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Tag: ‘family’ referendum

Reactions after the referendum

Over 90% of those who went to the polls to
vote in the referendum organised in Romania to revise the Constitution to
redefine family as the consented marriage between a man and a woman voted YES.
The referendum hasn’t been validated, however, because only 21% of the voters
went to the polls, failing to reach the 30% threshold. Once the things settled,
reactions emerged, causing turmoil on the political scene. All political
parties, except for the Save Romania Union, USR, had expressed support for
changing the Constitution, voting in Parliament the law to revise the fundamental
law of the country. From the ranks of the Social Democratic Party, the senior
party in the left-of-centre ruling coalition in Romania- vice-president Paul
Stănescu considers the referendum to be a failure not only for the
Social-Democrats, but also for the whole society.

I’m disappointed about what happened with the referendum. I expected
that many citizens of Romania would say ‘YES’. We should make an analysis of the
causes leading to the poor turnout. It is simply the failure of the whole
Romanian society- people simply refused to go to the polls.

The result of the referendum reflects the
citizens’ lack of interest, says Călin Popescu Tăriceanu, the president of the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the junior partner of the Social Democratic
Party in the ruling coalition, who announced that no analysis was or will be
made at the level of his party, because the national referendum was not
organised by ALDE. In exchange, the National Liberal Party, the main opposition
party in Romania, has already made an analysis of the way in which it
positioned itself in the referendum, after several party members accused President
Ludovic Orban of pushing the party into a political failure, that he does not
modernise the party, but he pursues an out-dated policy. Ludovic Orban:

Honestly, I would have expected these colleagues of mine to tread on the
Social-Democratic Party, to attack the Social-Democrats for having confiscated
the referendum, for the resounding failure, to join us on the offensive against
them, on all frontlines.

In another move, the leader of the Save
Romania Union, Dan Barna, finds regrettable the attitude of the representatives
of the Coalition for Family organisation, which, managed to collect 3 million
signatures to organise the referendum, and are now accusing the way in which
the referendum was organised and the way the parties boycotted it. By these
signatures, the Romanians have been called to the polls to express their
stance, and they said this initiative does not concern them, the majority of
the Romanian citizens, Dan Barna has explained. The Romanian Patriarchate has launched
a call for spiritual unity and for further defending family, following the
invalidation of the referendum.

(Translated by D. Vijeu)

9 October 2018
October 7, 2018 UPDATE

FAMILY REFERENDUM -Romanians this weekend were invited to vote on a
proposed redefinition of the concept of family in the Constitution. The
initiators aimed to define family as an institution based on the marriage of
a man and a woman, rather than the marriage of spouses, as it is at present.
According to data released by the Central Electoral Bureau on Sunday, at 4 PM,
some 15,21% of the total number of eligible voters had cast their ballots so
far, many of them in urban communities. The Romanians living abroad could vote
in 378 polls hosted by diplomatic missions, consular offices, cultural
institutes and other locations. Most polls abroad were in Italy, Spain, the
Republic of Moldova, the USA, UK, France and Germany. The voting process abroad
will conclude on the US West Coast and in Canada on Monday morning, Romanian
time. Parliament has passed a bill rephrasing the Constitutional definition of
marriage, based on a citizen initiative signed by 3 million people. To pass,
the referendum needs to meet the 30% voter turnout threshold and 25% of votes cast
have to be valid.

LETTER – The European
Commission has sent a letter to Romanian authorities, asking a series of
questions regarding the new legislation in the justice field, in the wake of
certain information transpired in the local media. The Commission is closely
monitoring the developments in Romania, particularly the justice laws and the
bills to amend the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, the
Commission informs, adding that it is checking the conformity of the amendments
with EU legislation. The letter follows the October 3 debate in the European
Parliament on the rule of law in Romania, attended by Prime Minister Viorica
Dancila. The first vice-president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans,
has warned Bucharest authorities the Commission will make a more thorough
evaluation of the situation in Romania, if necessary. In turn, Prime Minister
Dancila said Romania is observing the rule of law and will stick to its
pro-European track.

MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies on Monday will debate a simple
motion filed by the National Liberal Party in opposition against Economy
Minister Danut Andrusca. The Liberals accuse Andrusca of deliberately
destabilizing the country’s economy. Last week the Chamber voted against a
simple motion the Liberals filed against Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici,
whom they accuse of failing to implement the taxing and budget strategy. The
opposition also calls for the elimination of the additional excise tax on fuel,
the start of major investment projects and the allotment of 100% of tax
revenues to local administration starting next year. Also this week the Senate
dismissed a simple motion against Transport Minister Lucian Sova, filed by the
National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union. The opposition accuses Sova of
poor management of the road and rail transport networks.

