Radio România Internațional

Tag: fines

January 27, 2024

FINES The equivalent of 3.8 million Euros in fines was applied
last year to major supermarket chains in Romania, by the National Authority for
Consumer Protection (ANPC). According to the ANPC president, Horia
Constantinescu, the biggest fines went to Lidl, Profi, Penny and Kaufland, while
Selgros and Metro got the lowest. The Auchan supermarket chain ranks first in
terms of the products banned. In another development, in 2023, the
aforementioned institution registered over 200 thousand complaints. Most of
them were solved but almost 16 thousand proved to be ungrounded.

POLICE The Romanian police have today announced that last year they
staged 187 operative actions, which led to the dismantling of 35 networks
involved in human trafficking and brought to court 465 people facing sexual exploitation
charges. According to the sources, human trafficking is a complex crime with a
significant cross-border impact but half of the investigations carried out last
year were focused on domestic human trafficking. The same methods of recruiting
the victims and forcing them into sex slavery were noticed, such as promises of
well-paid jobs, the well-known lover boy technique to win the victim’s trust
and force them into prostitution, sharing the profit, abuse and emotional
blackmail, seizing documents, threatening with reprisals against the victims
and family members and others. The trafficker’s profile has also remained
unchanged from the previous years. These are mostly Romanian citizens of both
sexes with various ages, and some of them have criminal records.

RUGBY The new headcoach of the Romanian national fifteen, French
David Gerard, has announced a lineup of 32 players for the team’s debut game in
Rugby Europe Championship 2024. According to the Romanian Rugby Federation,
only 26 players will be going to Poland. Romania has been included in Group B
together with Portugal, Belgium and Poland. The Romanians will be up against Poland
in an away game on February 4; then they will have two game on their own turf
against Belgium on February 10 and Portugal on February 17.

HOLOCAUST January 27 is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day or
the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. On this day in
1945, the largest Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by
the Soviet Army. The day was decided through a UN resolution in 2005 in order
to commemorate the 6 million European Jews as well as the other millions of
victims of other nationalities killed by the Nazi regime. In a message conveyed
today, Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says the Holocaust wound in the
Romanian collective mentality can be healed only through the honest assuming
and promotion of the historic truth, needed remedies in a democratic and
European country. The Prime Minister has underlined the importance of combating
any form of holocaust denial adding that education is an essential way of
progress and cultivation of tolerance.

(bill)

27 January 2024
Measures against aggressive drivers in Romania

The EU’s strategic framework
in terms of road safety over 2021-2030 has been designed to halve the number of
fatalities and serious injuries on European roads by 2030. Its objective for
2050 is zero fatalities and serious injuries.

A look at the preliminary
figures for the first six months of last year indicate a slight growth by 2% in
the number of road accident fatalities as compared to the same period in 2020,
a year affected by the impact of the pandemic over road circulation.

As compared to the years
2017-2019, to the 19% significant drop, have also contributed the new EU
policies and safety rules. The situation has improved in Romania as well. While
in 2019, the country was ranking first in the bloc in terms of road accident
fatalities, 96 per one million people, a year later the country came fifth in
the same ranking after Germany, France, Poland and Italy.

Data for last year has been recently presented by Interior Minister Lucian
Bode who underlined that ‘the entire road safety is a serious issue’ in
Romania, and its level is significantly lower than the European average. A
roughly 20% drop in severe road accidents has been registered and the number of
people seriously injured has been reduced by nearly 31% as compared to 2020
whereas the number of fatalities has risen by 8%.

In order to
improve the situation, an objective Romania has assumed including through its
recovery and resilience plan, the executive in Bucharest has amended road
traffic laws, which are now providing for higher fines and are clearly defining
aggressive driving.

So drivers exceeding
the 70 km/hour speed limit are going to have their driving licences suspended
for a period of 120 days and so will those infringing the rules at railway
crossings.

Here is
Interior Minister Lucian Bode.

