Radio România Internațional

Tag: Kovesi

March 4, 2023 UPDATE

Earthquake — 46 years were marked on Saturday since the devastating earthquake of March 4, 1977, in Romania. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter scale, was strongly felt throughout the country, especially in the south and east. More than 1,500 people lost their lives then, most of them in Bucharest. Most of the deaths in Bucharest occurred as a result of the total or partial collapse of dozens of buildings. The 1977 earthquake had its epicenter in the Vrancea area (east), the most active in Romania. However, recent earthquakes in the south, where such phenomena are very rare, prompted the authorities to start a national campaign to evaluate the buildings where schools and hospitals are operating, to see if they are vulnerable to earthquakes. If this is the case, they will be refurbished, after previously identifying the funding sources. In Bucharest, the first rapid visual evaluations of buildings ahead of the consolidation process are to begin by September. Among the buildings that will have priority are the blocks of flats with at least three stories built before 1968, as well as the buildings where educational or medical units are operating. The Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration, Cseke Attila, declared on Saturday that almost 400 buildings from all over the country that are to be consolidated currently benefit from over 6 billion lei (about 1.2 billion Euros) worth of funding from national and European funds.

Greece — A Romanian citizen was identified among the people who died following the serious railway accident that took place in Greece, on the night of February 28 to March 1, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday. The Consulate General of Romania in Thessaloniki has informed the family of the deceased person, with whom they are in direct contact. The repatriation of the body will be carried out after the completion, by the Greek authorities, of all the specific procedures in such special situations, shows a Foreign Ministry press release. On Friday, more than 5,000 people demonstrated in Athens and Thessaloniki in memory of the 57 people who lost their lives in the railway accident on the railway line connecting the two cities. Violence was reported between the demonstrators and the police, who resorted to tear gas. The “Hellenic Train” company is accused of negligence that led to this catastrophe. The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appointed a commission of experts to investigate the causes of the accident.

Gaudeamus — In Craiova (south), the first stage of the Gaudeamus Book Fair Caravan, organized by Radio Romania, is taking place, which marks both the beginning of the national book fair season and of the spring season. Opened on March 1, the Fair is waiting for literature lovers until Sunday with almost 14,000 books published by over 50 of the most prestigious publishing houses in Romania and abroad, with games, teaching aid equipment and music, with debates, book launches and presentations and prize contests. For the first time in the history of almost three decades and 133 editions of the Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair, the honorary president of the Craiova Fair is a very young writer – Jonathan Agostino Ottobrino, a student who, up to the age of 12, has already had many achievements, having published two volumes and having won numerous literary prizes. After Craiova, Radio Romania will also organize Gaudeamus Book Fairs in Cluj-Napoca (north-west) in April, Oradea (west) in May, Sibiu (center) in August and Iasi (east) in September.

Climate — Romania has joined 17 other UN member states to request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on climate change, the Romanian Foreign Ministry informs. Initiated by the state of Vanuatu, the action aims to clarify the obligations of the countries of the world against the effects of climate change and to protect vulnerable states. So far, 112 of the 193 UN member countries have shown support for the initiative.

Kyiv – The European Public Prosecutors Office – EPPO is prepared to fight against criminals who hide the origin, destination or right of ownership of goods and assets that fall under the EU sanctions, said on Saturday the European Chief Prosecutor, the Romanian Laura Codruța Kovesi, who was in Ukraine where she participated in the “United For Justice” conference in Lviv. According to the official, this would help slow Russias war effort and, with confiscations following prosecutions, this would even help fund the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war. Laura Codruța Kovesi also said that she traveled to Ukraine to take a stand against the “new avatar of radical evil” and that the EPPO must also be given powers in the area of verifying compliance with EU sanctions against Russia.

Visit – The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, will travel to Japan on Monday, where he will pay a three-day official visit, during which he will have meetings with Emperor Naruhito and the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The main aim of the visit is to raise the bilateral relationship to the level of strategic partnership, by signing a joint declaration in this regard. Also next week, after the visit to Japan, president Klaus Iohannis will also pay a state visit to Singapore, the first at this level in the last 20 years. The visit is aimed at initiating bilateral investment projects, given that Romania has become the third largest supplier of IT services to Singapore from the European Union. (LS)

4 March 2023
Nachrichten 12.12.2022

In Bukarest hat die USR (Opposition) in der Abgeordnetenkammer einen einfachen Antrag gegen den Innenminister Lucian Bode eingereicht. Die Partei wirft Bode die gescheiterte Aufnahme Rumäniens in den Schengen-Raum vor. Nach Ansicht der USR sei der Minister gemeinsam mit Präsident Klaus Iohannis, den Vertretern der Parlamentsmehrheit und der Diplomatie in Bukarest verantwortlich. Die USR forderte auch Außenminister Bogdan Aurescu auf, an der Regierungsstunde im Parlament teilzunehmen, um die Situation zu erklären. Indes hat der Innenminister einen offenen Brief an seinen österreichischen Amtskollegen Gerhard Karner geschickt, in dem er seine tiefe Empörung über das österreichische Votum gegen den Schengen-Beitritt Rumäniens in der vergangenen Woche ausdrückt.

Nachdem Österreich den Beitritt abgelehnt hatte, kündigten Landwirte, Gewerkschaften und Geschäftsleute in Rumänien an, österreichische Unternehmen, einschließlich Tankstellen, zu boykottieren. Bundeskanzler Karl Nehammer sagte im öffentlich-rechtlichen Fernsehen in Wien, er sei überzeugt, dass das österreichische Veto im JI-Rat keine Konsequenzen für österreichische Unternehmen haben werde. Dabei handele es sich um zwei getrennte Fragen, nämlich um die Sicherheits- und die wirtschaftspolitische Dimension. Mehrere europäische Länder haben ihre große Enttäuschung über das Votum gegen den Beitritt Rumäniens und Bulgariens zur Freizügigkeitszone zum Ausdruck gebracht. Darüber hinaus erklärte die EU-Kommissarin für Inneres, Ylva Johansson, dass sie den Beitritt der beiden Länder zum Schengener Abkommen zu einer Priorität ihres Mandats machen werde.

In Bukarest haben die Fachausschüsse des Parlaments am Montag die ersten Stellungnahmen zu den Haushaltsentwürfen mehrerer Institutionen und Ministerien abgegeben. Die Geschäftsbereiche Bildung, Verkehr, Entwicklung und Verteidigung werden im nächsten Jahr mehr Mittel erhalten. Bereiche wie Energie, Justiz oder Gesundheit werden dafür im Jahr 2023 weniger Geld erhalten, hoffen aber auf zusätzliche Mittel bei künftigen Haushaltskorrekturen. Die Koalitionsparteien PSD, PNL und UDMR erklären, dass der Entwurf des Staatshaushalts für das kommende Jahr auf einem ihrer Meinung nach historischen Investitionsvolumen von 7,2% des BIP aufbaut. Der Entwurf ist auf ein Wirtschaftswachstum von 2,8% des BIP, eine jährliche Inflationsrate von 8%, eine steigende Zahl von Beschäftigten und eine auf 2,7% sinkende Arbeitslosenquote ausgelegt. Die Opposition kritisiert den Haushaltsentwurf. Laut der ökoliberalen USR seien die Prognosen der Regierung viel zu optimistisch und enthielten künstlich überhöhte Beträge. Die populistische AUR ist auch unzufrieden über die Unterfinanzierung einiger Ministerien. Sowohl die Regierung als auch die Opposition haben Änderungsanträge eingebracht. Die Schlussabstimmung über den Entwurf des Staatshaushalts und des Sozialversicherungsgesetzes ist für Donnerstag vorgesehen.

