Radio România Internațional

Tag: marriage

  • Romania’s vulnerable communities and their problems

    Romania’s vulnerable communities and their problems

    Rroma girls and women make some of Romania’s most vulnerable and most neglected groups. More often than not, the authorities’ prejudices and the abuses that are not considered proper abuses by the families, leave those women and girls without protection.

    Romania still is the EU country with the biggest number of underage mothers. The state institutions do not carry a centralized collection of data regarding forced marriages. No data, no such issue on the agenda. No data, no clear-cut knowledge of the causes of forced marriages. It is the opinion of Măriuca-Oana Constantin, a university lecturer with the National School of Political and Administrative Studies, an opinion voiced as part of the awareness-raising campaign carried by E-Romnja — Romania’s only NGO dedicated to Rroma girls and women.

    Carmina is a 10-year-old girl. She graduated from the 4th grade when she was married to a 14-year-old boy as the outcome of a marriage arranged by the parents, Two years later, Carmina gives birth to a child. The authorities took note of that regarding the case, yet the case was eventually dropped, the reasoning for that was something like “the victim consented to having sexual relationships, approved of by the parents” or “the Rroma tradition encourages such relationships”. No research on parents was conducted.

    Carmina’s story is only one of the five stories presented as part of a campaign running like “In the Name of Tradition?”. It was launched by E-Romnja, the NGO that seeks to debunk the myth whereby the marriage between children is a matter exclusively concerning the Rroma communities. It is one of those obnoxious prejudices justifying cases of violence against vulnerable persons.

    How do we know the problem exceeds the Rroma community? Because demographic data on premature deliveries confirm it. It is the idea of Cerasela Banica, State Secretary with the National Council for Combatting Discrimination.

    Roxana Oprea is E-Romnja’s equal opportunities expert. Here is what the answer was, to the question why the issue of forced marriages was of no interest for the institutions.

    “It is very simple and there is glaring evidence for that, I daresay, since there is a lot of racism in institutions. People relate to the phenomenon as a cultural practice specific to the Rroma community alone, yet the reality is different. Something like that, we’re not the only ones to say it, the E-Romnja Association, there are also other institutions and international bodies saying it.

    So for this very reason, it never has been a priority for institutions and decision-making bodies. Therefore, since it is not something affecting the entire population, it is viewed as a cultural practice and, because of the bias and the prejudice, you do not intervene. “

    ‘
    Carmina’s story, a story we have presented above, is one of the hundreds such stories we will never know. One of the many stories that really happens, as, more often than not, we keep viewing children as being their parents’ property, not recognizing them as individuals having their own rights and needs. As for the forced marriages, most likely, the biggest mistake of those who want to help (social assistants, teachers, psychologists, NGO staff, judicial professionals and suchlike) is they go and talk with the parents, thinking the problem can and must be solved in the family or in the community. Actually, more often than not, parents are the abusers. Roxana Oprea.

    “We just cannot help considering this normalizing area; the moment you, as an institution, as a school, as the General Social Assistance Direction, the moment you noticed those things happened and you did nothing about it, then what is the signal you give to parents ? That what they do is okay. So you, practically, validate adults’ abuses on their own children.

    It is a vicious circle and, if we do not strengthen that kind of approach, whereby we no longer choose to point our finger at the Rroma community alone and lay the blame on the Rroma community, we cannot be in line with the international standards. We will continue to be on the shameful list of the countries allowing child marriage. “

    The Criminal Code has a legislative void on forced marriage, the legislation does not view forced marriage as a self-contained criminal act. In the rare circumstances when such cases are brought to court, they are tried as sexual crimes. E-Romnja has raised another key problem: the use, by the authorities of the phrase “consensual union” when they refer to the marriage between two persons, of which at least one is younger than 16.

