Radio România Internațional

Tag: laws

  • Senate passes controversial laws

    Senate passes controversial laws

    The Senate of
    Romania on Monday endorsed to major initiatives by the ruling PNL and USR
    amending a couple of draft laws, which sparked off heated debates in society when
    they were first issued.




    The first one repeals
    the regulation introduced during the PSD ruling in 2018, allowing for the early
    retirement of judges and prosecutors at the age of only 45 after only 20 years
    on the job. According to the Liberals, the law was defying the Romanians in a
    country where most of the people retire at 65, and that the new amendments
    represent a return to normalcy, under which magistrates can retire at 60 after
    25 years of work. Other personal criteria for early retirement, such as illness
    or other issues, have also been covered by the law, the initiators explained.




    According to
    them, in its initial form, the law would have allowed for the early retirement
    of a significant number of magistrates, a situation with a major impact upon
    the good functioning of courts and prosecutor’s offices




    The shortage of
    magistrates would have also significantly impacted the quality of the Judiciary,
    prolonging resolution time in certain files. For this reason, the provision
    never came into effect but was prorogued every year. We recall that in this
    case, the Senate is a decision-making body.




    Also on Monday,
    Romanian senators repealed a provision, which banned the selling of state-owned
    shares in national companies and enterprises to loan institutions or to other
    company where the state is a shareholder.




    A provision on
    the two-year suspension of any operations regarding the selling of state-owned
    shares under realization was also repealed.




    The draft,
    initiated by the center-to-right coalition, allows for capitalizing on shares
    with a view to avoiding severe impacts on social relations regarding the
    economic freedom of operators where the state is a shareholder and of the free
    movement of capital.




    At the same
    time, by diversifying shareholders, the government intends to achieve market
    competitiveness and performance. Opposition senators from PSD and AUR have
    opposed the project arguing that it is not the right time for state shares to
    be listed on the stock exchange blaming the government for trying to sell the
    state shares in major companies. The draft law will be submitted to the Chamber
    of Deputies for approval.


    (bill)

  • January 6, 2020 UPDATE

    January 6, 2020 UPDATE

    VISITS The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and PM Ludovic Orban have working visits scheduled for the next few days, including meetings with European officials. The head of state will travel on Tuesday to southern Germany, where he will have talks with the Bavarian PM Markus Soder, head of the Christian-Social Union, a partner in the ruling coalition in Germany, and will attend a meeting of the Bavarian government, where he will give an address. President Iohannis will also take part in the annual meeting of the CSU group in Bundestag, the lower chamber in the German parliament, where he is to present Romanias views on the future of Europe. On Tuesday, PM Ludovic Orban will travel to Brussels, for meetings with the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli.




    BUDGET President Klaus Iohannis Monday signed into law the 2020 state budget and social security budget bills, the Presidency announced. On December 23, the Liberal Government took responsibility before Parliament for the budget bills, the first time when this procedure has been used, in order to make sure that the bills are adopted by year-end, as PM Ludovic Orban explained. The state budget relies on a 4.1% economic growth rate, a 3.1% inflation rate and an average exchange rate of 4.75 lei for the euro. The speakers of the 2 chambers of Parliament, both in Opposition, challenged the procedure and referred the issue to the Constitutional Court.




    HOSPITAL Human error was the cause of the incident at the Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest, the largest emergency unit in Romania, where a patient died last month after suffering burns during surgery. This is the conclusion of the investigation that resulted in a roughly 6,300 euro fine against the hospital, as well as penalties against the entire surgery team. According to a news release issued by the Healthcare Ministry, the hospital also decided to dismiss Dr. Mircea Beuran as head of surgery, for failure to comply with the management contract. Doctors, nurses and assistants announced on Monday that they will go on strike to protest Dr. Beurans dismissal and that they will only attend to major emergencies. At the end of last month the National Healthcare Quality Management Authority suspended the accreditation of the hospital for failure to report the incident within 24 hours.




    EPIPHANY Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers celebrated on Monday the Epiphany or the Baptism of Jesus, when the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ is marked. Waters are blessed on this occasion. The Epiphany is followed, on Tuesday, by St. John the Baptists feast day, which concludes the winter holiday cycle. Old-rite Christians, mostly Russian, Ukrainian and Serb ethnics, are celebrating Christmas on January 7. The separation of Orthodox churches took place in the early 20th Century, when the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople decided to switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.




