Radio România Internațional

Tag: law

  • December 18, 2021

    December 18, 2021

    VISIT The PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă will be on a visit to
    Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, for talks with senior EU and NATO officials. According
    to the Government, on Monday the Romanian PM will have a working dinner with
    the president of the European Council Charles Michael. On Tuesday, Ciucă will
    have meetings with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der
    Leyen and with other EC members. The PM will also have a meeting with the
    secretary general of NATO Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO headquarters.


    BUDGET The
    government of Romania passed a number of measures on which the 2022 public
    budget is based. An emergency order freezing the salaries of public officials and
    other public sector staff, with 2 exceptions, was endorsed by the Cabinet with
    amendments compared to the version subject to public debate. The bill also
    includes other measures, such as a low VAT rate only for the purchase of a
    family’s first home. The new tax provisions, alongside the new Ceilings Act,
    are the foundation of next year’s state budget, and are designed to reduce
    expenditure and maintain the public deficit below 6.2% of GDP.


    ANTI-CORRUPTION The government approved the 2021-2025 National
    Anti-Corruption Strategy, the justice minister Cătălin Predoiu announced. He pointed
    out that the document is a political commitment to support all institutions
    involved in fighting corruption, and also a first goal met out of the ones
    included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan in the judicial sector. Predoiu
    added that the Strategy is correlated with international instruments to which
    Romania is affiliated, such as GRECO and the Cooperation and Verification
    Mechanism. The CVM was introduced in January 2007, upon Romania’s and Bulgaria’s EU accession, to support the 2
    countries in overcoming deficiencies in judicial reform and in fighting
    corruption.


    BORDER Romanian border checkpoints are getting crowded these days,
    as many Romanians living abroad are coming home for Christmas. Queuing is
    reported at the checkpoints on Romania’s western borders, as apart from travel
    documents the digital Covid certificates and the PCR tests must be checked. Crowding
    was also reported on the Otopeni International Airport, near Bucharest. Hundreds
    of people waited for a long time for the authorities to check their documents. On
    Monday, an additional digital form will be introduced, to trace travellers. In order
    to streamline border crossing, at the checkpoint in Giurgiu (south), the number
    of border police will be increased by 20%.


    MINORITIES Romania
    celebrates on December 18 the Day of Ethnic Minorities. The president Klaus
    Iohannis said on this occasion that ethnic minorities make an essential
    contribution to social cohesion and that only together can a modern Romania be
    built, with no place for racism, xenophobia and intolerance. Protecting cultural
    heritage, including that of national minorities, is a priority for the Culture
    Ministry, which treasures the culture of minorities as an element contributing
    in the shaping of Romanian culture as we know it today, reads a news release
    issued by the institution. As many as 18 ethnic minorities are officially
    recognised in Romania at present, namely Hungarian, Rroma,
    German, Ukrainian, Russian, Lipovan, Jewish, Turk, Tatar, Armenian, Bulgarian,
    Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Slovakian, Polish, Greek, Albanian and Italian.


    COVID 733 new COVID-19 cases and 64 related fatalities were
    reported in the last 24 hours in Romania, the authorities announced on
    Saturday. The coordinator of the vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, announced
    on the other hand that the number of people requesting their first doses of anti
    Sars-CoV-2 vaccine is on the decrease. He detailed that the number of people
    who get their first vaccine doses drops by 15-25% from one week to the next. Valeriu Gheorghiţă also said that Romania
    might receive Pfizer vaccine children doses next month, and the vaccination of
    children aged 5 to 11 may begin in the second half of January. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • State budget without new taxes

    State budget without new taxes

    Romania’s ruling coalition, made up of the Social Democratic
    Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians
    in Romania (UDMR), is to submit the draft budget law for 2022 to Parliament by December
    20, for discussion and endorsement. The 3 parties intend to have the
    fiscal-budgetary strategy passed by Christmas.


    The law
    must provide funding for investments, the increase of public pensions and
    allowances, while at the same time keeping the budget deficit under control.


    The idea of
    introducing new taxes has triggered debates in the new ruling coalition. The Liberals
    once again emphasised that next year’s budget will not be based on new taxes. However,
    the Social Democrats and UDMR sought to levy an additional 1% of turnover tax
    on companies with turnover in excess of 100 million euro. According to UDMR,
    the money would cover healthcare and education investment needs, but the
    business community voiced discontent with the measure.


    The Liberal
    president Florin Cîţu mentioned that these companies paid taxes in advance last
    April, when the economy was shut down, and argued that it is not fair for the
    same businesses to be penalised.


    In turn, PM
    Nicolae Ciucă promised there will be no such taxes. This is precisely what we
    pledged in the governing platform, namely that no such tax will be levied this
    year. The governing plan was endorsed by Parliament and it will be applied as
    such,ˮ Nicolae Ciucă pointed out.


    The finance
    minister Adrian Câciu said in turn that the budget will not include new taxes,
    and that any change in the tax system will be predictable and operated after talks
    with private businesses. He said Romania needs solidarity now, to protect
    low-income citizens from price rises, especially in the energy sector. We will
    achieve this by stimulating the economy and encouraging the companies that
    produce in Romania, regardless of their ownership, because all that is produced
    in Romania is produced by Romanian employees. A product made in Romania means
    jobs for Romanians. By supporting Romanian producers, we provide guarantees that
    hundreds of thousands of people will have stable, safe jobs, the finance
    minister Adrian Câciu explained.