    Consent for marriage CANNOT be demanded from a minor person, younger than 16, it is stipulated in the Intervention Guide for cases of marriage between children/forced marriages, published at the beginning of the year. It was also Cerasela Bănică who explained for Radio Romania International criminal investigation files do not consider this lack of consent but rather they choose placement based on such reasoning as “parents agree”, “they had been living together for long”, “they have already had sexual relations” or “it is a habit of the Rroma community”. Something like that leaves the victim completely defenseless. “

    Asked how the authorities viewed the campaign, here is how Roxana Oprea answered:

    ” The campaign is viewed with interest, but what is the standpoint it is viewed from? From the standpoint whereby Romania is somehow compelled, legally, to eliminate such a practice, being a signatory party of several international conventions on preventing and combatting gender violence. We have Directive no 1385 of the European Parliament and the European Council issued on May 15, 2024, stipulating EU member states had a three-year period of grace, starting with the date the directive came into force, to transpose the regulations into domestic law.

    Therefore, we somehow have some pressure at European level so Romania may comply with those international standards. There is also the Grevio report, assumed by Romania Government which, similarly, urges the state to take measures and criminalize such a practice. “

    Roxana Oprea also stated the issue was not viewed as one pertaining to the gender violence, and, even though such an issue were viewed as a gender violence issue, whenever violence targets a Rroma woman, is it no longer viewed as belonging to society.

    “ I think it is so normalized that, were we to speak about violence as a general phenomenon, it is normalized in all communities. We have reports revealing Romanians are tolerant regarding verbal, sexual violence that rape is justified if the woman looks somehow provocative. There are judicial reasonings compiled by Romanian women and men judges, specifying an 11- or a 12-year-old girl enticed a man or gave her consent for rape. “

    At the pressure of the European Union, Romania has until 2027 to take action against such a phenomenon.

  • June 17, 2023

    June 17, 2023

    TALKS The government in Bucharest and trade unions in the
    country’s education system have set up a schedule for the implementation of the
    amendments in the Salary Law as pledged by the Executive with a view to putting
    an end to the teachers’ all-out strike, which lasted for three weeks. According
    to the new Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, Education Minister Ligia Deca and
    trade union representatives, the salary of a beginner teacher would be based on
    the average salary in Romania. Trade union leaders will be having a new round
    of talks with the Ministers of Education, Labour and Finances in an attempt to
    draw up the new salary scale. After an agreement has been reached, it will be
    presented to the ruling coalition and the first shape of the future salary law
    is to be announced by the Labour Minister until July 15. After the government
    endorsement, the project will be forwarded to Parliament in its autumn session.








    RAIN Torrential rains have in the past days affected
    several towns and villages in the country’s southwest, where numerous households
    and scores of hectares of farmland have been flooded. Teams of firefighters and
    gendarmes have intervened to pump the water out of the affected households.
    Road and rail traffic has been temporarily disrupted while the National
    Committee for Emergency Situations summoned by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on
    Friday night, has approved food and water supplies to the families affected by
    the latest floods.








    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football side ended in a goalless draw their
    game against the selection of Kosovo in Pristina on Friday night. The match was
    counting towards the Group 1 of the EURO 2024 qualifiers, with Romania still
    unbeaten after three games: two wins and a draw. Kosovo has three points and
    the Romanian football team coached by Edward Iordanescu will play their next
    game against Switzerland in Lucerne on Monday. The first two sides in the group
    will qualify for the final tournament.


    OPERA The second edition of Bucharest Opera Festival kicked off at the
    National Opera in Bucharest (ONB) on Friday night. The event brings together
    for nine days 15 hundred artists, nine different productions, which aren’t
    normally performed on the ONB stage, and a programme, which covers nearly 300
    years of music history. I am convinced this festival remains an example about
    the fact that art has to unite people, that artists are free spirits practicing
    cultural diplomacy, and setting up bridges of communication between peoples,
    countries, between various teams of artists and managers in Romania and
    abroad, says Daniel Jinga, director general with the National Opera in
    Bucharest. The present edition has kicked off with a premiere of The Marriage
    of Figaro by Mozart, directed by maestro Sir David Pountney, a coproduction
    with the Tel Aviv Opera. According to Director Pountney, the show has been
    built on a world of contrasts.