Der rumänische Justizminister Cătălin Predoiu ist am Montag in Luxemburg mit der Generalstaatsanwältin der Europäischen Staatsanwaltschaft (EPPO), Laura Codruța Kovesi, zusammengekommen. Laut einer Erklärung des Ministeriums in Bukarest sprachen die beiden Beamten über den Schutz der finanziellen Interessen der Europäischen Union, die Frage der EPPO-Personalressourcen und die Ausweitung ihrer Befugnisse auf Verstöße gegen EU-Sanktionen: Er sei überzeugt, dass der Dialog mit der EPPO Ideen und Lösungen hervorbringen kann“, auch für die Straffung der Zusammenarbeit zwischen nationalen Staatsanwälten und EPPO-Staatsanwälten. Sie hätten schließlich einen gemeinsamen Kampf gegen die Kriminalität, der sowohl die Interessen der EU als auch die nationalen Interessen der Mitgliedstaaten berühre“, sagte Catalin Predoiu.

Die Präsidentin des Europäischen Parlaments, Roberta Metsola, hat sich am Montag empört und traurig“ über den Korruptionsskandal im Europäischen Parlament erklärt. Die europäische Demokratie werde angegriffen, sagte sie. Auch die Präsidentin der Europäischen Kommission, Ursula Von der Leyen, forderte am Montag, dass die europäischen Institutionen mit hohen Standards der Unabhängigkeit und Integrität“ geführt werden. Der Hohe Vertreter der EU für auswärtige Angelegenheiten, Josep Borrell, bezeichnete die Tatsache, dass mehrere Personen, die mit dem Europäischen Parlament in Verbindung stehen, in Belgien angeklagt wurden, als äußerst besorgniserregend“. Die griechische Vizepräsidentin des Europäischen Parlaments, Eva Kaili, und drei weitere Personen waren in Belgien im Rahmen von Ermittlungen wegen Korruptionsverdachts im Zusammenhang mit dem Katar angeklagt und inhaftiert worden. Gegen die vier wurde Anklage wegen Mitgliedschaft in einer kriminellen Vereinigung, Geldwäsche und Korruption erhoben. In der Wohnung von Eva Kaili wurden bei den Durchsuchungen nach Angaben aus Justizkreisen angeblich Taschen voller Geld“ gefunden.

12 December 2022
November 5, 2022

LAW A government ordinance on capping firewood
prices is to be amended next week, so that it may offer real protection to those
using this material for heating, Environment Minister Tanczos Barna has told
Radio Romania. He explains the law, which has already been endorsed by the
Senate is going to be amended in the Chamber of Deputies so that firewood
become available on the market as soon as possible. According to Barna, several
alternatives are presently being considered, including that of granting vouchers
to the have-nots. A couple of days ago, Prime Minister Ciuca admitted the
80-euro capping per cubic meter of firewood, a measure implemented in
mid-October, failed to yield the desired result. The opposition USR has drawn
attention to the fact that the law has already caused irregularities on the firewood
market and urgent amendments are needed. At the same time the USR makes an
appeal to the main ruling parties to overcome disputes on capping energy prices
and focus on the risks concerning the winter supplies.

OPERATION The Europol on Friday announced the
apprehension of 382 people in late-October during an ample sting operation
involving the participation of police forces from 28 countries against traffic
networks mainly operating in the Balkans and southeastern Europe. According to
a Europol communiqué, the EMPACT operation, which also involved Romania,
focused on firearms, drugs and human trafficking. Most of the arrests have been
operated among migrant smugglers. 16 thousand police officers in the EU
countries have participated in the operation; they have been backed by their
colleagues in non-EU countries, which are part of the so-called crime network also
known as ‘the Balkans Route’.

EPPO ‘Corruption is present everywhere and there
is no corruption-free EU country’, the head of the European Public Prosecutor’s
Office, Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi said in Zagreb, Croatia, on Friday. If
Croatia, Bulgaria or Romania have more cases than other EU members, that
doesn’t mean they are more corrupt than others, the EU official has also said.
The EU chief prosecutor says that all the cases exposed are equally important whether
they involve ministers or common people. ‘All are equal before the law and
investigations should be conducted in the same way’, Kovesi went on to say.
According to her, the bureau she is heading is investigating over 12 hundred
cases. EPPO, to which 22 EU countries are participating, Romania included, is
an independent institution in charge of the investigation and prosecution of
offences against the EU budget, such as corruption and cross-border frauds of
over 10 million Euros in VAT.

MATCH The national
women’s handball side of Romania are today playing the Netherlands in their
first group C match of the European Championships. The competition is underway
in Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro between November 4 and 20.
Romania’s group also comprises France and North Macedonia. Romania has
participated in all editions of the aforementioned competition save for 2006
and their best result was a bronze medal in 2010. At the latest edition, in
2020, Romania ranked 12th.

INFRASTRUCTURE Authorities in Romania
on Friday announced that works for the new departure terminal at the Traian
Vuia International Airport in Timisoara, western Romania had officially begun.
At the same time, the 14 kilometer Timisoara East – Ronatz railway will be
streamlined under the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience. According to
Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu, the over 208 million euro contract will be
carried out by a group of Italian companies in three years and a half and will
include the building of nine passages, three bridges, a station and a stop; the
old stops and stations are to be upgraded as well as the present railway
infrastructure allowing for speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, Grindeanu
says. The project is a first step in the process of bringing the local railway
infrastructure up to European transport standards and authorities have pledged
to carry on the development of the railway infrastructure of the
Caransebes-Timisoara-Arad section.

(bill)

5 November 2022
11.07.2022 (mise à jour)

Déficit – Le déficit commercial de la Roumanie a progressé à 12,7 milliards d’euros durant les cinq premiers mois de l’année, soit une avancée de pas moins de 40% par rapport à la période similaire de l’année dernière, selon les chiffres de l’Institut national de la statistique. Durant cet intervalle, les exportations ont progressé de 28,1% à 49,6 milliards d’euros. Au mois de mai 2022, les exportations se sont élevées à 7,9 milliards d’euros et les importations à 10,7 milliards d’euros, d’où un déficit de 2,7 milliards d’euros.

Corruption – L’ancien ministre roumain de l’Agriculture, Adrian Chesnoiu, fait l’objet de poursuites pénales dans un dossier où il est accusé d’abus de fonction et d’instigation au fait de permettre à des personnes non-autorisées l’accès aux informations qui ne sont pas publiques. Selon les procureurs anticorruption, en sa qualité de ministre, Adrian Chesnoiu aurait déterminé un de ses subordonnés, membre de plusieurs commissions d’examen, de fournir à un des proches du ministre, une partie des sujets conçus pour les épreuves écrites pour l’occupation de 4 fonctions publiques. Les sujets auraient été livrés à 4 candidats agréés, dont seulement trois ont réussi leurs examens écrits et oraux, précisent encore les procureurs.

Moldova – La cheffe du Parquet Européen, la Roumaine Laura Codruţa Kovesi, se trouve ces jours-ci dans la capitale moldave, Chişinău, où elle doit rencontrer des représentants du gouvernement et la présidente Maia Sandu. Pour rappel, en janvier 2021, à Bruxelles, Maia Sandu déclarait à Mme Kovesi qu’elle souhaitait collaborer avec son institution afin de donner un coup de pouce aux réformes en justice de son pays, précise Radio Chisinau. Par ailleurs, une délégation du ministère moldave de l’Intérieur participait ce lundi pour la première fois au Conseil Justice et Affaires intérieures (JAI) de l’UE, à Prague. Dans un message posté sur les réseaux sociaux, la ministre moldave de l’Intérieur, Ana Revenco, a précisé qu’un des débats était consacré à l’élargissement de l’espace européen de sécurité, de sorte à y inclure aussi la République de Moldova.

Ukraine – Roumanie – La section des parquets militaire du Parquet général de la Roumanie a ouvert un dossier pénal sur des faits de crimes contre l’Humanité suite à l’invasion russe en Ukraine et aux conséquences des opérations militaires sur les citoyens de nationalité roumaine du pays voisin. L’attaque militaire russe est généralisée et méthodique, visant des sites tant militaires que civils, avec des bombardements contre des écoles, des hôpitaux, des centres commerciaux, ce qui eu un impact direct sur la population civile d’Ukraine, notent les procureurs militaires roumains. Selon eux, les conséquences de l’attaque sont particulièrement graves avec un grand nombre de décès, y compris parmi les enfants. Parallèlement, suite au trauma psychique provoquée par l’attaqua militaire de la Fédération de Russie, des millions de civils ont quitté le territoire de l’Ukraine, ayant à présent le statut de personnes réfugiées, y compris sur le territoire de la Roumanie, affirme le Parquet général de Bucarest.