    In turn,
    the Social Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu said that should the coalition
    decide to introduce a new tax, this will not take effect sooner than in 6
    months’ time. On the other hand, he said the country has major problems in
    terms of tax evasion and VAT collection. Romania is estimated to have tax
    evasion accounting for 10% of GDP at the moment. Moreover, 34% of the VAT owed
    is not collected,ˮ Marcel Ciolacu warned. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • July 20, 2021 UPDATE

    July 20, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 95 new infections with SARS-CoV-2 have been reported in the last 24 hours out of 31,200 tests performed, the Strategic Communication Group reports. 3 related casualties have also been reported. 14 cases of infection were confirmed in the capital Bucharest, 7 in the county of Cluj and 6 in the counties of Iasi and Timis. 244 patients are hospitalised, 36 of them in intensive care. Authorities foresee a slightly growing number of infections in the forthcoming period. As regards the anti-Covid vaccination, more than 13,000 people got immunized in the past 24 hours, more than 65% of them with the first dose. 4,800 people opted for the Johnson&Johnson single-dose vaccine. 4.7 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated so far. In the capital city Bucharest, 47% of eligible residents over 12 years of age have received the vaccine. Romania will continue, both independently and at EU level, to donate or re-sell some vaccine doses. This week a new donation to the Republic of Moldova is scheduled, after batches sent previously to Serbia, Argentina and Vietnam.



    AIR FORCE DAY The Romanian Aviation and Air Force Day was marked, as every year, on 20 July, when St. Elijah, the protector of pilots, is celebrated. The Romanian Air Forces are a modern category of armed forces, with structures undergoing a process of consolidation of their operational capacity, President Klaus Iohannis said in a message on this occasion. The Air Forces have a major role in consolidating the countrys defence capability, being able to carry out complex missions of defending Romanias air space, to conduct long-distance air transport missions and rescue-evacuation missions at national and local level and to participate in. NATO missions, Iohannis also said. He emphasised that 20 July is also dedicated to civil aviation workers, who carry out difficult missions in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and who contribute to Romanias economic development and the progress of air sports. The Romanian Minister of Defence, Nicolae Ciuca, and the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, participated in the military ceremony organised at the Air Heroes Monument in downtown Bucharest. During the ceremony, wreaths were laid in memory of the aviation heroes. The 74th PATRIOT Regiment, the tactical combat unit established on December 1, 2018, whose mission is to render operational the PATRIOT surface-to-air missile system, were handed the Battle Flag.



    JUSTICE Perceptions on the independence of the Romanian judicial system improved compared to previous years, but the shortage of human resources remains a concern, reads the European Commissions annual report on the rule of law in the Union, made public on Tuesday in Brussels. On the other hand, the document says the perception among experts and company executives is that corruption remains high in the public sector. According to the report, the endorsement of a new national anti-corruption strategy for 2021-2025 is a priority for the government, and the efficiency of investigations and penalties for medium and high-level corruption has improved. As regards media pluralism and freedom, the absence of specific guarantees for editorial independence and editorial standards continues to cause concern, while transparency regarding the stakeholders in media institutions is still incomplete.



    THEATRE The best stage shows in Romania in 2020 were awarded on Monday evening, at the UNITER Awards Gala. The show “Heart and other meat dishes, by Dan Coman, directed by Radu Afrim and produced by the Marin Sorescu National Theatre in Craiova was designated best play of the previous year. Carmen Lidia Vidu won the award for best direction, for Romanian Journal. 1989, produced by the I.L. Caragiale National Theatre in Bucharest. Razvan Vicoveanu, with the Regina Maria Theatre in Oradea, won the award for best lead actor, for the part of Ivan Alexandrovici Hlestakov. Emoke Cato was awarded for best actress. Actor Marcel Iures, stage designer Geta Medinschi, actress Ileana Ploscaru and theatre critic Ion Parhon received lifetime achievement awards.



    ROBOTICS Romanias team won the first place at the International Robotics Championship held in Chicago, the US, on July 16 and 17. In the final, the team made up of students from 13 of the best Romanian high schools defeated some of the best American teams and set a new world record in terms of points won. This is the first time after 1989 when a team from outside the US wins the first place at this competition.



    PANDEMIC Europe is the first region to reach 50 million confirmed coronavirus infection cases since the start of the pandemic. The substantially more contagious Delta variant is now the most widespread on the continent, generating a record-high increase in the number of daily new cases, with European countries reporting a combined one million new cases every 8 days. Nearly 1.3 million Europeans died of COVID-related complications. A spokesman for the French government announced the country is seeing the 4th wave of the epidemic, and a plan is being implementing to reduce new pressure on hospitals. The plan introduces a health permit required for access in cinemas and restaurants, and compulsory vaccination for healthcare staff. Israel announced the opening of borders to foreign tourists, originally scheduled for 1 August, will be postponed. At present foreigners are only allowed in the country based on a special permission from the authorities. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • “Educated Romania” project, taken on by the government

    “Educated Romania” project, taken on by the government

    Launched by president Klaus Iohannis, the “Educated Romania initiative has just turned into a governmental project. The Cabinet will come up with a legislative package containing reforms in the education sector and funding for the relevant goals. The legislation is to be finalised by 1 October, and the financial resources will come from the state budget and from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.



