Radio România Internațional

Tag: EP elections

  • The Week in Review (20 – 26.05. 2019)

    The Week in Review (20 – 26.05. 2019)

    European Parliament elections and referendum on justice in Romania



    Hundreds of millions of European citizens are expected to the polls between May 23 and 26 to elect the future European Parliament members, for a 5-year term. The elections started on Thursday in Great Britain and the Netherlands, and will come to an end on May 26 in most member states, including Romania. 751 MEPs will be elected, of whom 33 Romanian. This has been the last week of campaign for the EP elections in Romania. Running in the race were 13 political parties and 3 independent candidates.



    441 polling stations were set up for the Romanians abroad, most of them being in Italy, Spain and the neighboring Republic of Moldova. In Romania, simultaneously with the EP elections, a referendum on justice will be held, which was called by President Klaus Iohannis. Voters will receive 3 ballots, one for the EP elections, and one for each of the 2 questions of the referendum. Romanians over 18 are called to answer by ‘YES or ‘NO to the following questions: ‘Do you agree with forbidding amnesty and pardon for corruption crimes? and ‘Do you agree with forbidding the Government to adopt emergency decrees in relation to crimes, punishments and judicial organization and with extending the right to challenge decrees directly to the Constitutional Court?



    Under the law, the referendum is validated if the turnout is at least 30% of the number of people registered on the permanent electoral lists. The result of the referendum is validated if the valid votes account for at least 25% of the people registered on the permanent electoral lists.



    Regulating taxi apps alternatives



    The governments draft emergency decree regulating the ridesharing service in Romania has been put up for public debate until June 3. The decree emerged after alternative service companies asked for the urgent regulation of their services by the government, so as to able to continue to operate. After several rounds of negotiation, the representatives of the ridesharing companies on Thursday reached an agreement with the government officials over the draft emergency decree on taxi apps in Romania.



    The new regulation will provide for equal conditions of authorization for both taxi apps alternatives and taxi companies. The owners of taxi apps will be obliged to obtain authorization from the Communications Ministry for their activity, and the partner drivers will have the observe the technical and legal requirements which regular taxi drivers observe during their authorized activity of transporting passengers against payment.



    More than 200 thousand Romanians signed a petition for urgently regulating the ridesharing services, the Coalition for Digital Economy Association, an independent organization representing the main ridesharing companies, has announced. According to them, the lack of regulation resulted in revenue loss for thousand of drivers and 2.5 million users either could not find a car or had to pay prices three times bigger. Taxi companies, constantly criticized for the poor quality of services, retorted by accusing ridesharing companies of operating illegally.



    Famous criminal files



    The former mayor of Constanta (a port on the Black Sea Coast) Radu Mazăre on Monday was brought back to Romania from Madagascar, from where he was extradited. Radu Mazăre fled to Madagascar in December 2017. He has received sentences in several corruption files, but the definitive sentence, which led to the issuance of an international arrest warrant, was given in February by the supreme court, in a file concerning the illegal land redistribution in the city of Constanta. He has to serve a 10-year sentence in this case.



    The former mayor left Romania in late 2017 after he had been subject to legal restrictions pending trial. He justified his fleeing the country by invoking the political pressure being put on the prosecutors dealing with his case. In Madagascar he asked for political asylum. Also on Monday the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest postponed for May 27 pronouncing its verdict in a corruption case involving the Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea, who was accused of incitement to abuse of office.



    Dragnea was sentenced in a court of first instance by a jury made up of 3 judges to serve 3 years and a half in prison for incitement to abuse of office, although he pleaded not-guilty at the previous hearing. At the same time, the defense lawyers asked, without success though, for a postponement of the verdict to wait for a decision of the Constitutional Court regarding a notification made by Social Democratic MP Florin Iordache in relation to the illegality of juries of 3 judges at the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The Court postponed making a decision for June 5.



