COMMEMORATION– Events marking 26 years since the anti-communist Revolution of December 1989 continued across Romania on Wednesday. Military and religious services were held to commemorate the soldiers who died in the line of duty to defend Romania’s largest airport, Otopeni, in the north of Bucharest. On December 23, 1989, 40 soldiers, mostly draftees, sent to beef up the troops guarding the airport, were mistakenly killed by the very troops they were supposed to back up. Following an inquiry that dragged on for years, the ground troop commanders involved in the incident have been given jail sentences. The Otopeni massacre, whose causes still remain unknown, is believed to be the bloodiest event in the 1989 Revolution in Bucharest.
INSOLVENCY LAW– The Romanian government on Wednesday decided to postpone, until December 31, 2016, the implementation of the provisions stipulated in the Law on the insolvency of natural persons. The one-year postponement of the law’s enforcement has been decided by the cabinet in the context in which part of the implementation mechanism is not ready yet and the methodological implementation norms have not been adopted. The law, which was approved by Parliament in May and should have taken effect on December 26, was drafted with the declared aim of supporting indebted Romanians to redress financially. The law on insolvency procedures for natural persons stipulates that any citizen who can no longer pay his or her debts, for objective reasons, stands the opportunity to space out his or her debts, based on a financial redressing plan, spanning a five year period.
SPECIAL PENSIONS LAW — Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, on Wednesday promulgated the law on special pensions for MPs. The bill was adopted in June, but it was sent back to Parliament for revision, by Klaus Iohannis. The law stipulates that MPs will benefit from this pension only if they have entirely completed at least one mandate. Deputies and Senators who have received final rulings for corruption, during their tenure, will not benefit from such pensions. The pension is calculated in accordance with the number of complete mandates, but no more than three. Consequently, an MP with one mandate will receive a monthly pension of 342 Euros, an MP with two mandates 685 Euros, and an MP with three mandates 1,017 Euros.
CHISHINAU– The Prime Minister designate of the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a majority Romanian speaking population, Ion Sturza, continues consultations with the parliamentary parties, with a view to forming a new government, at the end of a year during which three prime ministers have been replaced. After a first round of talks, the Liberal-Democrats have announced they will support the candidacy of Ion Sturza for the position of prime minister. However, in the current political context, he stands slim chances to be accepted as head of government, pundits say, after the Democratic Party and its 14 MPs who on Monday left the Communists’ Party said they would not support a cabinet led by Ion Sturza. Socialists will not vote for the cabinet, either, as they call for holding early elections. A well-known businessman, Ion Sturza says he wants to form a technocratic cabinet and has 14 days available to convince Parliament to offer it a vote of investiture.
AWARDS– Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Wednesday awarded the Romanian national women’s handball team for the good results it got at the World Championship in Denmark. He thanked the Romanian handball players for what they have done for Romania, saying their good results brought immense joy to the Romanians. The Romanian national women’s handball team on Sunday won the bronze medal of the World Championship in Denmark. Romania defeated Poland and thus got the first bronze medal in the last 10 years and the first bronze medal in the history of Romanian handball. In the competition played in Denmark, Cristina Neagu has been declared best left back and the most valuable player of the tournament. Romania is the only team to have participated in all editions of the World Championship since 1957, winning a gold medal (1962) and two silver medals in 1973 and 2005, respectively.
(Translated by: Diana Vijeu)