    RELATIONS Between June 14-16, the Romanian city of Timisoara, which is also
    European capital of culture this year, played venue for the 26th
    session of the Romanian-German government commission for the problematic of the
    ethnic Germans in Romania. State Secretary Daniela Gitman has emphasized the
    excellent level of the Romanian-German relations based on mutual trust,
    stepped-up political dialogue, growing economic dynamics, and very tight
    inter-human relations. The Romanian official has mentioned the significant
    contribution of the German minority in Romania and the Romanian community in
    Germany to the consolidation of the bilateral dialogue and their role as a
    catalyst in the cooperation between the two countries. Gitman has also voiced
    appreciation for the decision of the German government to carry on its 5.4
    million Euro support for the ethnic Germans in Romania.






    (bill)

  • Record-low turnout in the referendum to redefine family

    Record-low turnout in the referendum to redefine family

    Eligible voters in Romania had two days to say whether they want the Constitution to be revised so as to redefine family as the marriage between a man and a woman, rather than between spouses as it is currently stated. The overwhelming majority of those who cast their ballots was in favour of the revision, but turnout was much below the required 30%. Politicians have provided various explanations for this record-low turnout.



    Codrin Stefanescu, the deputy secretary general of the Social Democratic Party, the senior partner in the ruling coalition which they form together with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats: “More debates, more campaigning were probably needed. In any case, we must take into account the large number of Romanians who showed up, because four million is quite a number.



    Ludovic Orban, the leader of the National Liberal Party, the biggest party in opposition, believes the failure of the referendum should be blamed on those in power: “The National Liberal Party has been warning political leaders in Romania for months not to confiscate this topic, not to politicise the referendum and to try instead to take a step back. The referendum was very badly organised, there was no information campaign from the government, as if this government wanted citizens to have as little interest as possible in the referendum.



    Even though they come from opposing camps, the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, Romanias biggest parties, were both in favour of the bill to revise the Constitution based on a collaboration protocol signed with the Coalition for Family, an alliance of mainly Christian organisations that gathered 3 million signatures in favour of its civic initiative. This is the reason why the failure to impose the so-called traditional family by referendum has been described as a failure of traditional parties themselves. The Save Romania Union, on the other hand, a relatively new party with a dominantly civic agenda, was opposed to the referendum, and are now jubilant.



    The president of the Save Romania Union Dan Barna said he was happy to see that Romanians proved to be a tolerant, European nation. Dan Barna: “Romania after the referendum is the same Romania from before the referendum. Its in fact the Romania of the 21st century, with all its citizens, some more traditional, others more modern, some more involved, some more informed, its all of us. The result confirms that despite the attempts of the ruling coalition to govern through fears and lies, Romania is a European nation.



    The Coalition for Family has also criticised the government, albeit for what they say is the superficial and unprofessional way in which the referendum was organised. The Coalition has denounced the widespread boycott of the referendum from the parties that voted in favour on the constitutional revision bill in Parliament. They say this boycott is directed first and foremost against the countrys Christians.



    For MozaiQ, an association fighting for the rights of sexual minorities, the fact that Romanians refused to vote in favour of a constitutional redefinition of family as being founded on the marriage between a man and a woman is a victory for democracy. The Romanian people rejected hatred and division in society and did not legitimate through their turnout a political act meant to stigmatise and discriminate against the LGBT community, the association writes in a press release.