Lucian Bode: The unjustified
circulation of vehicles on highway emergency lanes will be fined between 260
and 580 euros and the suspension of driving licence for 90 days. Turning and
driving backwards on highways are punishable with licence suspensions of 120
days.

The new laws
are also clearly defining the idea of aggressive driving, including the
excessive use of horns or headlights, handbrake turns as well as other forms of
road rage and aggressive driving. Fines for drivers in these cases who are also
to have their licences suspended for 30 days, can go up to 150 euros.

(bill)

28 January 2022
Fines for energy suppliers

Four Romanian natural gas suppliers (Engie, E.ON
Energie, Restart Energy One and Premier Energy) have been fined for plans to
increase tariffs while under fixed-price contracts. They are now bound to notify
their clients who entered fixed-price contracts, that the price of natural gas
supply will remain unchanged throughout the contractual period.

The National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) found
that these companies have breached their contractual obligations. The suppliers
were fined for having drawn up standard contract offers that failed to specify either
the contract period, or the terms and conditions for unilaterally cancelling
contracts.

The fines amount to some 545,000 euro, and the
Authority promises to continue monitoring the conduct of all suppliers, and in
case new breaches of relevant legislation are found, to address them
accordingly.

In response, two companies announced they would
take the matter to court, and argue they had done nothing wrong and that
international natural gas prices have skyrocketed. They warn that, in case the
measures intended to mitigate the effects on end consumers are not based on
fair and just economic principles, this will have swift and substantial
repercussions on suppliers, and implicitly on their clients, not only in terms
of prices, but also of the safety of supply ahead of the winter season.

In this very difficult context, the respective
companies argue, all stakeholders-authorities and private operators-need to work
together to identify viable, fair and responsible solutions to overcome this
crisis.

With 95% of the bills accounted for by the natural
gas procurement, storage, transport and distribution costs, suppliers only gain 5% of the invoiced amounts, the operators in question also explained. After
the gas prices rose spectacularly, Romanian suppliers have raised tariffs
several times, and these successive price rises and the small profit margin
reflect in consumers’ bills. For
example, this summer the average price was 0.12 leu / Kwh, while at present it
reaches 0.6 leu / Kwh, i.e. 5 times more.

The authorities are considering a ceiling on
energy prices, but this can be done through a state-aid scheme that must be
approved by the European Commission, the line minister Virgil Popescu said. He emphasised
that, if suppliers are not bound to purchase electricity for the smallest price
in the market and if they are not monitored, energy bills will increase
significantly in a matter of months, and it is citizens who will stand to
suffer. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

15 October 2021
Controls and fines during the pandemic

As Romania has recently seen a significant increase in the number of Covid infections following the latest relaxation measures, authorities have stepped up controls to see how the present health and prevention measures are being observed. They have recently focused on crowded tourist places, such as the Black Sea coast in the east of the country and the mountain resorts in the Prahova Valley, central Romania.

Teams made up of gendarmes, police troops and representatives of several authority institutions have run checks on various businesses and individuals in the HORECA industry in Romania. The authorities have reiterated that the campaigns main objective is the prevention of future outbreaks and not the idea of applying sanctions.

However, severe sanctions have been applied where the health and prevention rules have been blatantly violated. So, some resorts on Romanias Black Sea coast have seen fines of up to 35 thousand euros only in a night, whereas 170 HORECA locations have been checked and 100 fines have been given in the Prahova Valley. Roughly 180 people who refused to wear masks in public areas have been fined in Arges county, southern Romania. Fines of about 10 thousand euros have been applied to a company which failed to observe the prevention measures while staging a festival in Brasov, central Romania. A club has been fined and temporarily closed down in Bucharest last weekend.

On Friday night, about 8000 Interior Ministry employees applied fines of roughly 100 thousand Euros and according to the authorities the checking operations are likely to continue all throughout the state of alert mainly on the Black Sea coast as well as in other crowded places like trade centers, outdoor restaurants and clubs and cafes.

