder europäische Bürger
genießen. Ebenfalls am Donnerstag beteiligte sich die rumänische
Premierministerin Viorica Dăncilă an der Eröffnung der von Rumänien im Rahmen
der turnusmäßigen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft organisierten Konferenz
Bekämpfung von Antisemitismus: Ein gemeinsamer Ansatz für einen besseren
Schutz der jüdischen Gemeinschaften in Europa – Von der Praxis zu den
Aktionen. Dabei erklärte Dancila, Rumänien sei heute ein regionales
Modell zur Bekämpfung von Antisemitismus und Fremdenfeindlichkeit und
gleichzeitig ein Modell für Bildung und Maßnahmen, um die Erinnerung an den Holocaust
zu bewahren.

Staatspräsident Klaus Iohannis hat die Ernennung von Lia Olguta Vasilescu,
Kandidatin der Sozialdemokratischen Partei für das Entwicklungsministerium,
erneut abgelehnt. Er hat einen Brief an Premierministerin Viorica Dancila geschickt,
in dem er sie über seine Entscheidung und die Gründe dafür informiert hat.
Präsident Iohannis ist der Ansicht, Lia Olguta
Vasilescu habe nicht die notwendige Ausbildung und Erfahrung für so
komplexe Bereiche wie Regionalentwicklung und öffentliche Verwaltung. Es ist
das dritte Mal, dass Präsident Iohannis die Nominierung von Lia Olguta
Vasilescu als Ministerin fur Entwicklung ablehnt. Vasilescu gab bekannt, dass
sie eine Strafanzeige wegen Amtsmissbrauchs gegen Präsident Klaus Iohannis
erstatten werde. Sie ist der Ansicht, dass die Entscheidung des
Staatsoberhauptes keine Rechtsgrundlage hat und behauptet, Erfahrung zu haben,
weil sie das vierte Mandat als Parlamentsabgeordnete innehat, fünf Jahre lang Bürgermeisterin
einer der größten Städte des Landes und zwei Jahre Ministerin war. Demnächst
wird erwartet, dass der Staatspräsident auch seine Entscheidung bezüglich der
Nominierung von Mircea Draghici als Verkehrsminister bekannt gibt. Die
Gespräche über die Ernennung der beiden Minister begannen im vergangenen November,
als Premierministerin Viorica Dancila ihre Regierung umbildete.

In Rumänien ist die Zahl der an Grippe verstorbenen Personen nach den
neuesten Informationen des Nationalen Zentrums für die Kontrolle übertragbarer
Krankheiten auf 92 gestiegen. Fast alle Menschen, die an Grippe starben, waren
nicht dagegen geimpft. Bislang wurden fast 1,3 Millionen Rumänen geimpft, und
das Gesundheitsministerium hat weitere 30.000 Dosen für Menschen in
Risikogruppen gekauft: chronisch Kranke, Schwangere, Kinder und ältere
Menschen. Wegen der starken Verbreitung von Viren und der hohen Anzahl von
Grippe-Erkrankungen und Todesfällen wurde in Rumänien offiziell eine
Grippe-Epidemie erklärt.

7 February 2019
January 24, 2019

Union of principalities — Romania is hosting today religious and military ceremonies as well as cultural events to mark 160 years since the union of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia under the rule of Alexandru Ioan Cuza in 1859. The union is considered the foundation of modern Romania. A service was held at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, which remembered the makers of the 1859 Union and wreathes of flowers were laid at the statue of ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The Patriarchal Palace also hosted a science communication session during which President Klaus Iohannis underlined that in 1859 the Romanian Principalities embraced the European values and started a large-scale process for the state’s modernization and consolidation. The Romanian President also added that in 2019 Romania’s destiny could not be separated from the EU as a project for peace, prosperity, safety, fairness and cohesion for its citizens. He went on to say that for 160 years Romanians have been coming closer to the fundamental humanist values of Europe, by building a state of democracy, of human dignity and of the rule of law, of freedom and equality. In her message, the PM Viorica Dancila said that the celebration of the United Principalities Day both in Romania and Brussels, during Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU, is a confirmation of the fact that the Romanian people has always had the power and wisdom to choose the right path. Festivities are also held in Iasi, the largest city of eastern Romania, in other cities of Romania as well as in Moldova’s capital Chisinau.

