Radio România Internațional

Tag: European Parliament

The Week in Review, September 15-21, 2019

Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi, validated by the EU Council for the post of European Public Prosecutors Office

The former head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, has received the backing of the Council of the European Union in her race for the position of European chief prosecutor. On Thursday the Committee of Representatives of European Union Member States gave Kovesi 17 of the 22 votes in favour. The European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) will be founded next year and start its activity in 2021. According to European law, the European prosecutor is jointly appointed by Parliament and the Council for a one-time seven-year term in office. Having spearheaded the fight against corruption for years, but also believed to have instrumented an abusive prosecution system, Kovesi has often been labelled as Romania’s most powerful woman. According to Mrs. Kovesi, the vote is also the result of the civic actions and street protests staged by ordinary citizens, who have constantly supported her ever since she was sacked from the helm of the Directorate, believing, as she often said, that “corruption can be defeated, never give up!

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis hailed Thursdays vote, saying it is an important victory and a confirmation of the appreciation that Kovesi enjoys. In turn, PM Viorica Dancila, who did not support Kovesis candidacy, has said it was a majority vote in the Committee of Representatives of European Union Member States and the majority must be respected.

Preparations for voting abroad

Romanian diplomatic missions may request the Foreign Ministry the setup of polling stations abroad, a process due to conclude on October 19. The presidential election is drawing close, and the Romanians living abroad had an extended deadline, September 15, to announce how they intend to vote. By filling in an online form on www.votstrainatate.ro, prospective voters could choose between postal voting and voting in person at a polling station set up abroad. The first round of the presidential election is due on November 10, and the runoff is scheduled on November 24. The Romanians who live abroad will be able to vote by post during a 3-day period. Candidacies can be submitted until Sunday at 12 pm. The election campaign starts on Saturday, October 12. Among the candidates are the current president, Klaus Iohannis, supported by the Liberals, the current PM Viorica Dancila, Supported by the Social Democrats, Dan Barna, who supports the USR-PLUS alliance and the representative of the People Movements Party, Teodor Paleologu.

The European Parliament condemns the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact

80 years since the start of WW2, the European Parliament has passed a resolution condemning a secret agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that paved the way to the horrors of World War II. The resolution says that on August 23, 1939, “the communist Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a Treaty of Non-Aggression, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and its secret protocols, dividing Europe and the territories of independent states between the two totalitarian regimes and grouping them into spheres of interest, which paved the way for the outbreak of the Second World War. The resolution calls on the European Commission to decisively counteract “efforts by the current Russian leadership to distort historical facts and whitewash crimes committed by the Soviet totalitarian regime.

The resolution marks the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, a conflict that “led to unprecedented levels of human suffering and the occupation of countries in Europe for many decades to come. The document warns of “extremist and xenophobic political forces in Europe that it says “are increasingly resorting to distortion of historical facts and condemns “all manifestations and propagation of totalitarian ideologies, such as Nazism and Stalinism, in the EU.

The European Parliament expresses, through this resolution, its deep respect for each victim of these totalitarian regimes and calls on all EU institutions and actors to do their utmost to ensure that horrific totalitarian crimes against humanity and systemic gross human rights violations are remembered and brought before courts of law, and to guarantee that such crimes will never be repeated. It stresses the importance of keeping the memories of the past alive, because there can be no reconciliation without remembrance, and reiterates its united stand against all totalitarian rule from whatever ideological background. In Bucharest, President Klaus Iohannis hailed the resolution. Romania lost, in 1940, under the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, which at present form part of Moldova and Ukraine.

Plans to levy taxes on high pensions

The Senate’s budget and finance committee has given green light to a bill to levy a 30% tax on special pensions amounting to between 7,000 lei, the equivalent in lei of 1,480 euros, and 10,000 lei, which is 2,115 euros. Pensions higher than 10,000 lei are to be subject to a 50% tax rate. This measure, proposed by Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici, initially formed part of a package discussed during a budget adjustment made at the beginning of August. The budget and finance committee also adopted a bill under which the pensions of former presidents of the country should be subject to the same tax rate system. Minister Teodorovici has said that the impact of this measure on the state budget is around 105 million euro for next year. The measure has triggered harsh criticism from the magistrates, who say it is a violation of the independence of justice. The average pension in Romania at the end of July amounted to the equivalent in lei of around 251 euros.

The George Enescu International Festival comes to a close

The 24th edition of the Geroge Enescu International festival ends on Sunday. Apart from concerts, the festival also hosted a competition in which 180 visual artists have reinterpreted in images music composed by George Enescu. The winner of the competition is graphic artist Adriana Pop from Cluj. The George Enescu festival began on the 31st of August and will come to an end on the 22nd of September. This year, it has brought together more than 2,500 of the world’s greatest musicians in 84 different concerts and recitals. Events as part of the festival are held in Bucharest and other cities in Romania as well as in Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the Republic of Moldova.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

21 September 2019
Increased chances for Laura Codruta Kovesi

France will withdraw its candidate
for the position of European Chief Prosecutor and will back the candidacy
of Laura Codruta Kovesi. The announcement was made by the Romanian Presidency
following phone talks between presidents Klaus Iohannis and Emanuel Macron.
Although affiliated to rival European parties, Macron promised Iohannis he
would withdraw the candidacy of Jean-Francois Bohnert, who had been backed by
the former Council of the European Union, presided by Romania in the first
semester of 2019. The European Parliament instead supported Kovesi’s candidacy,
both in the last and in the current tenures.

European Parliament President
David Sassoli sent a letter to the Council of the European Union, recalling the
full support of MEPs for Romania’s candidate. Under the law, the European chief
prosecutor is appointed jointly by the Parliament and the Council of the EU,
for a seven-year term, which cannot be renewed. Having spearheaded the fight
against corruption for years, but also believed to have instrumented an abusive
prosecution system, Kovesi has often been labeled as Romania’s most powerful
woman. Shortly before being sacked last year in June, following a
Constitutional Court ruling, Kovesi admitted during a debate venued at the UN
headquarters in New York, that Romania’s greatest challenge remains the
preservation of the independence of judges and prosecutors.

