Radio România Internațional

Tag: no-confidence motion

  • September 16, 2021 UPDATE

    September 16, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 – 4,441 new cases of COVID-19 infection were reported in
    the last 24 hours in Romania, the Group for Strategic Communication announced
    on Thursday. During the same interval, 71 related fatalities were also
    reported. 741 patients are being treated in intensive care. In other news, the
    so-called Green Covid certificate, attesting vaccination, negative testing or
    recovery from COVID-19 will become compulsory for attending a number of
    activities in towns and villages where the infection rate is over 3 per
    thousand inhabitants. The decision was passed on Thursday by the National
    Committee for Emergency Situations. People will require to present the
    certificate to enter pubs and restaurants, pools and gyms or attend public or
    private events. The decision needs to be transposed into a Government decree to
    take effect.




    LAW – President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday ratified the law on
    vulnerable consumers. The new piece of legislation introduces social protection
    measures for low-income people and families struggling to cover energy bills.
    The law will take effect on November 1, 2021, and will address people living
    alone with a monthly net income below 414 Euro and families where each member
    earns a monthly income of 370 Euro. Labor Minister Raluca Turcan estimates the
    new law will benefit some 500 thousand households, given that electricity and
    gas prices have gone up all over Europe in recent months. The Government is
    also considering subsidizing electricity and natural gas bills, and discussed a
    draft emergency decree in this respect in Wednesday’s meeting. According to the
    Prime Minister, the Cabinet is also considering a cap on energy and gas prices.




    MOTION – In Bucharest, the Alliance
    for the Union of Romanians (AUR) an ultranationalist party in opposition,
    announced a parliamentary strike starting Thursday. AUR MPs say they will
    attend Parliament’s sessions, but they will not vote any of the draft laws. The
    party leader accused the fact that the no-confidence motion filed jointly with
    USR-PLUS was not submitted to vote and debate. The motion was filed on
    September 3 and read out in a plenary sitting on September 9. On the other
    hand, the Constitutional Court of Romania is expected to discuss on September
    28 a Government notification over an alleged institutional conflict linked to
    the filing of the no-confidence motion. In his notification, Prime Minister Florin Cîţu claims the motion was an unconstitutional,
    disloyal and abusive action against the executive power, since it was filed,
    submitted and transmitted with the violation of constitutional provisions. A
    vote on the motion is expected once the Court has issued a ruling.




    NATO – Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant-General Daniel Petrescu
    will take part over September 17-19 in the conference of the NATO Military
    Committee, which will bring together heads of military from allied countries in
    Athens, Greece. Talks will also tackle NATO operations, missions and
    activities. Additionally, the conference will also address means of
    implementing the Deterrence
    and Defense of the Euro-Atlantic Area, and NATO’s Warfighting Capstone Concept.
    According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, the Military Committee will analyze
    the NATO 2030 initiative and all its military implications and opportunities.




    CONNECTING EUROPE – EU Commissioner for
    Transport, Adina Vălean, on Friday will travel to Romania to greet the arrival
    in Romania of Connecting Europe Express, a special train designed in the
    European Year of Rail, the European Commission’s office in Romania reports. The
    train will stop in over 100 towns and cities during its five-week journey,
    before arriving in Paris on October 7. The train will travel 20,000 km across
    33 border crossing points. It will depart from Lisbon and, before reaching
    Paris, it will stop in Ljubljana, connecting the Portuguese, Slovenian and
    French presidencies of the Council of the EU. (VP)







  • September 13, 2021

    September 13, 2021

    COVID-19 – Another
    1,849 new cases of COVID-19 infection and 46 related fatalities were reported
    on Monday in Romania, at the start of the new school year. According to the
    Group for Strategic Communication, over 1,1 million people got infected since
    the start of the outbreak, of whom some 35 thousand died. Over 5,200 people are
    now being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals across Romania, 633 of whom in
    intensive care. There are 860 beds available for COVID patients requiring
    intensive care, and the authorities announced plans to supplement their number.
    5.2 million Romanians have completed the full anti-COVID-19 vaccination scheme,
    accounting for a third of the eligible population.




