Tag: DIICOT

  • Treason Allegations in Romania

    Treason Allegations in Romania

    On Thursday morning prosecutors with the Direction for Investigating International Crime and Terrorism, known as DIICOT, announced that six people had been apprehended on treason charges after having negotiated with Russian agents Romania’s coming out of NATO. Further information was provided later in the day and we learnt that the suspects were part of the so-called ‘Vlad Tepes Command’, which also included Radu Theodoru, a retired major-general and WWII veteran aged 101.

     

    The organization’s main aim was, according to DIICOT, ‘to affect the sovereignty and independence of the Romanian state and also to undermine the country’s political and defence capabilities through continued, conscious, public or conspiracy activities.

    Members of the aforementioned military-style organization have allegedly recruited followers and published on-line video materials. According to prosecutors, they would have initiated actions aimed at removing the present constitutional order of dismantling the political parties and instating a government made up of members of the aforementioned organization who would have served as ministers. They also wanted to remove all employees from state institutions, adopt a new Constitution, change the country’s flag, anthem and even its name. They also stood for a social order based on moral principles and a system based on collective wisdom. In January, two of the suspects travelled to Moscow where they allegedly met people ready to support the organization with a view to taking over power in Romania. In fact, the six persons’ indictment on charges of treason – sources in Bucharest say – is actually related to the expulsion of two Russian diplomats a day before.

     

    We recall the Romanian authorities decided to declare the Russian Federation’s military attaché and his deputy persona non grata. The two have been accused of involvement in activities running against the 1961 Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. According to the Romanian Intelligence Service, the two Russian diplomats gleaned information from fields of strategic interest and had activities in support of the anti-Constitutional moves of the Vlad Tepes organization.

     

    Moscow pledged to respond in kind and described the expulsion of the two diplomats as unjustified and unfriendly.

    Under the circumstances, the Romanian legal authorities on Thursday night decided the preventive arrest of two members of the command structure of the ”Vlad Ţepeşʺ, organization whereas four other members have been placed under court supervision for a period of 60 days.

    (bill)

  • No-confidence vote in Bucharest

    No-confidence vote in Bucharest

    On Tuesday, AUR, SOS and POT MPs from the so-called sovereignist opposition in the Bucharest Parliament called for the first vote of no-confidence against the PSD-PNL-UDMR government, installed at the end of December and led by Social-Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The motion is titled “Prime Minister Nordis must go, Romanians are fed up with humiliation” – a reference to the alleged connections between Ciolacu and the perpetrators of a far-reaching real estate scam. Earlier this month, former PSD deputy Laura Vicol and her husband, businessman Vladimir Ciorbă, were placed under pre-trial arrest. Three other defendants were also placed under house arrest in the same case. In the case of six others suspects, the court ordered house arrest or judicial proceedings.

     

    The investigation by anti-mafia prosecutors from the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) targets 40 individuals and 32 companies, accused of having collected over €195 million from individuals or legal entities, but not delivering the apartments and parking spaces for which the clients had paid. According to investigators, there were also cases where the same apartment was sold to several clients. The political boss of Laura Vicol, who served as president of the legal committee in the Chamber of Deputies in the previous legislature, Prime Minister Ciolacu admitted that he flew to France and Spain on private jets, together with the former deputy and her husband, Vladimir Ciorbă. The Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, is reported to have joined them on these trips.

     

    Motion initiators say that the current government is illegitimate, has lost its credibility, precisely as certain cabinet members are associated with the Nordis investigation. The opposition says the Cabinet does not observe its own governing program, where it promised, among other things, to increase allowances and pensions. The government is already accumulating a shameful record of abuses and failures, which demonstrates the total rupture between political power and the Romanian people – the nationalist opposition also says.

     

    Also in the opposition, the pro-European USR party announced it would not vote the motion. USR says that the motion has zero chances of passing, and the entire opposition is missing the chance to initiate a procedure to dismiss the Government in the current parliamentary session. Representatives of the majority coalition say that Romania needs serious solutions, not image strategies, and have promised to create a shield around Ciolacu and his team. Moreover, the Social-Democrat and Liberal leaders say that any defections from the ruling majority will be punished without mercy, and whoever votes in favor of the motion will be expelled from the party. AUR, SOS and POT have a combined 154 MPs in the current legislature. However, for the motion to pass, 232 votes in favor are required, tantamount to half plus one of the total number of senators and deputies. (VP)

  • Organized Crime Report

    Organized Crime Report

    In 2024, Romania was targeted, along with other European states, by ‘sabotage’ actions and hybrid attacks specific to Russia, with the aim of testing the defense preparation of the NATO countries and finding weaknesses in the infrastructure, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) claims in its activity report for 2024. According to the document, ‘starting with the year 2022, at least 50 incidents took place in 13 countries in Europe, which could be Russian hybrid operations. These include cases of espionage, diversion, vandalism, cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and three attacks on the underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea’. The report also shows that last year Romania did not face a concrete terrorist threat and there were no terrorist attacks, the risk still remaining low. Furthermore, the Romanian supporters of some terrorist organizations, DIICOT claims, continued to carry out only support activities, but they lacked consistency and scope.

     

    On the other hand, the Directorate’s data show that drug consumption has constantly increased, the most wanted being cannabis, which, actually, is also the most seized by the authorities. As far as high-risk drugs are concerned, Romania is mainly a transit country, and the Black Sea ports can be an alternative for the introduction of these substances into the European Union space. Thus, last year, DIICOT prosecutors had to deal with 33,000 cases regarding drug trafficking, almost a quarter more than the previous year. In 2024, investigators seized over a ton of risk and high-risk drugs, over 7 tons of prohibited doping substances and approximately 16 tons of fruit pulp containing cocaine. More than 12,000 cannabis crops or plants were also seized, four times more than the previous year. The report also shows that parcel post systems were among the methods mainly used to introduce small and medium quantities of drugs into the country.

     

    Another aspect mentioned in the DIICOT report is that the number of minors involved in drug trafficking has increased considerably recently, and traffickers are using new methods to bring and sell prohibited substances in Romania, such as specialized online platforms with payment in cryptocurrencies, among other things. Data from the National Antidrug Agency show constant increases in drug consumption in Romania. The domestic market is dominated by consumers from Bucharest whose number is relatively stable and is fueled by criminal groups in the area linked to the Turkish community on the import segment and to the ethnic Roma clans on the street distribution segment, the Agency also shows. (LS)

  • February 3, 2025 UPDATE1

    February 3, 2025 UPDATE1

    Budget – Romania’s 2025 budget bill will enter Parliament’s debate as of Tuesday, and the final vote is expected to take place by the end of the week. The vote is predictable as the parliamentarians of the ruling coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR) have the majority. However, the document met with much criticism from the opposition parties, which submitted over 1,000 amendments. Adopted by the government at the end of last week, Romania’s budget bill for 2025 is based on an economic growth of 2.5%, an average inflation rate of 4.4% and a deficit of 7% of the GDP. According to the Finance Minister, Tanczos Barna, the budget focuses on investments, with record allocations of 150 billion lei (about 30 billion Euros).