There have been
repeated attempts at modifying anticorruption legislation to limit the
legislative instruments used by anticorruption prosecutors or to decriminalize
certain offences. There have been cases where requests to lift the immunity of
politicians charged with corruption were turned down. The whole justice system
has seen attacks by means of fake news or public statements aimed at weakening
public credibility in the system, Kovesi said, claiming the Social-Democratic
Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in power have tried to rein in
the fight against corruption and subordinate magistrates. Beyond controversies,
the facts speak volumes. In the last five years with Kovesi at its helm, the
Directorate has prosecuted 14 ministers and former ministers and 53 MPs. Of
these, 27 were handed final sentences. During the same period, the Directorate seized over 2.3 million dollars in assets. The recently appointed pro-European
Prime Minister in the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has offered Laura
Codruta Kovesi the leadership of the Anti-graft Prosecutor’s Office in Moldova.
Pundits believe however Kovesi is likely to become the new head of the European
Prosecutor’s Office, which is set to begin its activity next year.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

22 July 2019
July 3, 2019

REPORT -
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has presented a report on the Romanian
presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of the year.
According to Prime Minister Dancila, the presidency was a success, Romania
proving it is strongly attached to European Parliament values, acting to
consolidate the European project, for a union of the citizens, liberties,
concerted efforts and capabilities. Romania’s term in office coincided with the
European election and was marked by Brexit developments, amidst swift changes
at global level. The Romanian official recalled Romania has done its duty and
proved it is a responsible member state, concerned with the advancement of the
European agenda to the citizens’ benefit. A total of 90 files were completed
during our country’s term in office, including those on the banking union, improving
work conditions and social rights, boosting Single Market integration, moving
towards low-emission mobility, consolidating the digital Europe or the
Directive on natural gas. Another landmark this year was the EU Summit held in
Sibiu on May 9, Europe Day.

VOTING
LAW – The Chamber of Deputies earlier today passed a bill
aimed at avoiding delays and difficulties in the voting process abroad, such as
was the case with the latest European Parliament election. The bill allows
Romanians abroad to vote in the presidential election this year either by post,
or during a three-day period. In the latter case, the vote will start on Friday
at 12 PM and will end at 9 PM, while on Saturday and Sunday the vote will
unfold in the 7 AM – 9 PM interval, with the possibility of further extending
the vote until midnight on Sunday. The same will go for the voting process at
home, as long as citizens are still waiting in line to cast their votes outside
polling stations. As compared to the draft adopted by the Senate, the Judicial
Committee of the Chamber of Deputies introduced an amendment at the suggestion
of the Permanent Election Authority, stating that exit-polls will now be made
public after midnight on Sunday. Another provision in the new law stipulates
that candidates, whether parties, political alliances or independent
candidates, must now gather 200,000 signatures to become eligible. Another new
aspect is related to the funding of election campaigns using the budget of
political parties.

EU -
The European Parliament is today electing its President, as the MEPs start the
process of ratifying the appointment of Germany’s Defense Minister, Ursula von
der Leyen, as European Commission President. Heads of EU Governments have
appointed Von der Leyen to replace Jean-Claude Juncker at the end of three days
of negotiations. Over the next five years, Spain’s Foreign Minister, Josep
Borrell will be the next High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Belgium’s
Prime Minister Charles Michel will be the next European Council President,
while France’s Christine Lagarde will take over the European Central Bank. The new
EU leadership strikes a balance between political representation in the
European Parliament, geographical location and gender.

MOLDOVA -
Prospects of consolidating top-level dialogue between the Republic of Moldova
and the European Union were high on today’s agenda for talks between Moldovan
Prime Minister Maia Sandu and EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy
and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, held in Brussels. Prime Minister
Maia Sandu pointed out her Government wants to rebuild democratic institutions
and restore citizens’ trust in the state, by means of investigating the abuses
and irregularities of the previous Government, creating a judiciary based on
integrity and public trust, promoting professionals in key positions as well as
fulfilling the requirements of the Association Agreement signed with the EU.
Talks also focused on cooperation in terms of EU assistance and possibilities
to boost bilateral cooperation using the Eastern Partnership platform, which
has reached its 10th year of existence. Commissioner Hahn hailed the
Moldovan Government’s efforts to advance reforms, saying the EU is closely
monitoring developments in the Republic of Moldova.

LONDON – Romanian
tennis players Simona Halep and Mihaela Buzarnescu are today pitted against
each other in the second round at Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the year.
Halep and Buzarnescu went up against each other only once, the former defeating
the latter at a tournament in Italy. Another Romanian, Monica Niculescu, has
advanced to the second round.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

3 July 2019
March 4, 2019

DEBATES Romania’s Prime Minister Viroica Dancila is
today attending debates in the Chamber of Deputies over controversial ordinance
114, which imposes new taxes in the fields of banking, telecommunications and
energy. The Prime Minister has been invited in Parliament by the Liberal
opposition, which contested the law jointly with the opposition parties, the
business environment and banks. Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has called
for postponed debates on the state ordinance so that the government may be able
to analyze a series of amendments to this document. One of the ordinance’s
contested provisions is the 2% tax for energy producers. Administrators of private
pension funds are also likely to face problems, as, under the fresh ordinance
they are supposed to increase social capital in order to be able to continue
their activity.

ELECTION According to the European
Parliament’s webpage, the European People’s Party would get 181 seats, the
European socialists 135 and the Liberals 75 in the future European Legislature
that would form after the elections on May 23rd and 26th.
The Europe of Nations and Freedom would come fourth with 59 seats followed by
the Greens with 49. Romania, where these elections are scheduled for May 26th
will have 33 seats one more than in the present legislature. The main ruling
political party, the Social-Democrats, will have 11 seats, the opposition
Liberals will have 9 seats, ALDE, also part of the ruling coalition, will have 3
seats and so will the opposition USR and Pro Romania. Two other political
forces, PLUS and UDMR will each have two seats. The estimates are based on
national polls conducted by the end of February. The first direct elections for
the European Parliament were staged 40 years ago on June 12th 1979.
The ballot this year will be the most important in the history of the European
Parliament, given the political context, the UK’s leaving the block, as well as
other major political and cross-border challenges. The next European Parliament
will have less MPs, 705, as compared to the present 751.