    TENSIONS NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg
    has called on Iran to avoid further violence and provocations, at the end of
    a special meeting with NATO ambassadors in Brussels. We share concerns
    regarding Iran’s missile tests, and are united in condemning Tehran’s support
    for various terrorist groups, Stoltenberg also said. Huge crowds in mourning
    and shouting Death to the USA accompanied in Tehran on Monday the coffin of General
    Qassem Soleimani, the most popular military commander in Iran, killed in Iraq
    in a US drone strike. As a result, Iran announced it will no longer be
    bound by the international nuclear deal reached in 2015, and which the Trump
    administration abandoned in 2018. European countries, still part of the agreement,
    said they deeply regretted Iran’s decision to disregard uranium enrichment
    restrictions. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with Russia’s
    president Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday. Meanwhile, US president Donald
    Trump threatened tough sanctions if Iraq expels the US troops from that
    country. Trump made this statement after the Iraqi parliament endorsed a
    resolution urging the government to work toward the removal of foreign troops
    from Iraq. In Bucharest, PM Ludovic Orban said he is monitoring the situation with
    concern and attention, and that an escalation of the tensions is not desired.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The Week in Review: February 18 -22

    The Week in Review: February 18 -22

    The president to refer the state budget bill to the Constitutional Court


    President Klaus Iohannis has decided to refer the budget bill for 2019 to the Constitutional Court before signing it into law. He says the bill drawn up by the ruling coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats is a threat to the Romanian economy and that it appears that some of its provisions are unconstitutional, preventing Romania from fulfilling its commitments before the European Union. He also says the budget is unrealistic, overvalued and delayed considering it should have reached Parliament by 15th November last year. According to the president, it is ridiculous to characterise the 2019 budget as investment-orientated in the words of prime minister Viorica Dancila, when the figures in the bill itself point to what can more accurately be described as an austerity budget with subsistence financing, zero investments in some areas, the need for reorganisation and even redundancies owing to the lack of funds for current expenses. The president has accused the government of not having money for investments but allocating large sums for political parties, mainly the Social Democratic Party, the senior partner in the ruling coalition. In response, the speaker of the Senate and leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats has said the presidents gesture is inopportune.




    New changes in the judiciary and reactions from Brussels


    The Government in Bucharest this week issued an emergency decree to bring new changes to the justice laws referring, among other things, to the appointment of top level prosecutors and even the responsibilities of the head of the investigation department. Toader explained that these positions can also be occupied by prosecutors who have not worked as judges, and the people currently delegated to occupy them can only do so for a period of 45 days. The National Anticorruption Directorate says there is no extraordinary situation to justify issuing an emergency order to adopt provisions referring to the dismissal of magistrates or changing the organisation of the prosecutors offices. The DIICOT anti-mafia prosecutors have also criticised the decree saying the changes run counter to the constitutional architecture and place the public ministry in a position in which it will be impossible for it to carry out its specific responsibilities. The Superior Council of Magistrates through its department for prosecutors has warned that the changes made by the government to the justice laws will seriously affect the activity of the prosecutors offices. The European Commission has also reacted. Spokesperson Margaritis Schinas said the community executive is monitoring with great concern the latest developments concerning the rule of law in Romania, both with respect to the content and the procedure of the latest changes, through the use of emergency decrees and without any prior consultations with the representatives of the judiciary and stakeholders. These changes, the Commission official went on to say, seem to run counter to the recommendations made under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, backed by all member states. The main opposition parties, the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, have tabled a simple motion in the field of justice, in the Chamber of Deputies. The changes have been criticised by the Romanian President. The magistrates took to the street in large numbers, to protest against the changes which, they say, deeply affect the independence of the judiciary.



    New ministers in Romania


    President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday signed the decrees appointing Vasile-Daniel Suciu as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development and Public Administration and Alexandru-Răzvan Cuc as Transport Minister. Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă has said she made those nominations to put an end to a deadlock, which hindered the proper activity of the government, the more so as the interim period at the two ministries has expired. “Regional Development and Transports are two key domains, for which we have provided the necessary sums of money in the state budget law, to be able to make the investments Romania needs. The ministers with full responsibilities in carrying out their prerogatives should coordinate themselves for a better implementation of investment projects, the Prime Minister has also added. Olguta Vasilescu and Mircea Drăghici had earlier been nominated at the two ministries. They have been however rejected several times by President Klaus Iohannis and in the end they decided to withdraw their candidacies.



