Radio România Internațional

Tag: emergency decree

July 12, 2024

HEAT WAVE – Meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert against extreme heat for central, northern and southeastern territories in Romania, in place on Friday. A code orange is also today in effect for the remaining counties. Highs will range between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius during the interval, with the THI expected to exceed 80. A code alert against extreme heat will take effect on Saturday and Sunday, affecting central, northern and southeastern territories, while a code red alert will be declared in the other counties. This is the most severe such weather alert issued by the authorities so far, with highs expected to reach 41 degrees. Central and local authorities are preparing measures to deal with the effects of the heat wave.

DECREE – The Government has amended the Emergency Decree on drug testing of drivers, after civil society harshly criticized the document. In the event lab tests of biological samples are not ready within 72 hours, drivers can have their licenses back. Authorities said all drivers will be submitted to a drug test if road traffic agents find illegal substances in their vehicle or in their possession. Should final lab tests turn positive, drivers will lose their licenses again and will bear the full consequences of the law.

BEAR POPULATION – The Chamber of Deputies will at the start of next week convene in an emergency session to adopt a number of legislative amendments regarding the bear population of Romania. According to one such proposal, some 500 bears that endanger human lives are expected to be shot. Romanian forests are home to some 8,000 bears, although their natural habitat can sustain only half this figure, former Environment Minister Tánczos Barna told Radio Romania. The rise in bear population and their ever-growing presence close to human settlements were submitted to public debate again after a young girl was tragically killed three days ago in a popular hiking trail.

SALARIES – The net average salary in Romania dropped to 1,025 EUR in May, by nearly 10 EUR less compared to April 2024, the National Statistics Institute reports. The gross average salary stood at 1,671 EUR, by 35 EUR less compared to April 2024. The highest average salary is reported in the IT sector, including the provision of IT services – 2,250 EUR, while the lowest average salary is reported in clothing manufacturing – 550 EUR.

INVESTIGATION – The former leftist Prime Minister of Romania in the 1990s, Petre Roman, on Friday appeared before prosecutors for a deposition in the so-called 1990 Miners Raid investigation, where he stands accused of crimes against humanity. The former president Ion Iliescu, deputy Prime Minister Gelu-Voican Voiculescu and former Romanian intelligence chief Virgil Măgureanu are also prosecuted in the investigation.

CULTMUSE – The National History Museum of Romania will be hosting the „Cultures and Heritage through Museum Education” (CULTMUSE) project for the next month. 14 volunteers from Romania, France, Sweden, Estonia, Finland and Latvia will take part in various activities designed to encourage the public to discover the world of museums. The project is funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps programme.

FOOTBALL – Romanian Cup winners Corvinul Hunedoara on Thursday defeated Hungary’s champions Paksi FC 4-0 in the first leg of the first preliminary round of Europa League. The return leg is scheduled for July 18 in Romania. Corvinul returns to European inter-club competitions after a 4-decade break. Corvinul last played in the 1982-1983 edition of the UEFA Cup, when they knocked out Grazer AK of Austria in the first round but were ousted by FK Sarajevo of the former Yugoslavia in the second round. We recall Romanian football champions FCSB defeated 7-1 Virtus of San Marino on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League first preliminary round. The return leg will be played in Bucharest next week. (VP)

12 July 2024
May 30, 2024

GOVERNMENT – The Romanian Government is today voting an emergency decree to adopt the national program on the digitization of local authorities. The program stipulates specific actions for each local administration, including planning and implementing digital platforms, e-governance services, apps and investments in computer infrastructure and related equipment. The Government says these actions will boost the online availability of digital public services, helping Romania attain 100% online availability of digital services, a digital goal. The Government will also vote an emergency decree on modifying and amending legislation on expropriations caused by public utility. The modifications are required to implement certain objectives of national, county and local interest.

INVESTIGATION – Romanian authorities have arrested 13 people suspected of fraud and issuing forged prescriptions for diabetes. One medical nurse, eight drugstore workers and four physicians are targeted by an investigation into the issuance of subsidized drugs, in particular Ozempic, a drug used in the treatment of diabetes, which also causes weight loss. The illegally issued prescriptions were picked up by the suspects’ relatives from 140 pharmacies in Bucharest and Ilfov County. Although they did not have the right to issue them, gynecologists, cardiologists and family physicians issued the prescriptions from private clinics, and the drugs were sold via online platforms to clients all over the country. The prejudice exceeds 200 thousand EUR.

PROTEST – Members of the National Federation of Administrative Trade Unions on Thursday protested the Government’s discriminatory salary policies and its refusal to pass fair and proportionate measures with a view to doing away with salary inequities. The trade federation represents employees of local and central authorities. Unionists have recently criticized the draft decree stipulating a 10% salary increase for certain categories of public workers, accusing the government of encouraging salary disparities between similar institutions and of disregarding the actual needs of public sector employees.

UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate went up to 5.3% in April, a 0.1% increase compared to March, the National Statistics Institute reports. Youth unemployment stood at 20.5% for the 15-24 age bracket, although it reported a drop compared to March. Unemployment among the male population is 0.6% higher than the rate among women.

MOLDOVA – On the sidelines of his visit to Chișinău, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a 50-mln-USD assistance package designed to help Moldovan authorities bolster democratic institutions in the face of Moscow’s threats. Another 85 mln USD will be invested to help curb Moldova’s energy dependency on Russia, the US official added. During a press briefing held jointly with the president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, Secretary Blinken condemned Moscow’s ingressions into democratic processes in Moldova and its war of aggression against Ukraine. In turn, president Sandu hailed Blinken’s visit, describing it as evidence of the excellent relations between the two countries and a signal of support for peace and democracy.