Brussels — The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila on Thursday presented in Brussels, at the plenary meeting of the European Economic and Social Committee, the priorities of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU. According to PM Dancila, a strong and cohesive union is the answer given to the European citizens by the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU whose motto is ‘Cohesion, a common European value’ in the political, economic, territorial and social fields. The PM said the cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy should remain the main investment policies of the Union. PM Dancila said that Romania would promote the measures meant to increase competitiveness and to promote connectivity and digitization, to boost entrepreneurship and consolidate the industrial policy. According to the Romanian PM Romania is involved in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Paris — The former French president Francois Hollande and other officials, heads of diplomatic missions from the EU and OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, on Wednesday visited the studio of the late sculptor Constantin Brancusi and admired works by Romanian artists exhibited at the Pompidou Center in Paris, as part of the France — Romania Season, shows an embassy communiqué quoted by AGERPRES. The Season was inaugurated by presidents Emmanuel Macron and Klaus Iohannis on November 27, 2018. The Pompidou Center hosts works by Mihai Olos, Cornel Brudascu, Marcel Iancu, Eli Lotar, Tristan Tzara, Geta Bratescu and Mircea Cantor. The former president Francois Hollande is the one who initiated the France — Romania Season together with president Klaus Iohannis.

Tennis – Young Romanian tennis player Filip Jianu (17 years old) on Thursday qualified to the singles semifinals of the Australian Open Junior Championships. He defeated the American Cannon Kingsley in 3 sets. In the last but one match Jianu will take on another American Emilio Nava, seeded 13th. Filip Jianu will also play today in the doubles semifinals together with Spanish Nicolas Alvarez Varona against the pair Cannon Kingsley/Emilio Nava. We recall that Simona Halep was eliminated in the eighth finals in Melbourne and will no longer hold the 1st place in the WTA ranking as of Monday. In the women’s final the Czech Petra Kvitova will take on Japanese Naomi Osaka.

Statistics — Almost 85% of the EU inhabitants with ages between 16 and 74 used the Internet in 2018, show data published on Thursday by Eurostat. The highest percentage of people that used the Internet in 2018 in this age bracket was reported in Denmark (98%), followed by Luxemburg (97%) and the Netherlands (95%). The lowest percentage was registered in Bulgaria (65%), Romania (71%) and Greece (72%). (translation by L. Simion)

24 January 2019
January 18, 2019 UPDATE

MEETING – Romanian PM Viorica Dancila, paying a working visit to Israel, met on Friday with her counterpart Benjamin Netaniahu. The two officials hailed the excellent bilateral ties that also mirror in the frequency of the high-level meetings. In this respect, the staging, in the first part of 2019, of a joint meeting of the Israeli and Romanian governments was discussed. PM Dancila reconfiemd Romania’s interest in consolidating the relations with Israel in fields such as strategic cooperation, cyber and energy security, medicine, research and innovation.

AACHEN — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will participate on Tuesday in Aachen, Germany, in the ceremony for the signing of the French-German Cooperation and Integration Treaty at the invitation of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and of the French President Emmanuel Macron. On this occasion, President Iohannis, in his capacity as president of the country holding the incumbent presidency of the Council of the EU, will deliver a speech. The ceremony will also be attended by the president of the European Council Donald Tusk and the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. The Aachen bilateral treaty is based, from a political and juridical point of view, on the Elysee French-German Treaty of 1963 that set the basis for a historic reconciliation between Germany and France. The treaty will focus on adjusting the relations between the two states to the challenges of the 21st century, laying emphasis on the cohesion of the two countries’ action at European level.

FAIR — Romanian agri-food products are displayed as of Friday at a Berlin fair called ‘2019 Green Week’. According to Romanian agriculture minister Petre Daea who is attending the event, several Romanian producers of traditional products are participating in the fair. Some of the traditional products to be displayed are the Topoloveni plum jam, the smoked Danube herring, the Plescoi sausages and the Dobrogea pie. On the sidelines of the fair, the Romanian agriculture minister will meet with his counterparts from other member states, German officials and representatives of farming associations in the EU. The Berlin Fair will come to an end next Sunday. Last year more than 400 thousand people visited the fair.

ACCIDENT – Four Romanians died in southern Italy and one is in serious condition after the car they were using to run away from the police, shortly after having committed a burglary, collided with a truck. The accident took place in the region of Campania, north of Naples. Jewellery was found in the Romanians’ car. A woman driving another car involved in the accident was also injured and she is receiving medical care.

Dacia — In 2018 Dacia Company reported the best commercial performance in its history with total sales on the domestic and international market standing at more than 700 thousand cars, 7% more than the level reported in 2017. According to a Dacia communiqué, the Romanian brand has practically doubled its sales in only 7 years. Dacia sales on external markets have risen by 5.5% reaching more than 646 thousand cars, this being one of the best performances registered in Europe. In 1999, Dacia brand and Mioveni factory were taken over by the French group Renault. Dacia models are sold in 44 countries on 4 continents.