     

    Investigation – The prosecutors from the Directorate for Fighting Organized Crime (DIICOT) carried out, on Monday, dozens of searches in Romania and Monaco, in a case involving fraud with particularly serious consequences, embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion, related to what the press called the Nordis real estate business. The investigations targeted a number of about 70 suspects, natural and legal persons. Among the people interviewed are Laura Vicol, former head of the Legal Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, and Ioana Băsescu, the daughter of the former president of Romania, Traian Băsescu, who was called at the DIICOT headquarters to give explanations regarding her involvement as a notary in the Nordis business. Starting in 2018, three of the suspects allegedly initiated and set up an organized criminal group, which conceived and implemented a complex criminal mechanism, consisting, mainly, in the promotion and development of real estate projects under the cover of several commercial companies, followed by collecting money from clients, misleading buyers during the execution of pre-contracts and sale-purchase contracts. The leaders of the organized criminal group are said to have collected over 957,000,000 lei (over 195 million Euros) from customers as an advance payment within the framework of bilateral sale-purchase promises, respectively sales-purchase agreements.

     

    Defense – Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own defense in order to strengthen our strategic resilience, said President Klaus Iohannis, present, on Monday, in Brussels, at the informal meeting of EU leaders on defense issues. The discussions focused on military capabilities and the European defense industry. President Iohannis evoked, in this sense, the need for adequate financing seen not only as the allocation of more money, but also as the effective use of the already existing tools. Regarding defense, Romania’s president emphasized the need for complementarity between the European Union and NATO. (LS)

     

  • September 7, 2024 UPDATE

    September 7, 2024 UPDATE

    CYBERCRIME Two crime rings specialized in IT crimes and money laundering have been dismantled in a joint operation involving the Romanian prosecutors from the Direction of Fighting Organised Crime and Terrorism, DIICOT, and the legal authorities in the United States of America. A specialized network made up of Romanian and Bulgarian citizens was set up in California in 2021. By means of sophisticated equipment, the network used to copy data from cards belonging to US citizens, which they used to extract cash. The total damage caused stood at over one million dollars and part of the money went to Romania by means of money transfer systems or among the goods transported by couriers. In Romania, members of a second group, specialized in money laundering, took over the money investing it. Tens of thousands Euros and dollars have been identified and seized during various search operations conducted in Romania.

     

    FILM ‘The New Year that Never Came’ directed, written and produced by Romanian film director Bogdan Muresanu has been awarded two prizes at the International Film Festival in Venice: the FIPRESCI award offered by the jury of the International Federation of Film Critics and Bisato d’Oro 2024 for the best script offered by independent film critics. ‘The film culminates with a profound exploration of human behavior influenced by the fear of political reprisals, shared by several generations who lived under a totalitarian regime. We appreciate this film for its focused political vision, the sophisticated and dynamic plot, the balanced tones and exceptional cast” – the FIPRESCI jury said. DoP Boroka Biro got the special mention for picture Premio Autrici under 40 ‘Valentina Pedicini’, an award which acknowledges the talent of a director under 40 years old for a remarkable performance in film direction, script or picture.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football side secured a 3-0 win against Kosovo in Pristina on Friday night, the first game in their Nations League’s Group C2. In the same group, Cyprus clinched a one-nil win against Lithuania. These are the national side’s first matches with the former Romanian football legend and great coach, Mircea Lucescu, at the helm. Lucescu went back to the national side after 38 years. He also coached Romania’s national eleven between 1981 and 1986, when they qualified for the European Championships in France in 1984. At that time only eight European sides used to go to the final tournament. Under the guidance of Lucescu, numerous football clubs from Romania, Turkey and Ukraine won their national championships. Another side that he coached Galatasaray Istanbul claimed the UEFA Cup in the year 2000. At the age of 79 Lucescu is the oldest headcoach of a national football side.

     

    SPORT Romania’s table tennis player Camelia Ciripan obtained bronze in the singles of the tennis competition of the summer Paralympics in Paris after losing to Marina Litovcenko 3-0, in the semifinals, the National Agency for Sport has announced. Camelia Ciripan, 45, who was designated athlete of the year 2022 in the Romanian Paralympic Sports, following the bronze medal she won at the world championships in Spain, was Romania’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympics. Her success comes a day after the gold medal obtained by Romanian judoka Florin-Alexandru Bologa who defeated Yergali Shamey of Kazakhstan in the finals. In the present edition of the Paralympics, Romania is being represented by Alexandru Bologa and Daniel Vargoczki in the judo contest, Eduard Novak and Theodor Matican in the cycling competition and also by table tennis players, Camelia Ciripan and Bobi Simion.

     

    (bill)

     

  • September 7, 2024

    September 7, 2024

    CYBERCRIME Two crime rings specialized in IT crimes and money laundering have been dismantled in a joint operation involving the Romanian prosecutors from the Direction of Fighting Organised Crime and Terrorism, DIICOT, and the legal authorities in the United States of America. A specialized network made up of Romanian and Bulgarian citizens was set up in California in 2021. By means of sophisticated equipment, the network used to copy data from cards belonging to US citizens, which they used to extract cash. The total damage caused stood at over one million dollars and part of the money went to Romania by means of money transfer systems or among the goods transported by couriers. In Romania, members of a second group, specialized in money laundering, took over the money investing it. Tens of thousands Euros and dollars have been identified and seized during various search operations conducted in Romania.

     

    JUDO Romanian athlete Florin-Alexandru Bologa has walked away with gold from the judo competition for blind people part of the 2024 summer Paralympics in Paris. Bologa boasts four consecutive titles being a defending European and world champion. Besides his gold, Romania is going to win another medal in Paris, as Camelia Ciripan has made it to the semifinals of the women’s single table tennis contest. The Romanian is going to take on Maria Litovcenko of Ukraine on Saturday.