HEARING – Monday, October 8, will see the first hearing in the case
where Social-Democrat leader and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Liviu Dragnea was
sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment in the court of first
instance. In June, the High Court of Cassation and Justice handed Dragnea the
sentence for instigation to abuse of office. Anticorruption prosecutors say
Liviu Dragnea ordered the fictitious employment of two party members at the
Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate. The two were paid with
taxpayer money, although they allegedly worked exclusively for the
Social-Democratic Party. Liviu Dragnea denied the accusations. In 2016, Dragnea
was handed a 2-year suspended prison sentence for attempted election fraud.
This summer the High Court cancelled the ruling to suspend the prison sentence.

EUROPEAN
WEEK OF REGIONS – The 2018 edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities kicks off
on Monday in Brussels, in the presence of European Commission president
Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina
Cretu, the European Committee of the Regions president, Karl-Heinz Lambertsz
and European Parliament vice-president, Pavel Telicka. This year’s edition is a
special one, devoted to the European Commission’s cohesion policy proposal for
the 2021-2027 period. Decision-makers and local, regional, national and
European experts will take part in a series of debates as part of the most
important event devoted to cohesion policies at European level.

THEATRE FESTIVAL – Theatre companies from six countries, world
famous klezmer bands and artists will meet in Bucharest over October 7-14 as
part of the third edition of the TES FEST International Yiddish Theatre
Festival. The event is organized by the Jewish State Theatre to mark 70 years
since the institution was founded and 142 years since the first Yiddish
professional theatre was set up in Iasi, Romania, in 1876, by writer and artist
Abraham Goldfaden. Companies from the US, Israel, France, Moldova, Austria and
Poland are expected to attend. On the sidelines a series of related events,
such as workshops, meetings, film screenings and exhibitions about the history
and activity of the Jewish Theatre in Romania will also be held.

NOBEL PRIZE – The 2018 Nobel Prize awards season will come to a close on Monday, when
the Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be awarded. On Friday,Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege, who treated sex violence victims in
his home country, and Nadia Murad, a Kurdish human rights activist having survived
Islamic State sexual slavery, were awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The
Norwegian Nobel Committee explained the prize was awarded for their efforts to
end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Both had a crucial
contribution to raising awareness with respect to this type of war crimes and
in fighting them.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

7 October 2018
October 7, 2018

FAMILY REFERENDUM – Nearly 19 million Romanian voters are invited this
weekend to vote on a proposed redefinition of the concept of family in the
Constitution. The initiators aim to define family as an institution based on
the marriage of a man and a woman, rather than the marriage of spouses, as it
is at present. According to data released by the Central Electoral Bureau on
Sunday, at 10 AM, some 7,24% of the total number of eligible voters had cast
their ballots so far, many of them in urban communities. The Romanians living
abroad can vote in 378 polls hosted by diplomatic missions, consular offices,
cultural institutes and other locations. Most polls abroad are in Italy, Spain,
the Republic of Moldova, the USA, UK, France and Germany. The voting process
abroad will conclude on the US West Coast and in Canada on Monday morning,
Romanian time. The vote in the diaspora started on Friday night in Auckland,
New Zealand and will take 58 hours to complete. Parliament has passed a bill
rephrasing the Constitutional definition of marriage, based on a citizen
initiative signed by 3 million people. To pass, the referendum needs meet the
30% voter turnout threshold and 25% of votes cast have to be valid.

MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies on Monday will debate a simple
motion filed by the National Liberal Party in opposition against Economy
Minister Danut Andrusca. The Liberals accuse Andrusca of deliberately
destabilizing the country’s economy. Last week the Chamber voted against a
simple motion the Liberals filed against Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici,
whom they accuse of failing to implement the taxing and budget strategy. The
opposition also calls for the elimination of the additional excise tax on fuel,
the start of major investment projects and the allotment of 100% of tax
revenues to local administration starting next year. Also this week the Senate
dismissed a simple motion against Transport Minister Lucian Sova, filed by the
National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union. The opposition accuses Sova of
poor management of the road and rail transport networks.

HEARING – Monday, October 8, will see the first hearing in the case
where Social-Democrat leader and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Liviu Dragnea was
sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment in the court of first
instance. In June, the High Court of Cassation and Justice handed Dragnea the
sentence for instigation to abuse of office. Anticorruption prosecutors say
Liviu Dragnea ordered the fictitious employment of two party members at the
Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate. The two were paid with
taxpayer money, although they allegedly worked exclusively for the
Social-Democratic Party. Liviu Dragnea denied the accusations. In 2016, Dragnea
was handed a 2-year suspended prison sentence for attempted election fraud.
This summer the High Court cancelled the ruling to suspend the prison sentence.