    The project targets the improvement of school infrastructure, of teacher training and of the education process. A developed country, with a sound democratic system, requires educated and informed citizens, said president Iohannis, himself a teacher, and a politician whose presidential terms in office focused on education.



    Klaus Iohannis: “We cannot go on with such high dropout and functional and scientific illiteracy rates. For these problems, Educated Romania comes up with concrete solutions, with ambitious yet realistic goals, measures and targets. Specific targets include cutting the early dropout rate, the functional illiteracy rate, ensuring basic digital skills for both teachers and students, developing vocational education and increasing the number of higher education graduates.



    According to PM Florin Cîţu, the government aims to cut functional illiteracy from 50 to 20% by 2030, and to reduce school dropout. By 1 August, an inter-ministry group will be set up, which will be monitoring the project. The group will be chaired by the PM, with the education minister Sorin Cîmpeanu as deputy chairman. Cîmpeanu emphasised that a new political agreement is necessary, so as to prevent changes in the relevant legislation in case other parties come to power.



    Sorin Cîmpeanu: “The first task for the inter-ministry group to be set up by 1 August will be to decide whether to amend the current education law, or to draw up separate laws on undergraduate and graduate education, whether academic research will be integrated in the graduate education system, and whether the law will incorporate regulations on the teaching profession. This is the first task on which this group will have to focus, and its political composition will be important because ultimately the bill will go to Parliament for endorsement. We need consultations to identify a common denominator acceptable for all political parties, so that we may ensure predictability in the education system.



    After Romanias NATO and EU accession, the overhauling of the countrys failing education system might be the most important national project, transcending political differences. Its success would be vital for the future generations ability to thrive in a constantly changing world. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • July 2, 2021

    July 2, 2021

    COVID Over 340,000 Covid digital certificates were generated in the first 12 hours since the launch of the certificat-covid.gov.ro platform. As of 1 July, the Covid digital certificate is available for travellers in the EU. The document proves the owner has been vaccinated, has recovered or recently tested negative for the disease. Also as of 1 July, further relaxation measures are in place in Romania. The vaccine rollout continues, and a new batch of Johnson & Johnson vaccine is due to arrive in the country today. On Thursday some 19,000 people received their doses. Authorities urge citizens to get immunised and warn against a new wave of infections. Yesterday 31 new coronavirus infection cases were announced, out of some 26,000 tests, and 5 people died in the past 24 hours. A total of 430 Covid patients are currently in hospitals, 67 of them in intensive care.



    RESTRICTIONS In Romania, the National Committee for Emergency Situations Thursday updated the list of countries and regions with high epidemiological risks. Travellers coming into the country from regions with a combined rate of COVID-19 cases above 3 per thousand in the past 14 days must isolate for 14 days. The UK stays in the red zone, alongside 22 other territories, including exotic destinations like the Seychelles and Maldives. The 18 regions in the yellow zone include, among others, the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Russia and Portugal. Countries with an infection rate below 1.5 per thousand are on the green list.



    LAW Criminal liability for human trafficking and exploitation, sexual assault, and torture in children is no longer subject to time limits in Romania, under a law signed on Thursday by president Klaus Iohannis. The act, which amends the Criminal Code, also increases punishments for failure to report a crime, while also criminalising the failure to report human trafficking and exploitation and sexual offences against child victims.



    MILITARY Romania and Germany signed on Thursday, in a ceremony at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base 57 on the Romanian Black Sea coast, a statement of intent concerning the development of bilateral relations in the field of aviation. In the presence of the air force chiefs of the 2 countries and of the UK, a demonstration was held showcasing the joint fulfilment of an enhanced air policing mission. Taking part in the exercise were aircraft in the MiG-21 LanceR unit, alongside Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft of the British Royal Air Forces and the German Air Forces, deployed at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base 57.



    COIN The National Bank of Romania will issue on 7 July a new silver coin to mark 100 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Japan, the institution announced in a news release. The obverse of the coin features Caraiman Peak in the Bucegi Mountains, while the reverse features a traditional Japanese gate, tori, overlapping the image of Mount Fuji reflected in the Kawaguchi lake.



    TENNIS The Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea Thursday qualified into the 3rd round of the Wimbledon tournament, the 3rd grand slam of the year, after defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, in 3 sets. Cîrstea (45 WTA) is to play Saturday against Emma Răducanu (338 WTA), who managed to beat the Czech Marketa Vondrousova in one of the tournaments major surprises. Today, Irina Begu (74 WTA) attempts qualification in the round of 16, in a match against Iga Swiatek of Poland, (9 WTA and seed no. 7). In the doubles, Romanians Horia Tecău and Raluca Olaru, with their respective partners, have qualified in the second round of the mens and womens competitions. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Lifting the CVM: an increasingly distant hope for Romania

    Lifting the CVM: an increasingly distant hope for Romania

    In a matter of weeks, the triumphalism of the current right-of-centre coalition government in Romania has been replaced by moderate pessimism at best.