Tennis — World no. 1 Simona Halep is taking on American Venus Williams (36 WTA) on Saturday in the third round of Australian Open, the first Gland Slam of the year. Also on Saturday in the second round, Irina Begu and Mihaela Buzarnescu, 10th seeded, will play against the pair Alize Cornet (Franţa)/Petra Martic (Croatia). On Friday the Romanian pair Irina Maria Bara/Monica Niculescu qualified to the eighth finals of the women’s doubles. Also on Friday, in the second round, Romanian Sorana Cirstea and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko were eliminated by the Slovenian-Spanish pair Andreja Klepac/Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, 7-5, 6-3.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

18 January 2019
04.01.2018 (mise à jour)

Objectifs – Bucarest a comme grands objectifs pour l’année 2019 -quand
la Roumanie exerce, au premier semestre, la présidence tournante de l’Union
européenne — une intégration dans l’UE meilleure et approfondie, la
consolidation de sa position au sein de l’OTAN et une présence renforcée de
l’Alliance sur le flanc est, la consolidation de l’Etat de droit et la
continuation en force de la lutte contre la corruption, a déclaré vendredi le
président roumain Klaus Iohannis. Le chef de l’Etat a par ailleurs affirmé
qu’il n’accepterait pas les noms proposés par le Parti social-démocrate, Lia Olguţa Vasilescu et Mihai Drăghici, pour occuper les postes respectivement
de ministre du développement régional et de ministre des transports. Le
président Iohannis a précisé que ses arguments étaient de nature légale et
d’opportunité et qu’il les rendrait publics la semaine
prochaine, Rappelons-le, fin novembre, le chef de
l’Etat avait accepté six propositions de remaniement avancées par la première
ministre Viorica Dăncilă et concernant
les titulaires des ministères de la Défense, Emploi, Education, Culture,
Communications, Jeunesse et Sports. Il avait rejeté en revanche les
propositions avancées visant les portefeuilles des Transports et du
Développement régional. Ce jeudi, le président Iohannis avait signé les décrets de
constat vacance des deux postes.M Iohanis
avait par ailleurs affirmé vendredi qu’il ne signerait pas le décret de
révocation du procureur général, Augustin Lazăr, dont l’activité est remarquable,
à son avis. Ce qui plus est, la proposition de révocation du procureur général
avancée par le ministre de la Justice ne remplit pas les conditions de la loi,
a encore précisé le chef de l’Etat. Le parti social démocrate condamne les actions répétées, du président visant à bloquer l’activité
gouvernementale. De même par le déni manifesté à l’égard de la constitution et
de l’Etat de droit, le président est entré dans une complicité de nature pénale
avec le procureur général, affirme le même parti social démocrate. Pour rappel,
le ministre de la Justice avait avancé la proposition de destitution du
procureur général pour sanctionner des écarts graves eu égard ses attributions,
le non respect des droits fondamentaux et pour avoir outrepassé les lois.

Ambassadeur – Le Sénat américain a renvoyé au président Donald Trump la nomination d’Adrian Zuckerman au poste d’ambassadeur des Etats-Unis en Roumanie, pour des raisons de procédure. Selon le règlement du Sénat américain, les nominations qui n’ont pas été examinées lors d’une session ne peuvent pas être reportées à une autre sans être envoyées par le président. Fin juillet 2018, le président américain avait envoyé au Sénat la nomination d’Adrian Zuckerman au poste d’ambassadeur. Dans sa présentation il est mentionné que M Zuckerman avait quitté la Roumanie pour les Etats Unis à l’âge de 10 ans et qu’il parle couramment le roumain. Il est actuellement partenaire au sein d’une société d’avocats de New York spécialisée dans les transactions immobilières. Il est un proche de la famille Trump depuis deux décennies et un membre connu du milieu des affaires de New York. S’il est voté par le Congrès Américain, Adrian Zuckerman remplacera l’actuel ambassadeur à Bucarest, Hans Klemm. Une nouvelle séance du Congrès américain a démarré jeudi.

Chisinau – La présidence roumaine du Conseil de l’Union européenne est une
occasion unique d’intensifier la relation de la République de Moldova voisine
avec les structures communautaire – a affirmé Iurie Leancă, vice-premier
ministre chargé de l’intégration européenne au gouvernement de Chişinău. Il a
également exprimé son espoir d’assister à une amplification du dialogue
politique entre l’UE et la République de Moldova, pour que cette dernière se voit
offrir une perspective d’adhésion claire. Iurie Leancă a ajouté qu’il misait
aussi sur un soutien au processus de réformes et à l’accélération de la mise en
œuvre des projets d’interconnexion dans le secteur de l’énergie et des projets
d’infrastructure reliant République de Moldova à la Roumanie. La Roumanie
assure, pour la première fois, la présidence tournante du Conseil de l’UE, du
1-er janvier au 30 juin 2019, l’agenda étant dominé par le Brexit, la
négociation du futur budget communautaire et les élections européennes du mois
de mai.

