Radio România Internațional

Tag: emergency

  • March 19, 2020 UPDATE

    March 19, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Romania 17 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Romania on Thursday, taking the total number to 277. The Strategic Communication Group, which has limited official COVID-19 updates to only one per day, also announced that 25 patients have recovered and were discharged from hospital—16 in Timişoara, 8 in Bucharest and 1 in Iaşi. Another 3,822 people are in quarantine facilities and tested for the disease, while over 33,700 are self-isolating at home under medical supervision. Meanwhile, president Klaus Iohannis welcomed Parliaments endorsing the presidential decree that declares a 30-day state of emergency in Romania. He said the vote proves the responsibility and solidarity of the entire political community. In turn, PM Ludovic Orban announced harsher penalties for those who thwart efforts to combat the epidemic and for false representations regarding the coronavirus disease. The government has also decided to increase state guarantees by around one billion euros, in order to help small and medium enterprises take out loans, and to cover 75% of the benefits paid by employers to the staff on idle time.



    EASTER President Klaus Iohannis Thursday instructed prefects and local administration officials to urge the Romanians living abroad not to come home for the Easter holidays this year, because under the current regulations as soon as they enter the country they will have to be quarantined or self-isolating. There is basically no more traveling in the EU, he added, and emphasised, “we love our fellow Romanians who live abroad, we would like to see them, to be with them, but this is not possible this Easter. It is sad, but we have to be honest about this, so as not to create expectations that cannot be fulfilled. The most important Christian holiday, the Easter or the Resurrection of Christ, is celebrated this year on April 12 by Catholics and on April 19 by Orthodox believers, which make up a majority in Romania.



    FAKE NEWS The Romanian interior minister Marcel Vela has forwarded to the National Communication Administration and Regulation Authority (ANCOM) a proposal made by the Strategic Communication Group to shut down a website called stiridemoment.ro. The proposal is based on Art. 54 of the presidential decree introducing the state of emergency in Romania. According to the authorities, the website selected and posted statements and information out of context, under alarmist headlines designed to generate panic among readers. The headlines were either completely false, or unrelated to official decisions. The website had no identity and no persons of contact could be identified. The police started an investigation into false information offences. On Wednesday, the EU spokesman on foreign policy Peter Stano said that, “Whoever is spreading the disinformation is essentially playing with peoples lives, and warned that pro-Russian media are behind some disinformation cases. Moscow dismissed the accusation.



    POLL Half of the employees in Romania fear the COVID-19 will be followed by an economic crisis, and a quarter of all employees do not have enough savings to cover a months expenses if they are made redundant. These are the main findings of an opinion poll conducted by the online recruitment platform BestJobs. Little over 10% of the interviewees fear they may lose their jobs in the forthcoming period. According to the poll, 60% of the employers say their businesses have not been affected so far by the epidemic. As far as the employers are concerned, the biggest effect is that employees are becoming afraid of direct contact with their clients. Business owners have also noticed that some suppliers fail to deliver orders and that the prices for certain products have been substantially increased. The poll was conducted between March 9 and 16.



    RAILWAY The passenger division of the main railway operator in Romania, CFR, is temporarily suspending international trains to and from Hungary and Austria. The decision is designed to help contain the Covid-19 epidemic, and follows Hungarys decision to close its borders for foreign citizens. On Tuesday, CFR made a similar decision regarding passenger trains to and from neighbouring Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova. Travellers may claim full refunds.



    COVID-19 world The president of the European Parliament, David
    Sassoli, announced a special meeting of the EU legislative body on March 26,
    focusing on EU-wide measures against the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was
    made in a conference call with the leaders of the EP floor groups, and will be
    the first to use online voting. Around 220,000 cases of COVID-19 and 9,000 deaths have been confirmed worldwide so far. Whereas China is now reporting zero local infections and new cases only involving citizens who came from abroad, in Europe the situation is further worsening. In Italy, the number of victims is nearing the total reported in Chinas Hubei region, where the virus first appeared. The EU has closed its borders for foreign citizens and has banned non-essential circulation in the Schengen area, to slow down the pandemic. In this context, the European Central Bank announced an emergency aid package amounting to 750 billion euros, intended to cover public and private debt and contain the economic aftershocks of the coronavirus pandemic. According to estimates, the Eurozones GDP may fall by 5% this year.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • March 16, 2020 UPDATE

    March 16, 2020 UPDATE

    Coronavirus Romania — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced that a state of emergency was declared as of Monday on the entire territory of Romania for 30 days. Thus, schools will be closed to protect children, pupils and students. Price caps may be regulated for medicines, basic foodstuffs and public utility services. Employees will benefit from social protection, the state of emergency allows the authorities to adopt gradually or immediately such measures as closing the borders, some restaurants, cafes and clubs. Also road, rail and air traffic may be gradually restricted on certain routes as well as subway traffic in Bucharest. Also in the sanitary field, people may be hired without a contest, necessary materials will be purchased directly and the state may requisition certain medicine stocks. The government may adopt measures to support companies affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. As regards the judiciary, their activity will continue only in relation to extremely urgent cases. According to the authorities, the number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Romania reached 168, and 9 of these people have recovered and have been discharged from hospital. More than 3 thousand people are in institutionalized quarantine and over 15,500 are in quarantine at home and under medical monitoring. So far more than 36 criminal investigations have been opened in relation to the crime of thwarting efforts to combat the spread of the virus. Meanwhile the authorities have decided that all asymptomatic people who come to Romania from countries with at least 500 confirmed COVID-19 infections such as France, Germany, Spain, Iran and China will enter mandatory self-isolation at home for a period of 14 days. The measure applies to people entering the country by air and by road. After Romania officially entered stage three of the outbreak, the authorities stepped up efforts, adding new measures to those already taken, such as restricting all cultural, scientific, artistic, religious and sports events in enclosed spaces and attended by more than 50 people. Parliament passed an amendment allowing for its sessions and voting to take place through electronic means, in exceptional circumstances.