    Just a month ago, the Liberal PM Florin Cîțu was boasting that, many years after it had been created, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism monitoring the Romanian judiciary could become history. The European Commission, Cîțu said at the time, supports its lifting towards the end of the year.



    Accusing his political opponents, the Social Democrats, of sideslips that had required keeping this safeguard measure in place, the new Cabinet felt their coming to power was a guarantee that things were moving in the right direction.



    “After 13 years in which Romania was subject to exceptional monitoring by the European Commission, with major steps back in 2018 and 2019, I trust our stepped up efforts in the coming period will lead to a normal and predictable functioning of the rule of law in Romania, deputy PM Dan Barna was saying in his turn, adding that the removal of the CVM was one of the key goals of the new government.



    A major blow came on the first day of this week from France: a report by the Committee on European Affairs of the French Senate regarding the rule of law in the EU indicates that lifting the CVM is premature as long as the objectives set by it have not been met.



    In Romanias case, these objectives include guaranteeing a more transparent and efficient judicial process, especially by strengthening and empowering the Higher Council of Magistrates; setting up an Integrity Agency able to make binding decisions leading to penalties; carrying on professional and impartial investigations into high-level corruption accusations, and additional measures to fight corruption, particularly in local administration.



    The French Senates committee also mentions that in its latest CVM report, the European Commission was warning that the reforms in Romania ground to a halt in 2017 and that the first months of 2019 were worrying in this respect. Subsequently, the Commission welcomed Bucharests willingness to revise its approach, but, the report also reads, progress cannot be achieved through political commitments alone.



    Finally, Paris believes the EU should be a role model in promoting and observing the rule of law, which it would like included among the priorities of the French presidency of the EU Council in the first half of next year. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • January 14, 2021 UPDATE

    January 14, 2021 UPDATE

    VACCINATION More than 3,500 new coronavirus cases and 66 related deaths were recorded on Thursday in Romania. The total number of confirmed cases is now over 684,000, while the death toll is 17,035. 1,101 Covid patients are in intensive care. 90% of Romanians who caught the virus have recovered. Some 155,000 healthcare workers and those working in social care have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Romania. Phase two of the vaccination campaign gets under way on Friday, targeting the elderly, chronic patients and workers in key sectors, totalling some 5 million people. PM Florin Cîțu says the pace of vaccination will be stepped up, the target being the immunisation of more than 10 million people by September. 62% of Romanians say they want to be given the vaccine according to a poll conducted by Reveal Marketing Research between 6th and 11th January.



    SALARY LAW The government is looking at bonuses in the public sector and if they are justified as part of drafting the state budget for this year, PM Florin Cîţu said on Thursday. He explained that he is considering amending the salary law to eliminate inequalities in the public sector. He said the pensions law would also be amended this year to take into account the contribution principle. The government on Wednesday increased the gross minimum wage by approx. 3%.



    SCHOOLS Most schools in Romania will reopen on February 8, if the COVID-19 situation stays the same as in the past few weeks, president Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday. He had a meeting with the PM Florin Cîţu, the education minister Sorin Cîmpeanu, the health minister Vlad Voiculescu, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, and the head of the National Centre for Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control, Adriana Pistol. Iohannis explained that when the infection rate in a locality goes above 6 per thousand, a lockdown will be introduced. He also said the situation will be re-assessed prior to opening schools, with a final decision to be made on February 2. As far as universities are concerned, each institution will be free to decide. With the exception of two months, schools have been closed in Romania since March last year, with teaching being conducted online.



    PROTEST Healthcare trade unions in Solidaritatea Sanitara federation picketed the government building in Bucharest and prefecture offices around the country to demand more protection measures for healthcare workers amid the pandemic. They also demand a rise in the basic salary for all healthcare staff as of January 1 this year, to the level stipulated in the salary law for 2022. The federation also wants the government to give up on the reduction of the basic salary as a result of a government order issued at the end of 2020, and to grant all healthcare workers special bonuses and a risk incentive for the entire duration of the pandemic.



    AIR FORCES Four Romanian F-16 aicraft with Air Base 86 in Borcea (south-eastern Romania), together with US Air Force aircraft deployed in Europe, took part on Thursday in the Prime Accord multinational military exercise. The exercise included escort and combat patrol missions. According to the Romanian defence ministry, the action was designed to reinforce NATO assurance measures in south-east Europe, and to check the integration of Romanian and NATO command and control structures. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Constitutional Court slams bill taxing special pensions

    Constitutional Court slams bill taxing special pensions

    As the name suggests, Romanias special pensions are set under special laws. They were originally granted to magistrates and force structures. Later on, lawmakers decided that there are more eligible recipients, including MPs themselves, diplomats and aviation staff.



    Unlike regular pension benefits, special pensions are not—or not only—based on lifetime contributions to pension funds. They are funded both from the social security budget, and from the state budget.




    This, as well as their often inflated amounts, in the thousands of euros, make special pensions, or rather their beneficiaries, the target of criticism from regular citizens, whose pensions are based on active lifetime contributions and average at around 300 euros per month.




    Politicians listened to the people and this summer drafted a bill levying 85% taxes on the special pensions in excess of 1,400 euros, including those received by magistrates, the military and the police.




    The bill did not eliminate the concept of special pensions, but rather reduced the benefits paid as such. But the Constitutional Court dismissed the law, ruling that it was unconstitutional as a whole.