    VOTE – Constitutional
    Court judges expect the Government and Parliament to submit an opinion by
    Wednesday, whereby explaining the alleged institutional conflict invoked by
    Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu in the case of the no-confidence motion
    filed by the USR-PLUS alliance, a former junior coalition partner, and AUR, an
    ultranationalist party in opposition. The Government claims the motion was
    filed and communicated without observing the proper channels. Once it receives
    the said opinion, the Constitutional Court will announce a date for examining
    the merits of the case. The latter will also serve as a deadline for the
    no-confidence vote. Parliament decreed that the motion will be debated only after
    the Constitutional Court has issued a ruling in this matter. On the other hand,
    the initiators of the motion want the motion to be voted on Tuesday, three days
    after having been read in Parliament, as stipulated by internal regulations.




    SCHOOL YEAR
    – Nearly 3 million school and pre-school children are starting a new school
    year today. The new year comprises 34 weeks, is divided in two semesters and is
    due to close on June 11, 2022. Education Minister, Sorin Cîmpeanu, said on the
    first day festivities are allowed with the participation of parents, although
    face masks and physical distancing are compulsory. In certain areas of the
    country, where the incidence rate has exceeded 6 per thousand inhabitants in
    the last 14 days, children will start school online. There are also some
    schools where repair works haven’t yet finished. Minister Sorin Cîmpeanu
    expressed hope more children will get vaccinate once school begins, considering
    the authorities are willing to set up mobile vaccination units that should immunize
    children in schools.




    INQUIRY -
    Parliament’s special committee investigating the recent increase in energy
    prices is due to start its activity this week. The committee was set up with
    the support of all parliamentary groups, after this summer energy distributors
    upped their prices by over 20%. Home consumers fear they will not be able to
    cope with the mounting financial pressure in the cold season. An analysis
    conducted by the National Statistics Institute shows that over 1 million
    families were having trouble paying their electricity and gas bills before the
    liberalization of the energy markets. Authorities have recently adopted a law
    on vulnerable consumers, but experts believe it will not be enough.




    POPE FRANCIS
    – Pope Francis is paying an official visit to Slovakia until Wednesday. His
    Holy Father previously paid a short visit to Budapest, where he called on
    Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, to extend his arms towards everyone.
    Today, the Pope is meeting members of the Jewish community in Slovakia,
    including Holocaust survivors. On Tuesday, he will travel to the country’s poor
    regions, to hold talks with representatives of the Roma community. On
    Wednesday, he will return to Bratislava where he will celebrate an open-air
    service. Slovakia is one the countries in the EU with the lowest rates of
    anti-COVID vaccination. The Government originally decided that festivities
    occasioned by the Pope’s visit should be accessible only to vaccinated people,
    which sparked discontent. Finally, the access has been extended to people
    presenting a negative test against COVID-19 or a certificate attesting they’ve
    had the disease. (VP)

  • Motion of no-confidence in the Cîţu Government (update)

    Motion of no-confidence in the Cîţu Government (update)

    Formed after the December parliamentary elections, the current PNL-USRPLUS-UDMR coalition had to pass two tests on Tuesday. It failed the first one, as the Constitutional Court ruled that Renate Weber would resume her position as Ombudsman. According to the Court, parliament’s decision to revoke her came in violation of the principle of the rule of law and the principle of legality and supremacy of the Constitution, as well as provisions of the law on the organization and functioning of the Ombudsman institution. When they dismissed her, the MPs of the ruling coalition blamed her for violating the Constitution and for acting more like an advocate for the Social Democratic Party, the one that actually put her in office in 2019, when it was holding the reins of power.

    The majority was already preparing to install a successor, but Weber is back and will be able to exercise again her right to challenge laws and ordinances at the Constitutional Court. The majority, however, managed to pass the cohesion test, at a time when both the Liberals and USR-PLUS are holding congresses to elect new leaders, and the relations between the two parties are not at all cordial. In April, the latter had announced the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu that they were withdrawing their political support, because of the sacking of their colleague, Vlad Voiculescu, from the office of Minister of Health. In the end, a successor was found for Voiculescu, Cîţu remained Prime Minister, and USR-PLUS part of the government.