    Meeting of the EU trade ministers in Bucharest


    The EU Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström and the director general of the World Trade Organisation, Roberto Azevędo, attended the informal meeting of the EU Trade Ministers, held in Bucharest earlier this week, under the auspices of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union. Talks focused on the modernisation process of the World Trade Organisation and on trade relations between the EU and the US. Also this week, the EU member states validated, during the meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee, the political agreement secured by Romania and the European Parliament on the Copyright Directive in the Digital Single Market. The directive offers correct payment to copyright holders and takes into account private users interests. The directive will have a positive impact on a large category of actors, such as press publishers, cultural institutions, education institutions, artists, performers and professionals in the field of culture.




    (translated by: Diana Vijeu, Cristina Mateescu)

  • October 10, 2018 UPDATE

    October 10, 2018 UPDATE

    LAWS – The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest has decided that taxes that an employer must pay for foreign workers will be reduced. The initiative was supported by all parliamentary groups, who emphasized the need for measures to reduce labor force deficit in several sectors of the economy. Employers will have the obligation to pay foreign workers only the minimum salary and not the average salary as it is at present. Procedures for the release of labor permits will also be simplified. Also on Wednesday, the Romanian MPs passed a bill on personal data protection. Both bills will be sent to the head of state to be signed into laws.




    BILL — The Romanian Government on Wednesday green lighted the public pensions system bill, that will be sent to Parliament for approval. Labor Minister Olguta Vasilescu has said that no pension will be slashed after recalculation and the standard retirement age will not be modified. The new law is aimed at increasing pensions and eliminating inequities in the system. Among other things, the bill stipulates that pensions will be paid only in keeping with each individuals contribution, and those whose seniority is the same, but retired in different moments in time, will get the same amount. The future law would be implemented in stages until 2021, benefiting more than 5 million Romanian pensioners.




    MOTION – The simple motion filed by the opposition National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union against the Economy Minister Danut Andrusca was dismissed on Wednesday by the Chamber of Deputies, following Mondays debates. The National Liberal Party claims that the ministers incompetence, proven by the evolution of the main economic indicators, is bringing Romania to bankruptcy. According to the Liberals, in nine months of office, Danut Andrusca has made no progress in solving the main problems of his ministry, carrying out an activity described as catastrophic.




    JUSTICE – Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader announced that the Government passed on Wednesday an emergency ordinance for the setting up of the Section for the investigation of crimes in the justice system, made up of 15 prosecutors. Toader said that until October 23rd the Section will take over from the National Anti-Corruption Directorate all cases involving magistrates, including the ones solved in the past. The Justice Minister explained that emergency ordinance was needed given that, as of October 23, the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has no competence, under the law, to investigate these offenses, and that the newly established section, on paper, without being operational, cannot continue investigations.




    FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR — Romania is taking part in the Frankfurt Book Fair. The Romanian stall, set up by the Romanian Culture Ministry, offers a series of events attended by writer Gabriela Adamesteanu, Radu Pavel Gheo, Robert Şerban, Jan Koneffke, Dana Grigorcea, Adriana Carcu, translators Jan Cornelius, Ernest Wichner and Georg Aescht, historian Adrian Majuru and others. A series of Romanian books translated into German will be presented. Also, writers Robert Şerban, Traian Pop Traian and Viorel Marineasa will take part in literary debates at Georgia’s stall, which is the guest country of this year’s edition of the fair.




    INFLATION – According to the National Statistics Institute, in Romania, the annual inflation rate reported in September dropped to 5.03% from 5.1% in August, against the background of prices going up. This year, the highest rate was registered in May: 5.41%. This is the highest level since February 2013, when the increase in consumption prices was 5.65%. In early August, the Romanian Central Bank revised downwards to 3.5% the inflation forecast for the end of this year. We recall that in August Romania registered an annual inflation rate of 4.7%, the highest in the whole of the EU, for the seventh consecutive month.



  • December 24, 2017 UPDATE

    December 24, 2017 UPDATE

    TALKS — The Prime Minister of Romania, Mihai Tudose, accepted to meet the representatives of 43 NGOs active in the street protests initiated against the planned changes in the justice laws and the criminal codes. In a Facebook post, Tudose voiced his openness to dialogue and suggested that the meeting took place on December 27. The 43 organisations sent an open letter to the Prime Minister, expressing their willingness to contribute to dialogue, consultation and solutions, in full compliance with the rule of law, fundamental human rights and the democratic principles. New street protests were held on Saturday night in Bucharest and other Romanian cities, against the bills designed to amend the justice laws. On Friday, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland sent a letter to the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, urging him to request an opinion from the Venice Commission on the legislative reform already endorsed by Parliament.