Interior Minister Marcel Vela has underlined that businesses refusing to comply with the prevention rules and regulations run the risk of having their license suspended. The official has informed that checking operations are to be stepped up as additional police troops have been deployed to various resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast and voiced hope that beaches will remain open.

A hotline was inaugurated on July 4th for people to report any violation of the aforementioned prevention rules. We recall that with some exceptions the fines given in spring this year have been ruled as unconstitutional by Romanias Constitutional Court and more legal ways have been created for their cancellation. By early May, authorities had fined 300 thousand Romanians and the total value of fines stood at more than 120 million Euros. According to the Finance Minister, the sum is not that big as people had 15 days to pay half the fine and many of them even refused to pay.

(translated by bill)

6 July 2020
May 7, 2020

COVID-19 Another 12 people died in Romania from the novel coronavirus, taking the death toll to 876, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Thursday. One of the victims is a Bulgarian truck driver, the first foreign citizen to die from COVID-19 in Romania. The total number of confirmed cases is drawing close to 14,500, of whom over 6,100 have recovered. Another 2,419 Romanian citizens living abroad have tested positive for the virus, most of them in Italy and Spain. Since the start of the pandemic, 96 Romanians living abroad have died, many of them in the UK. Meanwhile, the Romanian interior minister Marcel Vela announced, in a video posted on social media, that after May 15, when the state of emergency ends, people will be allowed to travel outside their home locality or county. Prosecutor General Gabriela Scutea said the Romanian justice system will be facing a huge wave of complaints filed by the people who received fines for breaching the military orders issued in the context of the pandemic. On Wednesday the Constitutional Court ruled that the fines were unconstitutional. As many as 300,000 people received fines totalling around 120 million euros.

PANDEMIC We are running the risk of returning to lockdowns if restrictions are lifted too soon, warned the head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Ghebreyesus, insisting that the lifting should be gradual, special attention should be paid to serious cases and that the healthcare system must be prepared. At present the total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide is nearing 3.8 million, with the death toll exceeding 265,000, and with 1.3 million patients having recovered, according to Worldometer. The worst hit country in the world is the USA, where over 2,000 deaths were once again reported in 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths to 75,000. The US president Donald Trump said the coronavirus has been a worse attack on the US than Pearl Harbour and 9/11. In Europe, the UK reports over 30,000 deaths and is the worst hit country on the continent, followed by Italy, Spain and France. Spains parliament extended the state of emergency by another 2 weeks, starting on Sunday.

AID Today, a convoy of 20 trucks full of medical equipment as part of aid provided by Romania to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, to help it fight the Covid-19 epidemic, is reaching its destination. The convoy is accompanied by an official delegation including the health minister Nelu Tătaru, the head of the Emergency Situations Department Raed Arafat, and the secretary of state on relations with the Republic of Moldova Ana Guţu. Last week, the government in Bucharest decided to grant Moldova humanitarian aid worth 16.5 million lei in the form of medical equipment and medicines. Romania has also sent a team of 52 doctors and nurses who will be working in hospitals in Moldova treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus.

EU – Western Balkans The EU is experiencing a crisis, but it will not forsake its strategic goals and its closest partners, said the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis attending a video conference of EU and Western Balkans leaders. According to the Presidency, Iohannis welcomed the strategic decisions taken by the EU in March 2020 with respect to furthering the enlargement process, by initiating accession negotiations with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia. The Romanian official also pleaded for a strengthened partnership with the Western Balkans, as the best response to the ongoing crisis, and as a means of consolidating fundamental values and democratic principles. Participants in the summit adopted the Zagreb Declaration, concerning, among others, an economic aid package granted by the EU to support Western Balkans states in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic and in post-crisis recovery. This includes immediate aid in the healthcare sector, particularly through delivering medical equipment, as well as a 750 million euro package of Macro-Financial Assistance and a 1.7 billion euro package of assistance from the European Investment Bank.