    Coronavirus world — The EC will introduce temporary restrictions for a period of 30 days related to non-essential travel within the EU as part of its efforts to combat and contain the spread of the new coronavirus in Europe. The leaders of the member states will have a videoconference on Tuesday to deal with the issue. More and more states in Europe, the new hotbed of the coronavirus pandemic according to the World Health Organisation, have taken drastic measures to contain the spread of the virus. Italy, which has been in lockdown for several days, saw a record 368 deaths in 24 hours on Sunday. Spain is in almost total lockdown, being the second worst affected country in Europe after Italy. The Spanish authorities said on Monday that the initial 15-day quarantine period would be extended. The situation is also deteriorating in France and Germany has partially closed borders with Austria, Denmark, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland, for all but commercial and business travel. Poland already closed its border with Germany last week. The World Health Organisation says most cases of infection with Covid-19 are now outside China, the country where the outbreak started. On Monday, China announced 16 new infections, of which 12 in persons coming from abroad and said everyone entering Beijing will automatically go into quarantine for 14 days. (update by L. Simion)

  • Iohannis: I have decided to decree state of emergency

    Iohannis: I have decided to decree state of emergency

    On Saturday evening, after the swearing-in ceremony of the new Orban cabinet, President Klaus Iohannis made public his decision to decree state of emergency as of Monday: It is very important that the measures that are to be taken, to be taken in due time, so as to bear fruit and to make this fight possible, with all the instruments provided by the law, I have decided to decree state of emergency as of the start of next week.

    The head of state underlined the state of emergency will allow for the allotment of significant resources for the efficient management of the coronavirus crisis, also in the effort to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

    This way, the government will be able to earmark more money for healthcare, for medicines and for medical equipment and devices, which are absolutely necessary. This will allow for making purchases and endowments in a very short time, under simplified procedures, thus making available for the government all necessary instruments to manage the coronavirus crisis in the most efficient way, President Iohannis said.

    The President also called on the Romanians to avoid contacts that are not absolutely necessary and to get informed from reliable public sources alone.

  • December 31, 2019

    December 31, 2019

    MESSAGE “2019 brought the victory of democracy and civil participation, when we proved that we are a nation that stands by shared values and ideals, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, says in his New Years message. The head of state voices confidence that in 2020 Romanians will stay motivated by their dream of a better country. He called for the building of a normal Romania, a country that is truly the home of Romanians, wherever they may be. “We are entering a new year and a new decade, which I would also like to be the beginning of a period of normality and true democracy for Romania, PM Ludovic Orban said in his own New Years message. He urges Romanians to view what they have left behind as a lesson about what needs to be done in order to make true the dream of freedom, democracy and prosperity that mobilised people 30 years ago to fight against totalitarianism.




    INVESTIGATION Romanian authorities carry on inquiries and checks regarding the incident at the Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest, the largest emergency unit in the country. The National Healthcare Quality Management Authority Monday suspended the accreditation of the hospital, which failed to report within 24 hours an incident in which a 66-year old patient was burnt on the operating room table. The woman died, and the Bucharest Police is currently investigating suspicions of manslaughter. The Board of Physicians and the Healthcare Ministry are running separate investigations, with the conclusions due to be presented early next week. Meanwhile, the hospital has to address the deficiencies that have led to the unfortunate event. Although the accreditation has been suspended, Floreasca Emergency Hospital in Bucharest operates as usual.




    NEW YEARS EVE In Romania, New Year traditions are still preserved in many regions. Children go carolling in the first part of the day, with songs and dances that usually describe the successive stages of farm work. The custom also includes folk performances by groups of youth or adults, where each member has a part, a role and various stage props. On the other hand, the hits of the 1980s and 1990s will be played live at the biggest outdoor New Years party in Bucharest, ‘Disco Night. This years concert has been inspired by the energy and exuberance of the disco movement. During the 6-hour party, songs that have defined entire generations will be played by international and Romanian musicians, including O-Zone, Haddaway, and the American rapper Turbo B., and Milli Vanilli Experience. The night will end with a spectacular fireworks show.




    SAFETY Over 21,000 Interior Ministry employees are on duty every day in Romania to ensure citizen safety during the winter holidays. Special attention is paid to preventing serious accidents and to streamlining road traffic to the most popular tourist resorts. Up to 1,400 road police are on duty on the most circulated thoroughfares, with around 300 radar speed guns, to safeguard the lives of drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Nearly 9,600 police and gendarmes are also patrolling the busiest areas, especially fairs and shopping centres, and the sites of large outdoor public events.