TENNIS – Irina Begu and Ana Bogdan are the only Romanian tennis players still competing in the women’s singles at Roland Garros. In today’s second round, Begu is playing Linda Nosková of Czechia, whereas Bogdan will take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia. Bogdan and Begu are also competing in the women’s doubles, alongside other representatives of Romania. (VP)

30 May 2024
October 27, 2023

WAR IN GAZA – The Israeli army launched a new land attack in Gaza,
targeting Hams combatants. Infantry and tank units were supported by gunships
in their assault. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops are preparing
for an all-out land assault, which has been repeatedly postponed due to the
Pentagon’s request. US officials asked for additional time to set up its Patriot
missile systems in its bases in the Middle East. According to the Pentagon,
some 900 US servicemen have been deployed to the Middle East to strengthen the
US presence in the region.

APPEAL – EU leaders met in Brussels on the sidelines of the European
Council meeting to call for a humanitarian break in hostilities between Israel
and Hamas, in order to allow the distribution of aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
Insignificant amounts of medicine and food have over the last days reached the
strip, currently targeted by Israeli attacks in the wake of the October 7 Hamas
terrorist attacks. The European Council also decided to make efforts to
organize an international conference in order to identify short- and long-term
solutions. The long-term target is a two-state solution. Hamas will not take
part in the conference as it is deemed a terrorist organization that must be
disbanded. With tensions escalating across the Middle East, the pressure from
migratory flows also increased in Europe. The Migration Pact was another topic
on the agenda for talks, which also focused on the need for the EU to increase
its budget so as to tackle the issue jointly with the countries of origin. The
EU leaders agreed to adjust the multiannual budget to address four priorities:
migration, support for Ukraine, support for the calamities in Europe and the
EU’s economic competitiveness. Representing Romania in the European Council
meeting is president Klaus Iohannis.

DECREE – The Government is expected to pass a new emergency decree
to cut public spending. The decision follows the ratification by president
Klaus Iohannis of a law on fiscal and budget measures, which introduces new
taxes and eliminates some tax breaks. Part of these provisions will take effect
over the next few days, while the rest on January 1, 2024. The measures are not
however enough to curb the budget deficit by the end of the year, and Romania
risks losing dozens of billions of Euro worth of European funds. The draft
emergency decree was submitted for debate on Tuesday. It is expected to impose
new spending restrictions for public institutions and city halls, including the
organization of festivals and competitions. Local authorities will be prevented
from signing new agreements for the purchase of office supplies, other goods
and maintenance services or repair works. The draft decree also stipulates that
all salary rights dictated by courts of law will be paid starting 2024,
including for teachers and magistrates. Romania’s budget deficit stood at 3.55%
of the GDP at the end of September.

ATTACK IN THE US – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, has
conveyed a message of condolence to his American counterpart Joe Biden in the
wake of the armed attack in Lewiston, Maine. Romania stands with the American
citizens and the families of the victims, to whom we convey our compassion. We
also wish speedy recovery to the wounded, the president’s message reads. At
least 22 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded in an armed
attack in Maine, where the suspect is still at large.

FEAST DAY – Orthodox Christians in Romania are today marking the
feast day of Saint Demetrius of Basarabov, also known as Saint Demetrius the
New, the patron saint of Bucharest. A pilgrimage to his relics and the reliquary
of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki brought over from Greece continues today in
the capital-city. Saint Demetrius the New lived south of the Danube in
present-day Bulgaria. After his death, his relics were found by locals after
the saint appeared in the dream of an ill young girl, indicating the place
where his body lay. The relics were given to Romania as a gift during the
Russian-Turkish War, in 1774.

DST – Daylight Saving Time ends on October 29 in Romania, when 4AM
will become 3AM, making Sunday the longest day of the year. In 2023, Romania
switched to DST on March 26 to benefit from daylight. (VP)

27 October 2023
August 7, 2023 UPDATE

Spending – The Romanian government is this week planning to adopt an emergency ordinance to cut public spending. The fifty measures envisaged include reducing the number of management and under-secretary positions, merging various institutions and eliminating holiday vouchers for some state employees. According to estimates from the Finance Ministry, this would save more than 1.2 billion Euros to the state budget by the end of the year. The government is also planning an emergency decree introducing a number of tax changes aimed at increasing budget revenues. Talks on the subject are still ongoing between the parties in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, amid criticism from the business community.

Moldova — Romania is ready to provide specialist support to the National Army of the Republic of Moldova, the Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said on Monday in Chisinau. In this sense, he highlighted the recent donation of individual ballistic protection equipment and off-road vehicles, which is part of a continuous effort to support the Republic of Moldova in the field of equipping the army with modern equipment. Tîlvăr went to Chişinău at the invitation of his counterpart, Anatolie Nosatîi, with whom he discussed bilateral cooperation in the field of defense in the regional, NATO and EU contexts. Aspects were addressed regarding the evolution of the security environment in the region, as a result of the war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, with an emphasis on the situations caused by the Russian bombings on Ukraine’s ports on the Danube, in the vicinity of the borders with Romania and the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, the Romanian official reiterated Romanias full support for the advancement of the Republic of Moldova on the pro-European path.

Summit – Romania will continue to stand by Ukraine as long as it takes to win this war, said the presidential advisor and former foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu at the Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia. Any future solution for peace must guarantee Ukraines security within its internationally recognized borders and the freedom to hold sovereign elections, free of any interference, the Romanian official also said. According to the BBC, the summits final declaration only refers to the decision to hold further peace talks. The summit was attended by senior officials from dozens of countries, including Brazil, India, China and South Africa, with Russia not being invited.