Partenariat – Le chef de l’Etat roumain, Klaus Iohannis, a salué le 25ème anniversaire du Partenariat stratégique roumano-américain. C’est un des documents fondamentaux de la politique étrangère et de sécurité de notre pays, a fait savoir l’Administration présidentielle dans un communiqué. Selon Klaus Iohannis, un des objectifs communs des deux pays est l’adhésion de la Roumanie au programme d’exemption de visa, Visa Waiver. Pour sa part, le premier ministre Nicolae Ciuca a affirmé que le Partenariat stratégique avec les Etats-Unis était une priorité pour la Roumanie, de tous les points de vue. La Roumanie poursuivra ses efforts pour renforcer ses capacités de défense et de résilience afin qu’elle se conduise comme un allié important et de confiance de Washington dans la région, véritable pilier de stabilité sur le flanc Est de l’Alliance, a conclu le chef du cabinet de Bucarest. Par ailleurs, neuf ex-ambassadeurs américains à Bucarest affirment dans une lettre que le Partenariat stratégique avec la Roumanie s’est avéré un des meilleurs investissements des Etats Unis en Europe et l’inclusion de notre pays au programme Visa Waiver constituera un amplificateur « puissant ». Les anciens diplomates affirment aussi que la Roumanie joue un rôle décisif pour la défense et le renforcement du Flanc est de l’OTAN, ainsi que dans la consolidation de la stabilité et de la sécurité dans toute la région de la mer Noire.

Covid – La Roumanie se confronte à une recrudescence des cas de Covid. Le ministre de la Santé, Alexandru Rafila, estime que le nombre de cas de contamination quotidiens pourrait se monter à 10.000 d’ici fin août. Heureusement, les nouvelles souches s’avèrent moins sévères en termes de symptômes, a-t-il rassuré. Du coup, le ministre recommande aux Roumains de se faire vacciner d’une nouvelle dose à partir du septembre quand les nouveaux sérums seront disponibles en Roumanie aussi. A l’heure où l’on parle, le pays dispose d’un stock de 8,5 millions de doses auxquelles s’ajouteront 8 millions de doses supplémentaires d’ici la fin de l’année. Entre-temps, les autorités appellent les médecins à retrousser leurs manches et à se préparer pour une nouvelle vague pandémique.

Météo – Dans les 24 prochaines heures les températures baisseront en Roumanie notamment dans le nord du pays où le ciel sera plutôt couvert et l’on attend de la pluie. En revanche, il fera beau sur le reste du territoire. Les maxima de mardi iront de 21 à 30 degrés. On attend 28 degrés mardi à midi à Bucarest.

11 July 2022
July 11, 2022

PARTNERSHIP Romanian president Klaus
Iohannis has hailed the anniversary of 25 years since the launch of the
Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States of America
describing the document as one of the pillars of Romania’s foreign and security
policy, says a communiqué issued by the Presidential Administration in
Bucharest. According to Iohannis a common objective assumed by the two
countries is Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver programme and both sides
are making efforts in this respect. In turn, Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca
said the Strategic Partnership with the USA in all its cooperation dimensions
has become a priority for Romania. The country will continue to consolidate its
defence and resilience to be a staunch and reliable ally of the USA in the
region, a pillar of stability for NATO and EU’s eastern flank, Ciuca added.

DEFICIT According to
the National Institute for Statistics, Romania’s trade deficit went up to 12.7
billion euros in the first five months of the year, 40% more than in the
similar period last year. Exports rose by 23.5% to reach 36.9 billion euros and
imports by 28.1% to amount to 49.6 billion euros. In May this year, exports
totaled 7.9 billion euros while imports stood at 10.7 billion with a deficit
of 2.7 billion.

WAR Russian forces continued to bomb eastern Ukraine, killing at least 15
people in an attack, which destroyed a residential building in Chasiv Yar on
Sunday. Authorities have reported five rocket attacks and massive artillery
shelling against the populated cities in the regions of Lugansk and Donetsk.
Russian artillery attacks have also included civilian targets in the region and
according to British experts, the Russian troops are making small headway. The
Russian Defence Ministry has accused the Ukrainians of placing civilians and
weapons in schools and other civilian buildings in several localities in
Donetsk and Kharkiv. Experts say that Russians are making progress in eastern
Ukraine as they managed to deploy more troops and resources in the region than the Ukrainians. The
situation could become balanced through a counterattack by Ukrainian forces
which are now relying on modern military equipment from the West. The latest military
aid announced by the USA stays at 400 million dollars worth of four HIMARS rocket
systems to be added to the 8 Kyiv already uses while the 155 mm cannons with intelligent ammunition have already been
deployed.

COVID-19 Romania is seeing a
rising number of Covid-19 infections and its Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila,
says the country is in for a peak of infections at the end of this summer,
where the number of daily cases might reach 10 thousand. Luckily, the new
variants are less aggressive and the minister recommends anti-Covid vaccination
in autumn when new vaccines are to appear. According to Rafila, the new vaccine
is to arrive in Romania in September and the country is presently relying on
8.5 million doses. Authorities have recommended hospitals to get ready for a
wave of the pandemic and reactivate their action plans.

VISIT The European Chief Prosecutor, Laura
Codruta Kovesi, is to arrive today in Chisinau, capital of the ex-soviet
Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova. Until July 14, the EU official is to hold
talks with government officials, including the country’s president Maia Sandu.
In January Sandu told Kovesi that she wanted to cooperate with the European
institution in order to give an impetus to the legal reforms in the republic.
In another development, a delegation of the Moldovan Interior Ministry will
today participate in the in the EU’s JHA Council underway in Prague. In a
Facebook post, Minister Ana Revenco said the talks would also focus on the
enlargement of the EU security space to also include the Republic of Moldova.

(bill)

11 July 2022
11.07.2022

Déficit
– Le déficit commercial de la Roumanie a progressé à 12,7 milliards d’euros
durant les cinq premiers mois de l’année, soit une progression de pas moins de 40%
par rapport à la période similaire de l’année dernière, selon les chiffres de
l’Institut national de la statistique. Durant cet intervalle, les exportations
ont progressé de 28,1% à 49,6 milliards d’euros. Au mois de mai 2022, les
exportations se sont élevées à 7,9 milliards d’euros et les importations à 10,7
milliards d’euros, d’où un déficit de 2,7 milliards d’euros.

Partenariat – Le chef de l’Etat roumain, Klaus Iohannis, a salué le 25ème anniversaire du Partenariat stratégique roumano-américain. C’est un des documents fondamentaux de la politique étrangère et de sécurité de notre pays, a fait savoir l’Administration présidentielle dans un communiqué. Selon Klaus Iohannis, un des objectifs communs des deux pays est l’adhésion de la Roumanie au programme d’exemption de visa, Visa Waiver. Pour sa part, le premier ministre Nicolae Ciuca a affirmé que le Partenariat stratégique avec les Etats-Unis était une priorité pour la Roumanie, de tous les points de vue. La Roumanie poursuivra ses efforts pour renforcer ses capacités de défense et de résilience afin qu’elle se conduise comme un allié important et de confiance de Washington dans la région, véritable pilier de stabilité sur le flanc Est de l’Alliance, a conclu le chef du cabinet de Bucarest.