    TOURISM Over 1.7 million tourist arrivals were reported in Bucharest in the first 10 months of the year, according to the National Statistics Institute. The largest number, 196,410, was reported in September. Most tourists (94.7% of the total, accounting for 1.63 million people), checked in in hotels. The number of overnight stays in Bucharest was 2.99 million, with the biggest number reported for October. According to the National Statistics Institute, arrivals in accommodation facilities at national level totalled 11.531 million in the first 10 months of this year, up 4.1% compared to the corresponding period of last year.




    AVALANCHE A record 200 mountain accidents have been reported over the past 10 days in Romania, with avalanche risks still high in many parts of the country, particularly in the southern massifs of Făgăraş and Bucegi. Last month 2 people were caught under an avalanche in Făgăraş. Mountain rescue teams urge tourists not to attempt routes that have been closed for safety, and to be very careful in planning their hikes so as to be indoors by nightfall.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 14, 2019

    November 14, 2019

    FINANCE For the past 3 years, Romanias economy has been managed according to 2 budgets, one presented in Parliament and for which no PM or finance minister in the former Social Democratic governments has taken responsibility, and another one containing accurate data and used for financing party barons, the new Finance Minister Florin Cîţu told a press conference on Thursday. The added he would notify the competent authorities. According to the minister, the budget deficit for the first 10 months of the year is 2.84% of the GDP, above the estimate for the entire year, and unless measures are taken in the next one and a half months the figure will exceed 4%. Some 500 million euros in the public pension budget is unaccounted for, Cîţu added, and explained that this years budget should be adjusted downwards.




    ORDER The Government of Romania passed an emergency order on the status of the British citizens living in Romania in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Romania was the only EU member state still to regulate the matter. The Prime Ministers chief of staff, Ionel Dancă, explained that the order was necessary and had been requested by the British side.




    COMMISSIONER The Romanian MEP Adina Vălean, nominated for the transport commissioner post, is heard today in the European Parliaments specialist committees, along with the commissioners nominated by France and Hungary. On Tuesday she was given the green light by the Committee on Legal Affairs, which looked at possible conflicts of interest. Also on Tuesday, Vălean was heard by the joint European affairs committees of the Romanian Parliament, whose opinion is advisory. When the formal hearings are over, the president elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will present the full commission and its programme to the European Parliament on the 27th of November.




    GROWTH Romanias GDP is up 4% in the first 9 months of this year, compared to the corresponding period of 2018, the National Statistics Institute announced. However, the economic growth rate slowed down in the 3rd quarter, to 3% as against 4.4% reported for the 2nd quarter. In its autumn economic forecast made public recently, the European Commission estimates a 4.1% economic growth rate for Romania in 2019, and expects the rate to drop to 3.6% in 2020 and 3.3% the following year.




    TRAVEL 230 operators from 16 countries are attending until Sunday the largest Tourism Fair in Romania, organised in Bucharest. Taking part are representatives of travel agencies, tour operators, and associations and local authorities promoting their regions. Visitors can purchase holiday packages for this winter and for 2020, with discounts of up to 45%.




    FOOTBALL Romanias Under 19 football team is playing today at home against Finland, in Group 8 of the 2021 UEFA European Under 19 Championship qualifiers. Denmark tops the group with 9 points, followed by Finland with 7 and Romania with 6 points. In the Euro 2020 qualifiers, Romanias senior team are facing Sweden at home on Friday. Group F is dominated by Spain with 20 points, who have already secured their qualification, followed by Sweden with 15 points and Romania with 14. To qualify, Romania need to defeat Sweden and draw against Spain away. The two best-placed sides in each group will qualify. The drawing of lots for Euro 2020 will take place in Bucharest on the 30th of November. The Romanian capital will also host four European Championship matches, three group matches and a quarterfinal.




    HANDBALL Romanias mens handball champions, Dinamo Bucharest, are undefeated in the Champions League, after a draw against the Swedish side IFK Kristianstad, 29-29, in Group D. Dinamo, already qualified into the play-offs, ranks first in the group with 13 points, followed by GOG Gudme (Denmark), with 9 points, Orlen Wisla Plock (Poland) with 7, Kadetten Schaffhausen (Switzerland), with 6, IFK Kristianstad (Sweden) with 5 and Cehovskie Medvedi (Russia) with 4 points. Dinamo is next to take on Cehovskie Medvedi at home on November 20.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 13, 2019 UPDATE

    November 13, 2019 UPDATE

    COMMISSIONER The Liberal MEP Adina Vălean, Romania’s pick for the position of EU transport commissioner, will be interviewed on Thursday by the European Parliament’s specialist committees alongside the French and Hungarian nominees. On Tuesday, she was given the green light by the Committee on Legal Affairs, which looked at possible conflicts of interest. Also on Tuesday, Vălean was heard by the joint European affairs committees of the Romanian Parliament, whose opinion is advisory. When the formal hearings are over, the president elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will present the full commission and its programme to the European Parliament on the 27th of November. Adina Vălean has said that if she becomes EU commissioner, she will support the continuation of the European Interconnection Mechanism, under which 1.24 billion euros worth of investment reached Romania for transport infrastructure and 500 million euros more for energy. The mechanism aims to connect the transport, energy and telecommunications infrastructures in the European Union.