COMMEMORATION The National Institute
for Earth Physics in Bucharest is today commemorating 42 years since the
devastating earthquake in 1977, through a series of events aimed at raising
awareness about the risk of another major earthquake in Romania. According to
experts, the safest buildings in Bucharest are those built between 1963 and 1989
as well as those constructed after 2000. On March 4th 1977, an
earthquake of 7.2 magnitude, the severest to hit Romania, killed 1,570 people
mostly in Bucharest, causing 2 billion dollars in damages. About 230 thousand
households and other buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. The
earthquake marked the beginning of a social-economic crisis the communist
regime was unable to overcome until its demise in 1989. Experts are cautioning
that in case of a similar earthquake, hundreds of buildings could collapse in
Bucharest alone.

TENNIS Three Romanian tennis
players have entered straight the main draw at Indian Wells, the premier
Mandatory Tournament in California, which kicks off today. WTA number 2nd
Simona Halep, WTA 31st-ranked Mihaela Buzarnescu and Irina Begu, WTA
67th-placed, are to find out today who their opponents are.
Top-seeded in Indian Wells, Halep and Buzarnescu benefit from a first free
round and will only prove their mettle in the competition this coming Friday or
Saturday. We recall Simona Halep won the Indian Wells tournament in 2015, and
reached as far as the semis in the previous edition. The drawing of lots for
the men’s version of the tournament is to be held on Tuesday, while
representing Romania at Indian Wells is Marius Copil.

(Translated by D. Bilt)

4 March 2019
From the rule of law to EU funds

The European Parliament has endorsed, by a large majority, the regulation drafted by the European Commission, under which an EU member state risks suspension of EU funds if its authorities jeopardize the rule of law. Such a measure had been called for against the extremist actions of the liberal and conservative governments in Hungary and Poland respectively.

The cabinet and the leftist majority in Bucharest have too been targeted by harsh criticism from the European institutions and most MEPs, who believe that some of the changes to the justice laws, the way in which the heads of the main prosecutor’s offices are changed and the disproportionate intervention of the gendarmes during the anti-Government protest in August are violations of the rule of law. The regulation will apply to all the member states.

Assisted by a panel of independent experts, the EU Commission would be tasked with establishing “generalised deficiencies as regards the rule of law” and decide on measures that could include suspending EU budget payments or reducing pre-financing. The decision would only be implemented once approved by Parliament and Council. Once the member state remedies the deficits identified by the EU Commission, Parliament and EU ministers could unlock the funds. Unless the decision states otherwise, the government in question would still have to implement the respective EU programme or fund and make payments to final beneficiaries.

The Romanian MEP Marian-Jean Marinescu, member of the EPP group, has voted the draft, but believes it should be improved: “It is hard to vote something that might affect your country. At the same time, though, one must observe all the rules and, when there are deficiencies as regards the rule of law, the budget may obviously be affected, too. That is why I think that such a law should exist, but it needs improving, because as it is today, it contains elements that would have to be adjusted. Just like everywhere, there must be a balance between action and the related penalty.

The MEP Norica Nicolai, member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, has opposed the proposal and has explained why: “Most of the new member states, but not only, also Spain, Portugal and Italy, fear that, because of the governments they have, might be subject to an abusive formula applied by the Commission with regard to funding. It is unacceptable to have a law that does not stipulate any objective assessment criteria and to let some officers from the European Commission analyses cases of rule of law violation, when there is no definition and no criteria”.

Until adoption, the regulation will have to go through many stages and then unanimously adopted by the heads of state and government. The proposal is covered by the 2021-2027 budget framework.

18 January 2019
January 15, 2019 UPDATE

UPDATE (21.58): British MPs vote down the EU withdrawal agreement.

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit
deal has been rejected by a majority of 230 votes in what is considered by the British media the
largest parliamentary defeat of a sitting government in history.

The Labour leader Jeremy
Corbyn has already tabled a vote of no confidence in the government, with the support of the leaders of all other opposition parties, which could trigger general elections.

REACTIONS: The
President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker has posted the
following message on Twitter: I take
note with regret of the outcome of the vote in the House of Commons this
evening. I urge the UK to clarify its intentions as soon as possible. Time is
almost up.

In his turn, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, asks on Twitter, too: If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive solution is?

The Romanian minister delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, writes on Twitter as well: Really bad Brexit. RO2019EU is in close contact with EU institutions. We will stay united. We count on UK to protect the rights of European citizens as already promised. All options are still open.

Strasbourg – The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila stated Tuesday in Strasbourg that Europe has always been able to overcome obstacles and to start anew after less fortunate events in its history, adding that it was important to show the European citizens that the EU institutions are working in their interest. Referring to the postponement of Romanias Schengen accession, PM Dancila said that Romanians perceived it as an inequity. The Romanian PM presented to the European Parliament the priorities of Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU. Brexit and the negotiation of the Union budget for the period 2021-2027 are among the most important issues Romania will have to manage in the coming period. Romanias priorities as president of the Council of the EU rely on 4 pillars: a Europe of convergence, implying growth, cohesion, competitiveness, connectivity, a Europe of safety, Europe as a global actor and a Europe of common values. The Romanian PM visits Strasbourg after, last weekend, the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Council Donald Tusk and the president of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani as well as members of the College of Commissioners came to Bucharest to participate in the official ceremony marking the launch of Romanias presidency of the Council of the European Union, taken over on January 1, 2019.

National Culture Day – Romanias National Culture Day was celebrated on January 15 for the 9th consecutive year, on the same day with the birthday anniversary of Romanias greatest poet Mihai Eminescu. Many events were held to mark the two anniversaries in Romania and the European capitals. A festive meeting took place at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest when the Romanian Academy launched the application ‘Mihai Eminescu, complete works available free of charge on Smartphones. Romanias National Culture Day was also celebrated in the neighboring Republic of Moldova as well as in the Romanian communities from abroad.

Protest – The protest of the miners with the Oltenia Energy Compound (in the south) carries on after, on Tuesday, the administration agreed with a pay rise of 12% for the production staff and with granting holiday vouchers. Several employees went on hunger strike and the board claims the protest is illegal and does not comply with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The miners have asked for a rise in their pay starting from 850 Euros per each employee, for holiday vouchers, more money for Saturdays and Sundays and improved working conditions. The miners protest started on Friday when 200 miners at the Jilt Nord pit refused to work. The protests gradually extended to all the companys pits. Official data show that at present the situation of the national energy system is normal, the input of coal to the system standing at a constant amount of more than 23%.