Kovesi à Chisinau – La cheffe du Parquet européen, la Roumaine, Laura Codruta Kovesi, était attendue ce lundi à Chisinau pour une visite de trois jours consacrée à une série d’entretiens avec les responsables moldaves dont la présidente, Maia Sandu. En janvier 2021, lors d’une entrevue à Bruxelles, avec Laura Codruta Kovesi, la numéro 1 moldave se disait désireuse de collaborer avec l’institution européenne afin de donner un coup de pouce aux réformes de la justice dans son pays, rappelle Radio Chisinau. Par ailleurs, une délégation du Ministère moldave des Affaires Intérieures participera en première au Conseil Justice et Affaires Intérieures de l’UE qui se déroule aujourd’hui, à Prague. Dans un commentaire sur Facebook, la ministre Ana Revenco précise que les pourparlers porteront aussi sur l’élargissement de l’espace de sécurité européenne qui comportera aussi la République de Moldova.

Covid – La Roumanie se confronte à une recrudescence des cas de Covid. Le ministre de la Santé, Alexandru Rafila, estime que le nombre de cas de contamination quotidiens pourrait se monter à 10.000 d’ici fin août. Heureusement, les nouvelles souches s’avèrent moins sévères en termes de symptômes, a-t-il rassuré. Du coup, le ministre recommande aux Roumains de se faire vacciner d’une nouvelle dose à partir du septembre quand les nouveaux sérums seront disponibles en Roumanie aussi. A l’heure où l’on parle, le pays dispose d’un stock de 8,5 millions de doses auxquelles s’ajouteront 8 millions de doses supplémentaires d’ici la fin de l’année. Entre-temps, les autorités appellent les médecins à retrousser leurs manches et à se préparer pour une nouvelle vague pandémique.

Festivals – Le rideau est tombé sur la quatrième édition du festival Neversea, le plus grand événement de musique d’Europe, déroulé sur une plage. Quatre jours et nuits, plus de 150 artistes de plus de 20 pays se sont succédés sur la scène spécialement aménagée pour l’occasion. Et puis dimanche encore, ce fut la fin de la XXVIème édition du Festival international de jazz de Gărâna, dans le département de Caraș Severin, dans l’ouest du pays. Il s’agit d’un des festivals les plus importants de jazz de cette partie de l’Europe.

Ukraine – Les forces russes ont continué à bombarder l’est de l’Ukraine et ont tué au moins 15 personnes dimanche dans une frappe contre un immeuble résidentiel à Tchassiv, dans la région de Donetsk. Cinq attaques à missiles et quatre bombardements « massifs » à l’artillerie ont eu lieu contre les régions peuplées à la frontière entre les régions de Lougansk et Donetsk, a déclaré le gouverneur du Lougansk. Les forces russes ont bombardé aussi des cibles civiles de la région et continuent à faire des petits progrès, selon les spécialistes britanniques. Le ministère russe de la Défense a accusé les forces Ukrainiennes d’installer des soldats et de l’armement dans les écoles et les immeubles civils de plusieurs localités de Donetsk et Kharkiv. Selon les analystes, le rapport des forces dans l’est de l’Ukraine semble être toujours favorable à l’armée russe qui a réussi à déployer sur le terrain beaucoup plus de moyens de combat que celle ukrainienne. Mais cette situation pourrait changer suite à une contre-offensive de Kiev, menée avec l’aide de l’armement moderne que l’Occident à fourni à l’Ukraine. Les Etats Unis ont annoncé une aide de 400 millions de dollars. Quatre nouveaux lance – missiles HIMARS s’ajouteront aux huit qui existent déjà et les obusiers de 155 mm munis de munitions intelligents ont déjà été déployés sur le terrain. Le défi des forces ukrainiennes est de transporter et de déployer les nouveaux systèmes d’armement.

Météo – Temps assez frisquet sur la majorité des régions, à l’exception de l’extrémité sud et sud-est, où les maximas tournent autour des moyennes pluriannuelles. Ciel couvert sur le nord, le nord-est et le centre, ainsi qu’en montagne, où des pluies et des orages sont attendues. Ciel variable sur le reste du pays, avec des pluies isolées. Les maxima vont de 20 à 29 degrés.

11 July 2022
The Section for the Investigation of the magistrates is being dismantled

The story of one of the most controversial
structures in the Romanian judiciary is coming to an end these days. The
government in Bucharest on Monday endorsed a draft law on dismantling the
special Section for the Investigation of the Judiciary, known in Romania as
SIIJ. The head of the coalition government, Liberal Nicolae Ciucă, has recalled
that this is an objective Romania has also assumed within the Cooperation and
Verification Mechanism (CVM) through which Brussels has been monitoring the
rule of law in Romania ever since the country’s entry into the European Union
in 2007.

Under the new amendments, other structures
have been authorized to take over the SIIJ files and their resolutions are to
be made public within 60 days since the law has come into effect, by the
Prosecutor’s Office with the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the other
the competent offices, which are carrying on work on the aforementioned files.

High-ranking prosecutors and justices
accused of various offences are to be investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office
with the High Court of Cassation and Justice whereas the other prosecutors and
judges by prosecutor’s offices of other courts.

The jobs in the organizational chart of
the SIIJ will remain in the organizational chart of the Prosecutor’s Office
with the High Court of Cassation and Justice, part of the Penal and Crime Investigation
Department. Starting with the date of the SIIJ dismantling, its prosecutors,
including those in higher positions, will be returning to the prosecutor’s
offices they belonged to. The aforementioned draft will be submitted for
Parliament debates and approval.

The largest part of the press in
Bucharest, as well as legal experts, have constantly denounced the SIIJ as a
means of putting pressure on the magistrates and hindering Romania’s anti-graft
actions.

The initiator of this project was believed
to be the former Social Democratic strongman Liviu Dragnea who had dominated
Romania’s political life for a couple of years before being arrested on corruption
charges in 2019.

The present head of European Public
Prosecutor’s Office, EPPO, Laura Codruta Kovesi, who had previously headed
Romania’s Anti-Corruption Directorate with unmatched effectiveness, confessed
shortly before her dismissal by president Klaus Iohannis in June 2018,
following a Constitutional Court ruling, that in those years, the biggest
challenge for the Romanian judiciary was keeping its judges and prosecutors
independent.

There have been repeated tries at
amending the anti-corruption legislation in order to limit the legislative
instruments used by anti-corruption prosecutors or attempts at decriminalizing
some actions. There were situations in which requests for lifting the immunity
of corrupt politicians had been turned down, Kovesi went on to say.

(bill)

15 February 2022
June 1, 2021 UPDATE

NATO The head of the Romanian diplomacy
Bogdan Aurescu on Tuesday attended the online special meeting of the foreign
ministers in the NATO member countries. High on the meeting’s agenda were
preparations for the upcoming NATO summit on June 14th. Minister Aurescu
referred to the NATO 2030 reflection process and the decision on a new
strategic concept that might be taken at the upcoming summit, adding that these
processes would offer the Alliance the strategic vision it needs for an
increased role as a political-military alliance. The Romanian official has
underlined the need for boosting the political dimension of the alliance and
its consolidation from a military viewpoint. He pleaded for strengthening
NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, pointing out to the need for an increased
NATO presence in the Black Sea area, the Eastern flank and for stepped up
support for its partners. In another development the Romanian Defence Minister
Nicolae Ciuca on Tuesday attended the online meeting of his NATO counterparts
coordinated from the NATO headquarters in Brussels by the alliance’s Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg. The meeting’s agenda focused on the coordinated of
NATO 2030 process with emphasis on deterrence, defence, resilience, innovation
for NATO partners.

TENNIS
Romanian-German pair Horia Tecau/Kevin Krawietzon Tuesday qualified for the
second round of the men’s doubles contest of the Roland Garros tournament after
a victory against Ariel Behar of Uruguay and Gonzalo Escobar of Ecuador. In the
singles contest, Romanian Ana Bogdan has qualified for the third round after
the world’s number two player Naomi Osaka withdrew from the competition. The
other Romanians in the competition are Mihaela Buzarnescu who will be up
against Serena Williams on Wednesday and Sorana Cirstea who will be playing
Italian Martina Trevisan. Injuries have prevented the world’s number three
tennis player Simona Halep, who reaped the trophy in 2018, to participate in
this year’s edition of the famous French tournament.