    Also on Tuesday, the MPs of the governing coalition remained in their benches and did not vote on the no-confidence motion filed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and voted only by the other opposition, nationalist party, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians. The initiators would have needed 234 votes for the motion to pass, that is, half plus one of the total number of senators and deputies. They gathered only 201. Analysts say the result was predictable and that the motion was just a PR stunt for the left, which had the opportunity to make the government look bad for its social and wage policies.

    The current government, the Social Democrats say, is leading the Romanian economy into the abyss at an astonishing speed. While for most Romanians the purchasing power is diminishing by the minute, party associates and party companies are enjoying huge profits, the PSD says. The opposition party also claims that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which has not been approved by the European Commission yet, is a failure. In reply, the members of the majority reminded their opponents of the hallucinating policies of the past years, when the strongman of the Romanian politics was the former PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, now behind bars for acts of corruption.

    Pundits believe that, regardless of the color of the protagonists, the echo of the political games they are playing in Parliament has been dimming in society. In the last legislative elections, two-thirds of the electorate did not even go to the polls. And a large opinion poll, published this month, has shown that 68.1% of Romanians believe that things in the country are going in the wrong direction and only 25% believe that the direction is the right one. (MI)

  • Motion of no-confidence in the Cîţu Government

    Motion of no-confidence in the Cîţu Government

    Read last week in plenary session of Parliament, the first motion of no-confidence filed against the Cîțu Government is debated and voted today by Romanias legislature. Its initiators, the Social Democrats, say they have negotiated with deputies and senators from all political parties and that many are dissatisfied, which makes them confident that the motion has a chance to pass, although, according to parliamentary mathematics, it doesnt look like this would tip the scales to the detriment of the governing coalition.



    The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) has already announced that it has decided to support the Social Democrats approach, even if the party is dissatisfied with the fact that the proposals it formulated were not introduced in the text of the censure motion. “We are not voting for the motion, we are voting for the removal of the Cîţu government”, George Simion, the AUR co-president has stated. In order for the motion to pass and the Government to leave, 234 parliamentarians should vote in favour. The Social Democratic Party, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians and the independent MPs together have only 205 votes. Directly targeted by the motion of no-confidence, the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu announced last Monday that the ruling coalitions decision was to have all its MPs present, but not to vote.



    The accusations made the Social Democrats against the Cîțu Cabinet regard measures taken by the Executive in key areas of activity – pensions, health, education and agriculture, but also the way in which the National Recovery and Resilience Plan was drawn up. In the opinion of PSD, the current government is leading the Romanian economy into the abyss, at an astonishing speed. The Social Democrats say that while for most Romanians the purchasing power is declining every second, political friends and party companies enjoy huge profits.




    Romania can barely make ends meet, living on money borrowed at astronomical interest rates. Prices have exploded, Romanians pockets have emptied. Invoices have doubled, staple food has become a luxury, essential medicines are either not available or very expensive. The euro / leu exchange rate reached 5 lei, and a liter of gasoline costs more than 6 lei. Public debt beats record after record, and no one remembers the 3% deficit target any more! However, allowances, salaries and pensions are frozen and entrepreneurs complain that the state does not pay for their work!”, the Social Democratic Party states in the motion.



    The main opposition party criticises the governance model of the current governing coalition also because they say, the government is helping other states instead of helping Romania, given that 1,500 euros per minute is added to the countrys trade deficit from the fact that imports are higher than exports.



    “I consider that the main enemy of Romanias development is the former communist party, which has had all kinds of avatars, be they called the National Salvation Front, the Democratic National Salvation Front, The Party of Social Democracy or the Social Democratic Party”, the leader of the Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, said in reply. (MI)

  • June 23, 2021 UPDATE

    June 23, 2021 UPDATE

    VISIT – Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will go on a regional tour to South Caucasus together with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg and the Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. The tour, that includes visits to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia and takes place between June 24 and 26, will highlight the importance that the European Union attaches to its bilateral relations with these countries, to the South Caucasus region, and to the EU’s Eastern Partnership framework. The visit signals the EU’s readiness to support broader cooperation both with and between the South Caucasus countries, including through the opportunities available under the Eastern Partnership. Also, the visit will underscore the EU’s determination to promote and actively support sustainable and comprehensive conflict settlement efforts. The three ministers will have high-level meetings in Baku, Erevan and Tbilisi and consultations with their counterparts in the countries visited. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has said the visit is very important to Romania, for which South Caucasus has a high geostrategic importance and that solving the prolonged conflicts in the Black Sea region is a strategic goal.



    NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION – The Social Democratic Party (PSD) in opposition, on Wednesday filed and read in Parliament a no-confidence motion against the centre-right coalition government led by the Liberal Florin Cîţu, which will be voted on next week. PSD leader, Marcel Ciolacu, says the motion, the first of its kind in the current Parliament, has every chance to pass. His party accuses the Cîţu government, which came to power six months ago, of inefficiency and leading the countrys economy to disaster and says the peoples living standards have dropped. It also says the government has failed with respect to the vaccine roll-out and Romanias recovery and resilience plan. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu says he is confident the motion will not pass, while the Liberals leader Ludovic Orban says Liberal MPs will attend the debate of the motion but will abstain from voting, to prove what he calls “the lack of majority and the uselessness of this petty political move of the Social Democrats.”



    OMBUDSMAN – The Venice Commission sent a letter to the speakers of the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament requesting additional information about Renate Webers dismissal as Ombudsman. The Parliament in Bucharest on Wednesday begun procedures to appoint a new Ombudsman. The only candidate for the post, Fabian Gyula from the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and backed by the ruling coalition, was interviewed by the legal committees of the two chambers and received their positive opinion. The official appointment will most likely be made by Parliament next Monday. We recall that last week, in a joint session the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament dismissed Renate Weber from the position of Ombudsman. She was accused of breaking the law to serve the interests of the Social Democratic Party, now in opposition, which appointed her. In response, the Social Democrats accused the government of wanting an Ombudsman who doesnt challenge its decisions and contested Renate Webers dismissal in the Constitutional Court, which will discuss the case on 29th June. The Social Democrats believe the parliamentary majority should wait for the Courts decision before voting in a new Ombudsman, given the letter received from the Venice Commission.



    EU – Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is attending a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. According to a statement from the presidents office, the agenda of the talks will again feature issues such as European coordination in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Unions economic recovery process, the management of migration and the EUs relations with Russia. Iohannis will also attend the Euro Summit in extended format which will tackle the economic challenges of the euro zone during the pandemic and the progress made with respect to the banking and capital market union. EU leaders will also have talks with UN secretary general António Guterres, whose mandate has been extended for a further five years.



    CORONAVIRUS — The Bucharest authorities announced on Wednesday 66 new infections with the novel coronavirus in 24 hours, out of over 32,000 tests. 16 deaths were recorded in last 24 hours and a further 150 dating from earlier this year and which are only now being recorded by public health directorates around the country at the request of the health ministry. 141 patients are in intensive care. The Senate passed two decisions approving the regulations proposed by the European Parliament with respect to the framework for the issuance, verification and acceptance of the digital green certificates. These documents will become valid in the European Union from 1st July. The regulations will cease to apply when the pandemic is over and can be used again in the event of another pandemic.



    WEATHER – On Thursday and Friday, the west of Romania is under a red code alert for heat and thermal discomfort, with temperatures forecast to hit 39 to 41 degrees Celsius and the temperature-to-humidity ratio to pass the critical level as the dew point is expected to hit 80. Two people died following heavy rains in recent days. The eastern half of the country is at risk of more flooding and the authorities are advising the population not to travel to flood-risk areas and to places where a hydrological alert is in place and to avoid activities on river banks or near waterways. (EE)



  • August 30, 2020 UPDATE

    August 30, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 952 new COVID infections have been reported
    in Romania in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic Communication
    announced on Sunday. 39 people have died, taking the death toll to 3.578. 7.213
    people infected with SARS CoV-2 are now hospitalized, 492 people being in
    intensive care. 9.132 people are in home isolation while 5.839 are in
    institutionalized isolation. 32.955 are in home quarantine while 71 in
    institutionalized quarantine. 6.589 Romanians living abroad have tested
    positive for COVID-19, of whom 126 have died.




