Radio România Internațional

Tag: Magistracy

September 26 – October 2 , 2020

Local elections in the time of pandemic

46% of the Romanians with the right to vote went to the polls
last Sunday to elect their local authorities. Although lower than at the previous
such election, the turnout was good in the complicated context created by the
pandemic, which imposed unprecedented health safety measures on election
Sunday. The vote has already brought about changes and heralds a tough
confrontation at the parliamentary elections due in December. For the first
time, the governing Liberals won the political vote, practically doubling its
number of county council presidents and winning the majority of town halls. Moreover,
the National Liberal Party broke the monopoly of the Social Democrats in counties
that had been loyal to them for 2 or 3 decades. However, the Social Democratic
Party, with the largest number of members in parliament, is still the political
party that holds most mayoralties and the first place with regard to the number
of county council presidents. The great loss for the party is the one recorded
in Bucharest, which it had totally controlled for four years. The independent
Nicusor Dan, supported by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania -
PLUS Alliance will be the mayor of the capital, replacing Gabriela Firea.

The candidates of the center-right alliance created ad-hoc in
Bucharest also won in three of the 6 sectors of the capital. At the Municipal
Council, the Social Democratic Party is on the first position, but the Save
Romania – PLUS Alliance obtained scores that will allow them to decide together
the administration of a city rich in resources, but poor in vision and
projects. Through the second place obtained at the political vote on Bucharest
and the winning of some important municipalities like Timişoara and Braşov, in
which they dethroned liberal mayors, the Save Romania – PLUS Alliance confirms
its status as an alternative political force. The victory of a German in
Timişoara and a French woman in sector 1, the richest in Bucharest, is the proof
that the Alliance comes with something new in Romanian politics. Unperturbed by
the pandemic, the electoral process is overshadowed by scandals and cross-fire accusations
of fraud between the Social Democratic Party and the Save Romania – PLUS Alliance, especially regarding the number
of votes obtained in Bucharest and sector 1 in particular.

Daily records of new coronavirus infections

This week, Romania has for the first time exceeded the threshold
of 2000 daily infections. Specialists had anticipated that this would be the
case, especially after the opening of schools. The number of daily infections
is increasing throughout Europe and there is talk of the imminence of a second
wave of the pandemic. In Romania, more than 130,000 cases of infection have
been reported, and the number of dead is approaching 5,000. Some 500 patients
are constantly in intensive care, but only one third are intubated and need
ventilation, said the Minister of Health, Nelu Tataru. At national level, the
incidence of COVID-19 cases is close to one in one thousand inhabitants, but
the differences are big from one area to another. That is why the
reintroduction of restrictions or even quarantine must be established according
to the local situation of the coronavirus epidemic, and not at the level of the
entire county, said Prime Minister Ludovic Orban. He also called on the
authorities responsible for daily inspections to ensure compliance with health
protection measures. The Ministers of the Interior, Transport, Labor and Health
are called upon to draw up a plan containing clear actions for the
implementation of these measures

The EC Report on the rule of law and Bucharest’s response

The health crisis caused by the pandemic has consumed almost all
the energy of the political actors in Bucharest. Thus, the commitment to put back
on track the judiciary, severely affected by the controversial changes to the
laws of justice and criminal and criminal procedure codes during the last
left-wing government, seemed forgotten. In its latest report on the rule of law
in Romania, the European Commission states that the laws of justice, the
functioning of the National Audiovisual Council, access to public information
and the excess of emergency ordinances are the main problems. The document
emphasizes that in 2020, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to correct
through judicial reforms the measures with negative impact adopted in the
period 2017-2019, which led to the alleviation of tensions in the judiciary.

According
to the evaluation, the controversial measures with a negative impact on judicial
independence continue to apply, such as the functioning of the Section for the
Investigation of Crimes in the Judiciary, which deals exclusively with
prosecuting crimes committed by judges and prosecutors. Further implementation
of these measures increases uncertainty with regard to the functioning of the justice
system, especially through the effects they have together, the European
Commission warns. On the day the report was published in Brussels, in
Bucharest, the Ministry of Justice launched a public debate on the proposals to
amend the justice laws. They aim at strengthening the role of the Superior
Council of Magistracy in organizing and conducting competitions and examinations
through the National Institute of Magistracy and professionalizing the process
of selecting magistrates by eliminating any means of entering the judiciary
without competition. Also, the line ministry decided the elimination of the
early retirement scheme for magistrates, the strengthening of the principle of prosecutor
impendence in the judiciary and the dismantling of the Section for the
Investigation of Crimes in the Judiciary.