SPORTS Romanian football celebrates today 34 years since the Bucharest club Steaua won the European Cup final. On May 7, 1986, in Seville, Spain, the team comprising Romanian footballers exclusively defeated the famous FC Barcelona in the final, in a penalty shoot-out. Steauas goalkeeper, Helmuth Duckadam, saved all the 4 spot-kicks by the Spanish opponents. In February 1987, in Monte Carlo, Steaua also won the European Super Cup, outplaying the Soviet side Dinamo Kyiv 1-0. Two of the participants in this unique performance in Romanian football, midfielder Lucian Bălan and defender Ilie Bărbulescu, died in recent years.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

7 May 2020
May 6, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 In Romania, the number of deaths caused by the novel coronavirus has reached 858. The number of confirmed cases exceeds 14,100. Some 5,800 people have recovered. Among the Romanians living abroad, more than 2,400 are confirmed to have caught the virus, most of them in Italy and Spain, while 96 have died, mostly in the UK. Meanwhile, Romanias Constitutional Court Wednesday ruled that the fines issued during the state of emergency for breaching the restrictions introduced over the COVID-19 pandemic are unconstitutional. The ruling concerns around 300,000 fines, totaling over 100 million euros. Prime minister Ludovic
Orban said he was shocked by the ruling, which, he said, was obviously
political in nature and was an invitation to breaking the law, a call for
anarchy. In
turn, Constitutional Court judges argue that the emergency order that regulated
the fines were lacking in clarity, precision and predictability, and issuing a
fine was left to the discretion of police officers.

ASSISTANCE The Romanian prime minister Ludovic Orban Wednesday attended the departure of a convoy of 20 trucks full of medical equipment as part of aid provided by Romania to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, to help it fight the Covid-19 epidemic. Last week, the government in Bucharest decided to grant Moldova humanitarian aid worth 16.5 million lei in the form of medical equipment and medicines. Romania has also sent a team of 52 doctors and nurses who will be working in hospitals in Moldova treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus.

PENSIONS Cancelling the so-called special pensions is unconstitutional, Romanias Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday. The magistrates sustained the case filed by the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the Ombudsman against a bill passed by Parliament in January, which eliminated all special pensions except for those paid to Army and Interior Ministry staff, which are not calculated based on the contributions to pension funds. The ruling was based on procedural arguments, without discussing the contents of the bill.

PANDEMIC Europe must learn its lesson from the corona crisis, and secure its “strategic autonomy in key sectors like medical supply chains, which requires stocks and relocation of production, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday. He emphasised that “It is not normal that Europe doesn’t produce a single gram of paracetamol, and 80 percent of the antibiotics production of the world is concentrated in China. At present 80% of the active substances used in pharmaceuticals come from third countries, with India and China alone accounting for 60%, according to a 2018 report by the French Senate. Confirmed coronavirus cases passed 3.7 million worldwide, with the death toll nearing 260,000, and 1.25 million people have recovered, according to measurements by ArcGIS and Worldometer. The United States is the worst hit country, with over 2,300 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to over 71,000, and the highest number of confirmed cases, at over 1.2 million. The UK, with over 29,000 deaths, is now the worst hit country in Europe, followed by Italy, Spain and France. Elsewhere, high schools in Hubei, the Chinese province that was the epicentre of the pandemic, Wednesday reopened for final-year students.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

6 May 2020
The Week in Review 30-03-05.04.2020

Romania affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

As of Monday, when the threshold of 2,000 cases of contamination was exceeded, Romania has entered stage 4 of the strategy meant to fight the coronavirus crisis. The number of contaminations and deaths continues to grow and the authorities believe that the pandemic in Romania will peak somewhere at the end of April. Many deplore the fact that there are not sufficient tests for the population.

According to the Strategic Communication Group in Bucharest, almost 28,500 tests had been processed countrywide by April 2. Also, the Romanian hospitals don’t seem to be properly equipped to be able to face a surge in the number of patients. And the situation in Suceava (northeast) is proof thereof! On Monday evening it was announced that about one third of the total number of contaminations and deaths reported across Romania was registered in Suceava alone. Moreover, of all the medical staff infected across Romania, almost two thirds, that is around 200, are from the Suceava county hospital.