    Flooding in Romania



    This week too Romania has been under code yellow and code orange alerts for unsettled weather, storms, torrential rainfalls and floods. Scores of villages and towns in the north, center and south of the country have been affected including Bucharest. Road and rail traffic has been temporarily disrupted due to fallen trees. The overflowing waters of some rivers flooded hundreds of hectares of farming lands, pastures and households. (translation by L. Simion)

  • May 20, 2019

    May 20, 2019

    Weather forecast — The weather in Romania continues to be unsettled but warm. Meteorologists have issued a fresh code yellow alert for storm and heavy rainfalls for the north, northeast, center and south of the country valid from Monday at noon until Tuesday morning. Strong winds will be reported in the mountains and locally in the east and southeast of the country. Sunday evening’s storm wreaked havoc in the western county of Timisoara while floods affected the eastern counties of Botoşani, Suceava and Bacău.



    Barometer – Almost half of Romania’s population believes that EU accession has brought about advantages, shows a nation-wide public opinion barometer made by INSCOP Research. According to the barometer, almost 85% of Romanians wish to consolidate the partnership with the US or to maintain it at the same level, and more than 60% believe Russia was and will remain the main threat to Romania’s security. Romanians believe that the biggest threat to their country in the near future is corruption (35%), being followed by a new economic crisis (18.9%) and a possible war in the area (15.4%). The data for the opinion survey was collected from across Romania between April 12 and May 3, 2019. 1,050 people were surveyed representing Romania’s un-institutionalized population aged under and over 18. The survey was conducted upon request by LARICS — the Laboratory for Information Warfare Analysis and Strategic Communication of the ‘Ion I.C. Bratianu’ Institute of Political Sciences and International Relations of the Romanian Academy.



    Meeting – Bucharest is hosting on Monday and Tuesday the informal meeting of the environment ministers from the EU member states, held as part of Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU. The event is co-chaired by the environment minister Grațiela Gavrilescu and the minister of waters and forests, Ioan Deneș. The meeting is also attended by environment ministers from the European Free Trade Association and from the EU candidate states, by the European Commissioner for climate action and energy Miguel Arias Cañete and the European Commissioner for environment, maritime affairs and fisheries Karmenu Vella. In the first session of the informal environment council debates will focus on climate change, dwelling on innovative solutions and the role of citizens in ensuring a future with reduced CO2 emissions.



    EP elections – Hundreds of millions of Europeans are expected to the polls this week to elect a new European Parliament for a 5-year term. The elections start on May 23 in Great Britain and the Netherlands and will come to an end on May 26 in most EU countries, Romania included. Following the vote, 751 MEPs will be elected of whom 33 are Romanians who will represent the country at EU level until 2024. Thousands of people participated on Sunday evening in Bucharest and other cities of Romania in the manifestation entitled ‘All for Europe’, an event co-funded by the EC which was meant to motivate citizens to go to the polls and vote in the EP elections. The manifestation is part of a series of actions held on Sunday in 49 cities from 13 European countries.



    Sports — CFR Cluj won the 2nd consecutive title and will represent Romania in the preliminaries of the Football Champions League. Ranked 2nd and 3rd in the domestic championship are FCSB formerly known as Steaua Bucharest and Viitorul Constanta, teams that will play in the preliminaries of the Europa League. Romania’s 3rd representative in this continental competition will be the winner of the Cup, fighting for which will be Viitorul and Astra Giurgiu on Saturday, May 25. If Viitorul wins, CS Universitatea Craiova will move on to the European Cups. (translation by L. Simion)

  • 2019 European Elections

    2019 European Elections

    On May 26, Romanians will elect their representatives in the European Parliament. In the future Parliament, Bucharest will have 33 MEPs, one more than in the current legislature, but only in case the UK leaves the Union after all. The first European elections were held in Romania in 2007, when the country joined the bloc. Traditionally, low voter turnout marks this kind of elections, but this year things may be different, given that a referendum on the state of the judiciary, requested by President Klaus Iohannis, will be held on the same date.