Sentence – The former president of Romanias Professional Football League Dumitru Dragomir on Tuesday received from the Bucharest Court a 4 year-imprisonment conviction. He is accused of having received more than 3 million Euros in bribe between 2009 – 2011 from the RCS/RDS company administrator Ioan Bendei in exchange for granting the rights for televising the League 1 football matches. According to the court decision, Dumitru Dragomir was sentenced for the crimes of bribe taking and money laundering. In the same file, Ioan Bendei was also sentenced to 4 years in prison. The decision is not definitive and can be challenged. In the past year, Dumitru Dragomir was investigated in several files but he was acquitted even if he had initially received many years in prison in the trial court.

Flu – In Romania, 8 people have so far died of the flu this winter, the National Institute for Public Health announced on Tuesday. The latest victim is a 17-year old boy from Teleorman county (in the south) who had caught the type A flu virus. He had other medical conditions and had not been given the flu vaccine. According to health minister Sorina Pintea there is no flu epidemic in Romania at present. She recalled for the population that vaccination was the safest and most efficient method to prevent the flu. (news translated by L. Simion, updated by D. Vijeu)

15 January 2019
January 13, 2019 UPDATE

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – The priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the assessment of the Austrian presidency will be on the agenda of the first plenary session of the European Parliament, due over January 14 – 17 in Strasbourg. On Tuesday, the European MPs will discuss with the Romanian PM Viorica Dancila the priorities of the Romanian presidency, focusing on cohesion and common values, security and strengthening Europe as a global actor. Also on Tuesday, Ms. Dancila and the European Parliament President Antonio Tajani will hold a joint press conference. In next weeks session, the European Parliament will debate the state of play on Brexit after the January 15th vote in the House of Commons on the accord agreed upon by PM Theresa May and the EU leaders. The members of the European Parliament will also debate and vote on rules to freeze EU payments to member states which jeopardize the rule of law, by means of actions such as interference with courts, or which do not tackle fraud and corruption.

BREXIT – British PM Theresa May has warned that if her plan for leaving the EU is not backed by the British MPs and Great Britain remains in the EU, that would be a “catastrophic and unforgivable break of trust in our democracy”, Press Association reports. Just two days before the vote in the House of Commons, the British Prime Minister called on the MPs to do what is best for the country and support her controversial divorce plan. Press Association reports that Theresa May has been pressured by the former conservative Prime Minister John Major to revoke article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, which regulates the procedure to be followed by a country that wishes to leave the EU, in order to halt Brexit, because, according to him, a no-deal exit would be “morally reprehensible”.

COOPERATION – In the past week, Romanian police and partners from the Schengen area have discovered some 600 people in relation with whom alerts had been entered in the Schengen Information System, reads a communique issued by the General Police Inspectorate and made public by AGERPRES news agency on Sunday. The Romanian Police have enforced 25 European arrest warants. Also, some 250 people, wanted by the Romanian authorities, have been identified by foreign partners on their soil, following an exchange of information.

AMBASSADOR – The new Israeli Ambassador to Bucharest, David Saranga, has called Romania a true friend, on which his country can count within the EU. In his first public speech on Sunday, the ambassador appreciated the significant progress made by Romania in the fight against anti-Semitism and xenophobia. He said that the entire world should recall the dark past and that the Jewish people, in particular, must be a model of tolerance.

STRIKE – Some 3000 employees of the Oltenia Energy Complex, in the south-west of Romania, are on strike. Among other things, they demand higher salaries, holiday vouchers and a drop in the retirement age. The protests started on Friday, after the administration allegedly proposed an expenditure and revenue budget that included no pay rise and no holiday vouchers for the 13,000 employees of the complex. Company representatives have announced they will start talks with the trade unions on Monday.

TOURISM – The Vienna Tourism Fair on Sunday hosted a live cooking session, staged by the My Transylvania Association and Slow Food Sibiu. Visitors had the opportunity to taste dishes made from ingredients from the Sibiu area, in central Romania. Sibiu is also participating in the Stuttgart Fair, which is unfolding until January 20th, the largest in Germany, with more than 250,000 visitors last year. At this fair, Sibiu has its own stand, alongside four local travel agencies. This year, the Sibiu area is holder of the title of European Gastronomic Region.

BAD WEATHER – 12 counties in the north and west of Romania will be under code yellow warning for snow and blizzard until Monday afternoon. Also, the entire country will be affected by mix precipitations and powerful winds until Tuesday. Snow will pile up in many areas and strong gusts will be felt especially in the mountain areas, where the speed of wind will exceed 100km/hour.

TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no.1 in the WTA rankings, will play against Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the inaugural round of the Australian Open, which starts on Monday. Kanepi (70 WTA) defeated Halep last year in the first tour of the US Open. In 2018, Halep played the final in Melbourne, losing dramatically to the Danish Caroline Wozniacki. Another 5 Romanian tennis players will take part in the Australian Open: Mihaela Buzarnescu, who will face the American Venus Williams, Sorana Carstea, who will take on the Swedish Rebbeca Peterson, Irina Begu, playing against the German Andrea Petkovic, Ana Bogdan who will play against the Polish Iga Swiatek, and Monica Niculescu, who will take on Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia. In the mens competition, Marius Copil is the only Romanian, and he will play against the Spanish Marcel Granolles.

13 January 2019
January 13, 2019

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – The priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the assessment of the Austrian presidency will be on the agenda of the first plenary session of the European Parliament, due over January 14 – 17 in Strasbourg. On Tuesday, the European MPs will discuss with the Romanian PM Viorica Dancila the priorities of the Romanian presidency, focusing on cohesion and common values, security and strengthening Europe as a global actor. Also on Tuesday, Ms. Dancila and the European Parliament President Antonio Tajani will hold a joint press conference. In next weeks session, the European Parliament will debate the state of play on Brexit after the January 15th vote of the House of Commons on the accord agreed upon by PM Theresa May and the EU leaders. The members of the European Parliament will also debate and vote on rules to freeze EU payments to member states which jeopardize the rule of law, by means of actions such as interference with courts, or which do not tackle fraud and corruption.