    GOVERNMENT The new Liberal government Wednesday passed an emergency order to provide social protection for the miners about to lose their jobs in the Jiu Valley, in the centre-west. The order comes in response to the demands of the employees of the coal mines in Paroşeni and Uricani, who recently barricaded themselves underground for 11 days. An estimated 360 people are to be laid off this year, with another 700 due to lose their jobs by 2024. Also on Wednesday, the Government passed an emergency order on the status of British citizens in Romania in the event of a no-deal Brexit. According to the Prime Ministers chief of staff Ionel Danca, this order is necessary and requested by the British side, and is aimed at ensuring mutual terms for the status of the Romanian citizens living in Britain post-Brexit. In late October, the ambassadors of the 27 EU member states agreed to extend the Brexit deadline to January 31.




    FINANCE In the first 9 months of the year, the current account on the balance of payments saw a deficit of over 8.1 billion euros, as against 6.8 billion in the corresponding period of last year, the National Bank of Romania announced. Foreign direct investments in Romania totaled over 4.2 billion euros in the first 3 quarters, which is approx. 280 million euro less than in the first 9 months of 2018. The central bank also announced that the total foreign debt rose by nearly 8.4 billion euros in the first 9 months, exceeding 108 billion euros.




    MOLDOVA Igor Dodon, the pro-Russian president of the Republic of Moldova, Wednesday nominated the presidential adviser Ion Chicu as prime minister. The decision comes after the Socialist MPs agreed to the presidents proposal to form a government of technocrats, and after the negotiations with the pro-European bloc ACUM failed. Dodon invited parliamentary parties to talks on Wednesday on a new majority, following the dismissal of Maia Sandu’s pro-European cabinet through a no-confidence vote on Tuesday. The parties have three months to form a new government and avoid early elections. Sandu accused her former Socialist partners, de facto led by Dodon, of bringing down the government because they are afraid of the law. Romania and the European Union have warned the Republic of Moldova that their support, including of a financial nature, is conditional on the continuation of reforms and respect for the rule of law and for democratic standards.




    NAVY The King Ferdinand frigate is taking part in an international anti-submarine warfare exercise organised by the Turkish Navy in the Mediterranean Sea and which is under way until the 20th of November, the Navy Chief of Staff has announced. The Romanian crew will be carrying out specific training activities in Turkey’s territorial waters and neighbouring international waters alongside colleagues from Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, Jordan, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, Spain, the United States and Turkey.




    TENNIS The Romanian-Dutch pair Horia Tecău and Jean-Julien Rojer Wednesday defeated the world no. 1 and Wimbledon and US Open winners Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah of Colombia in the ATP Finals in London. This is the first victory for the pair in this years edition of the ATP Finals. In the first match of Group Max Mirnyi on Monday, Tecău and Rojer lost to the Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies in 3 sets. The Romanian-Dutch pair won the ATP Finals in 2015 and also qualified for this tournament in 2014 and 2017. This year, they won the titles in Madrid and Basel.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu, Cristina Mateescu)

  • Restructuring the 112 emergency system

    Restructuring the 112 emergency system

    The 112 emergency call system, managed by the Special Telecommunications Service, is not perfect, but nor can it be said to be under-performing. Thousands of calls are received on a daily basis, and a vast majority of them are handled appropriately. This somewhat conflicting statement was made by the State Secretary with the Interior Ministry, Raed Arafat, entrusted over a week ago by PM Viorica Dăncilă to coordinate an inter-institutional committee designed to find immediate solutions to improve the crisis response times across public institutions.



    Such a crisis was reported on July 25 in Caracal, southern Romania, where a 15-year old girl, abducted and raped, called 3 times the 112 emergency number to ask for help. The police took 19 hours to identify the suspects house and to get in, much to the dismay of the public. Stating that she would not allow anyone to toy with peoples lives and safety, PM Dăncilă requested immediate measures.



    Working on the assumption that “no system is infallible, State Secretary Raed Arafat announced 14 measures to improve the 112 service. In a press conference at the Government headquarters on Wednesday night, he said 10 of these measures will be implemented within a year, and 4 are medium and long-term, their implementation scheduled to take between 12 and 60 months. In the short run, the Romanian official said, the legislation must be improved to the effect of speeding up emergency call tracking, and in this respect a bill has been suggested, which also covers, among other things, prepaid mobile cards.



    Raed Arafat: “An analysis has been made, regarding the first 6 months of the year. Of the 47.7% non-urgent calls, 52.86% were abusive, and 81% of the abusive calls were made using prepaid cards. The emergency bill will be applicable for prepaid cards strictly in the context of calling 112. This will be an instance where the mobile telecom provider discloses data concerning the owner of the prepaid card.



    Other measures to be adopted in the short run include a cooperation protocol with Google, the testing and subsequent implementation of an Advanced Mobile Location system, infrastructure reconfiguration by mobile telecoms operators and promoting the 112 Call app developed by the Special Telecommunications Service, as a temporary measure until the AML system is operational.



    In the medium and long term, the goals include the training of 112 system specialists and increasing the number of training centres for such experts across the country.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 7, 2019 UPDATE

    August 7, 2019 UPDATE

    VISIT The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, will be received at the White House on August 20 by the US President Donald Trump. The announcement was made last night in Bucharest and Washington. The White House news release reads that President Donald Trump looks forward to celebrating together with his Romanian counterpart 30 years since the fall of communism in Romania and the 15th year of Romanias membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The White House also announced that the 2 leaders will discuss how best to meet the many shared security challenges facing the United States and Romania and ways to advance fair and reciprocal trade and energy partnerships. According to the Romanian Presidency, Klaus Iohannis will emphasise that Romania will continue to be a reliable strategic partner and a responsible and trustworthy ally of the US.