Pensions – Romanian senators and deputies are to return to Parliament this week to again amend a bill adopted at the end of June on the special pensions enjoyed by a number of professional categories in Romania, such as magistrates, the military and the police. The PM Marcel Ciolacu said that he had summoned a special session of Parliament as a number of articles of the bill were declared unconstitutional last week. According to official figures, the number of special pensions’ beneficiaries is growing, with over 10,000 beneficiaries recorded in July, up from the previous month. The highest special pension amounted to around 4,300 Euros. Romania has committed to reforming the special pensions system in order to receive funds allocated by the European Union under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

BNR – The National Bank of Romania – BNR decided to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at 7% per year, a level established since January. At the end of Mondays meeting of the Board of Directors, it was stated that the annual inflation rate continued to decrease in June to 10.25%, against the background of cheaper fuels and the stabilization of prices for some foodstuffs. The Central Bank points out that the new statistical data reconfirms the slowdown in the economic growth rate in the first three months of the year and a modest increase from April to the end of September. BNR also states that, in the months of April and May, retail and automotive sales slowed their growth in comparison with the same period of last year, and the services provided to the population strongly accelerated their decline. (LS, CM)

7 August 2023
Energy, between supply and demand

The crisis on the energy market is the result of a gap
between demand and supply, the latter being a lot lower, the vice-president of
the National Energy Regulatory Authority, Zoltan Nagy-Bege, claims. The
Romanian says there are two solutions to the problem: expanding the supply from
cheap sources that should lead to a drop in prices, or lowering the demand,
which requires energy efficiency measures and eliminating energy waste, both
for businesses and household consumers. Meanwhile, against the soaring prices
for gas and electricity, some Romanians decided to buy wood to heat their homes
this winter. But the price for firewood also went up, exceeding 100 EUR per
cubic meter.

The authorities want to cap the price, as they did for gas and
electricity, but also to ban the export of certain wood products and
derivatives. The Government will take a decision next week, Environment
Minister Tánczos Barna says. Foresters associations have disagreed with the
measure, saying the best solution would be to hand out vouchers to those who
want to buy wood. In many cases, forestry agencies sell firewood under 100 EUR
per cubic meter. If the authorities introduce a cap, this would not help
household consumers. Parliament is also discussing the latest Emergency Decree
in this field. The cap on electricity prices introduced by the Government is
not set depending on monthly consumption, but on the average monthly price of
last year.

Therefore, as no one provided any explanation as to how the price is
calculated, some Romanians ended up receiving high bills they can’t explain.
The government subsidy scheme might undergo a number of changes, hopefully to
the benefit of the population. The ruling coalition also expanded the list of
beneficiaries of the current scheme, although it left out farmers. As a result,
farmers’ associations submitted an open letter calling for lower electricity
prices. They have warned that, otherwise, price hikes will be inevitable, and
the domestic market will become fully reliant on external markets. There is
also a risk that some countries might introduce a ban on exports in the event
of a global food crisis. (VP)

23 September 2022
September 3, 2022 UPDATE

DECREE – Romania’s Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, wrote on
social media that the Government’s emergency decree capping energy prices does
not breach European legislation. Romania’s National Energy Regulatory Authority
(ANRE) had previously warned that the decree might trigger infringement
procedures against Romania at EU level. Minister Popescu said that Romania is
constantly consulting with Brussels in every piece of legislation adopted in
this field, and that the decree will be presented on September 9 at the
emergency meeting of EU Energy Ministers in Prague. Virgil Popescu recalled
that European institutions also want to put an end to the conflicting interests
and greed of those who speculate the delicate context. Among other things, the
decree stipulates that any intermediaries who oversell energy across the
distribution chain will receive fines of up to 5% of their turnover.

SCHOOL YEAR – Nearly 3 million school and pre-school children
start a new school year on Monday. The structure of the new year will comprise
5 modules, separated by 5 mini-holidays. A number of changes will be operated
starting this year. Mid-term exams will no longer be compulsory, while the
average grade for the secondary cycle of education in Romania, (grades 5-8)
will be discarded as a criterion for enrolling in high-schools. At the end of
the school year, pupils can no longer be expelled, and parents are no longer
allowed to raise money for presenting teaching staff with gifts. Referring to
some of the unsolved issues ahead of the new school year, Education Minister
Sorin Cîmpeanu recognized that many schools lack fire safety permits.

COVID-19 – The number of COVID-19 cases continues to drop in
Romania. A little over 1,800 new cases of infection were reported in the last
24 hours, by 600 less than Friday. 15 people have died during the same
interval. Most cases – 290 – were reported in the capital-city Bucharest. Over
2,200 patients are being treated for COVID, 176 in intensive care.

BORDER CROSSING -
Some 317 thousand people entered or left Romania on Friday via all border
crossing points. Some 11,000 Ukrainians entered Romania, down by 5.46% compared
to the previous day. Therefore, starting February 10, two weeks before the war
had started, some 2.1 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania.

GAZPROM – European Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni,
on Saturday said the European Union is ready to respond if Russia doesn’t
resume deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline, the BBC reports. Commissioner
Gentiloni has called on Moscow to honor its contractual agreements. Gazprom
announced that the Nord Stream pipeline would be shut down pending the repair
of a faulty turbine. The announcement risks spiking concern among EU Member
States, who are trying to avert an energy crisis in the coming winter and who
accuse Moscow of using natural gas as a weapon to take revenge for the
sanctions the West has imposed on Russia in response to the latter’s invasion
of Ukraine.