EUROPEAN
WEEK OF REGIONS – The 2018 edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities kicks off
on Monday in Brussels, in the presence of European Commission president
Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina
Cretu, the European Committee of the Regions president, Karl-Heinz Lambertsz
and European Parliament vice-president, Pavel Telicka. This year’s edition is a
special one, devoted to the European Commission’s cohesion policy proposal for
the 2021-2027 period. Decision-makers and local, regional, national and
European experts will take part in a series of debates as part of the most
important event devoted to cohesion policies at European level.

THEATRE FESTIVAL – Theatre companies from six countries, world
famous klezmer bands and artists will meet in Bucharest over October 7-14 as
part of the third edition of the TES FEST International Yiddish Theatre
Festival. The event is organized by the Jewish State Theatre to mark 70 years
since the institution was founded and 142 years since the first Yiddish
professional theatre was set up in Iasi, Romania, in 1876, by writer and artist
Abraham Goldfaden. Companies from the US, Israel, France, Moldova, Austria and
Poland are expected to attend. On the sidelines a series of related events,
such as workshops, meetings, film screenings and exhibitions about the history
and activity of the Jewish Theatre in Romania will also be held.

NOBEL PRIZE – The 2018 Nobel Prize awards season will come to a close on Monday, when
the Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be awarded. On Friday,Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege, who treated sex violence victims in
his home country, and Nadia Murad, a Kurdish human rights activist having survived
Islamic State sexual slavery, were awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The
Norwegian Nobel Committee explained the prize was awarded for their efforts to
end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Both had a crucial
contribution to raising awareness with respect to this type of war crimes and
in fighting them.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

7 October 2018
October 4, 2018

CORRUPTION – The Romanian police have today confirmed
that the former tourism minister Elena Udrea and the
former head of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism
(DIICOT), Alina Bica, have been detained in Costa Rica, following intelligence
sent from Bucharest. According to judicial sources, the two are to be heard in
court. They have applied for asylum in Costa Rica, and that is why judges might
postpone a decision regarding their extradition. Udrea and Bica were under
investigation, surveillance and monitoring by the Costa Rican authorities, as
they were wanted internationally by Interpol, following the sentences they had
received in Romania for corruption. For a long time seen as the most
influential character in the former president Traian Basescu’s entourage, Udrea
received from the High Court of Cassation and Justice a final 6-year prison sentence for bribe taking
and abuse of office. The same court sentenced Bica to 4 years in prison, in a
case in which she was accused of aiding and abetting a criminal.

REFERENDUM – The campaign for the
referendum on redefining family in the Romanian constitution, due on October
6-7 ends on Friday, 7 a.m. local time. Romanian citizens are called to the
polls to say whether they agree to see the definition in the Constitution,
which currently reads ‘the consented marriage between spouses’, changed into
‘the consented marriage between a man and a woman’, the definition proposed by
Parliament. The initiative to change the phrasing in the Constitution came from
the Coalition for Family, which comprises
several Christian organizations. The coalition gathered 3 million signatures to
support their initiative. The referendum has been criticized by associations
that protect the rights of sexual minorities. For the referendum to be valid,
at least 30% of the voters registered on electoral lists must take part, and
25% of the votes must be valid.

MONETARY POLICY – The Romanian Central Bank has
decided to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at 2.5% per year, and the
one for bank deposits at 1.5%. The interest rate for loans will stand at 3.5%.
These interest rates are used in the relations between commercial banks and the
Central Bank. The values of the current rates for minimum reserve requirements
applicable to liabilities in RON and in hard currencies have also been
maintained.

EU BUDGET – The EU has inadequately spent
some 3.3 billion Euros, which accounts for 2.4% of its 2017 budget, the
European Court of Auditors has announced today, quoted by news agencies. The
money has not been spent in keeping with the EU regulations, either because of
improper allocation or accounting errors. However, the ECA has stated that the
rate of improperly spent money follows a downward trend, after values such as
3.1% in 2016 and 3.8% in 2015. According to analysts, the report issued by the
Court of Auditors comes at a critical time for the EU, against worries in
Brussels that growing Euroscepticism might strengthen populist parties in next
year’s European elections.