     

    FILM ‘The New Year that Never Came’ directed, written and produced by Romanian film director Bogdan Muresanu has been awarded two prizes at the International Film Festival in Venice: the FIPRESCI award offered by the jury of the International Federation of Film Critics and Bisato d’Oro 2024 for the best script offered by independent film critics. ‘The film culminates with a profound exploration of human behavior influenced by the fear of political reprisals, shared by several generations who lived under a totalitarian regime. We appreciate this film for its focused political vision, the sophisticated and dynamic plot, the balanced tones and exceptional cast” – the FIPRESCI jury said. DoP Boroka Biro got the special mention for picture Premio Autrici under 40 ‘Valentina Pedicini’, an award which acknowledges the talent of a director under 40 years old for a remarkable performance in film direction, script or picture.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football side secured a 3-0 win against Kosovo in Pristina on Friday night, the first game in their Nations League’s Group C2. In the same group, Cyprus clinched a one-nil win against Lithuania. These are the national side’s first matches with the former Romanian football legend and great coach, Mircea Lucescu, at the helm. Lucescu went back to the national side after 38 years. He also coached Romania’s national eleven between 1981 and 1986, when they qualified for the European Championships in France in 1984. At that time only eight European sides used to go to the final tournament. Under the guidance of Lucescu, numerous football clubs from Romania, Turkey and Ukraine won their national championships. Another side that he coached Galatasaray Istanbul claimed the UEFA Cup in the year 2000. At the age of 79 Lucescu is the oldest headcoach of a national football side.

     

    (bill)

     

  • July 20, 2024 UPDATE

    July 20, 2024 UPDATE

    HEAT WAVE – Meteorologists on Saturday issued two alerts, one yellow and one orange, against thunderstorms, in place until Sunday morning for the west and center. Powerful thunderstorms, accompanied by strong wind and hail will be expected during the interval. Several other weather alerts against extreme heat are in effect for Saturday in the south, where temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius and the THI will exceed the critical level of 80 units. The capital city is under a code yellow alert against severe heat, with maximum temperatures expected to reach 35 degrees.

     

     

    ENERGY – The heat wave affecting Romania in recent weeks has led to an increase in energy consumption, seriously testing the national electricity grid. While no major blackouts occurred, the Romanian authorities are preparing a series of measures with short and medium-term effect to secure energy input, regardless of weather conditions. In a session of the Energy Task Force, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu called for accelerating investments in the national network for electricity transport and for expanding production and storage capacities. In turn, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said that, after 15 years, Romania is ready to adopt a national energy strategy, which could help the authorities plan and prioritize investments and relevant projects to ensure national energy security with competitive prices for electricity and natural gas.

     

     

    AVIATION – Romania on Saturday marked the National Day of Aviation and Air Forces, traditionally held on the Feast Day of Saint Elijah, the patron saint of Romanian aviators. A military and religious ceremony was held in Bucharest on this occasion, with Romanian officials bringing floral tributes to the memory of Romanian aviators. A number of aircraft overflew the proceedings, including F-16 Fighting Falcon, C-130 Hercules, C-27J Spartan, IAR-330 and IAR-99 jets, EC-135 SMURD and S-70M Black Hawk helicopters, a Learjet 75 aircraft of the Interior Defense Ministry, SA-365 Dauphin gunships of the Romanian Intelligence Service, and an Extra 300 aircraft belonging to the Romanian Air Club. Attending the air show was also a C-17 Globemaster aircraft from Hungary and F-18 Hornet fighter jets of the Finnish Air Forces.

     

     

    TECH OUTAGE – Users and companies in various essential industries around the world, including banking, air travel, mass-media and healthcare are resuming their normal activity on Saturday in the wake of the largest global tech outage in history. A faulty updated to Microsoft Windows systems operated by Crowdstrike grounded thousands of flights, stalled banking and healthcare services, and badly hit other sectors on Friday. The problem was eliminated at its root, although some systems will take a while to automatically return to normal operating parameters, Crowdstrike officials say. Governments and public services were also impacted by the incident, which could prompt lawmakers to pass special laws to protect the population against similar outages in the future. Romania was also impacted by the tech outage, with several international flights reporting delays.

     

     

    CRIME STATISTICS – In the first quarter of 2024, law enforcement and anti-crime prosecutors organized a total of 900 operations, a third of which were large-scale, up by 2.5% compared to the first six months of 2023, the head of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, Cătălin Şerban, told a press briefing on Saturday. The operations targeted 3,400 people, of whom 1,275 were detained for 24 hours. Over 1,000 people were temporarily arrested, up by 8.9% compared to the same period last year. The Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) took part in EUROPOL policy cycles, taking on coordination roles and conducting operations in the fields of human and immigrant trafficking, cyber crime and drug traffucking. (VP)

  • July 20, 2024

    July 20, 2024

    HEAT WAVE – Meteorologists on Saturday issued two alerts, one yellow and one orange, against thunderstorms, in place until Sunday morning for the west and center. Powerful thunderstorms, accompanied by strong wind and hail will be expected during the interval. Several other weather alerts against extreme heat are in effect for Saturday in the south, where temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius and the THI will exceed the critical level of 80 units. The capital city is under a code yellow alert against severe heat, with maximum temperatures expected to reach 35 degrees.

     

    AVIATION – Romania on Saturday marked the National Day of Aviation and Air Forces, traditionally held on the Feast Day of Saint Elijah, the patron saint of Romanian aviators. A military and religious ceremony was held in Bucharest on this occasion, with Romanian officials bringing floral tributes to the memory of Romanian aviators. A number of aircraft overflew the proceedings, including F-16 Fighting Falcon, C-130 Hercules, C-27J Spartan, IAR-330 and IAR-99 jets, EC-135 SMURD and S-70M Black Hawk helicopters, a Learjet 75 aircraft of the Interior Defense Ministry, SA-365 Dauphin gunships of the Romanian Intelligence Service, and an Extra 300 aircraft belonging to the Romanian Air Club. Attending the air show was also a C-17 Globemaster aircraft from Hungary and F-18 Hornet fighter jets of the Finnish Air Forces.

     

    TECH OUTAGE – Users and companies in various essential industries around the world, including banking, air travel, mass-media and healthcare are resuming their normal activity on Saturday in the wake of the largest global tech outage in history. A faulty updated to Microsoft Windows systems operated by Crowdstrike grounded thousands of flights, stalled banking and healthcare services, and badly hit other sectors on Friday. The problem was eliminated at its root, although some systems will take a while to automatically return to normal operating parameters, Crowdstrike officials say. Governments and public services were also impacted by the incident, which could prompt lawmakers to pass special laws to protect the population against similar outages in the future. Romania was also impacted by the tech outage, with several international flights reporting delays.

     

    CRIME STATISTICS – In the first quarter of 2024, law enforcement and anti-crime prosecutors organized a total of 900 operations, a third of which were large-scale, up by 2.5% compared to the first six months of 2023, the head of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, Cătălin Şerban, told a press briefing on Saturday. The operations targeted 3,400 people, of whom 1,275 were detained for 24 hours. Over 1,000 people were temporarily arrested, up by 8.9% compared to the same period last year. The Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) took part in EUROPOL policy cycles, taking on coordination roles and conducting operations in the fields of human and immigrant trafficking, cyber crime and drug traffucking.