REȘIȚA – Reșița in Western
Romania is the first Romanian city to join the Learning Cities UNESCO global
network, giving it a unique opportunity to access large-scale education
projects, the Romanian Education Ministry announced. According to UNESCO
Director General, Audrey Azoulay, the selected cities are remarkable examples
whereby lifelong learning can become reality at local level. The list of new
members includes 77 cities from 44 countries. Reșița is one of the five cities selected
from Southeastern Europe, alongside Lasko and Ptuj of Slovenia, and Ljubljana
and Trnava of Slovakia.

SWIMMING – Romanian swimmer Rebecca Diaconescu on Friday qualified
to the 50m backstroke final at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Lima,
Peru. Romania’s track record includes 5 medals so far: gold in the men’s 4x100m
freestyle event (David Popovici, Alexandru Constantinescu, Ştefan Cozma,
Patrick Sebastian Dinu), gold in the 200m freestyle event (David Popovici,
silver in the 400m freestyle event (Vlad Stancu), silver in the mixed 4×100
freestyle event (David Popovici, Patrick Sebastian Dinu, Rebecca Diaconescu,
Bianca Costea) and bronze in the 800m freestyle event (Vlad Stancu). (VP)

3 September 2022
September 3, 2022

DECREE – Romania’s Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, wrote on
social media that the Government’s emergency decree capping energy prices does
not breach European legislation. Romania’s National Energy Regulatory Authority
(ANRE) had previously warned that the decree might trigger infringement
procedures against Romania at EU level. Minister Popescu said that Romania is
constantly consulting with Brussels in every piece of legislation adopted in
this field, and that the decree will be presented on September 9 at the
emergency meeting of EU Energy Ministers in Prague. Virgil Popescu recalled
that European institutions also want to put an end to the conflicting interests
and greed of those who speculate the delicate context. Among other things, the
decree stipulates that any intermediaries who oversell energy across the
distribution chain will receive fines of up to 5% of their turnover.

SCHOOL YEAR – Nearly 3 million school and pre-school children
start a new school year on Monday. The structure of the new year will comprise
5 modules, separated by 5 mini-holidays. A number of changes will be operated
starting this year. Mid-term exams will no longer be compulsory, while the
average grade for the secondary cycle of education in Romania, (grades 5-8)
will be discarded as a criterion for enrolling in high-schools. At the end of
the school year, pupils can no longer be expelled, and parents are no longer
allowed to raise money for presenting teaching staff with gifts. Referring to
some of the unsolved issues ahead of the new school year, Education Minister
Sorin Cîmpeanu recognized that many schools lack fire safety permits.

BORDER CROSSING -
Some 317 thousand people entered or left Romania on Friday via all border
crossing points. Some 11,000 Ukrainians entered Romania, down by 5.46% compared
to the previous day. Therefore, starting February 10, two weeks before the war had
started, some 2.1 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania.

GAZPROM – The European Commission has accused the Russian
giant Gazprom for having suspended its natural gas deliveries to Germany via
the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea under fallacious pretenses. Gazprom’s
announcement is another confirmation of its unreliability as a supplier and
proof of Russia’s cynicism, as it prefers to flare gas instead of honoring
contracts, European Commission spokesman, Eric Mamer, tweeted on Friday.
Gazprom announced that the Nord Stream pipeline would be shut down pending the
repair of a faulty turbine. The announcement risks spiking concern among EU
Member States, who are trying to avert an energy crisis in the coming winter
and who accuse Moscow of using natural gas as a weapon to take revenge for the
sanctions the West has imposed on Russia in response to the latter’s invasion
of Ukraine.

SWIMMING – Romanian swimmer Rebecca Diaconescu on Friday
qualified to the 50m backstroke final at the World Junior Swimming
Championships in Lima, Peru. Romania’s track record includes 5 medals so far:
gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle event (David Popovici, Alexandru
Constantinescu, Ştefan Cozma, Patrick Sebastian Dinu), gold in the 200m
freestyle event (David Popovici, silver in the 400m freestyle event (Vlad
Stancu), silver in the mixed 4×100 freestyle event (David Popovici, Patrick
Sebastian Dinu, Rebecca Diaconescu, Bianca Costea) and bronze in the 800m
freestyle event (Vlad Stancu). (VP)

3 September 2022
April 4, 2020

DECREE – The
Bucharest Government has passed an emergency decree transferring all medical
units into the authority of the Health Ministry, Health Minister Nelu Tataru
announced on Friday. The Romanian official pointed out that Public Health
Directorates and Ambulance Services will start recruiting over the coming days.
Some 4.7 million euros have been allotted for real-time molecular tests. There
are currently 35 testing centers in Romania, compared to only one on February
26. Minister Tataru said there are currently three COVID-19 hotbeds in Romania:
Suceava in the northeast and Arad and Deva in the west. The Romanian official
said there aren’t sufficient reasons to instate total quarantine for Arad and
Deva. Suceava and 8 neighboring villages have entered total quarantine early
this week. The death toll in Romania has reached 133. The number of infections
stands at 3,183, of whom 283 people have recovered. 83 patients are in
intensive care. Of the total number of infected 474 are medical staff, mostly
from Suceava. Some 13,000 people are quarantined at national level and over
110,000 are in home isolation. 221 Romanian citizens abroad have tested
positive for COVID-19 and 25 have died.

CORONAVIRUS IN THE
WORLD – The global death toll for the coronavirus has exceeded 59,000. The
World Health Organization says over 200 countries and territories are currently
being affected. The most serious situation is in the United States, which
reports a quarter of the total number of infections, and in Europe, the
continent with the largest number of deaths. The WHO warns that COVID-19 might
seriously hit Japan next, unless this country takes swift prevention measures.
In Europe, the number of infections in Spain has exceeded that of Italy,
standing at some 11,000. Italy instead is reporting decreasing number of
infections, and the death toll is closing in on 15,000. France reports the third-largest
number of victims, over 6,500.