Less
optimistic economic forecasts

The European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development has revised downwards its forecasts regarding
Romania’s economic evolution in 2020 and 2021, as a result of the crisis
triggered by the pandemic. According to the latest forecasts, Romania’s economy
would record a 5% drop this year, as to the 4% estimated in May. For 2021, EBRD
expects a 3% expansion of Romania’s GDP, against a 4% growth forecast in
spring. Therefore, after a robust growth of 4.1% in 2019, Romania is facing
recession in 2020. According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development,
the key transmission channels are lower consumption and declining exports. (M. Ignatescu)

3 October 2020
February 25, 2019

MAGISTRACY – Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has invited representatives of magistrates associations and of the Superior Council of Magistracy to the Government headquarters in Bucharest, to discuss the latest changes brought to the justice laws under an emergency ordinance. Three associations have declined the invitation, saying that such talks should have been held before passing Ordinance no.7, which they say must be abrogated immediately. The Superior Council of Magistracy is convening today to analyze the potential effects of the ordinance and the measures that need to be taken in that respect. On Friday, magistrates in Bucharest and across the country protested against the changes to the justice laws, calling for the independence of the judiciary. Also in protest, several prosecutors offices have suspended their activities this week. Citizens too protested on Sunday evening in Bucharest and other cities. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has given assurances that the Government is willing to support all institutions in the field in order to ensure fair justice for all citizens. More on this after the news.

ORDINANCE – In plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies today, the Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici is attending a political debate on the effects of Ordinance no.114, which has caused discontent among banks and other companies in Romania. Under the ordinance passed in December, the prices of gas and electricity have been capped for three years, bank assets are taxed if the ROBOR index exceeds 2% and the tax on revenues from gambling accounts for 2% of the turnover. The ordinance is now in the Senate and a decision is expected, given that March 1st is the deadline for implied consent. Unless it receives a vote in the Senate, ordinance 114 is deemed approved in the form proposed by the government and will be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making forum in this matter.

MOLDOVA – Igor Dodons pro-Russia socialists have won the largest number of seats in parliament, 34 out of 101, following Sundays parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova. Second came the ruling left-of-centre Democratic Party, headed by the controversial oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, with 31, followed by the pro-European rightist ACUM bloc, with 26. Also, 3 independents and 7 representatives of the peoples party, headed by the pro-Russia mayor of Orhei, Ilan Sor, will be represented in Parliament. We recall that Sor is accused of involvement in the stealing of one billion dollars from the countrys banking system. The elections have been denounced by the pro-European opposition as the most non-democratic in the history of the republic.

EUROPOL – The 4th meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol is held today in Bucharest, against the background of Romanias holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. Participating are parliamentary delegations from all the member countries. The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, known as Europol, was established in 1995 with the aim of preventing and combating serious international organized crime and terrorism that affect two or several member states. The main mission of the joint group is to monitor the activity of the Agency, from a political point of view, focusing on the impact of these activities on natural persons fundamental rights and freedoms. The agenda of talks includes current topics regarding the functioning of Europol.

OSCARS – The feature films “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Roma” and “Green Book” are the main winners of the 91st Academy Awards. “Green Book” is the Oscar winner for best picture. The film is about the improbable friendship between a black pianist and a tough Italian-American, who becomes his driver and then personal assistant. The Academy Award for Best Director went to the Mexican Alfonso Cuaron, for “Roma”, a drama which also got the best foreign language film and best cinematography awards. The young Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek won the prize for best leading actor, for his impersonation of Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which got a total of four awards. Olivia Colman was the recipient of the Oscar for Lead Actress, for her part in “The Favourite”. The Academy Awards Gala was broadcast in some 225 countries and territories in the world, including in Romania.

25 February 2019
January 5, 2018 UPDATE

MAGISTRACY – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis on Friday criticized the procedure whereby the justice laws were adopted, expressing hope the laws will be improved and that Constitutional Court judges will analyse them proficiently and objectively. The statement was made during a meeting of the Higher Council of Magistracy. The recent modifications to the justice laws have been challenged both in Parliament by opposition parties as well as in the street by civil society, as well as some magistrates. The three laws referring to the statute of magistrates, judicial organization and the functioning of the Higher Council of Magistracy have been referred to the Constitutional Court by the National Liberal Party and the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The president and vice-president of the Higher Council of Magistracy were elected during the meeting, which also occasioned a review of the institutions activity in 2017.The new head of the Higher Council of Magistracy, judge Simona Marcu, has sent a message of unity to the magistrates and a message of openness to the other state powers. The new vice-president of the Council is prosecutor Codrut Olaru.