COVID-19 The number of COVID-19 infections remains
very low in Romania with an infection rate below one per thousand in all its
counties. 241 new cases were reported on Tuesday out of 28 thousand tests
conducted. The vaccination rollout is carried on in Romania with a new stage
due to begin on Wednesday targeting children with ages between 12 and 15 after
the European Medicines Agency has authorized the vaccine for this age bracket.
Since the vaccine rollout kicked off in late December, more than 3 million
Romanians have been fully vaccinated.

MEASURES New relaxation measures against
the background of a contained Covid-19 pandemic came into effect in Romania on
June 1st. Private parties can be attended by a limited number of
individuals and fans are allowed to attend indoor sporting events. Clubs and
discos have opened as well as indoor swimming pools and playgrounds. The number
of people attending these events is limited but could be higher if all are
vaccinated. Outdoor cultural events can be attended by 1000 people at the most.
All these events are allowed if the infection rate in their area stays under
three per thousand. Indoor mask mandates have been lifted for those vaccinated
in offices with five workers at the most.

DAY Theatre performances, concerts,
creative workshops and guided tours were staged on the International Children’s
Day Romania celebrates on June 1st. Several public institutions in Bucharest hosted
a series of events for the little ones. At the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis inaugurated an exhibition entitled ‘Fantastic
Childhood’, created by several artists around the country to celebrate the
purity and sincerity of childhood and art. Children were able to visit the palace,
the halls where Parliament stages its sessions, the presidential office, the
press room and the hall of fame. Theatre performances, concerts and various work
shops were also being staged for the children of asylum seekers in Romania,
most of them coming from countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria and Iraq.

EPPO The EU Public Prosecutor’s Office EPPO
headed by Laura Codruta Kovesi the former chief of Romania’s Anticorruption
Directorate, started its activity on Tuesday. The new body is to deal with community
fund frauds and recover money from fraudsters. EPPO prosecutors are expected to
investigate roughly three thousand files a year. According to estimates by the
European Chief Prosecutor, corruption, embezzlement and various types of fraud
are causing annual losses to the EU budget of 500 million euros. The new
European institution has an annual budget of 45 million euros. Five EU members
aren’t participating in the EPPO.

(bill)

1 June 2021
June 1, 2021

NATO The head of the Romanian diplomacy
Bogdan Aurescu is today participating in the online special meeting of the
foreign ministers in the NATO member countries. High on the meeting’s agenda
are the preparations for the upcoming NATO summit on June 14th. According
to a communiqué issued by the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, the ministers are
going to also have talks over the NATO 2030 decisions package, which are to be
endorsed in the upcoming summit. Also high on the agenda are the latest
developments in the security environment, the threats posed by Russia and the
future of NATO-Afghanistan relation. Minister Aurescu is expected to highlight
Romania’s objectives related to the upcoming summit, reiterating Bucharest’s
pledges for the outcome of the NATO 2030 reflection process as well as for the
adoption of a new strategic concept for the alliance. The Romanian minister
will also be pleading for strengthening the alliance’s deterrence and defence
posture on the entire eastern flank, given the latest developments in the
region. Aurescu will also brief participants on the inauguration in Bucharest
on Monday of the Euroatlantic Resilience Center, Romania’s concrete strategic
contribution to consolidating the resilience of NATO, its allies as well as of
the EU, its members and partners.

DAY Theatre performances, concerts,
creative workshops and guided tours are being staged on the International
Children’s Day Romania celebrates today. Several public institutions in
Bucharest are hosting a series of events for the little ones. At the Cotroceni
Palace in Bucharest, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has inaugurated an
exhibition entitled ‘Fantastic Childhood’, created by several artists around
the country to celebrate the purity and sincerity of childhood and art.
Children are today able to visit the palace, the halls where Parliament stages
its sessions, the presidential office, the press room and the hall of fame. The
Romanian gendarmerie has planned several demonstrative events involving its dog
units and mounted patrols. The Bucharest police are also staging a series of
educational events on detective activities. Theatre performances, concerts and
various shops are also being staged for the children of asylum seekers in
Romania, most of them coming from countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria
and Iraq.

RELAXATION New relaxation measures against
the background of a contained Covid-19 pandemic are to come into effect today
in Romania. Outdoor cultural and entertaining activities can be attended by 1,000
people depending on the infection rate in their region. Participants must be
fully vaccinated at least 10 days before the event or produce a negative rapid
or PCR test. Private events, like weddings and other festive activities can be
attended by 70 people at the most. Indoor activities are limited to 50 people
while various facilities staging sporting events are allowed to function at 25%
of their capacity. Gyms and swimming pools can now function at 70% of their
capacity but the number of participants is not limited if all of them are
vaccinated. Accommodation facilities in seaside resorts are allowed to function
at 85% of their capacity. Indoor mask mandates have been lifted for those
vaccinated in offices with five workers at the most.

EPPO The EU Public Prosecutor’s Office EPPO
headed by Laura Codruta Kovesi the former chief of Romania’s Anticorruption
Directorate, is starting activity today. The new body is to deal with community
fund frauds and recover money from fraudsters. EPPO prosecutors are expected to
investigate roughly three thousand files a year. According to estimates by the
European Chief Prosecutor, corruption, embezzlement and various types of fraud
are causing annual losses to the EU budget of 500 million euros. The new
European institution has an annual budget of 45 million euros. Five EU members
aren’t participating in the EPPO.

(bill)

1 June 2021
$La Section pour l’enquête des infractions en justice, supprimée$

La Section pour l’enquête des infractions en justice, supprimée

Créée en 2018, pendant la gouvernance sociale-démocrate, la Section pour l’enquête des infractions en justice, appelée en bref Section spéciale, est désormais supprimée. Le long de sa courte existence, elle a fait l’objet de nombreuses controverses et la décision du gouvernement de Bucarest de la dissoudre est en accord avec les recommandations des institutions européennes et internationales.

On dit que cette Section a été inventée par le Parti social-démocrate pour sauver ses membres concernés par des enquêtes pénales et pour sanctionner les magistrats intransigeants. Une de ses décisions les plus controversées et les plus médiatisées a été le placement sous contrôle judiciaire de Laura Codruța Kovesi, ancienne cheffe du Parquet anticorruption de Roumanie, bien que celle-ci eut obtenu des résultats remarquables dans son travail, notamment par la condamnation pour corruption de plusieurs magistrats et hommes politiques importants. Le contrôle judiciaire a été imposé à Laura Codruța Kovesi lorsqu’elle était en pleine période de recrutement pour la fonction de procureur général européen, qu’elle a d’ailleurs fini par obtenir. Les interdictions de quitter le pays et de discuter avec la presse ont été levées tout de suite par la Cour suprême, qui a constaté que les conditions nécessaires pour lancer les poursuites pénales à l’encontre de Mme Kovesi n’étaient pas remplies.

Selon le bilan du ministère Public pour 2019, la Section pour l’enquête des infractions commises par les magistrats n’a finalisé que 2 réquisitoires – sur les 417 dossiers : 415 ont été classés et aucun dossier de corruption n’a été déféré à la justice. Rien d’étonnant donc que les résultats de cette structure soient considérés comme honteux par l’actuel ministre de la Justice, Stelian Ion, qui affirme aussi que la suppression de cette institution est un acte de normalité :

Stelian Ion : « La justice ne commence pas et ne s’achève pas avec la Section pour l’investigation des infractions en justice. Il y a beaucoup d’autres problèmes. Sa suppression a été assumée dans (notre) programme de gouvernance, par le mémorandum qui prévoit des pas importants en vue de la levée du Mécanisme de coopération et de vérification de l’UE (MCV), puisque tous les organismes européens, le GRECO (Le groupe d’Etats contre la corruption), la Commission de Venise, la Commission européenne, dans les rapports MCV, ont déclaré à l’unisson que la création de cette section avait été un pas en arrière. »