    COVID-19 WORLDWIDE – The number of COVID infections has exceeded
    25 million worldwide, the official death toll standing at some 840.000. Nearly
    40% of the total number of cases have been reported in the United States, where
    182.000 people have died, as well as in Brazil, the second-most affected
    country, with over 120.000 deaths. This morning, India has confirmed the
    biggest daily increase in the number of new infections, over 78.000. In Europe,
    Hungary will shut down its borders starting September 1 to limit the spread of
    the virus. Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Saturday had a
    telephone conversation with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, the
    latter saying the transit of Romanian nationals to their home country would not
    be affected. In turn, Poland will ban flights to 46 countries, including
    Romania, starting September 2. Ukraine too has shut down its borders to foreign
    citizens, with some exceptions. People exempted to this ban must present a
    medical insurance upon crossing the border, which should cover the costs of a
    potential COVID treatment and related quarantine expenses.




    ELECTION – The campaign for the local election due on September 27
    continues in Romania. The authorities have announced the set of regulations
    candidates and their teams must observe to prevent the coronavirus from
    spreading. According to the Interior Ministry, face masks are compulsory, while
    all people attending election events and meetings will undergo triage and will
    have to sanitize their hands. Access rules and individual health safety
    measures will be publicly displayed. Participants will also have to observe the
    minimum 1-meter distance. A maximum of 50 people are admitted for indoor
    activities for a maximum duration of 2 hours. In the case of outdoor events, the
    participation is limited to a hundred people. Candidates are vying for one of
    the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3.200 mayor seats, 1.300
    county councilmen and 40.000 local councilmen. Originally slated for June, the
    local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.




    ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY – Cultural events will be held on Monday in
    Romania, the Republic of Moldova and abroad to mark Romanian Language Day. Set
    up on August 31, 2013, the event pays an homage to the national reawakening
    movement in the Republic of Moldova. On August 31, 1989, some 750 thousand
    people, a sixth of the Republic’s population at the time, protested in front of
    the Parliament building in Chisinau, which decided to declare Romanian an
    official state language and switch to the Latin alphabet and replace the Cyrillic
    alphabet, which had been used since 1940, when the USSR annexed Moldova.




    MOTION – Parliament on Monday is debating and voting a
    no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government. The Social-Democrats in
    opposition are accusing Ludovic Orban’s cabinet of poor management of the corona
    crisis. In turn, the Government has referred the motion to the Constitutional
    Court, as Parliament is in its summer recess. President Klaus Iohannis has said
    the Social-Democrats are trying to generate political instability that would
    benefit their election campaign.




    STATISTICS – 5% of Romanian students were enrolled in universities
    abroad in 2018, the EUROSTAT reports. At European level, 8% of students were
    studying abroad. The leader of this ranking is Luxembourg, with a 48% share of
    the total number of students, Cyprus with 24%, Austria, the Czech Republic and
    the Netherlands. The lowest shares were reported in Croatia and Greece, 3%,
    followed by Spain and Poland, 4%, and Lithuania and Romania, 5%. In 2018, some
    408 thousand students were officially enrolled in state and private
    universities. Of these, 6% were foreigners.




    HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball team HC Dobrogea Sud
    Constanta on Saturday defeated HC Victor Stavropol of Russia 26-18 in the first
    leg of the EHF European League first preliminary round. In the same
    competition, AHC Potaissa Turda lost 24-26 to HRK Gorica of Croatia at home.
    The return leg is scheduled next week. The Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest
    will play directly in the European League group phase, to kick off in October.




    GEORGE ENESCU – The George Enescu prestigious international music
    contest continues in Bucharest. Some 205 young musicians from 39 countries are
    enrolled in the competition, 184 in the violin, cello and piano sections and 21
    in the composition sections. Total prizes stand at €100.000. The competition is
    unfolding mostly online due to the coronavirus pandemic.


    (Translated
    by V. Palcu)











  • August 30, 2020

    August 30, 2020

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 952 new COVID infections have been reported
    in Romania in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic Communication
    announced on Sunday. 39 people have died, taking the death toll to 3.578. 7.213
    people infected with SARS CoV-2 are now hospitalized, 492 people being in
    intensive care. 9.132 people are in home isolation while 5.839 are in
    institutionalized isolation. 32.955 are in home quarantine while 71 in
    institutionalized quarantine. 6.589 Romanians living abroad have tested
    positive for COVID-19, of whom 126 have died.