    On the other hand, the 2019 elections are held under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, which could be an incentive for earnest debates on the challenges that require valid medium and long term responses from the European Union. Brexit, migration, social and environmental problems, employment, security and defence and, not least, the threat of sovereignist, Eurosceptic and even Europhobic trends, are just some of these challenges.



    However, the campaign slogans of the main competitors in the Romanian elections hardly suggest that such a debate will take place. Instead, Romanian politicians are more likely to engage in nationalist and populist disputes on the already existing domestic political issues. The Social Democratic Party, the main partner in the ruling coalition, speaks about the patriotism that should govern the future MEP’s performance, and about the fact that Romania deserves more from the EU.



    In turn, their junior coalition partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, wants dignity for the country and respect from the Union. “It is Romania’s time” and “Romania first,” the Liberals in Opposition also proclaim. “United in Europe” is what the People’s Movement Party calls for, hinting at the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, with a majority Romanian-speaking population. ProRomania, a party established by former Social Democrats, proudly affirms its dual, Romanian and European affiliation, whereas another alliance in Opposition, made up of Save Romania Union and PLUS, reminds voters that without theft and corruption Romania stands a chance.



    The candidates running in the election are former ministers or experienced MEPs, former prime ministers or mayors, popular journalists and even an ex-president, Traian Basescu, the one who tops the list of People’s Movement candidates. The top candidate of the Social Democratic Party is former minister for European funds Rovana Plumb, the National Liberal Party’s electoral spearhead is journalist Rares Bogdan, while the top candidates of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania are 2 former MEPs, Norica Nicolai and Iuliu Winkler, respectively. The 2020 USR PLUS Alliance is headed by the former prime minister Dacian Ciolos, with another ex-PM, Victor Ponta, opening the list of ProRomania candidates. The same party has 2 other former prime ministers on its candidate list, namely Mihai Tudose and Iurie Leanca.



    According to opinion polls, the favourites to win the election are the Social Democrats and the Liberals, followed by the 2020 USR PLUS Alliance, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and ProRomania. The Democratic Alliance of Ethnic Hungarians and People’s Movement Party also stand chances of sending representatives to the European Parliament. The Romanian election campaign begins on Saturday, April 27, and the ballot is scheduled for May 26.

  • March 4, 2019 UPDATE

    March 4, 2019 UPDATE

    Emergency decree – The emergency decree no. 114 includes a set of measures meant to boost economic development by raising the level of investments and by supporting projects directly benefiting the citizens — said Monday the PM Viorica Dancila in the plenum meeting of the Chamber of Deputies. She added that the decree would not be abrogated but it would be amended by the government. According to the PM, repealing the emergency decree would be tantamount to canceling the increase of incomes, investments and facilities. The PM was invited in Parliament by the Liberal opposition that contested the decree alongside the other opposition parties, the business environment and banks representatives. The controversial decree imposes new taxes in the banking, telecommunications and energy fields. Meanwhile, the Senate tacitly adopted during Monday’s plenum meeting, the draft law on the approval of emergency decree no. 114. In another development, the National Liberal Party announced they would file a simple motion against the finance minister Eugen Teodorovici, because emergency decree no. 114 will impact the Romanian economy and its consequences will be felt by all citizens.



    EU Council — One of the priorities of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU is to develop the Union’s social dimension, by implementing the European pillar of social rights — said Monday the Romanian minister of Labor and Social Justice, Marius Budai, at the informal meeting of the Social Protection Committee. The event under way in Bucharest is being attended by as many as 90 EU experts. On the first day of the meeting, the European officials discussed ways to grant appropriate assistance to the most vulnerable people, minimum revenues to ensure a decent life that should allow access to social services and integration on the labor market. They also tackled ways to combat inequities and to promote active inclusion. On the second day of the meeting, the officials will debate, among other things, the results of implementing Europe 2020 Strategy and the OECD Report on financial incentives and savings schemes for retirement.