    The bill adopted by Parliament in June had been challenged by the Ombudsman and the by the countrys highest court, according to which the draft legislation came against the principle of fiscal equity. The High Court and the Ombudsman claimed the special pensions set by special laws are subject to double taxation, which comes against the principle of non-discrimination and fair tax burdens, while also breaching the independence of magistrates and the principle of legislative predictability.




    The Constitutional Court, which had deferred a ruling on the case several times, is yet to make public its reasons for dismissing the bill.




    A number of Constitutional Court rulings of late have fueled speculations that, in its current configuration, the Court is politically biased, ruling in favour of the Left. With the special pensions bill, the Court has an additional moral dilemma, noticed by everyone: constitutional judges are themselves receiving such pension benefits.




    And the saga of this law includes another relevant episode: in the last plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies, before the elections, all MPs from the Save Romania Union resigned in order to not be eligible for special pensions. So did 6 Social Democrats, including the party president Marcel Ciolacu. While the decision of Save Romania Union is credible, as the party had constantly lobbied against special pensions, the Social Democrats are the champions of legislation that favours MPs, giving their opponents reason to claim the move was populist and driven by electoral goals. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • The rule of law and the laws on the judiciary

    The rule of law and the laws on the judiciary

    Several amendments to the laws on the judiciary, dating back to 2018 and 2019, continue to raise concern with respect to their impact on judicial independence, says the chapter on Romania in the first report on the rule of law in the EU made public by the European Commission.



    The document assesses 4 key areas: national justice systems, anticorruption legislation, mass media pluralism and freedom, as well as other institutional aspects related to checks and balances systems.



    Last April, a number of amendments to the Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the special law on corruption were passed by Parliament in an emergency procedure, but sparked wide-spread criticism and they were eventually ruled as unconstitutional in July. The task to bring the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code in line with all decisions of the Constitutional Court remains pending. The legal uncertainty and the risks to the sustainability of the fight against corruption therefore remain, reads the report.



    The document also says Romania has a comprehensive national anti-corruption strategic framework based on the large participation of national and local institutional actors, providing for the voluntary involvement of a very large part of the public administration, including local government, and State-owned enterprises, as well as law enforcement, the prosecution service, the courts, and civil society.



    Although the Constitution provides that the adoption of government emergency orders is only possible in exceptional and motivated cases of urgency, successive governments have used GEOs to legislate in many areas, raising concerns regarding the quality of legislation, legal certainty and respect for the separation of powers, the report also says, mentioning that Romanian civil society is active in defending the rule of law.



    Also, the level of implementation of the national anti-corruption strategy has increased and preventive actions are being followed up both at national and at local level. At present, the document says, the Ministry of Justice is evaluating the strategy in view of designing the next one.



    On the very day the EC report was released in Brussels, in Bucharest the Justice Ministry initiated a public debate on proposed changes to the laws on the judiciary. The announcement was made by minister Cătălin Predoiu, who said these amendments ensure the implementation of European recommendations:



    Cătălin Predoiu: “[The amendments concern] strengthening the role of the Higher Council of Magistrates in the organisation of exams and competitions through the National Magistracy Institute, ensuring that magistrate selection is based on professional criteria and eliminating any possibility of entry into profession without an exam, scrapping early retirement schemes, strengthening the independence of prosecutors, reintroducing compulsory competitions for access to High Court judge posts, and the dismantling of the special section investigating offences in the judiciary.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 16, 2020

    September 16, 2020

    COVID-19 Romania reports over 107,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic in late February. 471 patients are in intensive care, out of nearly 6,900 hospitalised across the country. So far the death toll stands at 4,285. Meanwhile, 2 days after the start of a new school year, several schools in the country went into the so-called red scenario, with all classes held online, after teaching staff tested positive for Covid-19. In Romania the green scenario involves in-person classes, and the yellow scenario is a blend of online and face-to-face teaching. In other news, the Health Ministry announced purchasing double the amount of flu vaccines compared to last year. Three million vaccine doses will be given for free, especially to people over 65, to chronic patients, particularly those with respiratory and heart conditions, to institutionalised children and elderly, to healthcare personnel and pregnant women.



    PANDEMIC Across the world, over 29 million coronavirus infection cases have been reported so far, with the death toll nearing 930,000. The US is the worst hit, with over 6.5 million cases and 194,000 deaths, followed by India, with close to 5 million cases. The situation worsens in Europe as well, with the number of cases on the rise in Hungary and in France, where containment measures are getting stricter. Denmark is also reintroducing restrictions in the capital city Copenhagen.



    BUDGET A bill amending Romanias state budget law is discussed as of today in the budget and finances committees of Parliament. The Social Democrats, in opposition but holding a majority of seats in Parliament, want to schedule the final vote for next week. They have tabled a number of amendments, including the scrapping of a provision that raises public pensions by 14% and the reintroduction of a 40% pension increase as of September 1, as stipulated in the original draft of the Pensions Act. Other amendments concern the doubling of child care allowances and increasing teacher salaries this year instead of 2021 as suggested by the government. The Liberals in power argue that these initiatives would put substantial pressure on the already oversized public spending.