    COVID-19 WORLDWIDE – The number of COVID infections has exceeded
    25 million worldwide, the official death toll standing at some 840.000. Nearly
    40% of the total number of cases have been reported in the United States, where
    182.000 people have died, as well as in Brazil, the second-most affected
    country, with over 120.000 deaths. This morning, India has confirmed the
    biggest daily increase in the number of new infections, over 78.000. In Europe,
    Hungary will shut down its borders starting September 1 to limit the spread of
    the virus. Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Saturday had a
    telephone conversation with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, the
    latter saying the transit of Romanian nationals to their home country would not
    be affected. In turn, Poland will ban flights to 46 countries, including
    Romania, starting September 2. Ukraine too has shut down its borders to foreign
    citizens, with some exceptions. People exempted to this ban must present a
    medical insurance upon crossing the border, which should cover the costs of a
    potential COVID treatment and related quarantine expenses.




    ELECTION – The campaign for the local election due on September 27
    continues in Romania. The authorities have announced the set of regulations
    candidates and their teams must observe to prevent the coronavirus from
    spreading. According to the Interior Ministry, face masks are compulsory, while
    all people attending election events and meetings will undergo triage and will
    have to sanitize their hands. Access rules and individual health safety
    measures will be publicly displayed. Participants will also have to observe the
    minimum 1-meter distance. A maximum of 50 people are admitted for indoor
    activities for a maximum duration of 2 hours. In the case of outdoor events, the
    participation is limited to a hundred people. Candidates are vying for one of
    the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3.200 mayor seats, 1.300
    county councilmen and 40.000 local councilmen. Originally slated for June, the
    local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.




    ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY – Cultural events will be held on Monday in
    Romania, the Republic of Moldova and abroad to mark Romanian Language Day. Set
    up on August 31, 2013, the event pays an homage to the national reawakening
    movement in the Republic of Moldova. On August 31, 1989, some 750 thousand
    people, a sixth of the Republic’s population at the time, protested in front of
    the Parliament building in Chisinau, which decided to declare Romanian an
    official state language and switch to the Latin alphabet and replace the Cyrillic
    alphabet, which had been used since 1940, when the USSR annexed Moldova.




    MOTION – Parliament on Monday is debating and voting a
    no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government. The Social-Democrats in
    opposition are accusing Ludovic Orban’s cabinet of poor management of the corona
    crisis. In turn, the Government has referred the motion to the Constitutional
    Court, as Parliament is in its summer recess. President Klaus Iohannis has said
    the Social-Democrats are trying to generate political instability that would
    benefit their election campaign.




    STATISTICS – 5% of Romanian students were enrolled in universities
    abroad in 2018, the EUROSTAT reports. At European level, 8% of students were
    studying abroad. The leader of this ranking is Luxembourg, with a 48% share of
    the total number of students, Cyprus with 24%, Austria, the Czech Republic and
    the Netherlands. The lowest shares were reported in Croatia and Greece, 3%,
    followed by Spain and Poland, 4%, and Lithuania and Romania, 5%. In 2018, some
    408 thousand students were officially enrolled in state and private
    universities. Of these, 6% were foreigners.




    HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball team HC Dobrogea Sud
    Constanta on Saturday defeated HC Victor Stavropol of Russia 26-18 in the first
    leg of the EHF European League first preliminary round. In the same
    competition, AHC Potaissa Turda lost 24-26 to HRK Gorica of Croatia at home.
    The return leg is scheduled next week. The Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest
    will play directly in the European League group phase, to kick off in October.




    GEORGE ENESCU – The George Enescu prestigious international music
    contest continues in Bucharest. Some 205 young musicians from 39 countries are
    enrolled in the competition, 184 in the violin, cello and piano sections and 21
    in the composition sections. Total prizes stand at €100.000. The competition is
    unfolding mostly online due to the coronavirus pandemic.


    (Translated
    by V. Palcu)











  • No-confidence motion read in parliament

    No-confidence motion read in parliament

    Its a year of local and legislative elections in Romania, and the crisis triggered by the pandemic has opened a wide front, a field conducive to political battles. Just a few days before the congress to elect its leadership, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the most important parliamentary party, filed a motion of no-confidence against the Liberal minority cabinet led by Ludovic Orban. The document was read in parliament on Thursday.