    They are convinced that conservative forces in Romania received a categorical NO from the citizens, which restores hope that future Romania is one of diversity, respect for all minorities and equal opportunities for all. Pundits have begun to discuss who stands to lose from this failed referendum. They are the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, in the area of politics, alongside the organisations that have fought for the petition that triggered this whole process and which openly oppose gender ideology, as well as their main supporter, the Orthodox Church, which is the majority church in Romania, whose clergy have urged people to vote in order to defend the traditional family. (Translated by C. Mateescu)

  • October 5, 2018 UPDATE

    October 5, 2018 UPDATE

    REFERENDUM — Nearly 19 million Romanian voters are invited on Saturday and Sunday to vote on a proposed redefinition of the concept of family in the Constitution. The initiators aim to define “family” as an institution based on the marriage of a man and a woman, rather than the marriage of spouses, as it is at present. The Parliament has passed a bill in this respect, based on a citizen initiative for which 3 million signatures have been raised. The referendum sparked fiery debates between the initiators, a Christian coalition primarily supported by the Romanian Orthodox Church, and the supporters of sexual minority rights. The Romanians living abroad may vote in 378 polls hosted by diplomatic missions, consular offices, cultural institutes and other locations. The largest number of polls abroad will be in Italy, Spain, the Republic of Moldova, the USA, UK, France and Germany. The referendum will be validated provided that at least 25% of the eligible voters cast valid votes.




    MEETING – Hungary supports Romania’s efforts to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday. The Hungarian official had a meeting on Friday with the Romanian Minister for the Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship, Stefan Radu Oprea, on which occasion they discussed topics of mutual interest. Péter Szijjártó said Romania is his country’s second largest export market for which reason Hungary is interested in strengthening cooperation with Romania in a number of sectors.




    JUDICIARY — The former tourism minister Elena Udrea and the former chief of the anti-mafia prosecutor’s office (DIICOT) Alina Bica, will be detained for 2 months pending an extradition decision, said on Thursday the Interpol office in Costa Rica, where the 2 were apprehended. They had both filed asylum applications in that country. Elena Udrea has received a final 6-year prison sentence from the Supreme Court for bribe taking and abuse of office. The former head of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime, Alina Bica, was in turn sentenced to 4 years in prison for aiding and abetting. Udrea and Bica are not the only former high-level officials that have fled the country to escape prison sentences for corruption offences. This is the case with the former mayor of Constanta, Radu Mazare, who is in Madagascar at present, and the former MP Sebastian Ghita, currently in Serbia.




    NOBEL — The Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege, who treated sex violence victims in his home country, and Nadia Murad, a Kurdish human rights activist having survived Islamic State sexual slavery, are the winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee explained that it has awarded the 2 “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war”. Both had a crucial contribution to raising awareness with respect to this type of war crimes and in fighting them. The Nobel season ends this Monday with the award of the Economy Prize in Stockholm.




    EDUCATION – UNESCO estimates that 69 million teachers are still needed around the world, in order to reach the education targets set for the year 2030. The shortage of teaching staff particularly affects vulnerable categories, girls, children with disabilities, refugees and migrants, children from poor rural communities or isolated areas, the organisation warns on the International Education Day, celebrated on Friday in Romania as well. In her message, PM Viorica Dăncilă said education is a chance for individual development and the foundation of a strong, developed country, with a voice heard at international level, like Romania. In turn, President Klaus Iohannis emphasised that the education system must provide youth with the skills required in the labour market, including in terms of adjusting to the challenges of a digital society.




    FRIGATE — “King Ferdinand” frigate is, as of Friday, under the Allied Sea Command (MARCOM) and carries out sea traffic surveillance missions in the Mediterranean, as part of Operation Sea Guardian, the Romanian Defence Ministry announced. Operation Sea Guardian was launched following the NATO Summit in Warsaw in 2016, to discourage threats against NATO partners, the said source added. The 240-strong crew of “King Ferdinand” frigate will conduct missions in the Mediterranean, thus confirming Romania’s status as a security provider holding operational platforms deployable in various unstable regions in the world, where NATO military presence is required for security reasons. The frigate will conclude its missions in the Mediterranean in late October.