BREXIT – British PM Theresa May has warned that if her plan for leaving the EU is not backed by the British MPs and Great Britain remains in the EU, that would be a “catastrophic and unforgivable break of trust in our democracy”, Press Association reports. Just two days before the vote in the House of Commons, the British Prime Minister called on the MPs to do what is best for the country and support her controversial divorce plan. Press Association reports that Theresa May has been pressured by the former conservative Prime Minister John Major to revoke article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, which regulates the procedure to be followed by a country that wishes to leave the EU, in order to halt Brexit, because, according to him, a no-deal exit would be “morally reprehensible”.

COOPERATION – In the past week, Romanian police and partners from the Schengen area have discovered some 600 people in relation with whom alerts had been entered in the Schengen Information System, reads a communique issued by the General Police Inspectorate and made public by AGERPRES news agency on Sunday. The Romanian Police have enforced 25 European arrest warrants. Also, some 250 people, wanted by the Romanian authorities, have been identified by foreign partners on their soil, following an exchange of information.

TOURISM – The Vienna Tourism Fair is today hosting a live cooking session, staged by the My Transylvania Association and Slow Food Sibiu. Visitors have the opportunity to taste dishes made from ingredients from the Sibiu area, in central Romania. Sibiu is also participating in the Stuttgart Fair, which is unfolding until January 20th, the largest in Germany, with more than 250,000 visitors last year. At this fair, Sibiu has its own stand, alongside four local travel agencies. This year, the Sibiu area is holder of the title of European Gastronomic Region.

BAD WEATHER – 12 counties in the north and west of Romania will be under code yellow warning for snow and blizzard until Monday afternoon. Also, the entire country will be affected by mix precipitations and powerful winds until Tuesday. Snow will pile up in many areas and strong gusts will be felt especially in the mountain areas, where the wind speed will exceed 100 km/hour.

TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no.1 in the WTA rankings, will play against Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the inaugural round of the Australian Open, which starts on Monday. Kanepi (70 WTA) defeated Halep last year in the first tour of the US Open. In 2018, Halep played the final in Melbourne, losing dramatically to the Danish Caroline Wozniacki. Another 5 Romanian women tennis players will take part in the Australian Open: Mihaela Buzarnescu, who will face the American Venus Williams, Sorana Carstea, who will take on the Swedish Rebbeca Peterson, Irina Begu, playing against the German Andrea Petkovic, Ana Bogdan who will play against the Polish Iga Swiatek, and Monica Niculescu, who will take on Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia. In the mens competition, Marius Copil is the only Romanian, and he will play against the Spanish Marcel Granolles.

13 January 2019
January 12, 2019 UPDATE

EU Romanias PM Viorica Dancila will be on a visit to Strasbourg on Monday and Tuesday. She will present to the European Parliament the priorities of the first Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union and have meetings with EU officials. On Friday, during talks with the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and with members of the College of EU Commissioners in Bucharest, Viorica Dancila emphasised that the Romanian presidency will seek to achieve consensus among Member States over the multi-annual financial framework, and is looking for “small, but reliable steps in this respect. According to the Romanian PM, the talks held on Friday between members of the Romanian Government and of the College of Commissioners were structured into 3 thematic sections and focused on EU priorities like the single market, the consolidation of the Economic and Monetary Union, migration, security and justice.

CHURCH Pope Francis, who will make a visit to mostly-Orthodox Romania between May 31st and June 2nd, will have a meeting with Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, a Romanian Patriarchy spokesman announced. He emphasised that the good relations between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church translate, among others, in the hospitality with which Romanian communities have been received in many countries, especially in Italy, where many Romanian parishes hold religious services in locations made available by the local Catholic communities. On Friday the Vatican and the Romanian Presidency confirmed the Popes visit to Romania. He will visit the capital city Bucharest, the cities of Iaşi (in the north-east) and Blaj (centre), as well as the Marian shrine in Şumuleu Ciuc (centre). Pope Francis is the second Pope to visit Romania, after John Paul II who was in 1999 the first head of the Catholic Church to visit a mostly Orthodox country since the East-West Schism of 1054.

PROCUREMENT Save Romania Union in opposition says the new scandal regarding the corvette procurement procedure proves that the Social Democratic Party in power in Romania is unable to complete at least one procurement contract without corruption suspicions. Save Romania Union believes this new standstill, concurrent with the attack against the armys Chief of Staff, whom the Defence Ministry seeks to replace, only destabilises NATOs eastern flanc and serves the interests of Russia, which seeks control over the Black Sea. Also in Opposition, the Peoples Movement Party says the Government has managed to compromise the army equipment procurement process as well as Romanias international commitments. The criticism comes after the Romanian Defence Ministry announced having suspended the purchase of 4 multi-role corvettes worth 1.6 billion euros. A news release issued by the Ministry says the Prosecutors Office has been notified of reasonable suspicions regarding the lawfulness of the procedure, liable to affect the national security interests. The bid should have been completed last year, but it was postponed several times already. The Defence Minister Gabriel Leş said the Prosecutors Office was only notified with respect to this case in order to make sure the security and lawfulness of the procurement procedure are guaranteed.

PASSPORTS The new Romanian electronic passports, to be issued as of this week, will be virtually impossible to forge, said the head of the Directorate General for Passports Mirel Toancă on Saturday. He said each page of the new documents includes a stylised image of a well-known Romanian historic or tourist site, such as the Danube Delta, the Scărişoara Cave or Sighişoara medieval citadel. The fees for the issue of the new passports remain unchanged, and the ones valid at present will remain in use. Simple electronic passports are valid for 10 years, and temporary ones are valid 1 year.

MACEDONIA Greeces PM Alexis Tsipras congratulated his Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev, after a historic vote in Skopje to rename the country “The Republic of North Macedonia. Zoran Zaev won by a narrow margin the 2-thirds of the parliamentary votes needed for this goal, with the nationalists in Opposition boycotting the meeting. This is the last but one major obstacle to the settlement of a decade-long dispute with Greece over the name “Macedonia, which Athens claims for the north of Greece. According to the BBC, the next step is the ratification of the agreement by the Greek Parliament, paving the way for Macedonias prospective accession to the EU and NATO.