    The Social Democrats criticize the National Liberal Party for how it has managed the health crisis caused by the new coronavirus and claim that not enough medical equipment was purchased to fight the epidemic. They say the Liberals have got things out of control, they have destroyed the economy and the consequence would be a decline in the standards of living. Even worse, the executive is corrupt, say the Social Democrats, invoking a report by the Court of Accounts and an investigation into public procurement conducted by the National Anticorruption Directorate, to support the accusation. In the document presented in parliament by Senator Lucian Romascanu, the Orban Cabinet is blamed for the lack of concrete economic measures and the loans that have been made over this period of time.



    Here is Lucian Romascanu: “In only nine months of governing, the public finance minister has borrowed over 105 billion lei, four times more than the Social Democratic government. At a rate of 1,000 Euros per second, the share of government debt exploded to 40% of the GDP in May 2020.”



    Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has denied the allegations and called his political opponents irresponsible:


    ” Its a big lie, from head to toe, and the idea of filing a motion of no-confidence in the current context shows irresponsibility, a total defiance of the fundamental interest that Romania has today. How can one leave the country without a government, when we are fighting the pandemic, when we are fighting the economic crisis and we have to implement an economic recovery plan, and to prepare the start of the new school year?”



    For the motion to pass, it needs the votes of parliamentarians other than the Social Democrats. The Social Democratic Party has the promise of a pro-motion vote from Pro Romania. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians has not made a decision yet. The Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party seem to be supporting the government at the moment. The submission of a motion of no-confidence during an extraordinary parliament session is a first in the more than three decades of post-communist parliamentarism. That is why the National Liberal Party sees it as running counter to the fundamental law and calls on the Constitutional Court to take a stand on this matter. According to the Social Democratic Party, the approach of the National Liberal Party has no grounds and shows nothing but despair. (M. Ignatescu)

  • Motion of no-confidence against the Orban Government

    Motion of no-confidence against the Orban Government

    As announced, the Social Democratic Party, the main opposition party in Romania, filed early this week a new motion of no confidence against the minority executive headed by Ludovic Orban, titled “The Liberal Government, from Pandemic to Generalized Pande-bribe”. The Government had been disembarked before, early this year, through the same democratic approach, but, amidst the health crisis that was taking shape and invoking the need for political stability, it was reinstated, as the opposition supported that too.



    Now, the Social Democrats blame the Liberal Government, whom they consider the weakest in the past 30 years, for the way it has handled the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures it has taken to restore the economy. “The Orban Government has led the country into an economic crisis that it cannot control at the moment and therefore its time to be sacked”, said the interim leader of the Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu:



    “A government that steals from its own people must leave. A government that pushes Romania towards an economic disaster must leave. A government that fraternizes with the underworld, while stifling the Romanians with fines must leave. A government that does not observe the laws in force and does not increase allowances, salaries and pensions must leave. This motion is supported by almost one million Romanians who want their rights to be respected. That is why, here in Parliament, we will put an end to robbery and the incompetence of the National Liberal Party.”



    On the other side, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban rejects the accusations, terms the Social Democratic Partys approach irresponsible and says he is analyzing the possibility for the Liberal Party to notify the Constitutional Court, because a motion of no-confidence cannot be initiated during the parliamentary break. PM Ludovic Orban:



    “Its a politically motivated attempt that is not backed by any objective for Romania and that risks blowing up the country in an extremely difficult moment, when a government with full power is absolutely necessary.”



    The no-confidence motion will be read in plenary parliament session on Thursday, and the reading will be followed by debate and vote. 233 votes are required for the motion to pass. PRO Romania and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats agree with the Social Democrats and will vote for the dismissal of the current government. Peoples Movement Party and USR PLUS on the other hand have criticized the move and stated they will not support it. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians has not made a decision yet.



    The stakes are high, all the more so as both local and parliamentary elections are due this year in Romania. So, the main protagonists accuse each other, of clinging to power and of wanting to seize power, respectively, in order to maximize their electoral chances. (M. Ignatescu)

  • Project to support the economy

    Project to support the economy

    Beyond the round-the-clock fight to save the lives of
    the gravely sick, another major concern in these difficult times at global
    level is to find solutions to keep the economy moving forward. Governments worldwide
    have taken pre-emptive measures to support the population facing financial difficulties,
    as well as various sectors of the economy, some of them already shaken by the
    pandemic. The head of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ionel Danca, has announced
    new assistance packages. Therefore self-employed persons as well as family or
    individual businesses that have suspended their activity will benefit from a set
    allowance tantamount to the minimum wage, irrespective of contributions paid to
    the unemployment scheme. Ionel Danca also promised the Government would
    introduce new regulations for all types of enterprises and professional
    activities: large enterprises, cultural or sporting activities, NGOs affected
    by the state of emergency.