Consequently, the central authorities decided early this week to quarantine the entire city alongside 8 surrounding communes. Subsequently, a military doctor was placed at the helm of the Suceava hospital given that the former interim manager resigned due to stress, the lack of personnel, medical equipment and products.

The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has called on the medical staff to return to work: “The medical staff needs to be urgently tested so that they can return to work as soon as they have recovered. They need one more testing device that will be made available to them as soon as possible. They now have medicines, protection equipment, and procedures are also in place. I am addressing especially the physicians and medical staff from the Suceava hospital: please, go back to work, take care of the sick, and observe the procedures! We are counting on you!”

He also called on the government to identify funds to be channeled as bonuses to the salary of the medical staff that will work with patients infected with COVID-19. In Romania, the coronavirus pandemic has made several doctors and nurses to resign for fear they might get infected. Also some of the medical staff resigned to protest against the lack of protection equipment.

Operation ‘Equipping hospitals’ in full swing

The Romanian authorities have taken new measures to help those who are on the front line of the fight against the new coronavirus. According to the head of the Department for Emergency Situations Raed Arafat, the specialized medical staff, the auxiliary sanitary staff and other categories of sanitary staff are not allowed to refuse temporary assignment to a certain medical unit during the state of emergency, they are obliged to go wherever they are asked to, even in public hospitals with staff shortage from other counties of Romania. Raed Arafat also announced that hospitals are not allowed to refuse hospitalization of patients on the grounds that they are or are not confirmed with coronavirus infection. Consequently, the medical staff is obliged to wear protection equipment at all times.

In another development, a C-17 Globemaster III NATO aircraft has brought to Bucharest from South Korea a second tranche of 100 thousand hazmat suits. A C-27J Spartan aircraft of the Romanian Air Forces has brought from Turkey 100 thousand face masks of the FFP2 and FFP3 types. Also the Romanian Army has set up near Bucharest a ROL 2-type field hospital which is now operational. In the city port of Constanta (southeast) works are under way to build a modular isolation and treatment hospital, which will operate as an extension of the Infectious Diseases Section of the Military Hospital from Constanta. Also, Romania saw the start of the production of face masks, with some 15 million masks expected to be produced monthly.

New decisions on entering Romania

Based on military decree no. 5, Romania has extended the suspension of flights to and from Spain and Italy, the European countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Also, the list of ‘red zones’ for which quarantine is required was updated on Thursday, to include 12 countries: Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Iran, Great Britain, the Netherlands, the US and Turkey. Thus the Romanian citizens coming from these countries will be quarantined in specialized institutions for 14 days. The people coming from abroad will also have to self isolate for 14 days. The decision took effect on April 3, at midnight, Romania’s time. At the same time, 20 times higher fines were enforced for those people who violate the state of emergency. Fines for individuals reach up to 4 thousand Euros while for companies up to almost 15 thousand Euros.

Alarming figures from the Labor Ministry

Data provided by the Labor Ministry on April 2 shows that the number of Romanians left without a job stands at almost 174 thousand as their contracts were terminated. More than 860 thousand people are in technical unemployment. And the figures are alarmingly growing. Most of the people who lost their jobs were working in such fields as retail and wholesale trade, car and motorcycle repair, hotels, restaurants and constructions. Consequently the Romanian Government and Parliament are trying to work out solutions to support the population as well as the economic sectors affected by the crisis. (translation by L. Simion)

4 April 2020
Increased fines for breach of restrictions

The Romanian citizens who do not observe the restrictions imposed through military decrees, in the context of the state of emergency required by the new coronavirus outbreak, will pay higher fines starting on Thursday. Individuals will pay fines ranging from around 410 Euros to around 4,100 Euros, while for legal entities, the fines start at almost 2,000 Euros up to some 14,500 Euros.