NATO – The NATO defense minister’s meeting
continues in Brussels. On Wednesday, the participants analyzed the stage of
implementation of the decisions made by the allies at the July summit in Poland
and analyzed the progress made by Tbilisi in implementing the Substantial
NATO-Georgia Package. Also, the agenda includes talks with EU, Finish and
Swedish officials on issues of common
interest, such as military mobility or fighting hybrid and cyber attacks.
Romania is represented at the meeting by the Defense Minister Mihai Fifor, who
will also hold talks with his counterparts from Canada, Great Britain, Italy,
Spain and Turkey, as well as with the US General Curtis Scaparrotti, the
Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Allied Command Operations.

CYBERCRIME – The Romanian Foreign Ministry expresses
its solidarity with Great Britain, following London’s denouncement of hostile
cyber actions. ‘Romania, in its capacity as EU and NATO member state, situated
in the proximity of regions marked by instability, is facing such challenges
too’ reads a communiqué issued this morning by the ministry. Bucharest has
reconfirmed its commitment to supporting the fight against cyber attacks and
has voiced interest in cooperating with Great Britain and the other allies in
implementing firm and concrete measures aimed at preventing and curbing such
phenomena. Previously, the British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt had accused
the Russian military intelligence services (GRU) of perpetrating cyber attacks
against companies and institutions across the world. Together with our allies,
we will expose and respond to the GRU’s attempts to undermine international
stability, Hunt said.

HANDBALL – Romania’s
men’s handball champions Dinamo Bucharest have scored their first victory away
from home in the current season of Champions League, by defeating 32-31 the
Finish of Riihimaen Cocks, in Group D. Dinamo now ranks second in the group
with 6 points, just like the Polish of Orlen Wisla Plock who rank first, with one
game less on their record sheet. The two teams are to meet in Bucharest on
October 14th. In another development, in women’s handball, Romania’s
champion CSM Bucharest plays on Friday against the Hungarians of FTC Rail Cargo
Budapest, in a match part of Group D of the Champions League, the first this
season.

4 October 2018
September 22, 2018 UPDATE

POLITICS – A
reshuffling of the ministers members of the Social Democratic Party, the main
partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, will take place after the ‘family’
referendum of October 6-7. The Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea has
announced that the reshuffle will be decided at the next meeting of the
executive committee, and one of the skills that a minister must have is good
communication. One of the offices that is likely to see a new occupant is that
of Secretary General of the Government, currently held by Andreea Lambru. She could
be replaced by the former judge with the Constitutional Court Toni Grebla,
acquitted by the High Court of Cassation and Justice in a case of corruption
investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate. We recall that on
Friday night, most leaders of the Social Democratic Party decided to keep
supporting Liviu Dragnea, at the end of a very long meeting of the executive
committee of the party. The meeting was held after a few top-level members signed an open
letter requesting the resignation of Liviu Dragnea as president of the party
and as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The authors of the letter claimed,
among other things, that Dragnea’s legal problems had turned into a major
weakness for the party, particularly considering the forthcoming European
Parliament and presidential elections due in 2019 and the local and legislative
elections scheduled for 2020.

INDICTMENT – The chief of the Romanian Gendarme
Forces, col. Ionuţ Cătălin Sindilie, his Senior Deputy Chief col. Gheorghe
Sebastian Cucoş, Major Laurenţiu Cazan, the chief of the Bucharest Gendarme
Directorate, and Chief Commissioner Mihai Dan Chirică, secretary of state with
the Interior Ministry, have been indicted in relation to the anti-Government
protest of August 10th in Bucharest. They are under investigation, among other
things, for complicity in abuse of
office and abusive behavior. We recall that, during the August 10th protests,
violent clashes took place between the participants and the gendarmes, and the
latter used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. As many as 770
people have filed criminal complaints. The interior minister Carmen Dan has
recently stated that the protest was approached as an event posing risks to
public order, and that the gendarme intervention was lawful.

MEDAL – Princess Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, on
Friday awarded the ‘Nihil Sine Deo’ royal decoration to the US Ambassador to
Bucharest Hans Klemm. Just like the ‘King Michael I Loyalty’ Medal and the ‘Cross
of the Royal House of Romania’, ‘Nihil Sine Deo’ is granted by decision of the
chief of the Royal House. It was introduced in 2009 and it may be granted to
leading social, scientific, educational, cultural, spiritual, economic,
political and military personalities. The medal can also be awarded to Romanian
or foreign current and former ambassadors having made a noteworthy contribution
to Romania’s international relations.