    GUAM — Chisinau hosted on Friday a meeting of the Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development — GUAM heads of government. The organisation comprises the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova. Participants discussed topics of mutual interest for the member states, with a view to improving cooperation between the 4 states. Moldovan PM Pavel Filip announced the initiation of talks regarding the setting up of a free trade area between the four states, of a common transport corridor and the prospect of removing roaming tariffs. The Moldovan official also emphasized the importance of cooperation in ensuring peace in the region. On the sidelines of the summit, the Moldovan PM Pavel Filip had meetings with his counterpart in Ukraine and Georgia, Volodimir Groisman and Mamuka Bakhtadze, and with the deputy PM of Azerbaijan, Ali Akhmedov. The Republic of Moldova this year is holding the rotating presidency of GUAM, an organisation created in 1997 as an alternative to the Community of Independent States.







  • October 5, 2018

    October 5, 2018

    REFERENDUM – Nearly 19 million Romanian voters are invited on Saturday and Sunday to vote on a proposed redefinition of the concept of family in the Constitution. The initiators aim to define “family as an institution based on the marriage of a man and a woman, rather than the marriage of spouses, as it is at present. The Parliament has passed a bill in this respect, based on a citizen initiative for which 3 million signatures have been raised. The referendum sparked fiery debates between the initiators, a Christian coalition primarily supported by the Romanian Orthodox Church, and the supporters of sexual minority rights. The Romanians living abroad may vote in 378 polls hosted by diplomatic missions, consular offices, cultural institutes and other locations. The largest number of polls abroad will be in Italy, Spain, the Republic of Moldova, the USA, UK, France and Germany. The referendum will be validated provided that at least 25% of the eligible voters cast valid votes.




    JUDICIARY – The former tourism minister Elena Udrea and the former chief of the anti-mafia prosecutors office (DIICOT) Alina Bica, will be detained for 2 months pending an extradition decision, said on Thursday the Interpol office in Costa Rica, where the 2 were apprehended. They had both filed asylum applications in that country. Elena Udrea has received a final 6-year prison sentence from the Supreme Court for bribe taking and abuse of office. The former head of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime, Alina Bica, was in turn sentenced to 4 years in prison for aiding and abetting. Udrea and Bica are not the only former high-level officials that have fled the country to escape prison sentences for corruption offences. This is the case with the former mayor of Constanta, Radu Mazare, who is in Madagascar at present, and the former MP Sebastian Ghita, currently in Serbia.




    NOBEL – The Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege, who treated sex violence victims in his home country, and Nadia Murad, a Kurdish human rights activist having survived Islamic State sexual slavery, are the winners of this years Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee explained that it has awarded the 2 “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Both had a crucial contribution to raising awareness with respect to this type of war crimes and in fighting them. The Nobel season ends this Monday with the award of the Economy Prize in Stockholm.




    EDUCATION – UNESCO estimates that 69 million teachers are still needed around the world, in order to reach the education targets set for the year 2030. The shortage of teaching staff particularly affects vulnerable categories, girls, children with disabilities, refugees and migrants, children from poor rural communities or isolated areas, the organisation warns on the International Education Day, celebrated today in Romania as well. In her message, PM Viorica Dăncilă said education is a chance for individual development and the foundation of a strong, developed country, with a voice heard at international level, like Romania. In turn, President Klaus Iohannis emphasised that the education system must provide youth with the skills required in the labour market, including in terms of adjusting to the challenges of a digital society.




    FRIGATE – “King Ferdinand frigate is, as of Friday, under the Allied Sea Command (MARCOM) and carries out sea traffic surveillance missions in the Mediterranean, as part of Operation Sea Guardian, the Romanian Defence Ministry announced. Operation Sea Guardian was launched following the NATO Summit in Warsaw in 2016, to discourage threats against NATO partners, the said source added. The 240-strong crew of “King Ferdinand frigate will conduct missions in the Mediterranean, thus confirming Romanias status as a security provider holding operational platforms deployable in various unstable regions in the world, where NATO military presence is required for security reasons. The frigate will conclude its missions in the Mediterranean in late October.