According to the Strategic Communication Group, the people who commute can continue to go to work on condition that they have all the documents required by law on them: a staff ID card, a certificate issued by the employer or a self declaration, which clearly mentions the persons domicile address and the address of the work place. Shopping is recommended at the shops and supermarkets near ones home and people must carry with them their ID and a self declaration. The military decree does not provide for a distance limit in relation to travelling with the purpose of taking care of ones parents, which means that people can travel to provide their older relatives from other parts of the country with food and medicines.

The decree also allows people to walk their dogs daily, while for daily physical activity or various sports, the authorities recommend the areas around ones house and not the parks, playgrounds or sports grounds. At the same time, the authorities recommend people to pay their utility bills and monthly loan installments online.

In the last 24 hours, the police have identified thousands of Romanians who have not observed the traffic restrictions imposed under the military decrees and have given fines that exceed 2 million Euros. Among the people in breach of the restrictions there are individuals who did not observe the self-isolation period or who have left the quarantine place. So far, the police have started criminal proceedings in hundreds of cases, for people thwarting the authorities effort to combat diseases. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said Wednesday that everybody should respect the legislation on fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Klaus Iohannis: “Since the start of the pandemic, the police have given more than 78 thousand fines, and Im telling you, the law is very clear in this regard: the law is meant to protect people and medical staff. Those who do not observe the law will pay fines. Dear Romanians, I repeat what I have always told you: observe the norms of behavior, keep the social distance, dont shake hands, dont hug other people, observe the norms imposed by the authorities.

In Romania, a state of emergency caused by the new coronavirus was declared on March 16, and, ever since, the authorities have issued 6 military decrees which impose traffic restrictions for the population. The latest decree, issued on Monday evening, quarantines the city of Suceava (in the northeast) and 8 surrounding communes, given that a quarter of the cases of COVID-19 infection in Romania are from that area. (translation by L. Simion)

2 April 2020
October 12, 2019

Election campaign — Saturday saw the start of the election campaign for the November presidential election. The first round will take place on November 10, and, if the case may be, the second round will be held on November 24. 14 candidates are running in the presidential race among whom the incumbent president Klaus Iohannis representing the National Liberal Party, the interim prime minister Viorica Dancila from the Social Democratic Party, Dan Barna representing the Alliance Save Romania Union-PLUS, Theodor Paleologu representing the People’s Movement Party or Kelemen Hunor from the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. The Permanent Electoral Authority has already established the locations of the almost 18,750 polling stations. Also the Foreign Ministry officials forwarded to the Electoral Authority a list with an additional 270 polling stations from abroad, to complete the already approved 444 stations. In the Diaspora, the presidential election will be held for the first time during 3 days, from Friday to Sunday, for each round of voting.

Government — President Klaus Iohannis will announce on Tuesday, at the latest, the proposal for the new prime minister after consultations with parliamentary parties. On Friday, after a first round of talks, the president announced the urgent need for a transitional government made up of the National Liberal Party or around this party, which initiated the motion of no confidence that led to the dismissal of the Social Democratic government led by Viorica Dancila. According to president Iohannis the person nominated to head the new government will have to form a new government as soon as possible, as they need to draft the country’s budget for 2020 and to ensure the organization of the presidential election. Although the president favors the idea of early parliamentary elections, he admitted that this is very difficult thing to achieve.

Activity report — The ministry for the Romanians abroad on Friday presented its activity report over the period 2017-2019. The interim minister Natalia Intotero pointed out that the budget allotted to support the activity of the Romanians abroad exceeded 7 million Euros. More than 460 projects for the Diaspora and the Romanian historical communities have been supported financially. The ministry’s activity report also includes reference to the future finalization of a project related to accessing European funding worth almost 5.4 million lei. The project is meant to draft a new strategy for the Romanians abroad which includes a sociological study on the Romanian Diaspora.