    ELECTIONS President Klaus Iohannis Wednesday signed into law a bill enabling Romanians in the diaspora to vote for 2 days in the parliamentary elections due this December. Other changes to the electoral legislation include an extension of voting hours to midnight for the people already queuing at polling stations at 9 PM. The Romanian foreign ministry urges Romanian citizens living abroad to choose to vote by post, which is a safe and simple option to exercise ones right to vote, especially in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The foreign ministry warns that many states would not allow the opening of polling stations in this context.



    EU The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has today given her first state of the European Union address in the European Parliament in Brussels. The coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainties it has triggered are not over, and Europeans “are still suffering and experiencing a period of profound anxiety, Ursula von der Leyen pointed out. She thanked doctors and nurses as well as other COVID-19 frontline workers. Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU will set up its own biomedical research agency, and will hold a global summit on health next year in Italy. We must tear down the barriers of the Single Market, we must cut red tape, she also said, and added that the EC will come up with a new strategy on the future of the Schengen space and update its strategy on industry. All these will enable Europe to recover, and to prepare for tomorrow, Ursula von der Leyen argued. Every September the president of the EC delivers a State of the EU address before the European Parliament, reviewing the accomplishments of the past year and presenting the Commissions priorities for the near future and its solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the EU.



    TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep (no 2 WTA), today takes on the Italian Jasmine Paolini (99 WTA) in the 2nd round of the WTA tournament in Rome. Another Romanian, Irina Begu (77 WTA) plays on Thursday against Britains Johanna Konta (13 WTA), in the same tournament. In the doubles, Raluca Olaru (Romania) and Anna-Lena Friedsam (Germany), play today against Miyu Kato (Japan) and Sabrina Santamari (USA). Also in the doubles, the Romanians Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu are playing the eighth-finals on Thursday against the Japanese Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara. (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • July 21, 2020

    July 21, 2020

    RECOVERY The 27 EU member states this morning in Brussels have reached an agreement on a historic economic recovery plan for the Union. The 750 billion euro post-crisis plan adds to the EUs multi-annual budget of 1,074 billion euro for 2021-2027. Of the 750 billion euros, 390 billion will be granted in subsidies to the countries worst hit by the corona crisis, while 360 billion euro will be available in loans. President Klaus Iohannis announced that Romania will receive 80 billion euros, to build schools and hospitals and upgrade major public systems.



    COVID-19 According to the latest report released by the Strategic Communication Group, the last 24 hours saw 994 new COVID-19 cases in Romania, bringing the total number to 39,133 since late February. 36 people died over the past 24 hours, with the total death toll standing at 2,074. As many as 1.087 patients have been released at their request, while nearly 300 others are still in intensive care. PM Ludovic Orban has once again called on citizens to comply with protection rules and to use face masks indoors. He said the authorities would not like to introduce new restrictions or measures that would impact the economy. The number of checks and inspections in crowded areas, such as markets, outdoor restaurants or public transport, has been increased.



    LAW In Romania, a new law on quarantine and self-isolation has taken effect today. The bill introduced by the Government was drastically amended by Parliament, after the Constitutional Court ruled that such restrictions can only be imposed by law, even in the case of COVID-19 patients. The Cabinet convened this morning to introduce the provisions of the new law in an executive order that extends the state of alert by 30 days, as of July 17. Under the new law, healthcare authorities may decide that patients be hospitalised for 48 hours, for an assessment of their state, after which doctors may either extend the hospitalisation period or send the patient home, if the risk of disease transmission is low. Patients may challenge in court the obligation to self-isolate. The same applies for quarantine measures, which concern people coming from high-risk areas or who have been in contact with infected people. The law also stipulates that doctors and nurses may be transferred to hospitals experiencing staff shortages, but only for 30 days, and they are entitled to bonuses for their work. The law defines the conditions for local or regional lockdowns, a measure that the authorities have been talking about recently.



    PANDEMIC With many restrictions lifted and the holiday season in full swing, the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has doubled in the past 7 weeks, to 15 million, of which 5.3 million active cases at present. Over 614,000 people died. The most affected countries remain the US, Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa, Peru, Mexico, Chile, and the UK. In Europe, the countries with the highest death tolls are the UK, Italy, France and Spain. Asia also sees large numbers of cases in India, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The WHO warns that indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the world, accounting for nearly half a million people, are highly vulnerable and measures must be taken as soon as possible.



    MILITARY Two Romanian military vessels are taking part in a multinational exercise called “Sea Breeze 20, held between July 20 and 27 in Ukraines territorial sea, in the Black Sea international waters and the port of Odessa. Over 20 military vessels, 19 aircraft and nearly 2,000 troops and officers take part in this NATO exercise.



    SPORT The football sides FCSB from Bucharest and Sepsi OSK from Sfântu Gheorghe will be playing the Romanian Cup final on neutral ground in Ploiesti this Wednesday night. In the semi-finals, Sepsi outplayed CSM Poli Iaşi, and FCSB defeated Dinamo Bucharest. Last month, the domestic championship was resumed, after being suspended in March over the COVID-19 epidemic. Topping the standings is CSU Craiova, followed by defending champions CFR Cluj. All football matches in Romania are played without public access.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Compensations for the victims of the Colectiv club fire

    Compensations for the victims of the Colectiv club fire

    The Romanian Senate on Monday approved a bill on granting lifelong financial aid for the payment of medical treatments to the victims of the Colectiv club fire. The bill was initiated by a group of senators from the Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union party, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and was unanimously adopted by the 111 senators attending the meeting.



