PARLIAMENT — The laws on the judiciary were endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday, and are to be submitted to the Senate for a final vote. Previously, a special parliamentary committee passed the bill on the magistrate profession and the one regulating the organisation of the Higher Council of Magistracy. On Monday, the same committee passed the 3rd law in this package, the one concerning the organisation of courts. The bills were brought in line with the decisions of the Constitutional Court, after the Opposition and the High Court of Cassation and Justice challenged the changes adopted by Parliament. These changes include by-passing the President of Romania in the procedure for appointing the chiefs of the Supreme Court, and transferring this role to the Higher Council of Magistracy. The National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union, in Opposition, announced that the new amendments give them reasons to bring the new justice laws before the Constitutional Court again. In fact, Save Romania MPs resorted to an unusual protest in the Chamber of Deputies, where they lined up wearing T-shirts that read “#NoCriminals”. Some of the changes originally operated on the justice laws have generated large-scale protests among civil society and magistrates.
LA FRANCOPHONIE – On Tuesday, the Romanian Government hailed the celebration of the International Francophonie Day, and Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said that Romania was known as a beacon- state of Francophonie in Central and Eastern Europe. The Romanian Prime Minister stated that the group of francophone countries was among the first international structures that Romania joined after 1989. In 1991, Romania got the status of observer, and in 1993 it became a full member of the International Organisation of La Francophonie. In 2006 it played host to one of the organisation’s summits. Between December 2018 and July 2019, Bucharest and Paris will organise the Romania — France season, a large-scale joint project focusing on contemporary culture and creativity, as well as areas such as education, economy, sports and tourism.
CRIMEA – The Romanian Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday that Romania did not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea and of the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, and therefore it did not recognize the organisation of elections on that territory. Romania’s stand is shared by the other members of the EU as well. In a communiqué, Romania reaffirms its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighbouring Ukraine, within its legally acknowledged borders. Some 1.5 million voters were called to the polls in Crimea on Sunday to elect the president of Russia, exactly four years since the annexation of the peninsula.
SECURITY – The activities carried out in 2017 by institutions with security responsibilities in Romania and the main objectives for 2018 were high on the agenda of Tuesday’s meeting of the country’s Supreme Defence Council, headed by President Klaus Iohannis. The members of the council also analysed the activity of the structures responsible for cyber-security and other topics of interest with regard to national security. Seen as the umbrella of strategic ministries and enforcement institutions, the Supreme Defence Council gathered at the meeting top figures such as the Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, the ministers of internal affairs, external affairs, justice, economy and finance, the Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service Eduard Hellvig, the Deputy Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Silviu Predoiu and the Chief of the Romanian Army’s General Staff, General Nicolae Ciuca.
BREXIT — The European affairs ministers of the EU member states, including the Romanian Minister Victor Negrescu, discussed in Brussels on Tuesday the post-Brexit relations between the Union and the UK. On the occasion, the European Commission’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier presented the general principles for the transition period, i.e. March 2019 to December 2020. Previously, Barnier and London’s negotiator David Davis had announced having reached an agreement on these guidelines, which concern, among other things, the rights of the around 4.5 million European citizens living in the UK and the 1.2 million Britons in the EU. At the end of this week the text will be discussed by the EU leaders during a meeting of the European Council.
PROTESTS — In Bucharest, the SANITAS trade union federation on Tuesday picketed the headquarters of the Ministry for Public Finances. Unionists demanded, among other things, the implementation of pay raises for all healthcare and social assistance personnel as of March 1, the scrapping of the ceiling on bonuses and the offsetting of the income decrease caused by the implementation of a new pay scheme on January 1. Also on Tuesday, representatives of the National Federation of Trade Unions in Industry picketed the Economy Ministry, against the backdrop of discontent with the law regulating the national defence industry. The union president, Ioan Neagu, said that at the beginning of the year the Government was supposed to issue a resolution to regulate the number of employees that this industrial sector may absorb per year.
MOLDOVA – The pro-Russia socialist president of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon claims that Romania might become Moldova’s number one enemy, if it continues to support unionist movements. The former Moldovan ambassador to Bucharest Iurie Renita has termed the statement hysterical, and by no means reflecting the view of the majority population in Moldova. Dodon has accused Romania before of having tried to interfere with the republic’s internal affairs and has insisted that unionist organisations and manifestations be banned. In the past two months, in more than 120 communes and towns in the Republic of Moldova, mayors and local councils have adopted symbolic declarations of unification with Romania and on Sunday the capital Chisinau will host an event celebrating 100 years since the union of Bessarabia with Romania. A province with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population in the tsarist empire, Bessarabia united with Romania at the end of the first world war, on March 27th, 1918. Following an ultimatum, the Soviet Union re-annexed Bessarabia in 1940, and the Republic of Moldova was created on part of that territory.
MEETING – On Tuesday, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church Daniel received the Israeli Ambassador to Bucharest Tamar Samash. On the occasion, Daniel stressed the good relations that the Patriarchy has with the Jewish community in Romania. According to a press release, Daniel has stated that in the past years, thanks to pilgrimages to Israel, many Romanian orthodox believers have had the possibility to pray at the holy sites and to learn more about biblical tradition, and about common spiritual values. In turn the Israeli ambassador has stated that all joint projects help strengthen the relations between the two peoples and are proof of the Judeo — Christian heritage that laid the foundation of European culture.
HANDBALL – On Wednesday, Romania’s national women’s handball team will take on the Russian squad, away from home, in Togliatti, in the third game of the Euro 2018 preliminary group. The return game will take place in Cluj, north-western Romania, on Sunday. With two victories from the previous games, the Romanian players, trained by the Spanish Ambros Martin, are leaders of the group with 4 points, followed by Russia and Austria with 2 points each and Portugal with no points. The teams ranking first and second will qualify for the final tournament, due to take place in France in December.