Traffic code — Using the mobile phone while driving will be punished as of Saturday in Romania by fines that can reach an amount of 1,160 lei that is 250 Euros. According to the new traffic code, drivers of all categories of vehicles are forbidden to hold in their hand or use any device that can record or stream live text and images and videos while the vehicles they are driving are moving. Even bikers and those using scooters have to abide by the new rules. Drivers can nevertheless use hands-free devices while driving. (translation by L. Simion)

12 October 2019
Competition Council fines insurance companies

Nine insurance companies in Romania were handed a total of 53 million Euros in fines by the Competition Council for steering the market together so as to increase the prices of the mandatory civil liability insurance for car owners. In addition, the National Union of Insurance and Reinsurance Companies in Romania was given a 35-thousand Euro fine. Competition Council President, Bogdan Chiritoiu, told Radio Romania that the fines were applied for the companies’ activity in the 2012-2016 period.

Bogdan Chiritoiu: “Given the crisis on the civil liability insurance market, companies worked together to have prices increased. This is illegal and unfair. At present, things are back to normal and under control, prices have stabilized. We have even seen some drops in civil liability insurances for certain categories of vehicles. Apart from our investigation, the Regulatory Authority also got involved and took action more firmly than before, given that the legislation was changed in 2016 and the system improved”.

Part of the companies that were handed fines said they would appeal the Council’s decision in court. The Financial Supervisory Authority has taken the fines under advisement and has given assurances it will continue to check the need to modify the current legislative framework, to make sure it responds to the needs of the insurance sector. We recall that this summer the Authority carried out unannounced checks and handed warnings in writing to two insurance companies regarding their management of prices for civil liability insurances, forcing them to correct all the irregularities they identified at the time.

Moreover, the Financial Supervisory Authority also says that the share of revenues from the sale of civil liability insurances continues to rank first at market level and has grown to 1.6 billion Euros in the first nine months of the year, slightly higher than the same period last year. Car insurances account for approximately 73% of the total gross insurance premiums for general insurances and nearly half of the total gross insurance premiums that companies have contracted in the aforementioned period. Additionally, the total value of gross civil liability insurance premiums last year stood at over 897 million Euros, by 29% more than the previous year, against the backdrop of an increase in the average premium.

5 December 2018
Alternative measures to imprisonment

Several days ago the US Department of State published its annual human rights report, criticising Romania for the conditions in its penitentiaries, which are overcrowded and below the standards set by the Council of Europe. In the absence of measures to address the situation, the forum in Strasbourg has threatened Bucharest with consistent fines, which Romanian taxpayers are by no means eager to pay.

Last year Romania passed a law reducing prison sentences for people having faced improper detention conditions. Under this law, for every 30 days spent in improper prison conditions since 2012, inmates have 6 days taken off their sentences.

And this is not the only measure taken by the authorities in this respect. On Monday, the Chamber of Deputies legal committee endorsed a draft law on alternative measures to prison sentences, which are not to apply to those who have committed violent crimes, to repeat offenders or those serving time for influence peddling and bribery.

Under the bill, inmates having served one-fifth of sentences of up to 5 years may switch to house arrest. Another alternative would be for them to do time at home on weekdays and stay in a detention centre on weekends. Two other proposals stipulate 20-day cuts for each scientific paper written while in prison, and house arrest for those with sentences under a year. Here is with more on the aforementioned bills from the Social Democratic MP Eugen Nicolicea, who is also the committees chairman:

Eugen Nicolicea: “If a judge has given a sentence of less than one year, it means the offence is not a major one and the offender poses no major social threats. Serious offenders cannot benefit from these provisions.

Rightist MP Stelian Ion, from Save Romania Union, has voiced the oppositions dissatisfaction with the laws:

Stelian Ion: “We must also think about the honest people in this country, who are very frustrated whenever they see that offenders are getting away with their crimes so easily. On the other hand, criminals are indirectly encouraged to carry on, knowing that they may rely on such a lax legislation.

The bills are to be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies for approval.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

24 April 2018