RECESSION -The coronavirus pandemic has brought the global economy
to a standstill and plunged the world into a recession that will be way worse
than the global financial crisis a decade ago, the head of the International
Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday. The IMF official called on
advanced economies to step up their efforts to help emerging markets and
developing countries survive the economic and health impact of the pandemic. A
similar message was delivered by World Bank President, David Malpass. The
European Commission and the European Investment Bank have green-lit the
disbursement of 700 million euros to the agri-food sector as part of the
Investment Plan for Europe. The program will help maintain and create new jobs
in rural areas. The Commission has announced a temporary suspension of customs
taxes and VAT for medical and protection imports from outside the EU, which
will ease pressure on public spending for national governments.

LEGISLATION – Parliament on Friday passed three bills regarding the
suspension of the bank loan payments, technical unemployment and fiscal
measures aimed at helping individuals and businesses. The plenary session was
held online and MPs voted via telephone. Under the first bill, initiated by the
Social Democrats, bank loan payments can be suspended on demand, without
interest rates or penalties. The Social-Democrats say the document will correct
errors in the emergency decree passed by the Liberal Government. The Liberals,
in power, say they will refer the bill to the Constitutional Court, saying it
is a populist measure that piles up pressure on the state budget. The Liberals
will also challenge the bill that postpones the payment of social security
contributions and utility bills for a period of three months, which addresses
people who have filed for technical unemployment benefits. All parties in
Parliament voted the bill that proposes the payment of an allowance tantamount
to 75% of the base salary of employees affected by the reduction or suspension
of activity.

PALM SUNDAY – Catholic Christians worldwide are celebrating Palm
Sunday, marking the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where the crowd welcomed
him holding palm branches. Palm Sunday marks the start of the last week of
Lent, also known as Holy Week, when Christians prepare to celebrate the
Resurrection of Christ. This year, due to restrictions caused by the
coronavirus pandemic, masses in Romania as well as in other countries will be
celebrated in empty churches and broadcast on TV, radio or online. The Church
urges everyone during this pandemic to discover the beauty and plenitude of
prayer, praying with our loved ones in our churches at home, with our families,
the spokesman of the Roman-Catholic Diocese in Bucharest, Father Francisc Dobos
has said, adding that the situation is not ideal, but is the best possible one.
By uniting in spirit via various means of communication, television, radio or
the Internet, we stay together with Christ, Francisc Dobos added. This year
Roman-Catholic Christians celebrate Easter on April 12, while Orthodox
Christians on April 19.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

4 April 2020
Fiscal measures at the start of 2020

On January 1 the laws on the state budget and social security budget for 2020, originally
adopted on December 23 by the Government by taking responsibility in Parliament
and subsequently ratified by President Klaus Iohannis, were published in the
Official Gazette. The Social-Democrat speakers of the Senate and Chamber of
Deputies have challenged the Government’s choice of method when adopting the
two laws at the Constitutional Court. Magistrates are expecting the opinions
from the Government and Parliament regarding a potential legal conflict in this
matter.

Interim Social-Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu recently said that Liberal
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban should resign if Court judges decide that the
Government generated such a conflict. In turn, Prime Minister Orban said the Constitution
has no provision preventing the Government from taking responsibility over the
budget law, whereas invoking a constitutional conflict is just a subterfuge of
the Social-Democrats. The budget was built on a 4.1% growth rate, an inflation
rate of 3.1% and on an average exchange rate of 4.75 lei for a Euro. Convened
in its first session in 2020, the Government passed an emergency decree
modifying some of the provisions of the emergency decree 114, which in 2018
introduced additional taxes for companies in the energy, telecommunications and
banking sectors.

The new decree allows for the implementation of certain
measures included in the budget law for 2020. The new measures stipulate a cap
on the allowances of high-ranking officials at the level of December, 2019, a
one-year postponement of the law on special pensions for elected officials, a 30-euro
cap for 1 point of fine for road traffic offences, and a ban on the temporary
transfer of employees from the private to the public sector. Additional
measures were adopted compelling private pension funds to supplement their
capital and increase their administration fees. The 2% tax will be slashed for
companies in the energy sector, in addition to taxes on banking assets.
Although the Government was also planning to proscribe the accumulation of state-paid
salaries and pensions, it finally decided to wait for the Constitutional Court
to express its opinion in this matter. Finally, the Government gave assurances
that the holiday vouchers for public sector employees will be distributed in
2020 as well.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

7 January 2020
February 25 – March 1

Protests
by magistrates in Romania

Unprecedented protests by magistrates,
prosecutors and judges in Romania have been staged after the adoption by the
government of a new emergency ordinance changing the justice laws. The activity
of several prosecutors’ offices has been suspended this week in token of
protest. The Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism,
DIICOT, has decided for the first time to suspend its activity over February 26
-March 8, with only emergency cases being solved during this time span. Judges
from the Bucharest Tribunal have suspended their activity, too, until March 7,
in token of protest, all ongoing cases, with the exception of emergencies,
being postponed. The magistrates also demand that Ordinance no.7 be repealed
and ask for measures to suspend the activity of the Section for the Investigation
of Criminal Offences in the judiciary until the EU Court of Justice issues a
ruling on the challenges against this special section. Meanwhile, the justice
minister, Tudorel Toader, has announced he has
drafted a new emergency ordinance, which repeals several provisions of
Ordinance no. 7, which has stirred a wave of protests. The changes are meant to
abrogate the article which stipulates that judges, alongside prosecutors, may
become top level prosecutors.