Sport – La sélection nationale roumaine de volleyball féminin
rencontrera samedi dans la ville d’Alexandria, dans le sud du pays, la sélection
espagnole dans le match décisif des
préliminaires du groupe F comptant pour le Championnat européen. L’équipe
gagnante sera qualifiée au tournoi final qui se déroulera du 23 août au 8
septembre, et dont l’organisation est partagée entre la Turquie, la Pologne, la
Hongrie et la Slovaquie. A part la Roumanie et l’Espagne, le groupe F compte
les sélections de Lettonie et de Bosnie-Herzégovine. Les deux premières
classées de chacun des 6 groupes préliminaires sont assurées d’avoir leur
ticket pour la finale.

Météo – Les températures hivernales seront de mise les prochaines
heures partout en Roumanie, mais notamment dans le nord, le Centre et les
régions collinaires, où des chutes de neige sont attendues. Les températures
minimum varieront entre – 14 et – 2°, alors que les maxima ne dépasseront pas
les 2°C.

4 January 2019
Romania takes over EU presidency

For the first time since joining the European Union 12 years ago, Romania is holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Its Prime Minister Viorica Dancila says Bucharest wants to project a pragmatic vision during its 6-month term based on the principle of cohesion. Romania’s priorities rest on four pillars: a Europe of convergence, a safer Europe, Europe as a global actor; and a Europe of common values. Europe of convergence which means growth, cohesion, competitiveness will ensure, according to prime minister Dancila, sustainable and equitable development for all European citizens. This is essential, she said, in order to promote a united Europe and increase the European Union’s competitiveness at a global level.

Viorica Dancila: “The decisions on the future of European policies must be reflected in the Union’s funding priorities. Therefore, Romania’s presidency of the Council of the European Union will contribute to the drafting of the post-2020 multiannual financial framework in order to fulfil the objectives in the next seven years and ensure a balance between growth and convergence generating policies in the community bloc.”

Romania also aims to contribute to the consolidation of the economic and monetary union and to promote research and innovation through digitisation and connectivity as main factors in the growth of the competitiveness of European industry. The Romanian authorities also believe that intolerance, populism, racism and xenophobia can be fought through a permanent reminder of the values on which the Union is based, while also calling for greater citizen involvement in the decision making process.

Viorica Dancila: “I believe it is necessary to encourage young people to become involved in the creation of a strong Europe based on shared European values. Also, we will support during our term the legislative initiatives related to the participation of European citizens in the European legislative process.”

Minister for European Affairs, George Ciamba, talked about Romania’s priorities during its 6-month mandate and pointed out that, under the motto “Cohesion — a common European value” Bucharest will have to deal with very important matters for the future of the EU, such as Brexit, the future budget of the Union and the elections for the European Parliament.

George Ciamba: “In the first period, when we work together with the current European Parliament, Romania’s priorities will focus on turning as many bills as possible into European laws. At present, we have quite a clear picture at the level of each ministry, of which initiatives can be turned into European law and which are the ones that need to be further worked on and then taken over by the next presidency. The mandate of the current European Parliament expires in April, so quite soon. Romania must have an impartial stand, but, at the same time, it must find qualified majorities that should allow it to reach a common stand within the Council. The second part of Romania’s mandate will be dedicated to the summit in Sibiu, a very important summit held only two weeks and a half ahead of the European Parliament elections. It is very important, essential I would say, as far as we are concerned, for the summit to give a signal of unity among all member states and European partners as regards the future of the Union. In the last month of Romania’s mandate, which will again be a very complicated one, we will have the chance to tackle topics that cannot be discussed before that, precisely because of the campaign for the European Parliament elections. These topics were postponed so as not to interfere with the elections. Therefore they must be discussed in one month alone, the time left before Romania’s mandate expires. Among these topics is EU enlargement.”

Romania wants the Black Sea to become a priority zone for the EU as well, as it currently is for NATO, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has said: “One of Romania’s goals, as president of the Council of the EU, will be to come up with proposals regarding the strengthening of cooperation in the Black Sea area in general, boosting confidence among member states, promoting tourism, energy interconnectivity and direct collaboration of the EU and the regional structures.”

All these, minister Melescanu says, are important because we want the EU to get more involved in these regional formats.

4 January 2019