    BRUA — The BRUA natural gas conveyance project is very important for southeastern Europe, and Romania is totally devoted to achieving this project, as works on its territory are going according to the plan, said Monday in Brussels the Romanian energy minister Anton Anton. According to him, this gas pipeline will allow interconnection with the gas networks of the neighboring countries and will thus ensure enhanced energy security in the region. Minister Anton said that by means of BRUA the authorities hoped to create a genuine regional energy market that will contribute to the strengthening of the European single market. The Romanian official on Monday participated in Brussels in a meeting with representatives from Austria, Bulgaria and Hungary on the development construction works of the BRUA gas pipeline that will connect Bulgaria to Romania to Hungary and to Austria.



    OECD — Romania has received France’s support for accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — OECD, the Romanian finance ministry officials announced on Monday. Finance minister Eugen Teodorovici thanked his French counterpart for the letter he addressed to the secretary general of the OECD and underlined that the gesture proved that the European partners appreciated the activity of the Romanian government within the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU and recognized Romania as an equal partner within the European community. According to finance minister Teodorovici Romania’s possible accession to the OECD would entail a number of advantages among which increased confidence in the country’s economy, access to instruments and centers of economic decision-making as well as the opportunity to contribute to the global economic governance. (news updated by L. Simion)

  • December 28, 2018

    December 28, 2018

    SUPREME DEFENCE COUNCIL – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis announced on Friday, fresh from the Supreme Defense Council meeting, that he has extended the mandate of general Nicolae Ciucă as chief of staff. The mandate of general Ciucă expires on December 31, and Romania cant be left without an Army chief, president Iohannis has also said. He said he rejected the proposals made by the defense minister Gabriel Leş, on generals Ciucas successor, because they do not abide by the law. Earlier the line minister announced he will not extend general Ciucas mandate. The previous session of Romanias Supreme Defence Council was held on December 19, when the Council approved, among others, the army endowment plan for the 2019 – 2028 timeframe, as well as the forces and means that Romania will contribute to missions and operations on theatres of operations abroad next year. 1,902 Romanian troops will take action on international theatres of operations, that is 127 more troops than in 2018, and some 759 military and policemen from the Romanian Interior Ministry will be sent on EU, OSCE, NATO and UN missions. Romania will further contribute troops to the NATO-led Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan and will maintain the level of troops deployed as part of allied operations in the Western Balkans. As a first, a detachment of cargo and rescue helicopters will take part in the UN mission in Mali.



    GOVERNMENT – Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă is today chairing the last government session of the year 2018. The agenda of the meeting covers such issues as a draft law on accepting the changes made by the European Council to the electoral procedure for the EP elections. The novelty is that “Member States may provide for the possibilities of advance voting, postal voting and electronic and internet voting. Where they do so, they must adopt measures sufficient to ensure in particular the reliability of the result, the secrecy of the vote and the protection of personal data. Referring to Romanias 2019 budget, Viorica Dăncilă has said it might be adopted in the first government session in January 2019 and submitted to Parliament for approval, so that it could be adopted by the end of January.



    ANTI-CORRUPTION – The prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Bucharest, DNA, in early November closed the file on the EADS contract, which provided for securing Romanias frontiers for 750 million Euros, the aforementioned institution has announced earlier today. DNA has announced this solution has been embraced because the deed is not included in the criminal law and there is no evidence indicating that a person has committed crime. In May 2004, the French group EADS signed with the Romanian Interior Ministry a contract to secure the countrys borders, because Romania wanted to join the EU and tightening border control was a prerequisite condition. The first investigation was started in 2005, against some persons who were employed by the Interior Ministry back then. The verification started following a notification sent by the leadership of the Interior Ministry, according to whom public funds had allegedly been used inappropriately, and those taking part in the negotiations did not observe some legal terms, and the value of the contract to tighten border control had been overestimated. Some of the names involved in the case include former ministers Marian Săniuță, Vasile Blaga and Dan Nica.



