Radio România Internațional

Tag: new regulations

  • Parliament examines tougher sanctions for major crimes

    Parliament examines tougher sanctions for major crimes

    Romania’s electronic monitoring project for protection orders is to be extended nationwide as of October 1, three months earlier than originally planned. The Interior Ministry also intends to apply the surveillance system to people placed on pre-trial or house arrest, two years earlier than planned. On the other hand, Parliament is eyeing tougher punishments in the case of major crimes. After eliminating the possibility that drivers who caused fatal traffic accidents under the influence of alcohol or drugs can get away only with suspended prison sentences, sentences for human trafficking, slavery or child pornography will no longer be suspended. This is one of the amendments to the legislation in the field, which awaits the decision-making vote of the Chamber of Deputies.

     

     

    The new regulations also provide for an increase in the penalties for these crimes. Thus, for slavery, child pornography and human trafficking, prison sentences can reach up to 12 years, or up to 20 years if minors are involved. Romanian MPs are also debating the draft law which will introduce new security elements into the Automated National Register regarding individuals who have committed sex crimes. Thus, it is mandatory for those registered in the sex offenders register to periodically notify the authorities regarding their employment. At the same time, special law-enforcement structures must immediately notify the employers in the education, health or social protection systems, as well as any institution whose activity involves direct contact with children or elderly people. Another provision stipulates that employment or volunteering contracts cease immediately upon being listed in the register, if the individual in question works in fields involving contact with children or vulnerable people.

     

     

    We recall the Government launched the National Strategy for Combating Human Trafficking, a document that establishes coordinated mechanisms at national and international levels aimed at reducing the scale of the phenomenon. In the last two decades, Romania has been recognized as one of the source states for human trafficking in Europe. Annually, 500 Romanians are trafficked, but the real figure may be higher, because human trafficking is a difficult crime to identify directly. Last year, we managed to convince 451 victims of human trafficking to ask for our help, but more efforts are needed in this regard, because the greatest allies of human traffickers are fear and silence, said the deputy director of the National Agency for Combating Human Trafficking, Maria Cristina Stepanescu. (VP)

  • July 29, 2020

    July 29, 2020


    COVID-19
    IN ROMANIA – The National Committee for Emergency Situations has proposed face
    masks should become compulsory in open-air spaces during certain intervals.
    Once public health directorates have issued an opinion on this matter, local
    authorities will decide where the measure will be introduced and during which
    hours. Exempt from this rule will be people carrying out strenuous physical
    activity or working in areas with high temperatures and humidity, as well as
    children under 5 years of age. The Committee also wants to ban the selling of
    foodstuffs and soft drinks during 11 PM and 6 AM. Outside this interval,
    economic operators are forbidden from admitting a number of clients higher than
    the maximum number of seats and must ban activities entailing physical
    interactions between clients. On beaches, people must observe a minimum
    two-meter distance, with the exception of families. The Government has taken
    under advisement the Committee’s recommendations and will make a decision soon.
    Meanwhile the number of new infections has exceeded 1.000 for the eighth
    consecutive day. Over 48.200 people have been infected so far. 7.000 people are
    in hospital care, of whom 377 in intensive care. 2.269 people have died.




    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Nearly 17 million
    people have been infected so far with SARS CoV2 worldwide, the latest
    worldometers.info report shows. Some 664 thousand people died and 10.5 million
    people have recovered. While efforts continue to develop a vaccine, several
    Governments are imposing harsher measures to prevent a second wave of the
    pandemic. The World Health Organization is urging countries to do mass-testing
    and see that the population observes precautionary measures. The United States
    on Tuesday reported nearly 1.600 deaths, the highest in the last two and a half
    months, reads a John Hopkins University report. Also on Tuesday the US reported
    60.000 new infections, after a slight decrease in the last two days. Some 4.3
    million people have been infected with COVID-19 in the United States, and 149.000
    people have died so far to the virus. In Europe, Italy has extended the state
    of emergency until October 15. Great Britain has introduced compulsory
    quarantine for all arrivals from Spain. Germany too has introduced some regions
    of Spain on its so-called ‘black list’. Madrid is now the latest region in
    continental Spain where face masks are compulsory in open spaces as well.
    Bulgaria is now demanding citizens from 10 states to provide proof of a
    negative test against COVID-19, which has to be no older than 72 hours at the
    time of entry. In Greece, face masks are again compulsory in stores, banks,
    public service buildings and in other enclosed spaces.




    FUNDS – Romania’s
    President, Klaus Iohannis, is today holding a new meeting focusing on European
    funds. According to the Presidency, attending are several members of the
    Government, including Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, Deputy-Prime Minister Raluca
    Turcan, Finance Minister Florin Citu, Economy Minister Virgil Popescu, Minister
    of European Funds Marcel Bolos and Transport Minister Lucian Bode. The
    absorption of European funds was also discussed in last week’s Government
    meeting in Bucharest. The president recently said that the €80 billion the
    European Commission has allotted Romania will be used for economic
    reconstruction. The money will be disbursed from the 2021-2027 multi-annual EU
    budget and from the post-COVID-19 economic recovery plan.