BREXIT – Brexit negotiations
have reached a deadlock, the British PM Theresa May said after the summit in
Salzburg, where no progress was recorded. The Union is not willing to
compromise in any way, that was the conclusion of the summit, which had Theresa
May say that the EU does not treat Great Britain with respect. In a more
optimistic tone, the President of the European Council Donald Tusk has voiced
conviction that a compromise benefiting both parties is still possible and has
recommended that the British should reanalyze their proposals. One of the
thorniest issues is that of the type of border between Northern Ireland, which
is part of the UK, and Ireland, which is a member of the EU. Another source of
tension is economic relations, as the British would like to benefit from at
least part of the advantages provided by the single European market even after
Brexit. The European leaders have decided that Brexit negotiations are due to
end next month and, if real progress is made, a new summit of the heads of
state and government will be held in November, to render the understanding with
the UK official.

BUCHAREST – Events celebrating the City of
Bucharest continued on Saturday, marking
559 years since the Romanian capital was first mentioned in official records,
as well as 100 years since the Union of December 1, 1918, when the Romanian
provinces were united into a nation state. On Friday, the famous Romanian panpipe
player Gheorghe Zamfir gave a memorable show and on Saturday Bucharest hosted one
of the biggest 3D video-mapping shows in the world. The Days of the City of
Bucharest will end on Sunday with an extraordinary concert by the famous Rod
Stewart.

OLYMPIAD – Romanian pupils won
nine prizes at the 4th International French Language Olympiad in
Ohrid, Macedonia, held between the 15th and the 19th of
September. They won four first prizes (two in individual and two in team
events), three second prizes and two third prizes. The International French
Language Olympiad gathered pupils from 6 countries members of the International
Organization of La Francophonie: Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, the
Republic of Moldova and Romania. The competition is enlisted in the program of
the activities carried out by the Regional Office of La Francophonie for
Central and Eastern Europe.

22 September 2018
September 22, 2018

POLITICS – A reshuffling of the ministers members of the Social Democratic Party, the main partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, will take place after the family referendum of October 6-7. The Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea has announced that the reshuffle will be decided at the next meeting of the executive committee, and one of the skills that a minister must have is good communication. One of the offices that is likely to see a new occupant is that of Secretary General of the Government, currently held by Andreea Lambru. She could be replaced by the former judge with the Constitutional Court Toni Grebla, acquitted in a case of corruption investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate. We recall that on Friday night, most leaders of the Social Democratic Party decided to keep supporting Liviu Dragnea, at the end of a very long meeting of the executive committee of the party. The meeting was held after a few top-level members signed an open letter requesting the resignation of Liviu Dragnea as president of the party and as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The authors of the letter claimed, among other things, that Dragneas legal problems had turned into a major weakness for the party, particularly considering the forthcoming European Parliament and presidential elections due in 2019 and the local and legislative elections scheduled for 2020.

INDICTMENT – The chief of the Romanian Gendarme Forces, col. Ionuţ Cătălin Sindile, his Senior Deputy Chief col. Gheorghe Sebastian Cucoş, Major Laurenţiu Cazan, the chief of the Bucharest Gendarme Directorate, and Chief Commissioner Mihai Dan Chirică, secretary of state with the Interior Ministry, have been indicted in relation to the anti-Government protest of August 10th in Bucharest. They are under investigation, among other things, for complicity in abuse of office and abusive behavior. We recall that, during the August 10th protests, violent clashes took place between the participants and the gendarmes, and the latter used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. As many as 770 people have filed criminal complaints. The interior minister Carmen Dan has recently stated that the protest was approached as an event posing risks to public order, and that the gendarme intervention was lawful.

MEDAL – Princess Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, on Friday awarded the Nihil Sine Deo royal decoration to the US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm. Just like the King Michael I Loyalty Medal and the Cross of the Royal House of Romania, Nihil Sine Deo is granted by decision of the chief of the Royal House. It was introduced in 2009 and it may be granted to leading social, scientific, educational, cultural, spiritual, economic, political and military personalities. The medal can also be awarded to Romanian or foreign current and former ambassadors having made a noteworthy contribution to Romanias international relations.

BREXIT – Brexit negotiations have reached a deadlock, the British PM Theresa May said after the summit in Salzburg, where no progress was recorded. The Union is not willing to compromise in any way, that was the conclusion of the summit, which had Theresa May say that the EU does not treat Great Britain with respect. In a more optimistic tone, the President of the European Council Donald Tusk has voiced conviction that a compromise benefiting both parties is still possible and has recommended that the British should reanalyze their proposals. One of the thorniest issues is that of the type of border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and Ireland, which is a member of the EU. Another source of tension is economic relations, as the British would like to benefit from at least part of the advantages provided by the single European market even after Brexit. The European leaders have decided that Brexit negotiations are due to end next month and, if real progress is made, a new summit of the heads of state and government will be held in November, to render the understanding with the UK official.