     

    INCIDENT – Romania’s general consul in Manchester maintains permanent contact with the family of Romanian citizens involved in a violent altercation in Leeds, UK, as well as with the local police, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced after information and images appeared in public space depicting several Romanians involved in the violent clashes. The altercation broke out after child protection services in Leeds attempted to take a number of Romanian minors into state care, after being notified beforehand regarding possible cases of abuse. An inquiry is underway. According to the Foreign Ministry, a number of Romanian citizens involved in the violent events of July 18 have been placed under arrest. As talks continue with representatives of British social services in Leeds, currently managing the investigation targeting the Romanian children and the Romanian family, Romania’s diplomatic representatives have assured local authorities of their full cooperation with a view to identifying a long-term, viable solution to the children’s best interest, in compliance with the observance of provisions adopted by the relevant British authorities.

     

    TENNIS – Romania’s Irina Begu on Friday advanced to the semi-finals of the WTA 250 tournament in Palermo, Italy, totaling some 233 thousand EUR in prizes, after knocking out Ann Li of the USA in straight sets. On Saturday, Begu will take on second-seed Karolina Muchova of Czechia in the semis. Another Romanian player, Jaqueline Cristian, was ousted in the quarterfinals by the top seed Qinwen Zheng of China in straight sets. (VP)

  • Rückblick auf die Ereignisse der Woche 09.10.–13.10.2023

    Rückblick auf die Ereignisse der Woche 09.10.–13.10.2023





    Solidarität mit Israel — rumänisches Parlament verurteilt die Terroranschläge der Hamas und bekundet Solidarität mit Israel


    Das rumänische Parlament hat eine Solidaritätserklärung mit Israel verabschiedet und die terroristischen Angriffe der Hamas verurteilt. In dem Dokument hei‎ßt es, dass wirksamere Mechanismen erforderlich sind, um den Schutz von Freiheit, Demokratie und Menschenleben zu gewährleisten. Die Parlamentarier unterstützten das Recht des israelischen Staates, sich gegen den Terrorismus zu verteidigen und alle notwendigen Ma‎ßnahmen zum Schutz seiner Zivilbevölkerung zu ergreifen. Zu Beginn der gemeinsamen Sitzung beider Kammern des Parlaments legten die Senatoren und Abgeordneten eine Schweigeminute zum Gedenken an die Opfer der Terroranschläge gegen Israel ein.



    Vertreter aller Fraktionen verurteilten die Terroranschläge und bekundeten ihre Solidarität mit Israel. Der Fraktionsvorsitzende der regierenden PSD im Senat, Lucian Romașcanu, betonte, dass es absolut schmerzlich sei, in dieser Zeit zwei ungerechte und hasserfüllte Kriege erleben zu müssen, die keine Rechtfertigung haben. Die mitregierende PNL verurteilte ihrerseits die Terroranschläge aufs Schärfste und bekräftigte ihre Unterstützung für das souveräne Recht Israels auf Selbstverteidigung. Die in der Opposition befindliche USR wies darauf hin, dass die Urheber des Angriffs auf Israel um jeden Preis versuchen, die schmerzhaften Tragödien der Geschichte zu wiederholen, und betonte, dass es keine Rechtfertigung für den Terrorismus gibt. Die rechtsnationalistische AUR habe die Angriffe auf Israel seit Anfang an verurteilt, so der Vorsitzende der Partei, George Simion, der zudem sagte, dass die Verpflichtung zu Frieden und Dialog bekräftigt werden müsse. Und schlie‎ßlich bekundete auch der Ungarnverband UDMR seine volle Solidarität mit Israel und dem jüdischen Volk.



    Indessen gab Premierminister Marcel Ciolacu bekannt, dass die überwiegende Mehrheit der rumänischen Staatsbürger, die sich in Israel befanden, nach den blutigen Anschlägen der Hamas ausgeflogen wurden und sicher in Rumänien angekommen sind. Dabei handelte es sich um mehr als 2 000 Personen. Ciolacu dankte den beteiligten Institutionen, dem Au‎ßenministerium und der nationalen Fluggesellschaft TAROM für ihren Einsatz. Laut jüngsten Medienberichten sind bei den Terroranschlägen auch zwei Menschen mit doppelter — rumänischer und israelischer — Staatsbürgerschaft ums Leben gekommen.



    Ukrainischer Präsident Wolodymyr Selenskyj zu Besuch in Bukarest


    Rumänien und die benachbarte Ukraine haben beschlossen, die bilateralen Beziehungen auf den Stand einer strategischen Partnerschaft zu vertiefen, der höchsten Stufe der Zusammenarbeit zwischen zwei Ländern. Eine entsprechende gemeinsame Erklärung wurde von den Präsidenten Klaus Iohannis und Wolodymyr Selenskyj unterzeichnet, der am Dienstag erstmals seit Beginn des Krieges Bukarest besuchte. Dem Kiewer Staatschef wurde zugesichert, dass Rumänien die Ukraine weiterhin unterstützen wird, auch militärisch, und dass ein neuer Getreidekorridor auf dem Schienenweg durch die Republik Moldau nach Rumänien eröffnet werden soll. Die ukrainische Armee werde Flugabwehr- und Artilleriesysteme von Rumänien erhalten, sagte Präsident Selenskyj nach seinen Unterredungen mit hochrangigen Vertretern der Bukarester Politik.



    Rumänien wird die Ukraine so lange unterstützen, wie es nötig ist, sagte seinerseits Präsident Klaus Iohannis, der hinzufügte, dass die Unterstützung des Nachbarlandes von strategischer Bedeutung sei. In Bukarest traf der ukrainische Präsident auch mit den Präsidenten der beiden Parlamentskammern und mit Premierminister Marcel Ciolacu zusammen und legte einen Kranz am Denkmal für den Unbekannten Soldaten nieder. Au‎ßerdem kündigte er an, dass in den kommenden Wochen ein gemeinsames Treffen von ukrainischen und rumänischen Regierungsvertretern vorbereitet werden soll.



    Russische Kampfdrohne erneut auf rumänischem Gebiet im Donaudelta abgestürzt — Verteidigungsminister steht Rede und Antwort im Parlament


    Verteidigungsminister Angel Tîlvăr gab am Mittwoch vor dem Plenum des Senats bekannt, dass die Untersuchung der im Donaudelta gefundenen Drohnenbruchstücke abgeschlossen sei und der Bericht der Generalstaatsanwaltschaft vorgelegt wurde. Dem Minister zufolge sei das rumänische Hoheitsgebiet kein Ziel gewesen, denn der Einschlag sei zufällig erfolgt und die Drohnen haben keinen Sprengstoff enthalten. Die Flugkörper konnten vom Frühwarnsystem nicht erkannt werden, weil sie in sehr geringer Höhe flogen, sagte noch der rumänische Verteidigungsminister.