    DEFENSE – Romania’s Defense
    Minister, Nicolae Ciuca, and the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant-General
    Daniel Petrescu, today met with Lieutenant-General Eric P. Wendt, Commander of
    the NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ). According to a Ministry
    release, talks focused on hot topics on the NATO agenda, including Allied
    efforts to contain the coronacrisis. Minister Nicolae Ciuca hailed NSHQ’s
    substantial contribution to Romanian military deployed to the Resolute Support
    mission in Afghanistan. The Romanian official said cooperation is excellent
    between NSHQ and Romanian forces, both during drills as well as in theatres of
    operations.




    NATIONAL ANTHEM DAY – Every year, on
    July 29, Romania celebrates National Anthem Day. This year the event is marked
    by public authorities and other state institutions by means of specific
    cultural events and actions and military ceremonies, organized bythe Ministries
    of Defense and the Interior, while strictly observing COVID-prevention
    measures. As part of ceremonies held in Bucharest and other large cities, the
    national anthem will be performed while the flag is being raised. This year,
    famous pan flute player Nicolae Voiculet will be performing the national
    anthem, Awaken thee, Romanian! at 2.300 meters by the Heroes’ Cross in Bucegi
    Mountains, alongside 40 other artists. Celebrated on July 29, the National
    Anthem Day was proclaimed in 1998. Romania’s current anthem, Awaken thee,
    Romanian!, is considered a national symbol after the fall of the communist
    regime in December 1989. On music by Anton Pann, the anthem was inspired by a
    patriotic poem by Andrei Muresanu in 1848.


    (Translated
    by V. Palcu)

  • Crowded weekend in Romania

    Crowded weekend in Romania

    At the end of
    the two-month state of emergency, introduced to deal with the coronavirus
    crisis and accompanied by restrictions that had a powerful impact on Romanians’
    lifestyle, this weekend our country switched to the state of alert, which also
    comes with certain regulations, although less harsh than the previous. People
    started to leave their homes the moment the state of emergency was lifted. In
    Bucharest, for instance, right after midnight on Friday, the parking lot in
    front of the Parliament Palace was full. Reopened on Friday, parks were teeming
    with people, although playgrounds and open-air restaurants remained closed.
    Some continued to relax even late into the night, without observing the rules.

    Social media overflowed with images of young people partying late on Saturday
    night in Herastrau Park, in northern Bucharest, ignoring social distancing
    regulations. Young people flocked in groups larger than 10, very few of them
    actually wearing masks, and some people actually sitting at tables, which
    immediately gave rise to suspicions that restaurants might have reopened
    illegally. Facebook and Instagram carried images of a concert on one of the
    park’s alleys, where a DJ mixed music for hundreds of people who were dancing.
    The party was broken off by the authorities, who forced people to go home. The
    first day without restrictions also brought about the first protest. Hundreds
    of people gathered in front of the Government building, voicing their
    disgruntlement with the measures imposed in the last two months, which they
    claim go against the Constitution. Some even criticized the World Health
    Organization.

    Many Romanians even left the city last weekend, signing a written
    declaration. Law enforcement authorities only reminded them of the new
    regulations under the state of alert. Romania’s western borders were also
    overcrowded last weekend. Long waiting lines stretched several kilometers, the
    busiest point being Nadlac 1, where transit took as many as 8 hours. People who
    were dropped off close to the borders also made up long queues. Many Romanians
    chose to return home because they are no longer forced to enter quarantine upon
    their return. Also many Romanians are now returning to their workplace in
    Western Europe. To ease traffic on the Hungarian border, the authorities have
    opened Nadlac 2 border crossing point, which had been reserved to freight
    traffic in the last weeks. On Monday the law stipulating the measures,
    obligations and bans that come into force during the state of alert took
    effect. Fines range from 100 to some 3,000 Euro. People can pay half the amount
    within 15 days.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)



  • New regulations for European fund absorption

    New regulations for European fund absorption

    The European Commission on Monday passed new regulations meant to help EU countries with a low fund absorption rate such as Romania. The Commissioner for Regional Policy, Romanian Corina Cretu, pointed out that the new regulations were actually a revised version of the research for the regional policy programs for the 2007-2013 period. She explained that the new regulations would help EU countries by means of a think tank that she initiated right after she had become Commissioner for Regional Policy.



    That group focuses on 8 EU countries with which the EU Commissioner cooperated closely in this regard, namely Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary. The group will help the aforementioned countries to make better use of the community funds for the 2007- 2013 period, which are still available to them.


    According to figures made public on the site of the Romanian Ministry for European Funds, the current absorption rate stands at 53.1%. The new regulations provide for those funds to be used as part of certain projects by the end of 2015. Corina Cretu added that the new documents explained in detail the steps to be followed by the member states and the Commission for the finalization of the cohesion policy programs for the 2007- 2013 period.



    Then, by March 2017, those countries will have to submit a final report which should include the name and number of projects implemented, a review of expenses and a declaration of completion attesting the legality and compliance of expenses. Another new element is the introduction of the 10% flexibility component, which allows for expenses higher by 10% to be made under a program focusing on a certain priority, if they are compensated by an equivalent reduction of 10% for another priority within the same program, Commissioner Cretu added.



    She also said that simplified procedures were passed allowing for the spacing out of some of the projects from the 2007-2013 period in the 2014-2020 period. Corina Cretu also added that progress was already reported in implementing programs for the 2007-2013 period.