    GUAM – Chisinau is hosting today a meeting of the Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM heads of government. The organisation comprises the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova. Participants will discuss topics of mutual interest for the member states, with a view to improving cooperation between the 4 states, and will sign a cooperation protocol in the field of customs, Chisinau announced. On the sidelines of the summit, the Moldovan PM Pavel Filip will have meetings with his counterpart in Ukraine and Georgia, Volodimir Groisman and Mamuka Bakhtadze, and with the deputy PM of Azerbaijan, Ali Akhmedov. The Republic of Moldova this year is holding the rotating presidency of GUAM, an organisation created in 1997 as an alternative to the Community of Independent States.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 28, 2018 UPDATE

    September 28, 2018 UPDATE

    SAME-SEX MARRIAGE – Same sex relationships fall within the ‘private life and ‘family life categories, argue the judges of Romanias Constitutional Court in response to a notification by a Romanian-American couple related to a Civil Code article regarding the non-recognition of same-sex marriages. According to the Constitutional Court, members of stable same sex couples have the right to express their personality as part of their relationship and to have their corresponding rights and obligations recognised officially. The Constitutional Court adds that Romania has no form of official and legal recognition of same sex relationships, a situation only found in 5 other EU member states, namely Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia. The Constitutional Court clarifications come during the campaign for a referendum on October 6 and 7, when Romanians are called to vote if they want the concept of “family redefined in the Constitution as being based on the marriage of a man and a woman, rather than of spouses, as it is at present. The revision bill is based on a citizens initiative and it was denounced as discriminatory by human rights and sexual minority rights associations.




    TREASON CASE – The Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism in Romania (DIICOT) announced on Friday that it has closed a case based on the high treason accusations brought by the president of the National Liberal Party in opposition against PM Viorica Dăncilă. According to the Directorate, the case, which concerned the memorandum approved by the Government with respect to the relocation of the Romanian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, was dismissed because no breach of the law has been established. The criminal complaint filed in May by the Liberal leader Ludovic Orban also concerned Liviu Dragnea, the president of the Social Democratic Party in power, who was accused of unlawful disclosure of state secrets, Orban said at the time.




    EU PRESIDENCY – The Government of Romania must stand united ahead of taking over the rotating presidency of the EU Council, and domestic political disputes are an obstacle in this respect, the Ambassador of Germany to Bucharest, Cord Meier-Klodt said on Friday. The German diplomat also added that with the EU presidency, which Romania is to hold in the first half of 2019, come opportunities that the country must not miss. The statements were made in Cluj, north-western Romania, where the German Ambassador attended a conference on The Romanian Presidency of the European Union Council: Opportunities and Challenges. The participants also included the Ambassador of Romania to Germany, Emil Hurezeanu.




    INFLATION – The annual inflation rate in the Euro zone increased in September 2018 from 2% to 2.1%, shows a preliminary survey published on Friday by Eurostat. In September, the most significant price hikes in the Euro zone were reported in the energy field, where an annual increase of 9.5% was reported, followed by 2.7% price rises for foodstuffs, alcohol and cigarettes and 1.3% for services. In August, Eurostat says, Romania had the highest year-on-year inflation rate among EU states for the 7th consecutive month, with a 4.7% increase in consumer prices, after 4.3% in July. The National Bank of Romania revised its inflation forecast for the end of 2018 from 3.6% to 3.5%.




    TURKEY – The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, criticised the situation in Turkey during a joint press conference on Friday with the visiting President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The German official mentioned issues such as the freedom of the press and human rights, and called for immediate solutions to the situation of several German citizens detained in Turkey. Still, Merkel listed shared German-Turkish interests, including the partnership within NATO, the migration problems and the fight against terrorism. In turn, Erdogan called on Germany to extradite the supporters of Turkish cleric Gülen. Hundreds of supporters of this terror group live in Germany, the Turkish President said, blaming them for a failed coup 2 years ago. Turkey and Germany also announced on this occasion that they will have a meeting in the forthcoming weeks, together with Russia and France, on the situation in Syria.