PARIS Two firemen and a Spanish tourist died and over 40 people were injured on Saturday morning in a blast caused by an accidental gas leak in a building downtown Paris, AFP announced quoting sources from the Prosecutors Office. Previous reports mentioned 4 deaths. In other news, fresh clashes took place in the French capital between police and the “yellow vests in the 9th weekend of protests. A nation-wide debate designed to calm down the protesters is to be organised as of Tuesday. The movement started out as a protest against the rise in fuel prices, but later grew into a campaign targeting the entire fiscal and social policy of the French government.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

12 January 2019
January 12, 2019

EU Romanias PM Viorica Dancila will be on a visit to Strasbourg on Monday and Tuesday. She will present to the European Parliament the priorities of the first Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union and have meetings with EU officials. On Friday, during talks with the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and with members of the College of EU Commissioners in Bucharest, Viorica Dancila emphasised that the Romanian presidency will seek to achieve consensus among Member States over the multi-annual financial framework, and is looking for “small, but reliable steps in this respect. According to the Romanian PM, the talks held on Friday between members of the Romanian Government and of the College of Commissioners were structured into 3 thematic sections and focused on EU priorities like the single market, the consolidation of the Economic and Monetary Union, migration, security and justice.

CHURCH Pope Francis, who will make a visit to mostly-Orthodox Romania between May 31st and June 2nd, will have a meeting with Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, a Romanian Patriarchy spokesman announced. He emphasised that the good relations between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church translate, among others, in the hospitality with which Romanian communities have been received in many countries, especially in Italy, where many Romanian parishes hold religious services in locations made available by the local Catholic communities. On Friday the Vatican and the Romanian Presidency confirmed the Popes visit to Romania. He will visit the capital city Bucharest, the cities of Iaşi (in the north-east) and Blaj (centre), as well as the Marian shrine in Şumuleu Ciuc (centre). Pope Francis is the second Pope to visit Romania, after John Paul II who was in 1999 the first head of the Catholic Church to visit a mostly Orthodox country since the East-West Schism of 1054.

MEASLES 36 new measles cases have been confirmed in 8 counties in Romania over the past week, according to data from the National Centre for Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control, posted on the website of the National Institute for Public Health. Most cases have been reported in counties Teleorman (south), Sălaj (north), Maramureş (north), Neamţ (east) and Prahova (south). The total number of measles cases confirmed in Romania so far is 15,600, with 59 deaths also reported. The most frequently affected are non-vaccinated children.

DEFENCE The Romanian Defence Ministry has suspended the procurement procedure for 4 multirole corvettes worth 1.6 billion euro. The head of the Armaments Department, Andrei Ignat, has notified the Military Prosecutors Office with respect to the corvette procurement operation, based on reasonable suspicions regarding the lawfulness of the procedure, likely to affect national security interests. The bid, which should have been completed last year, has been postponed several times. Competing for the contract are 3 major international companies: Damen, from the Netherlands, Fincantieri of Italy and Naval Group from France.

PASSPORTS The new Romanian electronic passports, to be issued as of this week, will be virtually impossible to forge, said the head of the Directorate General for Passports Mirel Toancă on Saturday. He said each page of the new documents includes a stylised image of a well-known Romanian historic or tourist site, such as the Danube Delta, the Scărişoara Cave or Sighişoara medieval citadel. The fees for the issue of the new passports remain unchanged, and the ones valid at present will remain in use. Simple electronic passports are valid for 10 years, and temporary ones are valid 1 year.

WEATHER Europe continues to be ravaged by massive snowfalls and freezing temperatures. In the south-east of Germany, 4 regions initiated emergency plans after several days of continuing snowfalls. Several flights have been cancelled in Munich and Frankfurt, and traffic was disrupted on several roads. Schools have been closed. Major problems are also reported in Austria, where Innsbruck authorities advised people to stay indoors to avoid prospective avalanches. In Hungary, authorities have issued a code yellow alert for snow storms in the north-east of the country and a code red warning for freezing temperatures. Around 20 people have died in Europe in the past week because of the extreme weather conditions.

MACEDONIA Greeces PM Alexis Tsipras congratulated his Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev, after a historic vote in Skopje to rename the country “The Republic of North Macedonia. Zoran Zaev won by a narrow margin the 2-thirds of the parliamentary votes needed for this goal, with the nationalists in Opposition boycotting the meeting. This is the last but one major obstacle to the settlement of a decade-long dispute with Greece over the name “Macedonia, which Athens claims for the north of Greece. According to the BBC, the next step is the ratification of the agreement by the Greek Parliament, paving the way for Macedonias prospective accession to the EU and NATO.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

12 January 2019
January 11, 2019 UPDATE

COUNCIL OF THE EU – Romanias holding for the first time the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union is a good opportunity for Bucharest to reassert its commitment to strengthening the European project, said in Bucharest on Friday Romanias president Klaus Iohannis, during a meeting with the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and members of the College of Commissioners. Also, Johannis said, the Romanian presidency will highlight Romanias desire to have a successful term, targeting concrete results, which would help advance the European agenda, taking into consideration, however, the complex background of the next six months. In turn, Jean-Claude Juncker voiced his conviction that Romania stands very good changes of having a successful presidency, but also stressed that domestic conflicts should not be exported to Europe. The Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU must provide hope, at a difficult time for the EU, so it will go through several stages, Jean-Claude Juncker also said. The EC president also met with the Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, who said that the ECs initiatives aimed at strengthening the EU and thus benefiting all citizens, are completely in line with the vision and objectives that Romania wants to promote during its term at the helm of the Council of the EU. The members of the EC attended the official take-over ceremony, held on Thursday night a the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest.

PROTEST – Romanian carriers protested on Friday in front of the European Commission Representation in Bucharest against the latest European regulations in the field. The protest was organized by the National Union of Road Carriers, according to which the medium and long-term effect of such measures would be a division in Europe between the West and the East. According to the protesters, operating costs will grow and taxes and fees will be paid on the territories of the countries that the carriers travel to. The protest coincided with the visit to Bucharest of the EC President Jean-Claude Juncker and members of the College of Commissioners, as protesters wanted to draw European and Romanian officials attention to the danger posed by the new set of regulations. A similar protest staged by carriers from Eastern Europe was held in Brussels on Thursday. As a result, the Transport Committee of the European Parliament has dropped a number of proposals described as discriminatory.