    CARACAL INVESTIGATION Romanian investigators Wednesday resumed searches at the Caracal home of Gheorghe Dincă, who alleged, after being apprehended more than a week ago, that he had killed and then incinerated 2 teenagers. On Tuesday, the investigators found in a forest near Caracal new bone and tooth fragments, which forensic experts found to be human. So far, only traces of 15-year old Alexandra Macesanus DNA were found in the ashes at Gheorghe Dincăs residence. A number of people were questioned and storage devices were searched. An outrageous series of mistakes made by the authorities in relation to the case has already led to high-level dismissals and resignations. The prosecutor division of the Higher Council of Magistrates requested the Judicial Inspection unit to check the activity of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism and the prosecutors offices attached to courts, focusing on the way of handling criminal cases involving human trafficking and child trafficking, as well as offences like kidnapping and manslaughter in cases of missing persons. On Wednesday, State Secretary with the Interior Ministry Raed Arafat presented PM Viorica Dăncilă with a report on ways to improve the emergency call tracking system. Arafat coordinates an inter-ministerial committee set up in late July in the wake of the Caracal case.




    NAVY The Romanian Black Sea port of Constanţa launched a series of events devoted to Navy Day, traditionally celebrated on August 15. On Wednesday, the Day of sea resources and navy education, military divers held diving workshops for the 80 winners of a Facebook competition. Also, the military port hosted a ceremony welcoming the Mircea Training Ship from a sail devoted to the celebration of the vessels 80 years in the service of the Romanian Navy. Mircea sailed more that 8,500 miles in 93 days and stopped in 12 European ports, welcoming over 12,000 visitors on board. Until August 15, other Danube and Black Sea ports will also host concerts, book launches and interactive workshops devoted to the Romanian Navy Day.




    REPATRIATION A group of 15 people, Romanian citizens and their Syrian families, were repatriated on Tuesday via Turkey, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The operation was completed with support from the Romanian embassies in Damascus and Ankara, of the Romanian Consulate in Istanbul and of Romanias Honorary Consul in Iskenderun. The Foreign Ministry also mentioned that since the start of evacuation operations in Syria, in 2011, 784 Romanian citizens and their families have been repatriated. At present, the Romanian Embassy in Damascus provides assistance and consular protection to citizens from various states, including Australia, Canada, France, the Republic of Moldova, Portugal, and others, based on individual requests.




    DIASPORA Nearly 9,000 Romanian citizens who intend to vote in this autumns presidential election, whether by post or in polling stations abroad, had enrolled on the dedicated online platform until Wednesday. The Romanian citizens who wish to vote by mail must fill in an online form posted on www.votstrainatate.ro, enclosing a scan or photo of their ID and a copy of the document proving their right to stay in a foreign country. The registration forms will be active until September 11. Approximately 9.7 million Romanians live abroad, according to data communicated by 70 diplomatic missions and centralised by the Ministry for the Romanians Abroad.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 5, 2019 UPDATE

    August 5, 2019 UPDATE

    INVESTIGATION In Caracal, southern Romania, searches continued on Monday at the home of Gheorghe Dincă, the man who claimed, after being apprehended more than a week ago, that he had killed 2 teenagers, 15-year old Alexanda Măceşanu and 18-year old Luiza Melencu. The investigators, who followed a new lead indicated by Gheorghe Dinca, found fragments of burnt bones and ashes in a bag, in a forest near Caracal. Dinca claims the remains belong to Luiza. Over the past few days, new biological samples were collected from the mans home and courtyard. The investigation now focuses on finding new clues to confirm that Luiza Melencu, missing since April, has been in Dincas house. The Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, in charge of the case, announced that the ash taken from Dincas residence showed traces of Alexandra Măceşanus DNA, the girl who went missing on July 24th and who called the emergency services the next day. The response of the authorities was too late, which led to a number of resignations and dismissals.




    EU Romania ranks 2nd in the EU, on a par with Portugal, in terms of a positive public image of the EU, indicates a new Eurobarometer poll made public on Monday. The number of Romanians having a positive view of the European bloc has grown to 60%, above the EU average of 44%. The new poll shows a strong increase in citizens positive perception of the EU in all areas, from economy to the state of democracy. These are the best Eurobarometer results since June 2014. Also, 52% of the Romanians have confidence in the EU, as against a 44% average in Europe. Some of the main findings of the Eurobarometer also include record-strong support for the single currency and a focus on climate change, as the 2nd biggest concern at EU level, after immigration.




    MOLDOVA The General Prosecution of the Republic of Moldova Monday opened a criminal case in which Vlad Plahotniuc is probed into for usurping power in June 2019. A group of prosecutors will look into the events of June 7th to 9th, when former Democratic leader Vlad Plahotniuc and judges with the Constitutional Court approved rulings, decisions and resolutions contrary to the Constitution of Moldova, in order to enable the Democrats to stay in power abusively. Sworn in by Parliament on June 8th, the new Government in Chisinau, headed by the pro-European Maia Sandu, only managed to take office in mid-June, after a deadlock cause by the previous, leftist government controlled by tycoon Vladimir Plahotniuc, who refused to relinquish power.