MEASLES – 85 new cases of measles have been confirmed in Romania this week, according to the National Center of Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control. Most cases were reported in unvaccinated children. In all, the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 15,500, of which 59 have been fatal. Measles is an infectious disease that often causes complications. According to physicians, one in four measles patients needs hospitalization, and to one in 1000 people infected, the diseases is fatal.

BUCHAREST – Events on the Days of the City of Bucharest continue today, marking 559 years since the Romanian capital was first mentioned in official records, as well as 100 years since the Union of December 1, 1918, when the Romanian provinces were united into a nation state. This evening, the worlds best multimedia artists will display spectacular light and laser shows on the walls of the Parliament Palace during the iMapp Bucharest international contest, which has reached its 5th edition. The Days of the City of Bucharest will end on Sunday with an extraordinary concert by the famous Rod Stewart.

SEMINAR – The 17th international seminar Penser lEurope ends today in Bucharest, at the Romanian Academy. The participants in this years edition, titled Romania – Europe 1918-2018, organized by the Romanian Academy and the National Foundation for Science and Art in collaboration with the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences with the French Institute, tackled topics such as the fulfillment of the European nations ideals, hopes and worries triggered by WWI, the existence of several European cultural models, the indestructible relation between France and Romania, Europe today and its prospects. The first edition of the international seminar was held in 2002.

22 September 2018
September 16-22

The Three Seas Initiative Summit

The Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, a flexible political platform set up in 2015, brought to Bucharest, early this week, leaders of the 12 EU member states located between the Baltic Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. As a first this year, the meeting was also attended by the European Commission President, Jean Claude Juncker, and also as a first, a Business forum was held on the sidelines of the event. The summit was a success, yielding tangible results, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, said after the meeting:

“The most important result was probably the expression of the participants political support for a regional list of priority interconnection projects, in the fields of energy, transport and digital technology, a list that was drawn up based on the contributions of the countries that are part of the initiative, Romania included. The selection of these projects was done against criteria such as regional impact, economic feasibility and compatibility with the EU priorities and policies.”

The Three Seas Initiative supports the EUs common goal to bring closer together the East and the West of the continent, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, has said:

“It is a legitimate and highly relevant initiative. It contributes to regional development and it amplifies the cohesion process at EU level. It is an initiative that can provide prosperity as well as security for the member states. The European commission sees this summit as a unique opportunity to reiterate the importance, for the entire European Union, of a high level of connectivity in central and Eastern Europe, in terms of energy, transport and the digital.”A special guest at the summit in Bucharest was the US Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, who said that Europe can count on the US as a trustworthy partner in the energy field, saying that energy security is tantamount to national security.

Meeting of the leadership of the Social Democratic Party

Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, the senior partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, was reconfirmed on Friday as president of the party, after winning a vote of confidence held during a special meeting of the leadership of the party. On the occasion, Dragnea announced that a new meeting of the partys leadership would be held in October, with a government reshuffle on the agenda. Fridays meeting was held after a few top-level members signed an open letter requesting the resignation of Liviu Dragnea as president of the party and as speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The authors of the letter claimed, among other things, that Dragneas legal problems had turned into a major weakness for the party, particularly considering the forthcoming European Parliament and presidential elections due in 2019 and local and legislative elections scheduled for 2020. The signatories also requested that PM Viorica Dǎncilă, the executive president of the Social Democratic Party, should act as interim president until the next special congress of the party.

The “family” referendum

The Romanian left-of-centre Government on Tuesday passed the technical details related to the organisation, on October 6 and 7, of a referendum on redefining “family”. A day before, the Constitutional Court had decided that the law for the revision of the Constitution which stipulates that the family is based on the freely consented union between a man and a woman, and not between spouses as it is stipulated at present, observes constitutional provisions. The law for the revision of the Constitution in the sense of redefining the concept of family is based on a citizens initiative of some Christian organizations that managed to obtain 3 million signatures. The initiative is being contested by the associations defending the civil rights and liberties, including those of sexual minorities. PM Viorica Dancila has asked the institutions involved in the organisation of the referendum to act responsibly and begin preparations for the smooth-running of the event. Leaders of the Romanian Orthodox Church have called on people to say YES in the referendum. On the other hand, representatives of “RESPECT. The platform for Rights and Freedoms”, made up of 110 organisations, call on people to boycott the referendum, which they see as dangerous and likely to divide society.