JERUSALEM– President Klaus Iohannis on Friday had a phone conversation with
Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, at the latter’s initiative. According to a
communiqué of the Presidential Administration, the talks focussed on the
current stage of and the prospects for developing bilateral relations. In this
context, the two officials also approached issues related to the status of
Jerusalem. PM Netanyahu has thanked the President for Romania’s
abstaining from voting, in December 2017, on the occasion of the
adoption by the UN General Assembly of a resolution on the status of
Jerusalem. President Iohannis reiterated Romania’s stand, namely that Jerusalem
is a key issue during the peace negotiations and its status should be
established following a direct agreement between the sides. Consequently, a
possible decision on moving the Romanian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem can
be made only based on those elements, also by taking into consideration future
evolutions of the Middle East Peace Process. The two officials have also talked
about the current situation in Iran. The Romanian president has expressed
regret over the loss of human lives following the recent protests and voiced
hope
that violence will cease and the freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful
assembly will be observed.

VISIT – Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced that at the end of next week he would visit several countries in Eastern Europe, including Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This will be the first visit by a Japanese Prime Minister to this region, Kyodo news agency reports. “I will expand the borders of Japanese diplomacy, while at the same time asserting our close coordination in connection to North Korea and other pressing issues facing the international community, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

HEARING – Romanian Health Minister Florian Bodog was heard on Thursday by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism as witness in the case where a reputed urosurgeon, Mihai Lucan, is accused of embezzlement. Cluj Mayor Emil Boc was subpoenaed in the same case. Both Florian Bodog and Emil Boc have denied any involvement in the case. Well revert to this topic after the news.

TOURISM – The number of bookings with Romanias tourist accommodation units has gone up by 6.2% in the first 11 months of 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016, totalling 25 million, reads a recent survey published by the National Statistics Institute. Arrivals in Romania reached 11 million, up by 10.4%. Romanians accounted for nearly 80% of total accommodations, as compared to foreign tourists representing 20%. With a 73% share, most tourists came from Europe, while 85% of these were citizens of EU Member states.

FRONTEX – Romania contributed three maritime patrol ships to FRONTEX operations aimed at supporting Greek authorities to monitor and control the EUs external borders throughout 2017. Consisting of six crews totalling 150 border police officers, the Romanian border police vessels carried out patrol, surveillance and rescue operations in the Aegean Sea, both individually and in cooperation with the crews of the other ships deployed by EU Member States to Greece. During the operations the crews completed hundreds of missions and took part in over 20 rescue operations at sea, helping save some 1,800 people, mostly women and children, who were subsequently safely transported to shore. The last crew, made up of 26 officers of the Romanian Border Police, onboard the MAI 1104 patrol ship, returned to the port of Constanta on Thursday.

STUDENTS – Romanias top-performing students who graduated with high scores in universities abroad were rewarded on Thursday as part of the Gala of Romanian Students Abroad. In the “Europa University section the first prize went to Claudia Mitrofan, a student at Cambridge University in Great Britain. Maria Bostenaru of Karlshrue University in Germany won the award for best post-grad student, while Raluca Andreea Manea, a student at Caroline University in Prague, grabbed the award for best Erasmus student. Diana Beatrix Velicu of “Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest was designated the best student in a higher education unit in Romania. (Translated by V. Palcu and D. Vijeu)

5 January 2018
January 5, 2018

MAGISTRACY — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis earlier today criticized the procedure whereby the justice laws were adopted, expressing hope the laws will be improved and that Constitutional Court judges will analyze them proficiently and objectively. The statement was made on the sidelines of the meeting of the Superior Council of Magistracy. We recall the recent modifications to the justice laws have been challenged both in Parliament by opposition parties as well as in the street by civil society, as well as by some magistrates. The three laws referring to the statute of magistrates, judicial organization and the functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy have been referred to the Constitutional Court by the National Liberal Party and the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The opposition believes the laws go against the Constitution and generate confusion. The most controversial points refer to the material accountability of magistrates, the setup of a special unit within the Prosecutor General’s Office charged with investigating justice-related crimes and the statute of the Judicial Inspection Corps. The meeting will occasion the election of the president and vice-president of the Council and a review of the institution’s activity in 2017.

HEARING — Romanian Health Minister Florian Bodog was deposed on Thursday by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism as witness in the case where a reputed urosurgeon, Mihai Lucan, is accused of embezzlement. Cluj Mayor Emil Boc was subpoenaed in the same case. Both Florian Bodog and Emil Boc have denied any involvement in the case.