    FESTIVAL Sfântu Gheorghe, in the Danube Delta, south-eastern Romania, is hosting as of Monday the 16th Anonimul International Independent Film Festival. The official opening included the screening of the latest film by director Jim Jarmusch, The Dead Don’t Die, launched at this years official Cannes competition. Six foreign and Romanian feature films take part in the official competition. The special guest of this years edition is Ukrainian director, Sergei Loznitsa, winner of the Cannes 2018 “Un Certain Regard award. He will receive the “ANONIMUL Award for his contribution to world cinema. A retrospective of his works will be followed by Q&A sessions. The festival also includes, until August 11, screenings of films awarded in other festivals, talks with filmmakers and film critics, Q&A sessions with production teams. A section entitled Fluidități will screen 4 documentaries on art, discussing topics like the fine arts, music, cultural traditions and crafts.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • July 31, 2019 UPDATE

    July 31, 2019 UPDATE

    CARACAL INVESTIGATION The head of the Directorate Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism Felix-Oliver Bănilă said on Wednesday that the results of the tests run on the bones taken in evidence from the house of the Caracal murder suspect Gheorghe Dincă are still pending. Banila added that no scenario is overlooked at this point in the investigation. There is no proof that any of the victims has been murdered, the anti-mafia chief said. Meanwhile, prosecutors have broadened the investigation and are looking into a possible case of criminal negligence involving the police officer who talked to 15-year-old Alexandra Macesanu, who dialled the emergency number calling for help and saying she had been abducted and raped. The police officer allegedly did not follow standard procedures. The suspect in the Caracal murders, Gheorghe Dinca, was taken to the Penitentiary Hospital in Jilava near Bucharest, to undergo psychiatric evaluation. Gheorghe Dinca, a 60-year-old mechanic from Caracal, admitted on Sunday to having kidnapped, detained, raped and murdered two teenagers. Alexandra Macesanu was reported missing on Wednesday, and on Thursday last week she dialled the emergency number 112, operated by the Special Telecommunications Service, which was unable to trace the call. Police officers took 19 hours to get into the suspects home. 18-year-old Luiza Mihaela Melencu shared the same fate in April, when the family reported her missing. The bodies of the two girls have not yet been found.




    MOLDOVA The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Wednesday voted to cancel the mixed electoral system adopted 2 years ago and used for the first time in the parliamentary election of February 24. The next parliamentary elections will therefore use the proportional representation system used in Moldova until this year. The Parliament also approved a substantial lowering of the maximum donations that can be made to political parties during the election campaign, and extended voting abroad to 2 days. Also, according to the amendments to the Election Law, election into Parliament is now possible with at least 5% of the votes, instead of 6%, for political parties, 7% for electoral blocs and 2% for independent candidates.




    FESTIVAL More than 200 artists will perform on 10 stages as part of UNTOLD, the largest electronic music festival in Romania, which begins in Cluj-Napoca on Thursday. One of the biggest stages in Europe will be located inside the Cluj Arena. Robbie Williams, scheduled to perform on Sunday, is one of the headliners of the festival, along with Armin van Buuren, David Guetta and 3 Are Legend. The organisers expect 350,000 people from more than 100 countries to attend the shows.




    FOOTBALL Romania’s football vice-champions FCSB (former Steaua Bucharest), who won the first leg of the Europa League second round against Armenian side FC Alashkert, 3-0 away from home, will play the return leg at home on Thursday. Also on Thursday, CSU Craiova will play against Honved Budapest at home after drawing nil-all in the first leg, while Romanian Cup winners Viitorul Constanta will play the return leg against KAA Gent, to which it lost 3-6 last week. Romanian champions CFR Cluj on Tuesday advanced to the third preliminary round in Champions League after drawing 2-all against Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel away from home. In the first leg CFR defeated Maccabi 1-nil. The team from Cluj will next play Celtic Glasgow of Scotland, which in the previous round ousted Estonia’s Nomme Kalju 5-nil in the first leg and 2-nil in the return leg.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • April 22, 2019 UPDATE

    April 22, 2019 UPDATE

    UKRAINE EU officials sent their congratulations to the winner of the presidential elections in Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, noting that the vote emphasised commitment to democratic values in this country at war, situated on the borders of the Union. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, also congratulated Volodimir Zelenski. Iohannis voiced his confidence that through dialogue and joint efforts, the two presidents will be able to contribute to consolidating and diversifying the relations between the two countries, in support of Ukraines territorial integrity, security and modernisation. These developments will benefit all the citizens of Ukraine, including the Romanian minority, reads the message sent by President Iohannis. In turn, the Russian PM Dmitri Medvedev said that Moscow has an opportunity to improve relations with Ukraine with this new presidency, although he added he does not want to have “illusions in this respect. The television actor Volodimir Zelenski Sunday won the presidential election in Ukraine by a landslide, defeating the outgoing president Petro Poroshenko.



    TERRORISM The government of Sri Lanka ordered a state of emergency beginning Monday at midnight, for public security reasons. The announcement comes in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed nearly 300 and wounded another 500 people. According to a government spokesperson, the attacks were coordinated with the help of an international terrorist organisation. The victims include 37 foreign tourists. The police announced that 24 people have been arrested. Within a few hours on Sunday, several blasts were reported in 3 churches and 4 luxury hotels in this Indian Ocean island. Schools and universities will stay closed, and Stock Exchange operations suspended. The airport will also remain closed. The international community, Romania included, has condemned the attacks in Sri Lanka.