    CHRISTMAS — Orthodox believers celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25th, one of the greatest feast days of the Christian world. “The celebration of Nativity is a call for compassion and solidarity with those who need our support. I wish you a happy Christmas, wherever you are,” reads a message from the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis.




    ROYAL HOUSE — This is the first Christmas without King Michael, but the Royal House is celebrating the Nativity and pays tribute to the life and achievements of the 4th monarch of the Romanian state, the Custodian of the Crown, H.M. Margareta wrote in a message to the nation, as Romania’s former sovereign used to send every Christmas Eve. She noted the solidarity of the Romanian people during the King’s funeral 2 weeks ago, and recalled the care and attention with which every year King Michael would write his Christmas address, which during the exile years was his only form of communication with the Romanians. Michael I died on December 5, in Switzerland, aged 96, and was buried on December 16, in Curtea de Arges, southern Romania.




    HOLIDAYS — Thousands of Romanians will be spending their holidays in mountain resorts. At the top of the travel destinations these days are the resorts in the Prahova Valley region in the south of Romania, such as Predeal, Sinaia and Buşteni, where occupancy rates are around 80%. In Bâlea Lac, in Făgăraş Mountains, the new Ice Hotel, the only one of its kind in Romania, has opened today. Most of the tourists having booked a room here come from abroad. Music is the chosen theme of this 13th ice hotel built at over 2,000 metres in Făgăraş Mountains. Each of the 15 rooms has been decorated with snow and ice sculptures representing Romanian and international music stars.




    POLICE — In Romania, nearly 23,000 police, gendarmes and fire fighters are working every day throughout the Christmas holiday. Special attention will be paid to preventing public order incidents, fighting anti-social conduct, streamlining road traffic and check point transit, as well as to the management of emergency situations. Police workers and gendarmes will be present especially in crowded places like fairs, train stations, tourist resorts, as well as over 16,400 churches, where special religious services will be held. Bulgarian-speaking Romanian policemen will also be part of joint patrols with their counterparts from the neighbouring Bulgaria, in the mountain resort of Bansko, until next March, providing support and assistance to the Bulgarian police. This is the 8th winter season when such joint missions are organised in Bulgaria.




    TENNIS — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 1 in the world, plays today against the Czech Karolina Pliskova, no 4 WTA, in the Intercontinental World Tennis Championship finals in Thailand. On Saturday in the quarter-final, Halep defeated Britain’s Johanna Konta, 2-0, while Pliskova outplayed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, no 7 WTA. Ostapenko and Konta are playing on Sunday for the 3rd place in the competition.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The judicial overhaul

    The judicial overhaul

    Three justice laws have been amended and are to come into force urgently, as intended by the Social Democratic Party, the senior partner in the ruling coalition in Bucharest: the status of magistrates, the judicial organisation, and the activity of the Superior Council of Magistracy. The adoption of these laws has been rushed for a number of reasons, the government says, citing the fact that they haven’t been revised for the last 13 years, have given rise to anomalies related to the career of magistrates and have allowed for abuses by some prosecutors and judges, who, protected by impunity, have given verdicts that have later been overturned by the European Court of Human Rights, with the Romanian state forced to pay huge damages.



    The right-wing opposition and some of the professionals working in the judiciary agree that the three laws need to be amended, but criticise the haste with which they have been passed, the lack of transparency in the drafting of the laws and the lack of comprehensive debates, given the importance of this legislation. Sections of civil society are also discontent and people have again taken to the streets to voice their outrage at the decisions taken by the ruling coalition.



    Let’s hear from one of the people who protested on Wednesday evening near the Parliament building: “They are counting on the fact that people don’t understand what the independence of magistrates really means. The truth is that people understand exactly what it means. What they are doing through these hypocritical and perverse amendments is to put indirect and psychological pressure on magistrates.”



    Fiercely criticised, one important amendment to the law on the status of judges and prosecutors is that Romania’s president is allowed to refuse only once the appointment of a proposed prosecutor general and the heads of the main prosecutor general offices. Secondly, judges and prosecutors are to be held accountable for any possible errors if they acted in bad faith and with negligence. As far the law on judicial organisation is concerned, its most controversial provision is that on the creation of a department that can investigate all crimes committed by magistrates.