The
former head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Romania, favourite
to become the European Union’s Public Prosecutor

The formerhead of the Anti-Corruption Directorate in Romania, Laura Codruţa Kovesi,
has got the largest number of votes following hearings in the European
Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), in
the race to become chief prosecutor of the future European Public Prosecutor’s
Office. Earlier she had got the best result in the European Parliament’s
Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT). Ranking on the second and third
positions were French Jean-François
Bohnert and German Andres Ritter. Laura Codruţa Koveşi says the vote in
the European Parliament is more than a personal victory to her:

This vote is not only for me, but for the
Romanian justice system as a whole. This vote is for all the citizens in
Romania who over the past few years have supported the fight against corruption
and the rule of law. It is a vote for all the prosecutors and judges in Europe
who work under pressure. I had no support from the Government of Romania, I
have neither asked for it nor expected it.

In Bucharest, the
right-of-centre parliamentary opposition has hailed the remarkable achievements
by the former DNA chief prosecutor and criticised the ruling coalition made up
of the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats,
saying it has betrayed Romania and has orchestrated a denigration campaign to
tarnish the image of the Romanian candidate. The negative vote cast by the MEPs
of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and
the reactions of the left-of-centre power in Bucharest are edifying. The Social-Democratic senator Claudiu Manda has said
the Social-Democratic MEPs voted against appointing Laura Codruţa Kovesi at the
helm of the European Union’s Public Prosecutor’s Office, claiming she has
committed abuses during her tenure at the DNA. The future chief prosecutor of
the European Prosecutor’s Office will be appointed following negotiations
between the European Parliament and the EU Council.

European
Commission recommendations for Romania

The Romanian economy
is facing higher risks, the European Commission warns, in the half-yearly
report on each member state. The EC mentions in the document released on
Wednesday, among other things, that the emergency ordinance no.114 issued by
the Government, as well as a law adopted by Parliament which retroactively caps
interest rates for mortgage loans might severely impact the normal functioning
of the financial sector. The European
Commission report shows the measures stipulated by the emergency ordinance no.
114 weaken the second pillar of pensions based on defined contributions, which
is privately administered. Experts say the measures have a negative impact on
the Romanians’ future pensions and will hamper the development of the capital
market and future investment, will increase uncertainty and make Romanian
economy less attractive for both domestic and foreign investors. The high risks
run by the Romanian economy are stemming from the increase in the current
account deficit and higher costs with the labour force, following the increase
in the minimum wage in economy and in the salaries of public sector employees.
The European Commission draws attention to the weak performance in the field of
education and research. The EC underlines, in its analysis, the need to promote
investment, to pursue responsible budgetary fiscal policies and to implement
well designed reforms.

The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis,
attended the Bucharest Format (B9) Summit in Slovakia

The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has
pleaded in Kosice, Slovakia, for a more consistent NATO presence to the Black
Sea, during the Bucharest Format (B9)
Summit, which is made up of EU and NATO member states on the eastern flank of
the Alliance. The B9 leaders agreed, in the final declaration, that the
European Union and NATO are stronger together. The focal points of the talks,
attended by the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, too, included
security evolutions in the eastern neighbourhood and in the Black Sea region.
Klaus Iohannis has expressed concern with the evolution in the Black Sea
region, in the context in which Russia further threatens regional stability. He
underlined that the evolutions in the Black Sea region show that the allied
countries should do more, for a robust land, air and sea defence. President
Iohannis says NATO’s eastern partners, such as Ukraine and Georgia, should be
supported more, to enhance their capacity to defend themselves from any type of
threats, be they military, cyber or purely propagandistic threats. Launched at
the initiative of the heads of state of Romania and Poland, B9 Format Summits
were first held in November 2015 in Bucharest and then in Warsaw, in June 2018.

2 March 2019
February 26, 2019 UPDATE

MEETING – US President Donald Trump arrived on Tuesday in Hanoi, to meet with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The latter has traveled to Hanoi by train. The journey from Pyongyang to Vietnam took more than two days and traversed about 4,000 km. Kim Jong-un will meet the US president for a brief one-on-one conversation, followed by a social dinner. The two leaders’ meeting comes eight months after the historic summit in Singapore, the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader, which failed to produce concrete results on a path to denuclearisation.

B9 – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday will attend the Bucharest Format (B9) Summit to take place in Kosice, Slovakia, the Presidential Administration has announced. Attending the event will also be heads of state from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia, as well as the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Approached at the meeting will be major topics on the NATO agenda, with a focus on security situation in the Alliance’s vicinity, including in the Black Sea area, on combating hybrid threats and strengthening resilience, in the current international context.

JUDICIARY-The Romanian Judge Forum and the “Movement for Safeguarding the Status of Prosecutors” believe the Justice Minister’s proposal to pass a memorandum giving the Higher Council of Magistracy reasonable time to issue advisory opinions is not enough. Judges and prosecutors stress that magistrates are also disgruntled with the newly set up special division investigating offences in the justice system. On Monday, after a meeting of representatives of judges and prosecutors with PM Viorica Dancila, Minister Toader announced that a dialogue mechanism would be in place to ensure that the bills drafted by the government reach the Council at least 5 days ahead, so that they may be analysed, discussed and approved. He also said the Cabinet would scrap an article in the recent emergency decree, which allowed judges to become chiefs of prosecutor’s offices and which gave the Council plenum, rather than its prosecutor division, the authority to approve the appointment of senior prosecutors. Also on Monday President Klaus Iohannis asked the Cabinet to cancel the decree. Previously, magistrates in several major cities had protested against the new changes in the justice laws, and some prosecutor’s offices suspended work this week. The Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and terrorism also decided, for the first time ever, to suspend its activity until March 8, and to only deal with emergencies in this period. Civil society also rallied on Sunday night, in the capital Bucharest and other important cities.