    BORDER The relevant authorities in Romania and the Republic of Moldova have put together an action plan to streamline border crossing during the Easter holiday. The plan includes increased personnel in checkpoints, the use of all lanes and coordination with local Border Police units. The Romanian Border Police also called on the corresponding institutions in Bulgaria and Hungary to increase the staff in checkpoints, if necessary. The Romanians working abroad are coming home for Easter, and checkpoints are rather crowded these days. More than 4,000 border police will be on duty every day to ensure efficient checks on national borders during this period.



    IMMUNISATION Over 82,000 measles cases were reported in Europe, physicians warned during the World Immunisation Week which started on Monday. Of the 72 deaths caused by this disease in Europe, 62 were in Romania. Experts have once again warned that immunisation saves millions of lives every year and is recognised as the most efficient healthcare intervention. Last week, over 100 cases of measles were confirmed in 12 counties in Romania and in Bucharest, according to the latest data made public by the National Centre for Transmittable Disease Monitoring and Control. The largest number of cases was among unvaccinated children.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • New investments in Romanian hospitals

    New investments in Romanian hospitals

    Massive investments will be made this year in Romanian hospitals, so as to enable physicians to provide high-quality care to patients, the Healthcare Minister Sorina Pintea announced. She explained that the investments consist in construction, extension and revamping, and equipment procurement, and will target both the hospitals run by the Ministry, and the ones managed by local authorities. This means that the money will be channelled not only into emergency hospitals, but also in the smaller, town and city hospitals, which must be able to provide support to the big healthcare units.



    The Ministrys investment budget this year is around 210 million euros, as against a rough 200 million euros earmarked last year. The Healthcare Minister also added that, under an agreement with the World Bank, Romania benefits from a total amount of 79 million euros, over half of which already earmarked in 2018, with another 63 million euro worth of investments scheduled for this year.



    Sorina Pintea: “In 2019, 2 emergency care units will be built, one in Oradea, worth 2.8 million euros, and another one in Brasov, worth 2.2 million euros. Also this year, we will have the radiotherapy bunker ready at the Cluj Oncology Institute, following a 1.1-million euro investment. Partnerships with local authorities will also help finance the design and construction works for further developing the radiotherapy network in Targu Mures, Timisoara, Iasi, and Bucharest, in a total investment of 8 million euros.



    The Healthcare Minister also added that modern radiation therapy equipment worth 20 million euros will be purchased for several oncology institutes in the country. Four centres using high-quality equipment for the treatment of severe burns are also scheduled to become operational as of 2020. Sorina Pintea went on to say that 2 of them will be located in Bucharest, and one each in Timisoara and Targu Mures. Feasibility contracts have also been signed for these projects.



    On the other hand, Pintea spoke about the authorities lack of involvement in setting up units for major burns treatment since the Colectiv tragedy in Bucharest. On October 30, 2015, during a rock concert, a fire caused by a fireworks show led to the death of 64 people and left nearly 200 others injured.



    Sorina Pintea: “Of course the authorities should have been more involved, since the Colectiv incident. All I can tell you at this point is that, according to the architects, we do have state-of-the-art centres, with high-quality equipment, but we dont have the staff to work there.



    According to Sorina Pintea, under the same agreement with the World Bank, a team of Romanian physicians and nurses are in France these days, for training in major burns treatment.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • March 5, 2019 UPDATE

    March 5, 2019 UPDATE

    JUDICIARY The Government of Romania Tuesday passed changes to the controversial Emergency Order 7 on the justice laws, which had triggered protests across the country. Under the changes announced by Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, only prosecutors with at least 15 years of seniority may hold top positions in the Public Ministry, and only the prosecutors division of the Higher Council of Magistrates, instead of the entire body, is required to give an advisory opinion on appointments. Also, good reputation will no longer be a criterion in dismissing magistrates, and the salaries of IT experts in the judicial system remain unchanged. Tudorel Toader made no comments on the controversial provisions regarding the new division investigating magistrates, which stay in place. The new changes have been operated despite the negative opinion of the Higher Council of Magistrates. Last Sunday in Bucharest and other major cities nearly 8,000 people protested against Emergency Order 7 modifying the justice laws. The prosecutors and judges in some 80 courts and prosecutors offices in half the country have also protested these days, by suspending work or by picketing court buildings.




    VISIT The Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă announced a working visit to Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, when she will attend 2 events devoted to equal opportunity and promoting womens rights and will have meetings with senior EU officials, including the European Commission first vice-president Frans Timmermans and the Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier. This years edition of the Womens European Council is held in a partnership with the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU, and will focus on better representation of women in politics and on promoting women into leadership positions, Viorica Dăncilă said. The second event will be organised by Romanias permanent representation to the EU, and will also be devoted to gender equality. The Romanian PM also added that on Thursday and Friday in Brussels, the Justice and Home Affairs Council will convene, chaired by Interior Minister Carmen Dan and Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. The agenda includes EU-wide cooperation in the field of the judiciary and border security, the Common European Asylum System and the Unions response to migration and terrorism.




    FLU Two more people died in Romania because of the flu, the National Centre for Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control confirmed on Tuesday. The 2 women were over 80 and also suffered from other, chronic conditions, and only one of them had been immunised against the flu. The total number of deaths caused this season by the flu has reached 165. According to the latest data, over 1.3 million people have been vaccinated so far.