    BORDER TRAFFIC – The Romanian border was crossed by over one million people between December 21 and 26, during the Christmas mini-holiday, registering a 10% increase as compared to the same period of 2017, the Border Police has announced. The most transited border was that in the west of the country, where some 450,000 border crossings were reported. 260,000 other people chose to fly to and from Romania during this time span. Also, 159,000 people crossed the border from and into the Republic of Moldova, and 68,000 others from and into Bulgaria.



    HANDBALL – Romanias mens handball team tonight take on the similar team of the Czech Republic, in a fixture counting towards the 4 Nations Cup semifinals trophy staged in Poland. In the other semifinal, host country team faces Japan. On Saturday, the defeated teams are pitted against each other, while the winners will be pitched against each other as well. In early 2019, the national squad coached by Spaniard Manuel Montoya and the former international handballer Eliodor Voica will have a training session in Slovakia. A tournament will follow suit, with host country Slovakia and the Netherlands taking part. We recall Romanias mens national handball team failed to qualify for the World Championship due in January 2019 and jointly hosted by Germany and Denmark. However, Romanias womens national handball team has already secured their participation in the 2019 edition of the World Championships, to be hosted by Japan. We recall Romania came in 4th at the recently-held European championships in France.

  • An MEP’s Agenda

    An MEP’s Agenda

    Five years ago, several politicians were elected MEPs, in the first European parliamentary elections held in Romania. During their term in office, the Romanian voters heard almost nothing about them, with a few exceptions, as the elected politicians hardly did anything that could make them known in Europe. They simply cashed in their hefty salaries, according to Romanian standards, without doing anything special.



    Once those politicians’ terms in office was over, they unassumingly bowed out. This month’s European parliamentary elections brought along changes, as they were a new test, a fresh selection process for Romania’s representatives at European level. Opening up the lists of the leading parties were people who did a good job in Brussels. Their being re-elected has emerged as the most relevant validation of their political performance. Having won their second term in office, some of the Romanian MEPs say they will continue to promote and reach their major objectives. Opening the Social Democrats’ list, Corina Cretu pledged she would defend the Romanian citizens’ interests, which have recently become the target of the extremist parties’ xenophobic rhetoric.



    Corina Cretu: ”During these trying times, when almost 30% of the EP structure is made up of extremist parties, who have turned Romanian citizens, Romanian workers, Romania, into their target, we should defend these people’s rights.”



    A staunch supporter of European security, Liberal Norica Nicolai vowed she would further be a member of the European Parliament’s Defense Committee, where she would support the drafting of a common policy in the field.



    Norica Nicolai: ”The Union should take into consideration the opportunities provided by the Lisbon Treaty. There are two clauses enabling the Union to draft a common defense policy. We could all see how frail we are before any possible risk. In a global world, we can no longer live on our own, as far as regional policies are concerned. We need everyone’s participation, we need to put together competences and skills.”



    MEP Iuliu Winkler, a member of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania says he would have liked Romania to have a political say, in keeping with its demographic and territorial status.



    Iuliu Winkler: “We keep saying we are the European Union’s seventh largest country, but right now we have failed to fill that position, considering the influence or the power to capitalize on the country’s interests in the European Parliament and the European institutions. So we also need to make some progress, to that effect.”



    Also affiliated to the European People’s Party, Cristian Preda, a member of the People’s Movement Party intends to carry on with his activity in the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.



    Cristian Preda: “I intend to reach all the goals I set during the campaign, such as Schengen accession, joining the Eurozone, Romania’s participation in the European economy’s consolidation process. ”



    Elected for a second term in office or first-timers, the Romanian MEPs have no other choice than be very careful about grading their performance, so as to meet the Romanian voters’ and their parties’ expectations, and to comply with the community legislator status, analysts say.