    Der Minister war von der Fraktion der in der Opposition befindlichen USR-Senatoren aufgefordert worden, im Rahmen der sogenannten Regierungsanhörung“ Rede und Antwort zu diesem Thema zu stehen. Die Regierungsanhörung ist ein Verfahren, das Teil des parlamentarischen Kontrollmechanismus ist, den die Legislative gegenüber der Regierung ausübt. Minister Angel Tîlvăr versicherte, dass Rumänien als NATO-Mitgliedstaat unter Schutz stehe sei und seine Bürger nicht in Gefahr seien. Ferner fügte er hinzu, dass die Luftüberwachungssysteme im Donaudelta in der Nähe der ukrainischen Häfen, die von den russischen Streitkräften verstärkt angegriffen werden, kürzlich aufgerüstet worden seien.



    Oberster Verteidigungsrat veranlasst die Gründung einer interinstitutionellen Gruppe für den Kampf gegen Drogen


    Der Oberste Rat für Nationale Verteidigung hat am Donnerstag in Bukarest die Gründung einer interinstitutionellen Arbeitsgruppe zur wirksamen Vorbeugung und Bekämpfung des Drogenhandels und -konsums beschlossen. Die Arbeitsgruppe wird sich aus Staatssekretären, Vertretern des Nachrichtendienstes SRI, Staatsanwälten und Experten zusammensetzen und soll von der Regierung koordiniert werden.



    Der Vorsto‎ß gilt als Verschärfung der einschlägigen Gesetzgebung. Es ist das erste Mal in der institutionellen Geschichte des Obersten Verteidigungsrates, dass der Drogenhandel und -konsum als gravierende Risiken für die individuelle und nationale Sicherheit behandelt werden. Um den Aktionsplan in die Praxis umzusetzen, wird die Exekutive eine Reihe von Ma‎ßnahmen ergreifen. Dazu gehören die Analyse des rechtlichen Rahmens für den Drogenhandel und -konsum und die Unterbreitung von Vorschlägen zur Änderung und Ergänzung der Rechtsvorschriften, um Schlupflöcher zu schlie‎ßen und den Spielraum für eine spekulative Auslegung der gesetzlichen Bestimmungen zu begrenzen.



    Die Entscheidung kommt im Zusammenhang mit einem tragischen Unfall, der sich im Sommer in der Nähe eines Ferienorts am Schwarzen Meer ereignete. Ein 19-Jähriger Autofahrer unter Drogeneinfluss hatte zwei Jugendliche mit tödlichen Folgen überfahren und drei weitere verletzt. Die Aufsichtsbehörde des Innenministers stellte nachträglich eine Reihe von Unregelmä‎ßigkeiten bei der Verkehrspolizei fest, die den Unfall begünstigt haben sollen. Bei einer Routinekontrolle kurz vor dem Unfall waren im Auto des mutma‎ßlichen Täters Drogen gefunden worden, doch die sich im Einsatz befindenden Verkehrspolizisten hatten keine Drogentests dabei und lie‎ßen den Jugendlichen nach Protokollierung des Fundes weiterfahren.



    Ebenfalls am Donnerstag hat die Regierung eine Erhöhung der Stellenanzahl beim Dezernat für die Bekämpfung der organisierten Kriminalität und des Terrorismus (DIICOT) beschlossen, wie Justizministerin Alina Gorghiu mitteilte. Der Ministerin zufolge soll das Dezernat künftig auf insgesamt 50 Stellen ausgebaut werden, darunter 25 Staatsanwälte allein für die Drogenbekämpfung.

  • Drugs, in the attention of the Supreme Defense Council

    Drugs, in the attention of the Supreme Defense Council

    For decades, Romania was said to be immune to the scourge of drugs, which were already wreaking havoc in Western Europe and North America for a long time. Until 1989, the police state created by the communist dictatorship was invulnerable to drug trafficking. Later, socio-economic theories emerged, according to which Romanians were too poor, when they escaped communism, to afford spending money on drugs. This illusion was gradually shattered and today, in the poorest neighborhoods of Bucharest, which residents themselves call ghettos, drugs are sold on the street, in broad daylight. The large festivals of techno music and related genres, such as Untodl (in Cluj, in the northwest) or Neversea (in Constanța, southeast), give the police, every time, the opportunity to announce how many consumers they catch and how many dealers they detain.



    A dismantled drug network in a prestigious high school in Bucharest had among its members the offspring of an employee with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of one with the Prosecutors Office. This week, a judge with the Criminal Section of the Court in Suceava has been arrested for 30 days, on charges of bribery, drug possession and disclosure of information not intended for the public, which she apparently gave traffickers. However, the strongest shock felt in society took place in August, when a young drug-driver, from a very rich family, killed two people in a car accident, in a Black Sea resort.



    Following these terrible events, Romania’s Supreme Defense Council, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, decided, on Thursday, to set up an inter-institutional working group to effectively prevent and combat the risks generated by drug trafficking and consumption. It will be made up of state secretaries, representatives of the Romanian Intelligence Service, prosecutors and anti-drug specialists, all coordinated by the Government. This is, according to the media, the first time that drug trafficking and consumption are approached as major risks to individual and national security.



    The group will draw up a joint action plan, with clear objectives, measures and responsibilities, for the effective prevention and combating of the risks generated by drug traffic and consumption. Operational working groups will also be established at county level, given that this problem is present everywhere in Romania. The Government will analyze the legal framework related to drug trafficking and consumption and will formulate proposals regarding the revision of normative acts, in order to eliminate loopholes. Also on Thursday, the Government announced that the number of prosecutors with the Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) will be increased by another 25, tasked with combating drug trafficking in Bucharest, Ilfov county and other sensitive locations across the country. (EE)

  • Changes in the Romanian Police

    Changes in the Romanian Police

    The Romanian Police will be reorganized. The announcement was made by the Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu on the occasion of the presentation of the conclusions of the Inspection Body in the case of the tragedy in the seaside resort of 2 Mai, where a 19-year-old drugged driver killed two young people and injured three others who were walking on the side of the road. He had been stopped in traffic by the police about three hours before the road accident and taken to the police station where, after having been tested for alcohol and the result came out negative, he was allowed to go. In this context, Cătălin Predoiu stated that the change will start from the Constanța Police Inspectorate, where the battle with crime “has been lost” in recent years. In this context, he announced that a preliminary investigation was ordered for negligence in the case of several officers involved in the mishandling of the 2 Mai case. Among those targeted is also the head of the County Police, Adrian Glugă, who has actually requested his release from office. The minister promises a complete resetting of the entire law enforcement apparatus within the structures of the Interior Ministry and of the structure of the Ministry per se.