    VOLLEYBALL The Romanian womens volleyball team CSM Alba Blaj Tuesday defeated Ştiinţa Bacău 3-0, in the return leg of the Romanian semi-final of the CEV Cup, the second top official competition in Europe. Alba Blaj had also won the first leg, in Bacau, 3-0, a week ago. Last year, Alba also played the Champions League final, which they lost in Bucharest to the Turkish club VakifBank Istanbul. The other semi-final of the CEV Cup pits Hungarian team Swietelsky Bekescsaba against Yamamay e-work Busto Arsizio of Italy.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • New emergency decrees on the judiciary

    New emergency decrees on the judiciary

    Since the latest parliamentary elections in 2016, the justice field has been a battlefield for political disputes between Power and Opposition. On the one hand, the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats says it is trying to address legislative errors in the field and thus to modernise the legislation on which the judicial system is based, in full compliance with human rights. On the contrary, the right-wing Opposition, consisting primarily of the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union, argue that all the measures taken in this respect are designed to undermine the work of magistrates, benefiting the Governments cronies.



    This Tuesday, the Cabinet passed an emergency decree stipulating, among other things, that senior positions in prosecutors offices can no longer be assigned by delegation. According to the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, these positions include the prosecutor general, the deputy prosecutor general, the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, the chief prosecutor of the Directorate Combatting Organised Crime and Terrorism, and heads of prosecutors offices. These are fixed 3-year terms in office, and a new term will require a new appointment procedure, comprising an interview, the advisory opinion of the Superior Council of Magistracy, and the appointment decree signed by the president of the country.



    Also, considering that under the new emergency decree former judges may also run for a senior prosecutor position, the advisory opinion of the Superior Council of Magistracy will be required both from the institutions division for prosecutors, and from the division for judges. Given that many of the posts in question are currently held by delegation, the office holders only have 45 days until new appointment procedures must be completed.



    Also on Tuesday, after receiving the positive advisory opinion of the Superior Council of Magistracy, the Government passed an emergency decree concerning the selection of Romanias candidate for European prosecutor within the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO). This does not concern the European Chief Prosecutor position, for which the procedure is different and has already been initiated. Minister Toader explained that there will be a second category of prosecutors to be selected through a subsequent procedure, namely the delegated prosecutors. Whereas the European prosecutor will work in Luxembourg, the delegated prosecutor will work in Romania on behalf of the EPPO.



    The National Liberal Party responded quickly after the 2 decrees were passed. They announced they would table a simple motion against Minister Toader in the Chamber of Deputies. Save Romania Union also spoke about a black day for the Romanian judiciary, and called on international institutions to step in and on Romanian citizens not to stay indifferent.



    So protesters were also a part of the picture: people gathered on Tuesday night in front of the Justice Ministry, throwing rocks and paint. As for President Klaus Iohannis, he wrote on Facebook that, by means of such emergency decrees, the Social Democratic Party once again works against justice and the rule of law, and seeks to give special status to individuals who are on bad terms with the law.



    In response, the left-wing Prime Minister Viorica Dancila reiterated that laws are not created just for an individual, that politicians must not interfere with the justice system and that citizens rights must be complied with, while the fight against corruption must continue.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Anti Money Laundering Law

    Anti Money Laundering Law

    Long awaited in Brussels and under public scrutiny in Bucharest, a new text of the law on preventing and fighting money laundering has been endorsed by the Senate, the first Parliament Chamber to debate the bill. Its endorsement had become an emergency after, on August 29th, the European Commission filed a case against Bucharest at the EU Court of Justice, because Romania had failed to transpose the Union’s anti-money laundering directive in its national legislation, an obligation that had to be met as of June 2017.



    If the Court rules against Romania, Bucharest risks fines of millions of Euros, just when it was supposed to hold the presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019, the minister delegate for European affairs Victor Negrescu had recently warned the president of the Social Democratic Party and speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea.



    Political sources quoted by the media said in fact that Negrescu would soon have a meeting with the European Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova, precisely on the topic of combating money laundering. In turn, PM Viorica Dancila had pleaded for a quick endorsement of the bill.



    The text was penned by the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, but Senators from the ruling parties added amendments challenged by both the Government and the right-of-centre Opposition. A change in the original text concerns the scrapping of an article regarding “politically exposed persons,” which the chair of the Senate’s legal committee and former justice minister Robert Cazanciuc claimed to be “blatantly unconstitutional.” Another amendment passed by Senate introduces precaution measures in relation to occasional transactions of “at least 15,000 euros, whether in a single operation or in several operations that seem to be connected.” The bill also stipulates that bearer share companies have one and a half years to switch to registered shares, otherwise they will be wound up.



    In this context, analysts also mention that as early as this summer the finance minister Eugen Teodorovici explained that the bill that will force the Romanians working abroad, who send home more than 2,000 euros, to declare the source of the money is not designed to allow for amounts above this ceiling to be seized. At the time, he said this is a transposition of a European directive into the national legislation, and that, unless it does so, Romania will receive fines on a daily basis. In April, during a roundtable on the same topic, Teodorovici also emphasised that the money sent home by the Romanians working abroad are earned through honest labour. A World Bank survey indicates that the Romanians working abroad sent back home around 4.9 billion euros last year alone.