High level meeting in Salzburg

European Council president, Donald Tusk, has announced, at the end of the informal meeting of the European leaders, held in Salzburg, Austria, that the EU wants to finalize the Brexit negotiations by October, followed by a summit in November that would render the agreement with London formal. The summit, where Romania was represented by President Klaus Iohannis, focused on migration and internal security. The Austrian Presidency of the EU Council has presented the implementation stage of two projects presented in summer, namely, the platforms of disembarking migrants from outside the EU and the centres controlled from inside the European Union. Romanias priority is as close as possible a relationship between the EU and the UK after Brexit, in terms of security and foreign policy. Bucharest wants a unitary and coherent voice of the EU in the process of negotiation with Britain, in order to forge a fair withdrawal accord for both parties. In terms of internal security, President Iohannis said Romania wants to strengthen European borders, both by means of regulations and by increasing FRONTEX personnel.

22 September 2018
September 16-22

The Three Seas Initiative Summit

The Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, a flexible political platform set up in 2015, brought to Bucharest, early this week, leaders of the 12 EU member states located between the Baltic Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. As a first this year, the meeting was also attended by the European Commission President, Jean Claude Juncker, and also as a first, a Business forum was held on the sidelines of the event. The summit was a success, yielding tangible results, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, said after the meeting:

“The most important result was probably the expression of the participants political support for a regional list of priority interconnection projects, in the fields of energy, transport and digital technology, a list that was drawn up based on the contributions of the countries that are part of the initiative, Romania included. The selection of these projects was done against criteria such as regional impact, economic feasibility and compatibility with the EU priorities and policies.”

The Three Seas Initiative supports the EUs common goal to bring closer together the East and the West of the continent, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, has said:

“It is a legitimate and highly relevant initiative. It contributes to regional development and it amplifies the cohesion process at EU level. It is an initiative that can provide prosperity as well as security for the member states. The European commission sees this summit as a unique opportunity to reiterate the importance, for the entire European Union, of a high level of connectivity in central and Eastern Europe, in terms of energy, transport and the digital.”A special guest at the summit in Bucharest was the US Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, who said that Europe can count on the US as a trustworthy partner in the energy field, saying that energy security is tantamount to national security.

Meeting of the leadership of the Social Democratic Party

Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, the senior partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, was reconfirmed on Friday as president of the party, after winning a vote of confidence held during a special meeting of the leadership of the party. On the occasion, Dragnea announced that a new meeting of the partys leadership would be held in October, with a government reshuffle on the agenda. Fridays meeting was held after a few top-level members signed an open letter requesting the resignation of Liviu Dragnea as president of the party and as speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The authors of the letter claimed, among other things, that Dragneas legal problems had turned into a major weakness for the party, particularly considering the forthcoming European Parliament and presidential elections due in 2019 and local and legislative elections scheduled for 2020. The signatories also requested that PM Viorica Dǎncilă, the executive president of the Social Democratic Party, should act as interim president until the next special congress of the party.

The “family” referendum

The Romanian left-of-centre Government on Tuesday passed the technical details related to the organisation, on October 6 and 7, of a referendum on redefining “family”. A day before, the Constitutional Court had decided that the law for the revision of the Constitution which stipulates that the family is based on the freely consented union between a man and a woman, and not between spouses as it is stipulated at present, observes constitutional provisions. The law for the revision of the Constitution in the sense of redefining the concept of family is based on a citizens initiative of some Christian organizations that managed to obtain 3 million signatures. The initiative is being contested by the associations defending the civil rights and liberties, including those of sexual minorities. PM Viorica Dancila has asked the institutions involved in the organisation of the referendum to act responsibly and begin preparations for the smooth-running of the event. Leaders of the Romanian Orthodox Church have called on people to say YES in the referendum. On the other hand, representatives of “RESPECT. The platform for Rights and Freedoms”, made up of 110 organisations, call on people to boycott the referendum, which they see as dangerous and likely to divide society.

High level meeting in Salzburg

European Council president, Donald Tusk, has announced, at the end of the informal meeting of the European leaders, held in Salzburg, Austria, that the EU wants to finalize the Brexit negotiations by October, followed by a summit in November that would render the agreement with London formal. The summit, where Romania was represented by President Klaus Iohannis, focused on migration and internal security. The Austrian Presidency of the EU Council has presented the implementation stage of two projects presented in summer, namely, the platforms of disembarking migrants from outside the EU and the centres controlled from inside the European Union. Romanias priority is as close as possible a relationship between the EU and the UK after Brexit, in terms of security and foreign policy. Bucharest wants a unitary and coherent voice of the EU in the process of negotiation with Britain, in order to forge a fair withdrawal accord for both parties. In terms of internal security, President Iohannis said Romania wants to strengthen European borders, both by means of regulations and by increasing FRONTEX personnel.