    “We will start this resetting not through strategies and theories, but through concrete measures applied on the ground, from the street, where the citizen must be protected. We will start from Constanţa county and gradually expand it throughout the country. Constanţa County, alongside Bucharest, is one of the most difficult communities from the point of view of law enforcement and the challenges posed by the crime phenomenon, minister Cătălin Predoiu emphasized. At the same time, the minister wants more changes to the road traffic legislation, saying that he intends to militarize all the educational institutions of the Interior Ministry and that he will rethink the National Anti-Drug Agency, in relation to the evolution of consumption in Romania. In this sense, Cătălin Predoiu promises to co-opt the best specialists. Thus, the Police Academy and the school for police officers of the Romanian Police, the Border Police, the Gendarmerie, the centers for the training and application of the status of military personnel at the level of all these educational institutions will be reorganized.



    In this context, the Justice Minister Alina Gorghiu said that the fight against the drug phenomenon requires a joint effort and added that the number of prosecutors currently dealing with drug cases is very small. She also referred to the tightening of punishments for those who get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or drugs, and to the part of education related to the prevention of drug consumption. According to the Justice Minister, almost 4,700 drug-related cases were resolved this year in Romania, although only 14 prosecutors are active in the section for combating drug trafficking in the central structure of DIICOT — the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism. Currently, they are working on 7,000 drug-related cases, of which 2,700 were opened in the first six months of the year. (LS)

  • 29/07/2023

    29/07/2023

    Décrets – Deux décrets d’urgence – un pour la réduction
    des dépenses publiques et l’autre, pour la hausse des recettes budgétaires,
    seront votés bientôt par le gouvernement de Bucarest. Ce paquet de
    modifications fiscales et administratives entrera en vigueur progressivement,
    en trois étapes, à partir du 1 septembre, du 1 octobre et du 1 janvier 2024.
    Une discussion en ce sens est prévue lundi, avec le ministre des Finances. Par
    ailleurs, l’Agence nationale de l’Administration fiscale doit pour sa part,
    élaborer un rapport après que la Roumanie a enregistré une diminution des
    recettes fiscales issues des taxes et des impôts dans le contexte d’une baisse
    de la consommation et de la production industrielle. Les nouvelles mesures
    pourraient déboucher sur la suppression de 200.000 emplois vacants dans la
    fonction publique, sur la réorganisation ministérielle ou encore sur
    l’unification de certaines institutions. Les débats ont porté aussi sur la
    possibilité de mettre en place deux TVA de 9 et respectivement de 19%, tout
    comme sur l’élimination de l’exonération de la taxe santé dans plusieurs secteurs
    d’activité tels les Technologies de l’Information, le BTT et l’agriculture. Les
    autorités envisagent aussi d’introduire un taux d’imposition de 1% sur des
    propriétés d’une valeur dépassant les 500.000 euros. Le premier ministre a
    rassuré la population en affirmant que les nouveaux changements fiscaux ne
    risquent pas de produire des crises sociales ou des déséquilibres
    macro-économiques. Il n’y a pas de risque de récession et le pays enregistrera
    une croissance économique en fin d’année, a-t-il assuré.










    Enquête – La Direction nationale
    anticorruption a ouvert une enquête pénale in rem pour abus de fonction, après
    qu’un nouveau foyer pour personnes âgées en difficulté a été identifié dans le
    département de Mures. 7 personnes y ont été retrouvées détenues dans des
    conditions irrégulières au sous-sol, en plus des 23 qui figuraient dans les
    documents officiels de l’établissement. Trois personnes ont été arrêtées dans
    cette affaire par le parquet anti-mafia qui les a accusées de création de
    groupe criminel organisé et de trafic de personnes. Le premier ministre roumain, Marcel Ciolacu,
    a déstitué le préfet et le sous-préfet du département de Mures et a annoncé le
    changement du cadre juridique de fonctionnement de ces maisons de retraite. Rappelons
    qu’il y a quelques semaines, le scandale des « maisons de retraites de
    l’horreur » a éclaté en Roumanie, où des personnes âgées ou handicapées étaient
    traitées de manière inhumaine. Les procureurs du DIICOT (le bureau du procureur
    anti-mafia) se sont alors rendus dans trois de ces instituts près de Bucarest,
    et ont procédé à des perquisitions avant de s’entretenir avec plusieurs
    suspects. Suite à cette affaire, les ministres du Travail et de la Famille ont
    démissionné. D’autre part, l’administration pénitentiaire a décidé de contrôler
    le centre éducatif de Buziaş (ouest), destiné à la resocialisation des mineurs
    et des jeunes ayant commis des actes criminels, après qu’un jeune détenu a été
    brutalement violenté par des gardes. Le ministre de la Justice a déposé une
    plainte et a limogé la direction du Centre en question.






    Céréales – La Roumanie s’est dit prête à mettre en place
    de nouvelles routes pour les exportations des céréales ukrainiennes après la
    décision de Moscou de se retirer de l’accord céréalier de la mer Noire ce qui
    lui permettrait d’attaquer les navires ukrainiens. Dans une déclaration pour
    l’agence de presse Bloomberg, la cheffe de la diplomatie roumaine, Luminita
    Odobescu, a affirmé que la Roumanie peut inaugurer de nouveaux points de passage
    à la frontière commune avec l’Ukraine, tout en mobilisant des pilotes et des
    militaires en réserve afin d’accélérer la navigation des navires sur le Danube.
    La Roumanie a déjà facilité le transit de plus de 20 millions de tonnes de
    céréales ukrainiennes. Malgré sa modernisation, le port roumain de Constanta, à
    la mer Noire, préféré des compagnies ukrainiennes, risque de devenir saturé en
    raison de la production céréalière nationale. Pour sa part, la Bulgarie
    envisage d’utiliser son réseau de chemins de fer pour acheminer les produits
    alimentaires ukrainiens vers les ports grecs.






















    Le Tacot – Coup d’envoi, lundi, des
    inscriptions au programme Le tacot du renouvelement du parc automobile avec
    l’appui des mairies locales. Celles-ci assureront presque 20% de la prime de
    600 euros qui sera versée aux propriétaires qui mettent à la casse des voitures
    ayant plus de quinze ans d’ancieneté. Les chauffeurs ne sont pas obligés
    d’utiliser l’argent pour s’acheter une voiture neuve. En revanche, ils
    s’engagent à ne pas se payer dans les trois ans à venir une auto Euro 5 ou
    moins. En plus, pour bénéficier d’une prime à la casse, il faut ne pas avoir
    des arriérés fiscaux ou des amendes à payer. Selon le Ministère de
    l’Environnement, le programme permettra de mettre hors circulation 10.000
    voitures polluantes. 500 mairies participent à ce programme et toutes les
    informations nécessaires se trouvent mises en ligne sur le site de
    l’Administration du Fond environnemental à l’adresse afm.ro.