VISIT – Over May 31st – June 2nd, Pope Francis will pay an apostolic visit to Romania, a country with a predominantly Christian Orthodox population, the Vatican and the Romanian presidential administration announced on Friday. The pope will visit Bucharest, the cities of Iasi and Blaj and the Marian sanctuary in Sumuleu Ciuc. A press release issued by the Catholic Bishops Conference in Romania reads that the visit will be mainly pastoral, but it will also carry a significant ecumenical message, under the motto Lets Walk Together!. Catholic bishops in Romania hope that the Popes visit will inspire Romania into gathering together everything that is good and valuable, for the benefit of the country and the common good, and will encourage dialogue between the Christian churches, based on the principle of otherness.

EUROPE CARES – Europe CARES was launched on Friday, an initiative by means of which parents of children with disabilities from 7 member countries, including Romania, have decided to have their voices heard and their childrens right to inclusive education observed. Currently, the EU does not have any specific legislation on education for people with disabilities, which causes problems, such as exclusion and segregation. Also lacking are measures to help disabled students integrate into the mainstream education system. In Romania, in the past eight years, the European Centre for the Rights of Children with Disabilities has helped more than 1,000 children have access to education. Currently, in Europe there are more than 70 million persons with disabilities.

BAD WEATHER – Over the past few days, Europe has been hit by massive snow falls and severe frost. Bulgarian authorities have announced that two snowboarders died on Friday in an avalanche in the Pirin Mountains, in the south-west of the country. Albania, too, has reported a fatality, caused by snow. 20 people have died in the past week because of bad weather. Emergency measures have been taken in Serbia, after heavy gusts of wind gathered huge piles of snow on several roads and blocked access to several towns and villages. Montenegrin meteorologists have stated that the first ten days of January were the coldest in decades. In Bosnia, snow storms cut off electricity and telecommunications. In Germany and Austria, heavy snowfalls caused avalanches, blocked roads and isolated villages, and several flights had to be postponed or even cancelled.

(translated by Mihaela Ignatescu)

11 January 2019
January 2, 2019 UPDATE

EU The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, congratulated Romania on taking over the EU Council presidency on January 1, for the first time since its accession, and wished it good luck. I am confident that you will deliver and I am looking forward to working with you, Donald Tusk posted on his official Twitter account. Between January 1 and June 30, Romania will have to handle an EU agenda filled with political developments and dossiers with a decisive impact on the future of the bloc, including Brexit, the negotiation of the forthcoming EU budget, the European Parliament elections due in May. The European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Creţu says Romania should use all the opportunities entailed by the EU Council presidency, including in terms of the cohesion policy for 2021-2027. In a Facebook post, Creţu adds that both herself and the European Commission as a whole are ready to support the Romanian authorities for a successful presidency.

EURO Twenty years since the introduction of the single currency, high-ranking EU officials, including the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, emphasised the importance of the European currency. The Euro has become a symbol of unity, sovereignty and stability, said the European Commission chief, who is one of the signatories of the treaty that created the single currency. I know that was the most important signature I ever made, Juncker added in a news release. 20 years on, we have a generation that only knows the Euro as a national currency, the head of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi said in his turn. The Euro became the official currency of 11 EU member states on January 1, 1999, with notes and coins going into circulation in 2002. At present the Euro is used by some 340 million people in 19 of the 28 member countries, and is the second most important currency in the world after the US dollar.

JAPAN Emperor Akihito, who is to step down in April, sent his hopes for peace for his nation and the entire world, in his last New Years address, delivered before a record number of people who came to see the event, according to Kyodo and dpa. On April 30, at the age of 85, Akihito will be the first Japanese sovereign to relinquish power in the last 200 years. In 2016 he announced his intention to withdraw from power, putting forth concerns that his old age would prevent him from accomplishing his duties. Akihito became the 125th Emperor of Japan on January 7, 1989, at 55 years of age, after the death of his father, Hirohito, in whose name Japan fought in World War 2. Akihitos oldest son, Prince Naruhito, will be crowned on May 1.

JUSTICE The Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader said in an interview aired by a private television channel on Tuesday that he would like to close the subject of a government decree regarding amnesty and pardons. He emphasised that the most his ministry can do is to approve a bill initiated in Parliament on this topic. Toader also said that he has never done and will never do something likely to create a situation similar to the one triggered by the 2017 government decree no. 13, which brought hundreds of thousands of Romanians into the streets and prompted criticism from the EU and the USA.

ELECTIONS The elections for the European Parliament will be held between May 23rd and 26th this year. MEPs are elected every 5 years, and as of this year the Parliament will have 705 members, as compared to 751 at present. This is because of Britains withdrawal from the EU. Of the 73 seats currently held by UK, 46 will be eliminated and the other 27 will be distributed to EU member states that are under-represented in the Unions legislative body. Romania gets 33 seats, 1 more than at present.

TENNIS The Romanian player Monica Niculescu (99 WTA), Wednesday qualified into the quarter-finals of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen (China), after defeating the Czech Kristyna Pliskova 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4. In the quarter-finals Niculescu will play against the Chinese Yafan Wang (70 WTA). Tomorrow in the same tournament another Romanian, Sorana Cîrstea (84 WTA) takes on the American Alison Riske (62 WTA).

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

2 January 2019
January 2, 2019

EU The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, congratulated Romania on taking over the EU Council presidency on January 1, for the first time its accession, and wished it good luck. I am confident that you will deliver and I am looking forward to working with you, Donald Tusk posted on his official Twitter account. Between January 1 and June 30, Romania will have to handle a EU agenda filled with political developments and dossiers with a decisive impact on the future of the bloc, including Brexit, the negotiation of the forthcoming EU budget, the European parliament elections due in May. The European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Creţu says Romania must use all the opportunities entailed by the EU Council presidency, including in terms of the cohesion policy for 2021-2027. In a Facebook post, Creţu adds that both herself and the European Commission as a whole are ready to support the Romanian authorities for a successful presidency.

EURO Twenty years since the introduction of the single currency, high-ranking EU officials, including the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, emphasised the importance of the European currency. The Euro has become a symbol of unity, sovereignty and stability, said the European Commission chief, who is one of the signatories of the treaty that created the single currency. I know that was the most important signature I ever made, Juncker added in a news release. 20 years on, we have a generation that only knows the Euro as a national currency, the head of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi said in his turn. The Euro became the official currency of 11 EU member states on January 1, 1999, with notes and coins going into circulation in 2002. At present the Euro is used by some 340 million people in 19 of the 28 member countries, and is the second most important currency in the world after the US dollar.