FRONTEX — Romania contributed three maritime patrol ships to FRONTEX operations aimed at supporting Greek authorities to monitor and control the EU’s external borders throughout 2017. Consisting of six crews totaling 150 border police officers, the Romanian border police vessels carried out patrol, surveillance and rescue operations in the Aegean Sea, both individually and in cooperation with the crews of the other ships deployed by EU Member States to Greece. During the operations the crews completed hundreds of missions and took part in over 20 rescue operations at sea, helping save some 1,800 people, mostly women and children, who were subsequently safely transported to shore. The last crew, made up of 26 officers of the Romanian Border Police, onboard the MAI 1104 patrol ship, returned to the port of Constanta on Thursday.

VISIT — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today announced that at the end of next week he would visit several countries from Eastern Europe, including Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This will be the first visit of a Japanese Prime Minister to this region, Kyodo news agency reports. “I will expand the borders of Japanese diplomacy, while at the same time asserting our close coordination in connection to North Korea and other pressing issues facing the international community”,. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC PARTY — The Executive Committee of the Social-Democratic Party, the main ruling coalition party in Romania, will most likely convene on Monday, sources within the party have told the press. Ranking high on the agenda is appointing a new Minister of Waters and Forests, after this Wednesday Doina Pana stepped down due to health reasons. According to the aforementioned sources, the Committee might also discuss a new Government reshuffle. The meeting will be held amidst speculations over the strained relations between Social-Democrat Leader Liviu Dragnea and Prime Minister Mihai Tudose.

TOURISM — The number of bookings with Romania’s tourist accommodation units has gone up by 6.2% in the first 11 months of 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016, totaling 25 million, reads a recent survey published today by the National Statistics Institute. Arrivals in Romania reached 11 million, up by 10.4%. Romanians accounted for nearly 80% of total accommodations, as compared to foreign tourists representing 20%. With a 73% share, most tourists came from Europe, while 85% of these were citizens of EU Member states.

STUDENTS — Romania’s top-performing students who graduated with high scores in universities abroad were rewarded on Thursday as part of the Gala of Romanian Students Abroad. In the “Europa University” section the first prize went to Claudia Mitrofan, a student at Cambridge University in Great Britain. Maria Bostenaru of Karlshrue University in Germany won the award for best post-grad student, while Raluca Andreea Manea, a student at Caroline University in Prague, grabbed the award for best Erasmus student. Diana Beatrix Velicu of “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest was designated the best student in a higher education unit in Romania.

UN — The UN’s Security Council will tonight meet to discuss the developments in Iran. The meeting has already been criticized by Russia, who considers the situation in Iran is of no concern to the UN. US Ambassador Nikki Haley earlier last week said she would call for a top-level meeting as a sign of support for the Iranian protesters. Over 20 people were killed in Mashhad since the start of anti-regime protests which have swept the entire country. Hundreds were arrested in Tehran and in other cities.

MEETING — French President Emmanuel Macron is today meeting his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Paris. Talks will focus on Syria, the developments in Europe and human rights in Turkey. This is Erdogan’s most important visit to an EU country after the failed coup of July 2016. The scope of Turkey’s post-coup crackdown has prompted harsh criticism in Europe, particularly in Berlin, thus suspending negotiations over Turkey’s bid to join the community bloc. Over 140,000 people were sacked and suspended, 55,000 arrested, including university teachers, journalists and pro-Kurdish militants. In early September, 2017, German Chancellor Angela Merkel argued in favor of scrapping accession talks, while the French President, Emmanuel Macron, said the EU must avoid any break in relations with Turkey as an “essential” partner on migration and terror issues.

HANDBALL — The Romanian men’s handball side on Friday is facing Bahrain in Calarasi, in the south, in the semi-finals of the Carpati Trophy. Tunisia is facing Portugal in the other semi-final. On Saturday, the losing teams will play the third-place play-off, while the winners will play for the trophy. The Romanian players, who are coached by the Spanish manager Xavier Pascual, are also training for the first round of the 2019 World Championship preliminary matches to take place over January 11-13 in Bolzano, Italy, where they face Ukraine and the Faeroe Islands, as well as the host country. Only the winners of the six preliminary groups qualify for the World Championship play-offs in June this year.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, the world’s no. 1 player, today qualified to the finals of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen, China, totaling over 600 thousand dollars in prize money, after defeating another Romanian, Irina Begu, 6-1, 6-4. This is the second time Halep reaches the final, after in 2015 she won the trophy. In the final Halep will play the defending champion, Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, who defeated Maria Sharapova of Russia in the other semi-final, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Later today Halep and Begu will team up to face Ana Blinkova of Russia and Nicola Geuer of Germany in the women’s doubles semi-finals. (Translated by V. Palcu)

5 January 2018