    Hymne – A l’occasion de la Journée de
    l’Hymne national de la Roumanie, le chef de l’Etat roumain, Klaus Iohannis, a
    rappelé l’importance de se battre pour respecter les valeurs et les idéaux
    nationaux tels la liberté, la démocratie, le pluralisme et le respect de la
    loi. « Où que l’on soit, l’hymne national nous unit et nous fait penser à
    la Roumanie, à nos valeurs et aux idéaux nationaux. » C’est ce qu’a
    déclaré le premier ministre roumain, Marcel Ciolacu, dans un message transmis
    ce samedi, à l’occasion de la Journée de l’Hymne national roumain. Des
    cérémonies et des manifestations culturelles et religieuses seront organisées
    pour l’occasion. La Journée de l’Hymne national roumain, symbole de la
    Révolution de 1848, est marquée chaque année le 29 juillet, depuis 1998.
    Reprenant en musique un poème d’Andrei Muresanu, « Eveille-toi,
    Roumain » a encouragé les soldats roumains durant la Guerre d’indépendance
    de 1977-1878 et durant les deux guerres mondiales.


    Natation – Les nageurs roumains ont
    remporté vendredi deux médailles d’or et une de bronze au Festival olympique de
    la Jeunesse européenne qui se déroule à Maribor, en Slovénie. Robert Badea a
    gagné l’or du 400 mètres quatre nages, Daria Silişteanu celui du 100 mètres dos
    femmes, tandis que Darius Coman a remporté le bronze de l’épreuve du 100 mètres
    brasse messieurs. Formée de 92 sportifs qui participent à 9 disciplines, la
    délégation roumaine détient actuellement dans son palmarès 7 médailles d’or.
    Lors de la précédente édition du Festival olympique de la Jeunesse européenne,
    la Roumanie s’est classée huitième dans le classement final, avec un total de
    19 médailles dont 5 en or, 8 d’argent et 6 de bronze.
















    Météo – La
    grande chaleur semble revenir en Roumanie avec des températures qui grimperont
    ce samedi jusqu’à 34 degrés. Il fait chaud notamment dans le sud, tandis que
    dans la moitié occidentale et dans le nord-est, les météorologues annoncent des
    phénomènes orageux. 31 degrés et un beau soleil à midi, à Bucarest.



  • July 5, 2023

    July 5, 2023

    VISIT Today, in the second day of his
    visit to Germany, Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is going to have
    talks with representatives of the business environment, followed by meetings
    with the Vice-president of the German Parliament, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, and
    with representatives of the main political groups in the Legislature. The head
    of the government in Bucharest will be also having talks with the
    representatives of the defence industry in Germany. On Monday, the first day of
    his visit, Marcel Ciolacu met Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who reiterated his
    country’s all-out support so that Romania may become a Schengen member this
    year. Ciolacu has also met with members of the Romanian communities in Germany,
    whom he briefed upon the projects of the government in Bucharest dedicated to
    the Diaspora, as well as a start-up programme.








    FAIR The first holiday edition of the
    book fair Gaudeamus Radio Romania has today kicked off in Brasov, central
    Romania. The event is part of the Gaudeamus caravan, a nation-wise project that
    has been initiated and carried on by Radio Romania for more than 20 years. The present
    edition’s offer includes, the book fair itself, graphic and photo art, literary
    creation, all brought together into 40 exhibition stands. This edition is
    expected to end on Sunday, July 9th.








    DIICOT 24 suspects have been
    apprehended and two placed under investigation in a case involving the
    mistreatment of vulnerable people in three old-peoples’ homes in Romania. On
    Tuesday, DIICOT prosecutors kicked off over 30 searches in Bucharest and other
    6 counties in southern Romania. Authorities are presently taking care of one
    hundred of these vulnerable people. According to the investigators, the
    aforementioned people had been exploited for more than two years, being
    deprived on proper food, medical treatment and hygiene conditions. Prosecutors
    are now investigating cases of human trafficking, fraud, embezzlement of over
    one million euros as well as inhuman and degraded treatment.




    EDUCATION Romanian president
    Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday promulgated the new Education laws. A former high-school
    teacher, Iohannis, has been promoting a programme known as ‘Educated Romania’
    launched in 2016 and followed by a series of public debates. Solutions have
    been proposed for fighting school violence in the country’s pre-university
    education, to support the disadvantaged categories of students, curb school
    dropout and promote sports. Concerning university education, president Iohannis
    says the new legislative measures are going to bring the Romanian education up
    to international standards. The education laws have been promulgated after
    years of debates and at the end of a critical period in Romania’s education
    system, marked by the recent all-out strike of the teachers. In another
    development, upon the appeals session for the National Assessment exam counting
    towards the candidates’ high-school accession, 76.4% of the students have
    obtained passing results while 73% of the candidates have passed the
    baccalaureate exam.


    (bill)

  • November 25, 2022 UPDATE

    November 25, 2022 UPDATE

    SUMMIT – Romania’s support
    for Ukraine will continue, president Klaus Iohannis said on the sidelines of a
    press briefing held jointly with counterparts from Lithuania, Latvia and
    Poland. On Friday, Klaus Iohannis attended a summit devoted to strengthening
    NATO’s Eastern Flank. We have to maintain Western unity and strategic
    commitment towards Russia’s renewed efforts to divide us, including by
    escalation attempts, food shortage, energy blackmail and disinformation, the
    Romanian president said. Klaus Iohannis pointed out that Romania is ready to
    contribute to the international effort to reconstruct Ukraine at the end of
    Russia’s brutal, illegal and unjustified war. The four presidents also adopted
    a joint declaration on regional security and European integration.




    SALARIES – The Government has
    announced it reached an accord with social partners as regards increasing the
    gross minimum wage from approximately EUR 510 at present to nearly EUR 600 as
    of January 1. A total of 2.2 million employees will benefit from this law.
    Also, the minimum wage in constructions will be around EUR 800. People working
    in this sector, considered of national importance, are exempted from paying the
    10% tax and pay a smaller contribution to the insurance fund. Around 23% of
    employees in Romania, that is over 2 million people, receive the minimum wage
    at present.




    ARREST – In Romania, the
    Department for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT)
    announced that it arrested one person in an advanced phase of self-radicalization,
    who has systematically accessed and promoted, via the internet, propaganda
    materials specific to a terrorist organization active in the Middle East. That
    person is accused, among others, of instigating to and planning a terror
    attack. Judicial sources announced that the person is a woman, Liliana
    Florentina Gâdea,
    who had already received a suspended sentence in Romania for similar deeds.