Dans l’opposition, le sénateur social-démocrate Robert Cazanciuc, ancien ministre de la Justice, a critiqué le projet de suppression de cette Section. A son avis, ce geste relève de l’ingérence dans les affaires de la justice, surtout que le projet qui supprime cette institution a reçu l’avis négatif du Conseil supérieur de la magistrature. Pas vrai, répond le ministre actuel Stelian Ion, rappelant qu’au moment où la proposition de créer cette section avait été lancée, le Conseil supérieur de la magistrature s’y était opposé avec véhémence. Le ministre précise aussi que tout le monde souhaite revenir au contexte précédant cette création et que les dossiers concernant les magistrats retourneront aux parquets compétents, à savoir les dossiers de crime organisé – au Parquet antiterrorisme, les faits de corruption – au Parquet anticorruption et les autres – aux parquets près les cours d’appel et du Parquet général. (trad. Valentina Beleavski)

19 February 2021
3 June, 2020

Coronavirus
Romania. Coronavirus
infections pass 19,600 in Romania, while the death toll goes up to 1,288. More than 13,800 have recovered. The
authorities say the country is on a downward trend as far as new cases are
concerned, with increasingly fewer serious cases and a low community transmission
rate. Now is the time to start testing the population to establish the scale of
infection, said the health minister Nelu Tataru. He signed an order to approve
this survey, which is to be coordinated by the National Institute for Public
Health. The testing will be carried out from June to September and will involve
the harvesting of 29,000 samples, with the first results expected in autumn.
The health minister says this survey is necessary to be able to establish
future public health protection measures.

Coronavirus
world. Global coronavirus infections near 6.4 million, while the death toll
stands at 380,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
More than a quarter of confirmed cases, 1.8 million, were reported in the
United States, which also has the highest death toll, 106,000. Brazil saw a new
record number of deaths, with the total number passing 30,000. In Europe,
Russia has the highest number of cases, 423,000, while the UK has the highest death
toll, almost 40,000. To prevent a second wave, everyone arriving in the UK as
of 8th June will be asked to self-isolate. A series of restrictions
remain in place in Italy, which is today opening its borders with the Schengen
countries. 20 European states, including Germany, Denmark, Belgium Switzerland,
Poland, Romania, Russia and Hungary, have not yet resumed flights to Italy.

Repatriation. The
foreign ministry in Bucharest says that on 1st June it facilitated
the repatriation of 70 Romanian citizens from Turkey and another 190 from the
UK, as they were stranded abroad following travel restrictions to curb the
pandemic. The Romanian authorities also facilitated the return of two Turkish
citizens, two Greek citizens and an Iranian citizen who had their residence in
Romania. As part of the move, 124 foreign nationals were able to travel to the
UK and 58 Turkish nationals to Turkey.

Middle East. In a telephone conversation with
his Israeli counterpart Gabriel
Ashkenazi, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu conveyed
Romania’s full readiness to deepen and expand bilateral cooperation in all
areas of mutual interest. The two officials agreed to hold, most likely in the
first part of next year, a third joint meeting of their respective cabinets.
They also hailed the excellent level of Romanian-Israeli relations, which have
been consolidated over seven decades of uninterrupted diplomatic ties and
expressed their appreciation for Israel’s community of Romanian origin. The
Romanian foreign minister reiterated his country’s constant support for the
consolidation of the EU-Israel dialogue, including with respect to the peace
process in the Middle East. In this context, minister Aurescu reaffirmed
Romania’s support for a sustainable solution founded on the co-existence, in
peace and security, of two states, Israel and Palestine.

GRECO. Rule of law is one of the fundamental values of the
European Union, lying at its very foundation. Preserving it and holding
responsible those who abuse the confidence of the European citizens is
essential in maintaining the legitimacy of the Union, especially in a time of
crisis of confidence, warns the Chief European Public Prosecutor Laura Kovesi
in a feature article in the annual report of the Council of Europe’s
anticorruption body, the Group of States against Corruption or GRECO. Kovesi,
who formerly headed Romania’s Anticorruption Directorate, said the creation of
the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which will become operational at the
end of the year, is an important step in this direction, with the potential to
completely change the paradigm in the field of criminal justice. She also said
she wanted the new body to be a flexible, result-oriented institution, whose
effectiveness of proceedings will be accompanied by strict compliance with the
fundamental guarantees of the persons who are subject to the investigations.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office will be an independent institution in
charge of investigating, prosecuting and
bringing to judgment crimes against the EU budget, such as fraud, corruption or
cross-border VAT fraud involving more than 10 million euros.

US protests. Tens
of thousands of Americans again took to the streets on Tuesday for the 8th
day in a row to protest against the death of a black man, George Floyd, after a
white police officer knelt on his neck for 8 minutes. Demonstrations were held
in many cities across the US. In Washington, protesters defied an overnight
curfew, while New York saw violent clashes and looting. The former US president
George W. Bush said the protesters should be heard, while the Democratic
leaders continued to criticise Donald Trump, who stood for a tough response to
maintain order and who even threatened to call in the army. Anti-racism
protests were also held on Tuesday night in France, with clashes between
protesters and the security forces taking place in Paris. The French protesters
called for justice in the case of Adama Traoré, a 24-old man who died in police
custody four years ago.

3 June 2020
The Week in Review, May 4-9

Coronavirus in Romania

Almost 15 thousand people infected and close to one thousand deaths have been reported in Romania since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. President Klaus Iohannis has warned that the situation has not improved and that the pandemic has not passed. However, he said the state of emergency, in force in the country in mid-March, will not be extended after May 15 and will be replaced by a state of alert. In a first stage, hairdressers and barbers shops will be opened, along with dentist practices and museums, and people will be allowed to leave their homes without a sworn statement regarding the purposes of traveling. Wearing protection masks will be mandatory, including on public transport. However, restrictions will not be eased to quarantined localities such as Suceava, Tandarei and two neighbourhoods in Buzau.

Constitutional Court rejects increases in fines

The Constitutional Court of Romania admitted the claim filed by the Ombudsman against the emergency government decree that established sanctions for non-compliance with the rules of quarantine and isolation. In other words, the fines were declared unconstitutional. However, the fines will not be automatically annulled but they must be challenged in Court. The Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic Orban reacted to the decision, saying the ruling of the Constitutional Court prevents the Government, the authorities, from protecting the health and lives of the Romanians. In turn, the Finance Minister Florin Citu has said that the role of the large fines was not to bring money to the budget, but to reduce the risk of further spread. Previously, Interior Minister Marcel Vela admitted to situations of abuse by the police when handing out fines during checks on free circulation. Since the state of emergency has been announced, the fines received by the Romanian citizens for not observing restrictions in place stand at around 120 million euros.

ECHR versus CCR

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled in favour of Laura Codruţa Kövesi, head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, regarding her dismissal in July 2018 from her position as Chief Prosecutor of the Romanian National Anti-Corruption Directorate. Kovesi took her case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg arguing that when she was dismissed, in 2018, by a decree of President Klaus Iohannis, following a decision of the Constitutional Court, two of her fundamental rights had been infringed. The ECHR ruled that Kovesi was denied the right to a fair trial, as she could not defend her case in court, and also the right to freedom of expression and that she was unjustly dismissed before the end of her second term. Laura Codruta Kovesi, who is now the first chief prosecutor of the European Union, did not ask for damages in this case, saying the burden would have been put on the shoulders of Romanian taxpayers.

The crisis after the pandemic

Romanias economy will go down by 6% this year, according to the EU Spring Economic Forecast. The European Union will be experiencing the deepest recession in its history, the European Commissioner for the Economy, Paolo Gentiloni announced on Wednesday. He added that the European economy will contract by a record 7.4%. According to Gentiloni, Romania is expected to report a budget deficit of at least 8%. Actually, almost all the other EU Member States are expected to report higher deficits because they have to support the economy with liquidities and to protect jobs. In Romania the unemployment rate will reach 6.5 % in 2020 and 5.4% in 2021. As regards the inflation rate, it will reach 2.5% in 2020 and it is going to rise next year.

Romania supports Moldova

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 outbreak, reached its destination on Thursday. The convoy was accompanied by an official delegation including the Romanian health minister Nelu Tătaru, the head of the Emergency Situations Department Raed Arafat and the secretary of state for relations with the Republic of Moldova, Ana Guţu. The Government in Bucharest decided to grant Moldova humanitarian aid worth 3.5 million euros 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.