    The Social Democrat senator Adrian Tutuianu explains why the law on the organisation and functioning of the Superior Council of Magistrates had to be amended: “In these 13 years, the Superior Council of Magistracy has failed to fulfil its role, that of guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary and self-regulating the judicial system. Secondly, Law no. 303 from 2004 stipulates the separation of the decision-making competencies related to the career of magistrates, judges and prosecutors and this also requires the amendment of Law no. 317 from 2004. We also had to put into application several rulings of the Constitutional Court, some of which were issued 3 or 4 years ago.”



    The amendments to the justice laws have come to the attention of the Council of Europe, that has called on Romania to offer clarifications on the controversial draft laws, after the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has for the first time activated a procedure for exceptional circumstances.



    President Klaus Iohannis, who is yet to sign these three laws, has warned the political class on the consequences of these changes with respect to Romania’s relationship with the European Union. He said calling a referendum on the subject of the overhaul of the judicial system is not the only ace up his sleeve.

  • October 8, 2017 UPDATE

    October 8, 2017 UPDATE

    NATO — The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, is coming to Bucharest on Monday, when he is to discuss with President Klaus Iohannis about the forthcoming NATO summit and the status of its eastern flank. The two officials will take part together in the opening of the plenary meeting of the 63rd session of NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly. More than 50 delegations from NATO member or partner countries are taking part in the session hosted by the Romanian capital city. Members of the Romanian Government have already addressed the participants, pleading for closer cooperation between the Allies. Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu warned that the buildup of Russian forces at the Black Sea does not target this region alone, but also the Mediterranean and the Middle East, while the Defence Minister Mihai Fifor argued that simplified procedures and legislation in European countries would facilitate the movement of NATO troops from one country to another, allowing for easier participation in exercises involving large numbers of troops and equipment.



    LEGISLATION — The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, the two parties in the ruling coalition, will discuss next week the final texts of the laws on the judiciary. After that, according to the Social Democratic president Liviu Dragnea, the new legislation will be discussed in Parliament. Dragnea says the justice minister Tudorel Toader is drawing closer to finalising the new legislative package. Heavily criticised by the Opposition, civil society and the mass media, and disapproved of by the Higher Council of Magistrates, Toader’s draft laws stipulate, among other things, that the president of the country will no longer be involved in the appointment of the Prosecutor General and the chiefs of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism. The bills also make the judicial inspection corps subordinated to the Justice Ministry, and increase the length in office required for the promotion of magistrates.



    SPAIN — Hundreds of thousands once again took to the streets on Sunday in Barcelona, to call for unity and protest the planned secession of Catalonia. The Nobel-winning Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who is a Spanish citizen as well, was among the protesters. Employers organisations in Catalonia have also voiced concerns over the separatist intentions of the regional government, announced after last week’s referendum. Rulled illegal by the Spanish constitutional court, and marred by police violence, the referendum brough 2 million out of Catalonia’s 5.3 million people to polls, and 90% of the votes were in favour of secession.



    TENNIS — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep Sunday lost the Beijing tournament final to Caroline Garcia (France), 6-4, 7-6. On Saturday, in the semi-finals, Halep had defeated Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, a victory thanks to which as of Monday Halep is the new WTA no 1. Her performance was hailed by top personalities in Romanian and world sports, Romanian politicians and tennis fans. Simona Halep’s coach, the Australian Darren Cahill, the great gymnast Nadia Comăneci and former tennis player Boris Becker of Germany were among those who congratulated Simona Halep. According to Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase, WTA no 1 in the ‘70s, the hardest is yet to come for Simona Halep, the first Romanian tennis player to have won the top world position in the women’s singles.