JAPAN Emperor Akihito, who is to step down in April, sent his hopes for peace for his nation and the entire world, in his last New Years address, delivered before a record number of people who came to see the event, according to Kyodo and dpa. On April 30, at the age of 85, Akihito will be the first Japanese sovereign to relinquish power in the last 200 years. In 2016 he announced his intention to withdraw from power, putting forth concerns that his old age would prevent him from accomplishing his duties. Akihito became the 125th Emperor of Japan on January 7, 1989, at 55 years of age, after the death of his father, Hirohito, in whose name Japan fought in World War 2. Akihitos oldest son, Prince Naruhito, will be crowned on May 1.

JUSTICE The Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader said in an interview aired by a private television channel on Tuesday that he would like to close the subject of a government decree regarding amnesty and pardons. He emphasised that the most his ministry can do is to approve a bill initiated in Parliament on this topic. Toader also said that he has never done and will never do something likely to create a situation similar to the one triggered by the 2017 government decree no. 13, which brought hundreds of thousands of Romanians into the streets and prompted criticism from the EU and the USA.

ELECTIONS The elections for the European Parliament will be held between May 23rd and 26th this year. MEPs are elected every 5 years, and as of this year the Parliament will have 705 members, as compared to 751 at present. This is because of Britains withdrawal from the EU. Of the 73 seats currently held by UK, 46 will be eliminated and the other 27 will be distributed to EU member states that are under-represented in the Unions legislative body. Romania gets 33 seats, 1 more than at present.

TENNIS The Romanian Monica Niculescu (99 WTA), is playing today against the Czech Kristyna Pliskova (94 WTA) in the 8th-finals of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen, China. Tomorrow, in the same tournament, another Romanian, Sorana Cîrstea (84 WTA) takes on the American Alison Riske (62 WTA) in the quarter-finals.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

2 January 2019
European Parliament calls for the admission of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Area

The European Parliament has voted to approve a new
resolution calling for the immediate admission of Romania and Bulgaria into the
free-movement Schengen Area. The resolution was approved with 514 yes votes,
107 no votes and 38 abstentions. It is based on a report by the Bulgarian MEP
Sergey Stanishev, who has criticised the European Council for not allowing the
accession of Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen. He supports the need for the
immediate admission of the two states to the free-movement area, insisting on
full-fledged membership, including all borders, land, sea and air. He says a
partial accession is categorically rejected, as it not only does not have any
legal justification, but it can also have negative economic, social and
political repercussions for the entire European Union.

At present, Romania and
Bulgaria are only partly applying the Schengen Area regulations, and there are
checks on the borders of the two countries. The resolution passed by the
European Parliament emphasizes that maintaining or reintroducing internal
Schengen border controls will undermine citizens’ trust in European
institutions and integration. It recalls that in June 2011, the European
Parliament gave green light to Romania’s and Bulgaria’s entry into Schengen and
has since reiterated its position several times. Siegfried Muresan, a Romanian
MEP and member of the opposition National Liberal Party says the European
Parliament’s resolution is an important moment for Romania because it was
passed with an overwhelming majority, which shows that the country’s place is
in Schengen:

This resolution of the European Parliament
is not a legal document, because from a legislative point of view it’s the EU
Council, that is the member states through their interior ministers, who must
make this decision. We, Parliament, do not play a role in this legislative
process at this stage, but the signal given by Parliament is very important and
puts additional pressure on member states to adopt this decision.

Victor Bostinaru, also an MEP but a member of the ruling Social
Democratic Party, says Romania is still to persuade the EU Council to take the
final decision:

It’s good news and we’ve had it before because a similar
resolution was adopted before Bulgaria took over the EU presidency, at the end
of last year. This new resolution only reaffirms Parliament’s unreserved
support, being in fact passed with an overwhelming majority. Romania should
explore its opportunities, without hesitation, with subtlety but also with
efficiency, so that during our presidency we should be able to move closer to
this objective that we fully deserve to attain.

The final decision belongs to the interior ministers of the 27 EU member
states and must respect the principle of unanimity.

12 December 2018
The EU slashes funds for the Republic of Moldova

In 2014, the Republic of Moldova was unanimously seen as a winner of the Eastern Partnership, a program through which the EU is trying to promote the values of democracy and prosperity in the former Soviet space. The Eastern Partnership also includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine. Alongside Tbilisi and Kiev, Chisinau subsequently signed association and free trade agreements with Brussels, thus legitimising their openly stated ambitions of European integration.

But then it all went wrong in the small republic with a majority Romanian-speaking population, and the discourse of the EU partners related to the Moldovan power has grown harsher. After repeated warnings, on Tuesday, Brussels announced officially its decision to suspend macro-financial aid to the Republic of Moldova, worth 100 million Euros, due to serious infringements of the democratic principles.

The head of the European Commission Delegation to Chisinau, Peter Mihalko, has shown that, in the past year, Chisinau was present on the agenda of the EU exclusively for negative reasons. He mentioned 2 resolutions of the European Parliament, the conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council made public in February and the concerns expressed on repeated occasions by EU high officials. Mihalko added that the EU was expecting concrete results from the Republic of Moldova in the fight against high-level corruption, including the punishment of those guilty for the enormous fraud in which around one billion dollars vanished into thin air from the Republics banking system.

According to the European official quoted by Radio Romanias correspondents to Chisinau, another sensitive moment was this summers supreme court ruling that invalidated the elections for the mayor of Chisinau. The ballot that had been won by a former pro-European civic activist Andrei Nastase, against the pro-Russian Socialist Ion Ceban.

Peter Mihalko: “The EU is maintaining its commitment to Moldovas European integration and political association. We are waiting to see if the Moldovan authorities observe the commitments made and the basic principles of our relationship, especially in relation to democracy and the rule of law. When we dont see sufficient progress and any political will to achieve real results, then the EU has to take strict measures and introduce strict conditions in exchange for the aid.

A recent opinion survey conducted in the Republic of Moldova shows that 48% of the interviewees believe the Republic of Moldova should join the EU and only 37% favour the Eurasian Economic Union dominated by Russia. Analysts say that the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 24, 2019 are going to be decisive both for the political and geopolitical future of the Republic of Moldova. The elections are expected to settle the race between pro-Russians and pro-Europeans and also to bring a new administration, truly determined to fight corruption and observe the norms of democracy.

(translated by: Lacramioara Simion)

21 November 2018