EPPO – The former chief of Romania’s National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruţa Kovesi was heard on Tuesday by the Committee on Civil Liberties and the Committee on Budgetary Control in the European Parliament, as part of the selection of the first-ever European Chief Prosecutor. A French and a German prosecutor have also been shortlisted for this position. The new European Chief Prosecutor is appointed by the European Parliament and the Council. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office will be an independent body in charge with investigating and prosecuting crimes involving EU funds, including fraud, corruption and cross-border VAT fraud of over 100 million euros. The list of offences may be broadened in the future to include terrorism. The EPPO is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2020.

ELECTIONS-The pro-Russian Socialist president of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon, warned that unless parties agreed to form a government coalition after the inconclusive ballot on Sunday, he would call for early elections. His party came first, with 35 out of 101 seats in Parliament, followed by the ruling Democratic Party with 30 seats, and the pro-European Opposition with 26. OSCE observers noticed cases of vote buying, abusive use of administrative resources and obstruction of the voting process in the diaspora, but say that overall the election respected fundamental rights.

ENERGY – Romania’s National Energy Regulatory Authority has decided to keep the current regulated electricity tariffs in place for household end-users after March 1. Following the enforcement of Decree 114, only the distribution tariffs are to be raised, by an average 2.5%. The Energy Minister Anton Anton explained that the Authority had been consulted prior to the adoption of the Decree last year, so as to make sure that household users are not affected by prospective price hikes.

BORDER– Over 60 million people and more than 16 million vehicles entered and left Romanian territory last year, with a substantial increase in transit over the border with the Republic of Moldova as well. According to a report made public by the Border Police Inspectorate General, in 2018, over 25% of the total number of crimes reported in Romanian checkpoints took place on the Moldovan border. Checks identified nearly 3,000 Romanian and foreign citizens subject to APBs, the report also says. (Translated by Elena Enache)

26 February 2019
Senate starts debates on controversial emergency decree

After having caused heated debates, the emergency decree no. 114, issued by the Romanian Government, will be debated by Parliament this week. The decree introduces new fiscal and budgetary measures among which the so-called ‘tax on greed’, that provides for the additional taxation of energy companies and banks, which, according to the leftist majority, obtain immorally and unnaturally big profits in Romania.

Senators in the budget and finance committee will draft a final report on the aforementioned decree on Tuesday. MPs in the rightwing opposition have already asked for the rejection of the decree, as they claim its provisions would affect essential domains such as energy security, the banking sector and the telecommunication industry. The Liberal leader Ludovic Orban draws attention that the emergency decree will have a negative impact on private pension funds as well.

Ludovic Orban: “The share capital required under Decree 114 is 11 times bigger than the present subscribed share capital. Actually, to this day, the initial investment made by the pension fund administrators has not been entirely recuperated. With the obligation to increase the share capital depending on the number of assets, the recovery of the investment will be made in about 35 to 50 years, depending on the private administrator.”

The speaker of the Senate and the leader of the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, does not rule out the possibility to amend the decree: “I talked to PM Dancila and explained to her that this 2% tax levied on energy companies seriously impacts the opportunities for future development. The PM admitted that the tax is excessive and was open to further discussions on the matter. Most probably the 2% tax will be eliminated.”

The deadline for debating and voting on the ‘tax on greed’ in the Senate is March 1, after which the decree will be forwarded to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case. The central bank, which is theoretically outside the political game, has become increasingly critical of the emergency decree’s provisions. Chief economist of the National Bank of Romania, Valentin Lazea, argues that the tax on assets imposed by the decree might bring the profitability of the Romanian banking system under the European average value. In his opinion, in case this scenario becomes reality, some foreign banks might leave the Romanian market. He has called on politicians to decide on whether they want a strong, profitable banking sector capable of providing capital for investment, or a clientele-based system aimed at fueling consumption and not Romania’s development.

18 February 2019
Can the criminal codes be passed by emergency decree?

The executive committee board of Social Democratic
Party (PSD) has decided the time is right for the articles of the Criminal Code
and the Code of Criminal Procedure declared constitutional to be passed by
emergency decree. The reason for that decision would be that the law making process
on the two codes has been too long. PSD leader Liviu Dragnea:

The topic has been discussed by the
Executive Committee at the proposal of a party member. The decision has been
submitted to the Justice Minister and the Prime Minister. They said they would
look into it and we’ll see what they’ll do. Our colleagues said it is a
never-ending story and there is no reason for the articles declared
constitutional by the Constitutional Court not to be passed by emergency decree.

The articles that were declared unconstitutional will
be submitted to parliamentary debate so as to comply with the Constitution. A
never-ending story, Liviu Dragnea said. A story of challengeable and challenged
amendments to the justice laws and the criminal legislation that started, as
pundits note, with the famous Decree 13 adopted in January 2017, shortly after
the current leftist majority had taken office. The decree partially decriminalized
the abuse of office and seemed tailored to favour the PSD leader and other
people prosecuted for similar acts of corruption. Under the protesters’
pressure, the decree was withdrawn. And now, just like then, the right wing
opposition claims there is no emergency for the ordinance to be adopted and
accuses PSD of bypassing the Government and Parliament. The National Liberal
Party deputy, Ioan Cupsa, believes that such a decision would belittle the whole
parliamentary activity. The Save Romania Union deputy, Cristian Seidler,
reminds the coalition that in the field of the judiciary, it must take into
account the recommendations of the Constitutional Court and of international
experts. Cristian Seidler:

After Decree 13, the PSD-ALDE coalition
has no legitimacy to even think of an emergency decree related to criminal laws
and codes. The decree should be passed by Parliament and it should entirely
comply with the Constitutional Court’s rulings and the recommendations of the
Venice Commission.