    MOLDOVA – The Russian
    ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Oleg Vasnetsov, was summoned at the
    Foreign Affairs Ministry in Chișinău, in protest to Russia bombing Ukrainian
    civil infrastructure, which left most of the neighboring Moldova without
    electricity for a few hours. According to Radio Chișinău, upon leaving the
    Foreign Ministry headquarters, Vasnetsov told journalists that bilateral ties
    have been discussed as well as the events in Ukraine. Previously, Moldovan
    Minister Foreign Nicu Popescu wrote on Twitter that Russia’s brutal bombing of Ukraine
    continues to have dramatic consequences for Moldova, such as massive power
    outages across the country, including the capital Chișinău.




    NATO – A meeting of the
    North Atlantic Council at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs will be
    held in Bucharest on November 29-30, 2022. The country will thus become the
    European and Euro-Atlantic diplomatic capital, said the Romanian foreign
    minister, Bogdan Aurescu. In a video message, released before the event, he
    said that the NATO countries’ foreign ministers meeting will once again
    demonstrate allied unity and solidarity and seek solutions to counter the
    effects of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. The conference will be hosted
    by Bogdan Aurescu together with the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.
    Also in Bucharest, next week, the G7 foreign ministers will discuss how they
    can help Ukraine secure its energy resources for the winter, the German foreign
    minister, Annalena Baerbock announced.




    RED CROSS – The Romanian Red
    Cross, with support from the French Red Cross, on Friday opened in Bucharest
    the Center for Healthcare Promotion, where Ukrainian refugees will benefit from
    free-of-charge medical advice and services. The Center will provide basic
    medical testing and consultations. Patients can get appointments by calling the
    Center’s call center in Romanian, Ukrainian, Russian or English. After four
    months, the center will be converted into a mobile health caravan that will
    travel to several counties across Romania.




    HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s
    handball team, Dinamo Bucharest defeated on home turf the Polish side Orlen
    Wisla Plock, 32-27, in a Group A match of the Champions League. This is the
    third victory in Group A for the Romanians, whose coach is the Spanish Xavi
    Pascual. Dinamo will play the away leg on December 1st. (EE & VP)



  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW – OCTOBER 2-8

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW – OCTOBER 2-8

    Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis in Prague


    Romania’s
    president Klaus Iohannis this week attended the informal meeting of the
    European Council in Prague, which had high on its agenda, the war in Ukraine,
    the energy crisis and other economy issues. A day before, Iohannis had attended
    the first meeting of the European Political Community also in Prague. Held at a key moment for the European continent, in
    the context of the illegal and unjustified war the Russian Federation is waging
    on Ukraine, the European Political Community’s summit has offered the
    opportunity of a political dialogue on several issues such as support for
    Ukraine, a reaction to the latest Russian escalation in this war, energy security,
    the situation in the field of energy, climate change and the latest economic
    developments. This new dialogue platform has been intended to facilitate views exchanges
    on issues of maximum concern against the latest geopolitical background so that
    joint action ways can be defined, a communiqué of the presidential
    administration in Bucharest says. With an overwhelming majority, leaders of the
    44 attending countries have condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and have
    reiterated their unity and solidarity against Moscow’s aggression.




    The European Parliament debated upon Romania’s
    accession to Schengen


    During a plenary session of the European Parliament in
    Strasbourg on Wednesday, MEPs discussed Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to the
    Schengen passport-free travel area. The Romanian MEPs pleaded for the 2
    countries’ inclusion as soon as possible, given that they have met all
    technical requirements since as far back as 2011. Only a few other MEPs, from
    Italian far-right parties, opposed the Schengen area enlargement, for fear of
    massive migration. Most of the speakers in the European Parliament agreed
    however that Romania and Bulgaria must joint Schengen.




    Justice laws
    debated by senators


    Justice laws have been debated upon by senators and a
    final voting in the decision-making chamber is expected next week. The three
    laws, on the functioning of the country’s Higher Council of Magistrates, on
    legal organization and the statute of the magistrates must be quickly endorsed this
    autumn, the country’s Justice Minister, Catalian Predoiu says. He explains that
    Romania’s compliance with the provisions of the Mechanism of Cooperation and
    Verification and implicitly Romania’s Schengen accession are hinging on the aforementioned
    laws. The country’s former Justice Minister from the opposition USR Stelian Ion
    has called on senators to postpone voting until the Venice Commission has made
    its point. According to Senate president Alina Gorghiu, Romania needs to
    endorse the aforementioned laws to score a good result in the Justice report
    and if there are recommendations from the Venice Commission in December amendments
    will be made without any hesitation.






    A
    new education minister




    Romania’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, says he will back Ligia
    Deca, the country’s new Education Minister to implement a presidential project
    entitled Educated Romania, so that the new education laws may be submitted to
    Parliament approval by the end of the month. A former presidential adviser,
    Ligia Deca was sworn in as the country’s new Education Minister on Monday. She was
    proposed by the National Liberal Party and has replaced Sorin Cimpeanu, who
    stepped down last week amid accusations of plagiarism.






    BNR
    has again raised the key interest rate




    Romania’s
    Central Bank (BNR) has again raised the key interest rate in an attempt to keep
    prices at bay. This has been the seventh rise this year and the interest rate
    is now around 6.25% being the highest in the past 12 years. According to the vice-president of the Association of Investment
    Professionals in Romania, financial analyst Adrian Codirlaşu, in making this
    move the BNR is actually anticipating the rising inflation rate. Pundits expect
    the annual inflation rate to continue its upward trend towards the end of the
    year but at a visibly lower pace, due to anticipated price hikes in natural gas,
    electricity and food products against the background of the war in Ukraine and
    the prolonged drought in Europe this summer. According to BNR the annual
    inflation rate stood at 15.32% in August.




    A case of espionage concerning Romania’s mineral
    reserves


    Prosecutors with the Direction of Investigating
    Organised Crime and Terrorism, also known as DIICOT, have indicted four people,
    Romanian and foreign nationals, in an espionage file against the Serbian company
    NIS Petrol controlled by the Russian giant Gazprom. The investigators have
    carried out searches in Bucharest and Timisoara, western Romania, as well as at
    the houses of several employees, seizing documents and data storage devices.
    The four have been charged with divulging secret and classified information and
    with illegal information transfer concerning Romania’s mineral reserves, sources
    with the DIICOT have announced. In 2009, Gazprom became the main shareholder of
    the Serbian company NIS under an agreement signed by the governments of
    Belgrade and Moscow.


    (bill)