22 September 2018
The family referendum

The leftist government in Bucharest has issued an emergency order to
establish that a referendum to redefine family in the Constitution would be
held over the course of two days, on the 6th and 7th of
October. Romanian voters are expected to say whether they agree or not to the
revision of a law stating that the family is based on the marriage between a
man and a woman, rather than between spouses, as it is now.

The Save Romania Union, the only parliamentary party to oppose the
revision saying it will create division in society, now speaks of procedural
flaws and calls on the Ombudsman to challenge in the Constitutional Court the
government’s emergency order establishing the date of the referendum. In a
public letter, the Save Romania Union says the measure should have been taken
by Parliament and not by government through an emergency order, and that the
latter changed the referendum rules after the start of the referendum process,
which runs counter to the code of good practice recommended by the Venice
Commission, among others.

A previous referendum to revise the Constitution from 2003 was also
held over two days. The referendum in question was also called by a leftist
government, but the revisions were of an entirely different nature, seeking to clearly
stating the principle of the separation of powers, guaranteeing the right to
property and creating a constitutional framework for the country’s
Euro-Atlantic integration. As indicated by the slogan Yes for Europe under
which it took place, the 2003 referendum was about revising the Constitution to
bring the country closer to western values.

The upcoming referendum, on the other hand, is the result of a
citizen initiative that gathered 3 million signatures, and whose promoters,
namely Christian organisations advocating the traditional family, have openly
admitted their aim is to prevent same-sex marriage. High-ranking officials of
the Orthodox Church, which is the church of the majority in Romania, have urged
the faithful to say yes in the referendum. For, to quote the metropolitan of
Ardeal Laurentiu Streza, those who will never be married in Church will ask
for the right to marry and will also take our children, for they cannot have
children of their own.

In response, the representatives of Respect. The Platform for Rights
and Liberties, which brings together 110 organisations, advise people to
boycott the referendum so that this initiative, considered damaging, dangerous
and divisive, should not be adopted. The referendum of hatred is only an
instrument to advance a backward and undemocratic agenda, the representatives
of this platform also say.

The critics and adversaries of the ruling coalition formed by the
Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats say the
referendum in which the government is investing so much money and energy is an
attempt to wash away the negative image created by the African swine flu
epidemic, the controversial changes to the criminal legislation and the
forceful intervention of the riot police at an anti-government protest last
month.

19 September 2018
The “family” referendum

The Romanian Senate on Tuesday passed with a large majority a bill
to revise the Constitution in order to redefine family as the marriage
between a man and a woman rather than that between spouses, as it is defined at
the moment. The Chamber of Deputies also passed the bill last May. This
citizens’ initiative belongs to a big coalition of Christian organisations and
associations enthusiastically supported by the Orthodox Church, a coalition
that did not hide its intention to seek a change of the definition of family
in the Constitution in order to block any possibility of legalising same-sex
marriage. The initiative must now also be put through a referendum, something
that will take place in October.

The debates in Parliament have once again showed Romania as a place
of paradoxes. Invoking the country’s 2,000-year-old Christian tradition and the
idea that homosexuality is a sin, the Social Democratic Party, which presumably
belongs to an ideological family that is sensitive to the rights of the
minorities and which supports tolerance and inclusion, voted in favour of the
referendum. So did their allies, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, which,
again, in theory, should support civil rights and liberties. The great Liberal
Party in opposition also voted in favour, with the exception of a few senators,
who abstained. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, which has
no ideological platform, were also in favour. The only party to stand against
the referendum was the Save Romania Union, which has warned that this is a
futile referendum that will do nothing to improve people’s lives but which may
divide society.

A small protest against the redefinition of family in the
Constitution was held in the centre of Bucharest. The representatives of ACCEPT
Association, which protects the rights of sexual minorities, have said that through
its Tuesday vote, the Senate raises homophobia to the level of state value and
sacrifices constitutional protections for many families in Romania. They say
the vote is a violation of the right to private and family life, which is an inalienable right thatbelongs to all persons, irrespective of gender and sexual
orientation under the European Human Rights Convention. This is a serious
warning.

Recently, the screening in a Bucharest cinema of an award-winning
film about the struggle of sexual minorities in France in the 1980s was disrupted
by a group of Orthodox fundamentalists who aggressively expressed their
homophobia. The debate that will precede the referendum will show whether
Romanian society is capable to change and modernise without abandoning its
traditions, which are invoked excessively for manipulation and propaganda
purposes. This is also a test for Romanian politicians, which they are about to
fail, however. The Senate vote has clearly showed that ideological confusion,
the attempt to confiscate sensitive issues and use them for populist and
election purposes and collision with stated values and principles have become
the norm.

12 September 2018