    Under this bill, the authorities approve the payment, from the Healthcare Ministry budget, of the expenses for any needed medical treatment, for an unlimited period of time, in the country or abroad, both in private and state-owned hospitals, with independent physicians and therapists, for ambulatory or hospital care. The victims will benefit from lifelong medical treatments if their treatment is directly related to the fire that occurred on October 30, 2015 at the Colectiv Club. The law was adopted by the Senate, and a final vote will be given by the decision-making Chamber of Deputies.



    The 2015 tragedy left behind 64 people dead, mostly young people, and 200 wounded, and it took years of investigations until a verdict in this case was finally ruled. The fire started from a pyrotechnics display used during the show. For 2 years, the trial was blocked by procedural issues, and the judge initially designated to handle the case retired, being replaced in October 2018. The second judge promised to speed up the resolution of the case and he kept his promise, as tens of witnesses and victims were interviewed on a weekly basis.



    In the last month of 2019, more than 4 years after the tragedy, the Bucharest Court gave a first ruling in this case, which is not definitive though. The former mayor of the Bucharest sector where the Club was located, Cristian Popescu-Piedone, received a prison sentence of 8 years and 6 months for abuse of office in relation to the issuance of functioning authorizations for the respective club. The two owners of the club received prison sentences of 11 years and 8 months for aggravated felony murder, aggravated bodily injury and failure to take legal measures related to safety and health at the work place.



    The owners of the pyrotechnic devices company received sentences of 12 years and 8 months and 3 years and 6 months respectively, while the two pyrotechnic engineers received 9 years and 8 months and 10 years of imprisonment respectively. Two firefighters with the Bucharest Emergency Situation Inspectorate who checked the Colectiv club without taking the legal measures required regarding the legal norms observance received each sentences of 9 years and 2 months in prison.



    The people sentenced in this case have to pay, together with the city hall and the Emergency Situation Inspectorate, moral and material damages worth more than 50 million Euros to the survivors of the fire and to the families of the victims. We recall that none of the defendants in this case admitted their guilt and consequently their lawyers are asking for an acquittal. (translation by L. Simion)

  • Law against special pensions

    Law against special pensions

    Barely one month into a year marked by local and parliamentary elections, Romanian politicians are competing in initiatives meant to please the general public. On Tuesday, the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest held a special session in which they passed a bill scrapping the so-called special pensions, with 247 votes in favour against 21 abstentions.



    The clear score however says nothing about the heated debates that preceded the vote. The Liberals, currently in power, and the Social Democrats, who were sent into the opposition at the end of last year, accused each others of being the ones who had introduced such privileges to various professional categories in the first place. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the Liberal Democrats requested a postponement of the debates, whereas Save Romania Union asked for further restrictions, including a cap on pensions for magistrates.



    The final text of the bill does away with the special pensions paid to MPs, to judges and prosecutors, to court clerks and prosecutors office clerks, to certain categories of civil servants, to diplomats and to Constitutional Court members, and to airline staff. All these categories had so far received pensions that were not based on their previous contributions to pension funds, and which were generally seen as unjustified, unfair and ultimately as a slap in the face of the millions of pensioners struggling to make ends meet.



    However, the special retirement benefits to be paid to former military, police and intelligence service personnel were left untouched, and so were the benefits paid to former athletes, artists, scientists and to members of associations in the creative sector.



    The leader of the Liberal floor group, Florin Roman, said the special pension cuts would cover part of the costs entailed by a planned increase in child allowances and regular pensions. The president of Save Romania Union, Dan Barna, warned that the document contains elements that may be challenged at the Constitutional Court. He suggested instead, although with no success, a number of amendments that kept the special pensions in place for magistrates, but below a specific cap. In turn, the Social Democrats group leader Alfred Simonis, says that in case the court rules the bill unconstitutional, Parliament will operate the required amendments.



    The president of the High Court of Cassation and Justice Alina Corbu warned, shortly after the vote in the Chamber of Deputies, that the bill comes against a previous ruling by the Constitutional Court. She says the special pensions for magistrates are part of a set of guarantees underlying the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.



    Previously, the Judicial Inspection Division and various magistrate associations had also claimed that scrapping their special pensions would be a “brutal violation of the principles of independence and immovability of judges, as defined by the Constitution of Romania and by ECHR rulings.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • January 14, 2020

    January 14, 2020

    Law — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday promulgated the law on doubling child allowances provided by the state. The amount of a child allowance is almost 63 Euros and 125 Euros for children with disabilities. The Romanian Chamber of Deputies adopted on December 18 the respective bill. The PM Ludovic Orban announced on January 10 that the government would postpone the coming into force of the law on doubling child allowances until it found the necessary financial resources. He pointed out that most probably the money will be allocated on the occasion of July’s budget adjustment.



    Parliament — The Romanian Parliament is determined to contribute, according to its constitutional prerogatives, to creating an adequate environment for business and investments, by increasing the predictability and transparency of fiscal legislation and by ensuring a stable and transparent legislative framework, that should benefit the national economy and the investors. The statement was made by the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu who met in Bucharest with the US ambassador to Romania Adrian Zuckerman. The latter has said the US is and will be Romania’s best friend in the region and will provide the necessary support for deepening the strategic partnership both at military level and at the level of economy and the rule of law, shows a communiqué of the Chamber of Deputies.