Autonomy during pandemic

Romanias Senate dismissed, by a comfortable majority, a controversial bill regarding the autonomy of the so-called Szekler Land in central Romania, under which this region would have been turned into an autonomous legal entity. The bill was initially passed automatically by the Chamber of Deputies, through a procedure roughly equivalent to what is known as pocket veto, without debates, in the form tabled by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians. The so-called Szekler Land is a region in central Romania mostly inhabited by ethnic Hungarians, and comprises the counties of Covasna, Harghita and part of Mureș County. The bill defined the borders of the territory that would have become the Szekler Land, which was supposed to have its own administrative organisation, its own institutions, using Hungarian as an official language and the official symbols of the Hungarian nation.

It was the turn of the Chamber of Deputies to reject a draft Administrative Code that has tacitly passed the Senate. Also initiated by UDMR, it allowed for the use of national minority languages in local administration and public institutions in the localities where minorities represent more than 20% of the population and for the hoisting of the Szekler flag on public institutions. President Klaus Iohannis accused the Social Democratic Party—the largest Opposition party in Romania— who control both Parliament chambers, of complicity with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians and with Budapest. The PSD leaders dismissed the accusations.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

9 May 2020
EGMR fällt Urteil in der Affäre Kövesi

Die Stra‎ßburger Richter befanden, dass der rumänische Staat der damaligen Behördenleiterin der Schwerpunkt-Staatsanwaltschaft gegen Korruption, Laura Codruţa Kövesi durch die vorzeitige Entlassung Unrecht zugefügt hat. Sie habe gegen die willkürliche Absetzung keine Rechtsbehelfe gehabt, stellte der EGMR fest. Kövesi klagte in Stra‎ßburg, dass bei der Absetzung durch Präsident Klaus Iohannis im Juli 2018, zu der er von einer Entscheidung des Verfassungsgerichts gezwungen wurde, zwei Grundrechte verletzt worden waren. Zum Einen der Anspruch auf ein gerechtes Verfahren, da sie nicht die Möglichkeit hatte, rechtliches Gehör vor einem Gericht zu erlangen, zum anderen die Meinungsfreiheit — den Antrag zur Entlassung hatte Justizminister Tudorel Toader gestellt, nachdem Kövesi als Chefin der Antikorruptionsbehörde offen die Strafrechtsreformen der PSD Regierung gerügt hatte.

Laura Codruța Kövesi, die heute die EU-Staatsanwaltschaft EPPO leitet, sagte nach dem Urteil aus Stra‎ßburg, dass es jetzt Konsequenzen geben müsste und dass das Verfassungsgericht in Bukarest Grundsatzbeschlüsse und keine Personalentscheidungen treffen sollte. Kövesi fand, dass das Urteil des EGMR ein Sieg aller sei, die in den letzten Jahren die Justiz unterstützt hatten.

Präsident Klaus Iohannis bezeichnete das Urteil als beispiellos, das Verfassungsgericht sei verpflichtet, nicht nur die Entscheidung in Sachen Kövesi zu überprüfen, sondern auch alle anderen Urteile, die aufgrund einfacher — und sei es auch politischer – Äu‎ßerungen getroffen wurden. Die Glaubwürdigkeit des Verfassungsgerichts sei stark erschüttert, fügte Iohannis hinzu.

Premierminister Ludovic Orban meinte seinerseits, dass das Verfassungsgericht nun kompromittiert sei — die Zusammensetzung und die Arbeitsweise des Gremiums müssen nun geprüft werden. Der Sprecher der PSD, Lucian Romaşcanu, erklärte, dass das Urteil aus Stra‎ßburg ein Verfahren rügt, die Partei treffe dabei keine Schuld.

Der Präsident des Verfassungsgerichts, Valer Dorneanu behauptete seinerseits, dass bei der objektiven Betrachtung des EGMR-Urteils zu Kövesis Absetzung keine Kritik am Verfassungsgericht zu erkennen sei.

Der Fall sorgt auch international für Schlagzeilen: New York Times schreibt, dass die Entlassung Kövesis offenbar unrechtmä‎ßig war. “Sie war damals der Höhepunkt der Schachzüge der PSD-Regierung für die Änderung des Strafrechts und die Absetzung der leitenden Staatsanwälte, was zu massiven Stra‎ßenprotesten und zur Alarmierung der Europäischen Kommission führte”, so die NYT. Aus London schreibt die Publikation Emerging Europe, die nur einige Tage früher Kövesi zur Persönlichkeit des Jahres 2020 erklärt hatte, dass “der Sieg der Antikorruptionsheldin in Stra‎ßburg das rumänische Verfassungsgericht in ein unerwünschtes Scheinwerferlicht rückt”.

Emerging Europe merkt an, dass Kövesi keine Entschädigung gefordert hatte und dass nach dem Urteil im Zusammenhang mit der Unabhängigkeit und Glaubwürdigkeit des Verfassungsgerichts gro‎ße Zweifel bestehen.

6 May 2020
Nachrichten 06.02.2020

Der rumänische Staatspräsident Klaus Iohannis hat am Donnerstag den Liberalen Ludovic Orban als Premierminister vorgeschlagen, nachdem er Beratungen mit Vertretern der Parlamentsfraktionen geführt hatte. Das von demselben Ludovic Orban geführte Regierungskabinett war am Mittwoch durch einen Misstrauensantrag der Sozialdemokratischen Partei PSD und des Ungarnverbandes UDMR entlassen, nachdem die Regierung die Verantwortung für die Rückkehr zur Bürgermeisterwahl in zwei Runden übernommen hatte. Präsident Iohannis betonte erneut, seine erste Option sei die Rückkehr zur Wählerschaft durch das Organisieren von vorgezogenen Parlamentswahlen. Bei dem Treffen mit dem Staatsoberhaupt bekräftigten die Vertreter der National-Liberalen Partei PNL dass die PNL und die Union Rettet Rumänien USR (eine liberalennahe Partei) vorgezogene Wahlen wünschen. Die Sozialdemokratische Partei PSD und die Partei Pro Rumänien (bestehend aus ehemaligen PSD-Mitgliedern) hatten ihren eigenen gemeinsamen Vorschlag für einen neuen Premierminister – Remus Pricopie, ehemaliger Minister in einer sozialdemokratischen Regierung. Der Ungarnverband UDMR sagte, er habe keinen eigenen Kandidaten, unterstütze aber den PSD-Kandidaten nicht. Die Allianz der Liberalen und Demokraten ALDE hatte keinen Vorschlag für einen Premierminister, lehnte aber das Halten von vorgezogenen Parlamentswahlen ab. Die Partei Volksbewegung PMP (mitte-rechts) wird am Sonntag entscheiden, ob sie vorgezogene Wahlen unterstützen wird oder nicht.

Die EU-Generalstaatsanwältin, die Rumänin Laura Codruţa Kövesi, plädierte am Donnerstag in Brüssel im Europäischen Parlament für ein grö‎ßeres Budget der von ihr geleiteten Institution. Der Antrag basiert auf der Schätzung, dass die europäische Staatsanwaltschaft im ersten Jahr ihrer Tätigkeit 2.000 neue Fälle eröffnen wird. Die beiden wichtigsten Parameter, die festgelegt werden müssen, seien die Anzahl der Europäischen delegierten Staatsanwälte, die es in den teilnehmenden Mitgliedstaaten geben wird, und die Anzahl der Mitarbeiter der Europäischen Staatsanwaltschaft in der Luxemburger Zentrale, sagte Laura Codruta Kövesi. Die Entscheidung über den Haushalt sei nicht nur eine Übung für Haushaltsexperten, sondern auch eine sehr wichtige Politik. Kövesi zitierte aus einem kürzlich erschienenen Bericht, der den Mehrwertsteuerbetrug in der EU auf jährlich 30 bis 60 Milliarden Euro schätzt. “Ich denke, es lohnt sich, in die Europäische Staatsanwaltschaft zu investieren”, schloss die EU-Generalstaatsanwältin.