    HANDBALL — Romania’s women’s handball champions CSM Bucharest started the 2017-2018 Champions League season with a clear home win against Slovenians Krim Ljubljana, 30-18. In the other Group A game, the Danish side Nykobing Falster outplayed the Polish Vistal Gdynia, 27-21. In the next match in the group, CSM will play in Gdynia, on October 11. In the men’s competition, CSM Bucharest lost at home, 26-30, against SKA Minsk, of Belarus, in the first leg of the second round of the EHF Cup. The decisive leg will be played on October 15, in Minsk.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 27 – September 2

    August 27 – September 2

    Top diplomatic meeting in Romania


    President Klaus Iohannis has presented the main objectives of Romanian foreign policy in a meeting with heads of diplomatic missions and general consuls abroad. He did so at the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomats held this past week in Bucharest. He told the attendees that they were in the best position to support the transatlantic relationship, and emphasized the fact that Romania has to have a unified approach in relation to Russia. The challenges and threats from the east, as well as risks from the south remain the same, said the president, calling on diplomats to have a quick, responsible, and innovative involvement. The head of state also said that the same involvement is needed in terms of domestic challenges within the EU, such as the Brexit and the relaunch of the European project, saying that Romania should contribute actively to the process of reflection regarding the future of the union. Iohannis believes that Europe needs to be stronger, closer to its citizens, with a better presence worldwide:



    Klaus Iohannis: “We should stand next to those member states that act to consolidate the Union. The closer we are to this core of nations, the more we can rely on the European process of decision making, and have better opportunities for development. Europe needs to be at its best in terms of ability to adapt, in order to overcome its present challenges. The instruments of this adaptation should be designed so that development gaps between member states be avoided.



    Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu said that the preparation for the centennial of the Great Union, the Romanian presidency of the EU, to be taken over in 2019, the candidacy of the country for membership as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and OECD candidacy are the main aims of Romanian diplomats. He added that Romania should take on greater responsibilities in European economic diplomacy, and to better make use of its potential. He spoke of the need to diversify trade relations by engaging emerging regions, by regaining traditional markets, and opening new ones, with potential for growth.



    Changes in justice regulations spark discontent


    The recently proposed changes in the legal framework surrounding the judicial system have sparked strong reactions from various institutions, as well as street protests. The prosecutors with the National Anti-Corruption Directorate have warned that some of the proposals made by the line minister, such as putting judicial investigations under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice of creating a specialized structure for investigating magistrates, may affect the independence and proper functioning of relevant institutions, representing a form of pressure on investigators. Prosecutors are upset at the fact that the judiciary may become politicized, reducing the prerogatives of the NAD. Among the proposals that have sparked protests are the exclusion of the president of the country from the process of appointing the General Prosecutor and the czars of anti-corruption and organized crime directorates. PM Mihai Tudose, mindful of the visibly unfavorable reactions of experts and public opinion, promised that passing the bill would depend on the endorsement of the Higher Council of Magistracy, as well as public opinion. In the meantime, the opposition is preparing a number of actions in parliament. The Save Romania Uion announced it would file a simple censure motion against the minister of justice, and the Liberals said they were considering one as well, but that they were waiting for an opportune moment.



    Excises go up for fuel


    This autumn, excises are up for petrol and Diesel fuel, as ordered by the executive in Bucharest. In order to avoid shocks created by the price increase, the move will be in two stages, the first on September 15 and the second on October 1st. According to Finance Minister Ionut Misa, a sudden increase in prices may cause people to consume less, reducing budget revenue. Transportation companies criticized the government’s decision, saying that this paints a bleak picture for the Romanian transportation sector. They claim that even a Eurocent increase would directly affect the competitiveness of Romanian companies in road transportation.



    A new parliamentary session has started in Bucharest


    Romanian senators and deputies have returned from the summer recess. The first day of work, September 1, has been devoted to organizational matters, with debates on legislative initiatives only starting next week. Parliaments agenda includes debates on emergency ordinances on setting a maximum threshold for the special pensions, a cap of nearly 1,900 euros per month on child rearing indemnity, a 10% increase in police worker salaries and a 15% rise in the salaries of civilian personnel working with national security institutions. The draft law on compulsory immunization, the new pensions law and the laws regulating the judicial system are also to be discussed in parliament.


    (translated by: Elena Enache, Calin Cotoiu)

  • August 23, 2017 UPDATE

    August 23, 2017 UPDATE

    VISIT – The President of France Emmanuel Macron will be on an official visit to Romania on Thursday, and will have talks with president Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Mihai Tudose. The two presidents will give a joint press conference at the end of the bilateral talks and will visit the National Village Museum. The two heads of state are expected to have an open dialogue on boosting bilateral trade, as well as on cooperation during the 2018-2019 Romania-France Cultural Season, an important cultural project. Another focal point on the agenda of talks is Romanias Schengen accession, after the two presidents agreed, in June, to strengthen dialogue so that a favourable decision on Romanias joining the free movement area be made as soon as possible.