    Inflation — The annual inflation rate in Romania rose to 4% in December 2019 from 3.8% in November 2019, in the context in which the price of food and non-food products as well as of services increased, show the data published today by the National Institute of Statistics. The national bank of Romania has estimated downward to 3.8% from 4.2% the inflation rate for the year 2019 and estimates for the end of 2020 an inflation rate of 3.1%.



    Strasbourg — The EP is debating today in Strasbourg a resolution on the way in which the governments of the UK and the EU will manage citizens’ rights after Brexit. The resolution, which is to be voted in the plenum on Wednesday, approaches a wide range of issues which both the European citizens residing in Great Britain and the British citizens residing in the EU might face after Brexit. Also, the resolution draws attention to the fact that the Brexit deal includes fair and balanced provisions meant to protect the citizens’ rights during and after the transition period. In the same session the MEPs will debate alongside the EC the funding of the European Green Deal and the transition to climate neutrality. The plenum of the EP is today expecting the EC’s proposals regarding the principles and mechanism for a fair transition. On Wednesday the MEPs will vote a resolution, which will express the EP’s point of view.



    Tennis — The Romanian Simona Halep, world’s no.4 tennis player, on Tuesday defeated 6-4, 7-5 the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (52 WTA) and qualified to the quarter finals of the Adelaide tournament in Australia. The tournament has prizes up for grabs worth 848 thousand dollars. In the quarter finals, the Romanian will play against Arina Sabalenka of Belarus and the American Bernarda Pera. This was Halep’s first singles match in 2020. In Adelaide she also played in the doubles alongside Romanian Raluca Olaru but the two lost to the pair Demi Schuurs (the Netherlands) / Kveta Peschke (the Czech Republic). (translation by L. Simion)

  • January 12, 2020

    January 12, 2020

    Government — The ruling Liberal government in Romania is considering all the ways for adopting the law on electing mayors in two rounds of voting. The PM Ludovic Orban does not rule out assuming responsibility for the law or issuing an emergency decree, although he believes there are chances for the law to be passed by Parliament. He pointed out that the Liberal Party would designate its candidate for the Bucharest City Hall following a survey. As to the law providing for the doubling of allowances for children, the PM is in favor of postponing the deadline for adoption, until the government is able to ensure the necessary financial resources from the state budget, through budget adjustment, after July 1. The PM made these statements in the context in which President Klaus Iohannis announced that he would promulgate the respective law which was passed in December following an initiative of the former governing Social Democratic Party.



    Iran – In Teheran thousands of Iranian protesters called on the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to resign after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed that they had downed a Ukrainian plane with 176 people on board, mostly Iranians and Canadians. According to the Iranian authorities, the plane was downed by mistake. The American President Donald Trump warned Iran not to transform protests into a massacre and hailed the protesters’ courage in a Twitter post, in English and Farsi. The police intervened to disperse the protesters. The British ambassador to Iran was detained for several hours by the police, as he was filming the manifestation against Ali Khamenei at the Amitkadir University and the Iranian papers wrote that the ambassador allegedly instigated the students to protest. The Iranian president Hassan Rohani phoned his Ukrainian counterpart Volodimir Zelenski to apologize for the incident. The Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said that Iran had to take whole responsibility for what happened, adding that such a tragedy should not have happened in a period of increased tensions.



    Talks – The Russian President Vladimir Putin and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who visited Moscow for the 1st time in the past two years, talked about energy policies, with focus on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, and also about several international issues such as the situation in Libya, Iran and Syria. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent to Moscow, at the end of the their talks, the two officials confirmed their determination to complete the building of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was suspended last month under the threat of American sanctions. The Kremlin leader reiterated that Russian would be able to finalize the works on its own, but admitted, for the first time, that the exploitation of the pipeline can be postponed for the end of 2020 or even for the first quarter of 2021. The project has been criticized by the US, Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine, because it would increase Western Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and would give Moscow an instrument for political pressure.



    Handball — Romania’s national men’s handball team has qualified to the 2nd stage of the preliminaries of the 2021 World Handball Championship, being ranked 1st in the group with 4 accumulated points. The Romanians on Saturday defeated Kosovo 32-21 and Georgia defeated Italy 28-25 in Benevento (Italy). Sunday is seeing the last two matches between Kosovo and Georgia and Italy and Romania. However the Romanian team cannot lose its position in the group irrespective of today’s results.



    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (74 WTA) defeated its conational Irina Begu (101 WTA) 6-2, 7-6 (9) in the last qualifying round to the main singles table at the WTA tournament in Hobart (Australia), which has prizes up for grabs worth 275,000 dollars. Cîrstea, top seeded in this stage, will be up against Kristyna Pliskova (The Czech Republic) in the first round. The two players previously met once in 2013, in the 2nd round of the Australian Open, when Sorana defeated Kristyna. Simona Halep, world’s no. 3 player, was designated 2nd seed of the WTA tournament of Adelaide (Australia) which will start on Monday, having total prizes of 848,000 dollars. (translation by L. Simion)