Ein Schiff mit 17 Rumänen an Bord ist im japanischen Hafen von Yokohama unter Quarantäne gestellt worden, nachdem mehrere Fälle von Coronavirus-Infektionen gemeldet wurden, teilte das Au‎ßenministerium in Bukarest am Donnerstag mit. Denselben Quellen zufolge wurde die rumänische Botschaft in Tokio vom Au‎ßenministerium in Japan benachrichtigt. Von den Rumänen an Bord sind zwei Touristen und 15 Besatzungsmitglieder. Das rumänische Konsulat in Hongkong hat die lokalen Behörden um Informationen über die Situation der Rumänen an Bord eines Schiffes gebeten, das in diesem Hafen vor Anker liegt. Bisher wurde in Rumänien kein Fall von Coronavirus-Infektion gemeldet.

Der Zeitplan für die Spiele des FedCup-Wettbewerbs, bei dem Rumänien gegen Russland antreten wird, soll heute festgelegt werden. Am kommenden Freitag und Samstag werden in der nordwestrumänischen Stadt Cluj-Napoca die Spiele ausgetragen, die für die Qualifikation für ein Endturnier zählen, das zwischen dem 14.-19. April in Budapest stattfinden wird. Die Nummer 2 der Welt, Simona Halep, sagte, dass sie in diesem Jahr nicht für Rumänien im FedCup spielen wird, da sie sich auf die Teilnahme an den Olympischen Spielen in Tokio konzentrieren wird, wo sie ihre Hoffnungen auf einen Medaillengewinn hochhält. Rumäniens Team für das Spiel gegen Russland umfasst daher nur zwei Top-100-Tennisspielerinnen, die WTA 98-platzierte Ana Bogdan und Raluca Olaru, die nach derselben Rangliste auf Platz 48 rangiert. Bis auf eine Spielerin besteht das russische Team nur aus den 100 besten Tennisspielerinnen. Es ist das erste Mal, dass Rumänien im FedCUp gegen Russland spielt. In der Vergangenheit hat Rumänien beide Weltgruppenspiele gegen die ehemalige UdSSR verloren.

Das Wei‎ße Haus begrü‎ßte den Freispruch von Präsident Donald Trump am Ende seines Amtsenthebungsverfahrens, in dem der Präsident für nicht schuldig befunden und erneut die so genannte Hexenjagd seiner politischen Gegner angeprangert wurde. Der Mehrheitsführer des Senats, Mitch McConnel, hat die Amtsenthebung von Präsident Trump als “kolossalen politischen Fehler” bezeichnet, während die Sprecherin des Repräsentantenhauses der Vereinigten Staaten, Nancy Pelosi, sagte, “Präsident Trump bleibt eine Bedrohung für die amerikanische Demokratie”. Der Senat stimmte am Mittwoch für den Freispruch von Präsident Trump, 52-48 für den Vorwurf des Machtmissbrauchs und 53-47 für die Behinderung des Kongresses.

6 February 2020
The Week in Review 20 – 26.10.2019

Romania’s Prime Minister designate, Liberal
Ludovic Orban on Thursday submitted to Parliament proposals for the country’s
new Executive and the governing programme

Romania’s
Prime Minister designate, Liberal Ludovic Orban on Thursday submitted to
Parliament proposals for the country’s new Executive and the governing
programme. The future cabinet will have 16 ministries and a Deputy Prime
Minister. Ensuring the proper conditions for the good functioning of the
presidential election in November, nominating a European commissioner candidate
and the draft budget for the next year are among the urgent measures stipulated
in the governing programme. The investiture vote will be taking place after the
first round of talks with the Pro Romania party, led by Romania’s former Prime
Minister Victor Ponta, ended in a deadlock. The cabinet may not rely on support
from the People’s Movement Party either, as the PMP do not agree with the Prime
Minister’s decision to forge a single-color cabinet. On the other hand the USR
and ALDE have announced they have reached a political agreement with the
Liberals. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) says that
the cabinet stands good chances to get the investiture vote while the
representatives of the national minorities have announced their support for a
PNL government. We recall that the National Liberal Party rallied support from
the other political parties in opposition to bring down the PSD government led
by Viorica Dancila on October 10th.

Where do the Romanians abroad cast their
ballot in the upcoming presidential election?

Romania’s Foreign Affairs Ministry
has published a list and an interactive map of the 835 polling stations where
the Romanians living abroad can cast their ballot in the presidential election
of November 10th and 24th. The number is almost three
times higher compared to the previous presidential election of 2014. Most polls
will be opened in Spain, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, France, the United States,
the Republic of Moldova, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Austria,
Greece, Portugal and Switzerland. Overall, 639 polls will be opened in EU
Member States. Additionally, apart from polls created in theatres of operation
in Afghanistan, a poling station will be opened this year in Mali, created
especially for the Romanian military taking part in the UN peacekeeping missions
in this country. The voting process will be held over the course of three days
abroad, namely over November 8-10 for the first round and November 22-24 for
the runoff, between 12 – 9 PM local time on Friday, and between 7 AM and 9 PM
local time on Saturday and Sunday. All voters who are still in line either
inside or outside polling stations at 9 PM will be able to cast their votes by
midnight.

The European Commission maintains the
Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Romania

The latest developments in the
reform of the judiciary and the process of fighting corruption in the first
months of 2019 were reasons for serious concern for the European Commission,
says the latest assessment report with the Cooperation and Verification
Mechanism released on Tuesday. According to the document, since the previous
report in November 2018, the Commission has continued to announce the
authorities in Bucharest about its concerns over the rule of law. The
key institutions of Romania would need to collectively demonstrate a strong
commitment to judicial independence and the fight against corruption as
indispensable cornerstones, and to ensure the capacity of national safeguards
and checks and balances, a press release from the Commission reads. In
Bucharest Romania’s Justice Minister Ana Birchall says that Romania is
ready to assume an active role in consolidating the European construction in
which justice plays a major role. The minister decided to immediately summon the
specialized national committee for a joint action plan.

The Romanian president and
his wife attended the enthronement ceremony of Japan’s emperor Naruhito

Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis and his wife Carmen on Tuesday attended emperor
Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony in Tokyo. Naruhito proclaimed his ascension to
the throne in the presence of 180 foreign dignitaries, including Prince Charles,
the heir to the British throne, King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia. In
Tokyo, the Romanian president had talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,
the Finnish president Sauli Niinisto, and with his
Latvian counterpart Egils Levits. Emperor Naruhito, who is the 126th
monarch of his dynasty, took over imperial duties in May this year after the
abdication of his father Akihito, now known as emperor emeritus.

Is the Schengen zone expanding?

The future Schengen accession of
Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania would make the European Union better equipped for
protecting this border-free area, Dimitris Avramopulos, the EU Commissioner for
Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship said in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The
European Commission decided in Strasbourg on Tuesday that Croatia meets the
technical conditions for Schengen accession. Avramopulos recalled that at
present 400 million EU citizens can travel without restrictions in 22 EU
countries and in four associated non-EU countries. The EU official has
underlined that the Schengen zone is the largest border-free area in the world.
Initially scheduled for March 2011, Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to this
zone has been repeatedly postponed due to opposition from some member states which
invoked the lack of reforms in the country’s justice system.

A decision to
appoint Laura Codruta Kovesi, Romania’s former anti-corruption chief prosecutor
as head of the future European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) was signed at
the European Parliament

A decision to appoint Laura Codruta Kovesi, Romania’s former
anti-corruption chief prosecutor as head of the future European Public
Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) was signed by European Parliament President David
Sassoli and by the Finnish Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen on
Wednesday. The idea for setting up the aforementioned institution has been
launched and promoted by another Romanian, former minister and MEP, Monica
Macovei. The EPPO is expected to become operational at the end 2020 as an
independent institution in charge of investigating and prosecuting crimes
against the EU budget, such as fraud, corruption or cross-border fraud with
over 10 million Euros in VAT.

26 October 2019