    JUDICIARY – The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis says the proposed changes to the laws regulating the judicial sector, announced on Wednesday by Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, are an attack against the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the anti-corruption fight. Iohannis says the pressure on the judiciary comes completely against the commitments made by Romania upon joining the EU in 2007, and will keep the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism active indefinitely, so as to enable the European Commission to monitor the Romanian judicial sector. President Iohannis explains such changes require public debate and consultations with the magistrates. Under one of the proposed amendments, Public Ministry chiefs would be appointed by the Prosecutors Department of the Higher Council of Magistrates, based on nominations by the Justice Minister, through a transparent procedure that bypasses the head of state. Minister Toader also intends to make the Judicial Inspection Corps subordinated to the Justice Ministry and to extend the term in office for chief prosecutors from 3 to 4 years. Once passed by the Cabinet, the bill will be sent to Parliament for endorsement.



    REMEMBRANCE DAY – The signing of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact on August 23, 1939 is a confirmation that Fascism, Nazism and Communism are mere forms of the same antidemocratic expressions of hatred and intolerance, says Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, in a message sent on Wednesday, commemorating the Remembrance Day for the Victims of Fascism and Communism. The president added that the pact concluded by the Nazi and Soviet foreign ministers, Joachim von Ribbentrop and Veaceslav Molotov, respectively, was an odious act against the Romanians ideal of peace and freedom. The Romanian Centennial must find us consistent in the struggle to defend democracy, the rule of law and individual liberties. Let us not forget that for more than one-half of the one hundred years since the achievement of the national ideal we lived under dictatorships, and many of the personalities who contributed to the Greater Union were persecuted by totalitarian regimes. Therefore, our efforts must now be directed towards the condemnation of all actions that could affect the democratic path that Romania embarked on, in December 1989, and consolidated by its NATO and EU membership. In the current European and global context, marked by many challenges and uncertainties, defending and consolidating the rule of law, democracy and freedom against any enemies hostile to open societies is a priority, the president also said. In the wake of the Soviet-Nazi agreement, following an ultimatum given in the summer of 1940, Moscow annexed Romanias eastern territories of Bessarabia, northern Bukovina and Hertza. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Romanians left their homes in the way of the occupiers, and other tens of thousands were arrested, executed or deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan.



    AFGHANISTAN – Romania welcomes the announcement made by the U.S. President, Donald Trump, on increasing US troops in Afghanistan by 4,000 military, the Romanian Defence Minister Adrian Ţuţuianu has said. Ţuţuianu has added that Romania, too, might increase the number of troops it contributes to the “Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. At present, some 620 Romanian military are deployed in that Central-Asian state, Bucharest being the Alliances fourth largest contributor of troops.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Romanian education, where to?

    Romanian education, where to?

    Until 10-15 years ago, Romania’s main competitive advantage was its skilled and cheap labor force. In the past years, however, the situation has changed, and this advantage disappeared along with the dismantling of vocational education. It was a mistake that should be fixed as soon as possible, because it’s neither the political nor the economic factors that hamper development, it’s the lack of skilled employees. These are some of the ideas highlighted recently at a debate attended by representatives of employers’ associations and authorities. According to people with expertise in the field, dual vocational education, which allows graduates to enter the labor market while still continuing their formal training, is the main factor that could help reindustrialize Romania.



    According to specialists, the first question that potential investors ask is about the possibility to have some of their employees enrolled in the dual education system. Also, besides this dual system, the apprenticeship and internship laws, which have been adopted this year, are another two engines that can stimulate this process of reindustrialization. A law on dual education in Romania has been drafted and endorsed by the two chambers of parliament and then sent for promulgation to Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis. The latter, however, decided to send the bill back for reexamination, because as it is today it would trigger negative effects with regard to the quality of education.



    Klaus Iohannis believes that the fact that companies involved in professional training are no longer required to be licensed or authorized would limit the positive impact of dual education. Moreover, according to the president, some changes in the law will reduce these schools’ autonomy. His decision was hailed by the main opposition party, the National Liberal Party, which called on all parliamentary parties to urgently reexamine the bill. According to the liberal first vice-president Raluca Turcan, dual education is the optimum solution to the lack of skilled labor force and vocational schools that companies complain about. On the other hand, the government wants the strategy for the stimulation of dual education to go under public debate by September 1st, and have the system ready for implementation during the 2018-2019 school year.


    (Translated by Mihaela Ignatescu)