    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis players Irina Begu and Raluca Olaru Friday qualified for the doubles final of the tournament in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), with 250,000 US dollars in total prize money. In the semi-finals, they defeated the Russians Margarita Gasparian and Anastasia Potapova, 2-1. In the final Begu and Olaru are facing Olga Danilovic (Serbia) / Tamara Zidansek (Slovenia).


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 12, 2018 UPDATE

    September 12, 2018 UPDATE

    VISIT – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Wednesday received in Bucharest the Dutch PM Mark Rutte. On this occasion Iohannis said Romanias relation with the Netherlands has an important economic component, but a social component as well, considering that roughly 30,000 Romanians live in that country. The Romanian President discussed with the Dutch official about the future of the EU and said that, although the 2 countries do not share the same opinion on some topics, both Romania and the Netherlands are working to strengthen the community bloc. Romanias Schengen accession, migration, Brexit and Romanias presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019 were also on the agenda of the talks.




    REFERENDUM – The Constitutional Court of Romania announced on Wednesday that on September 17th it would discuss a bill to revise the Constitution by introducing a provision that redefines “family as being based on the marriage of a man and a woman. The Senate of Romania, which is the decision-making body in this respect, Tuesday approved a bill on this topic. The president of the Social Democratic Party in power, Liviu Dragnea, who is also the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, has recently announced that the so-called “family referendum will take place on October 7th. Several NGOs, collectively known as the “Coalition for family, have gathered some 3 million signatures for the organisation of this referendum, which is designed to ensure that same-sex marriage cannot be legalised.




    AGRICULTURE – The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan will be on a visit to Romania on Thursday and Friday, the European Commission Representation in Romania announced on Wednesday. The European official will have talks with PM Viorica Dăncilă and with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Petre Daea. Commissioner Hogan will also have meetings with farmer associations and will have a dialogue with the citizens of Cluj, entitled A modern budget for a stronger Union.



    DIPLOMACY – Morocco appreciates Romanias regional and international role and supports its candidacy in the Security Council, the Moroccan Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Nasser Bourita said in Bucharest on Wednesday. After a meeting with his Romanian counterpart Teodor Meleşcanu, the Moroccan official also pointed out that Bucharest would make a very useful contribution to maintaining peace and stability in regions close to Morocco, Africa and the Near East. In turn, Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu reiterated Romanias support for Morocco during its rotating presidency of the EU Council in the first half of next year. The talks also tackled bilateral relations, given that Morocco is a major economic partner for Romania in Africa and the Arab world.





    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – The European Parliament, convened in Strasbourg, Wednesday criticised the erosion of democracy in Hungary and called on the European Commission to launch the disciplinary procedure known as Article 7. The MEPs endorsed a report comprising a list of concerns related to Hungarys crackdowns on migrants, the media, academic institutions, as well as to corruption and the independence of the judiciary. During Tuesdays debates in the EP plenary session, the Hungarian PM Viktor Orban said the report used double standards, was an abuse of power and its endorsement was in breach of the EU treaties. Should Article 7 be triggered, Hungary is facing sanctions going as far as suspending the countrys voting rights in the EU Council.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • A la Une de la presse roumaine – 23.10.2017

    A la Une de la presse roumaine – 23.10.2017

    La taxe de solidarité met à l’épreuve la solidarité de l’alliance gouvernementale, alors que pour que les salaires nets restent inchangés, les employeurs devraient majorer les salaires bruts de 23%. Une majoration significative des salaires, c’est ce que demande également la Banque centrale européenne aux dirigeants des Etats membres pour donner une nouvelle impulsion à l’économie de l’Union.