In the report on the Mechanism for Cooperation and
Verification made public in mid-November, the European Commission called on the
Romanian authorities to freeze the enforcement of the amendments to the
Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure and re-launch the process of
amending them, while taking into account the need for those codes to comply
with the EU Law and international anti-corruption instruments. In turn, the
European Parliament said it was deeply concerned about the reform of the
justice and criminal laws in Romania as that might trigger the structural
undermining of the independence of the justice system and its capacity to efficiently
fight corruption, and might also weaken the rule of law.

(Translated by A.M. Palcu)

11 December 2018
New changes to the justice laws in Romania

On Monday, the Romanian Government passed an
emergency ordinance amending the justice laws, which have been the topic of
fierce debates for some time. Applauded by some and contested by others, the
amendments have been validated by the Constitutional Court, as the Prime
Minister Viorica Dancila announced in the latest government meeting, also
stressing that the changes will ensure a better functioning of the justice
system, for the benefit of the Romanian citizens. In turn, the Justice Minister
Tudorel Toader has stated that passing this ordinance was necessary in order to
incorporate some of the recommendations made by the Venice Commission and some
of the requests made by the Superior Council of Magistracy. The minister has emphasized
some of the changes, such as the provision according to which, in order to hold
a leadership position within the General Prosecutor’s Office, the National
Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and the Directorate for Investigating Organized
Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), prosecutors will need to prove 15 years of
seniority, instead of 8 as before. Interviews for these positions will be
recorded, archived and available to all those interested in watching them.
Also, the prosecutors who want to work with the National Anticorruption
Directorate or DIICOT will have to have 10 years of seniority. The provision
regarding the early retirement of magistrates after 20 years of seniority will
be applied after December 31st, 2019, in order to avoid shortage of
staff, which is one of the concerns voiced by the Venice Commission. Minister
Toader explained:

In order to strike the balance between
the desire of some of the magistrates to retire immediately after 20 years of
work, the ruling of the Constitutional Court and the recommendations made by
the Venice Commission, which believes that this would create staff shortage, we
have decided to postpone the implementation of this provision up until the end
of 2019. In the meantime we will see how the system works.

The president of the opposition National Liberal
Party Ludovic Orban has stated, however, that out of the nine recommendations
made by the Venice Commission, the Government has only complied with two and
that the current ruling coalition ignores all the messages conveyed at European
level. Ludovic Orban:

The National Liberal Party firmly blames
the Government for continuing to mock the independence of the judiciary, the
citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms and the cooperation with the European
Commission and other European institutions.

In turn, Romania’s Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar
has stated that the changes brought to the justice laws were done hastily, thus
affecting the solving of important cases:

Staff from several prosecutor offices
have been mobilized and posted to solve big and complex cases. In this new
situation, the staff working on these cases will be dismantled.

According to Augustin Lazar, unless these so-called
‘big cases’ are solved, Romania might have to pay large amounts of money
following rulings by the European Court of Human Rights.

(Translated by M. Ignatescu)

16 October 2018
September 5, 2018 UPDATE

Emergency decree — The leftist government of Romania on Wednesday approved through an emergency decree the budget adjustment bill. The PM Viorica Dancila said that the budget adjustment, which is a positive one, is meant to support, among others, investments and the losses incurred by pig farmers due to the African swine fever crisis. In turn, president Klaus Iohannis strongly criticized what he called the ‘inadmissible manner’ in which the government acted, given that the budget adjustment bill was approved without the approval of the Supreme Council of National Defense. Further talks on this issue have been scheduled for Thursday between president Iohannis and the justice minister Eugen Teodorovici.

Parliament — The Chamber of Deputies Wednesday rejected a request by the right-wing Opposition to set up 2 inquiry committees, one on the Government’s handling of the African swine fever crisis, and another one on the intervention of riot police at the anti-government protests in Bucharest on August 10th. The authors of the request said they wanted to identify the causes for the quick spreading of the disease in Romania and to find out whether certain public institutions were involved in activities beyond their legally defined powers. Also on Wednesday the General Prosecutor’s Office announced the start of prosecution, in rem, for the crime of spreading diseases among animals and plants and for professional negligence. At present swine fever outbreaks are reported in 11 counties in Romania, triggering the culling of over 140,000 pigs and spreading further, in spite of the measures taken by authorities. On Tuesday the Senate’s defense committee cancelled the hearings on this topic, at the request of the Social Democratic Party in power. Scheduled to be heard in Parliament were the Interior Minister, Carmen Dan, the coordinator of the gendarme intervention Laurenţiu Cazan, and the Prefect of Bucharest, Speranţa Cliseru. So far 770 people affected by the brutal police intervention during the protests have filed criminal complaints.

Poisoning — British prosecutors on Wednesday announced they held enough evidence to indict two Russian citizens in the case of the poisoning with a nerve agent of the former double agent Sergey Skripal and of his daughter in March in the southwest of England. European arrest warrants have been issued for the two Russian citizens Aleksandr Petrov and Ruslan Boşirov. The British authorities have pointed out that they will not ask for the two Russians’ extradition because the Russian Constitution does not allow it. The Skripal case has caused a serious bilateral crisis and led to a wave of mutual ousting of diplomats, a process that also involved allied countries of the UK, including Romania. (news translated and updated by L. Simion)

5 September 2018