    In turn, Finance Minister Florin Citu said a
    solution would be presented shortly to the clients of banks facing
    difficulties, adding that talks are already ongoing with the National Bank and
    the banking sector. The Social-Democratic Party, the Alliance of Liberals and
    Democrats and the Pro Romania Party have submitted a bill providing for tax
    benefits. Among other things, the bill proposes a postponement of social
    security contributions for salary incomes and for social-security payments for
    a period of three months, starting March. The measure can be requested by each
    economic operator individually. Employers, on the other hand, must safeguard
    all employment contracts for a minimum period of 9 months.

    The Social-Democrats
    want the Government to suspend the refund of bank installments to the
    population, a measure already implemented in other European states. The
    Social-Democratic Party says the Government employs half-measures and
    incoherent policies, which is why they are considering the possibility of
    calling a no-confidence vote. The motion will not be targeted against the
    Government per se, but rather will contain a set of concrete economic measures.
    According to a previous Constitutional Court ruling, once voted, the provisions
    of any simple motion become compulsory and must be enacted by the Government.
    In turn, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians wants to immediately suspend
    fiscal obligations for enterprises that do not fire employees, while the Save
    Romania Union says the financial measures announced so far by the Government
    are important, but are not enough.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • November 12, 2019 UPDATE

    November 12, 2019 UPDATE

    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – The
    European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs has approved the candidacies of
    the commissioners designated by France, Romania and Hungary. In a special
    session on Tuesday, the Committee analyzed any potential or real conflicts of
    interest in each of the case. After getting the endorsement of the Legal
    Affairs Committee, the three candidates, Thierry Breton, Adina Valean and
    Oliver Varhelyi, will be heard by the specialized committees on Thursday. Once
    the hearings completed, the EC President Elect Ursula von der Leyen will
    present the list of designated commissioners and the program of the Commission
    during a plenary session on November 27. Also on Tuesday, Adina Valean has been
    heard by the joint European Affairs Committees of the Romanian Parliament,
    whose role is advisory. She has announced that, as a European Commissioner, she
    will keep supporting the mechanisms for interconnection, by means of which 1.24
    billion Euro have been invested in the Romanian transport infrastructure, and
    another 500 million in the energy infrastructure. The mechanism is aimed at
    interconnecting the EU’s transport, energy and telecommunication grids.




    PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION – The
    leaders of the National Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party, whose
    candidates will run in the second round of the presidential elections in
    Romania, on November 24, met on Tuesday to discuss their campaign strategies.
    In the first round, the current president Klaus Iohannis, supported by the
    Liberals, got 37.5% of the votes, and the head of the Social Democratic Party,
    Viorica Dancila, got approximately 23%. Viorica Dancila said she wants a public
    debate head-to-head with Klaus Iohannis. The latter has dismissed the idea of a
    debate with Viorica Dancila, whom he considers the candidate of an unreformed
    party that tranmpled the rule of law and sidetracked Romania’s pro-European
    projects. At the end of Tuesday’s meeting of the Socialist Party Executive Committee, Viorica Dancila said former Justice Minister Ana Birchall and Cozmin Gusa, as well as all MPs who voted the investiture of the Orban Cabinet, have been excluded from the party ranks.




    MOLDOVA – Romania’s President
    Klaus Iohannis believes the collapse of Maia Sandu’s Cabinet in the Republic of
    Moldova at a very important time for the reform of the judiciary goes against
    the country’s medium- and long-term interests. According to a Presidency
    release, the Romanian President warned that in the current context, Romania’s
    support, including its financial assistance, will be strictly dependent on the
    continuation of key reforms for the democratic development of the Republic of
    Moldova and its European track. In turn, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban believes
    the decision to dismiss Maia Sandu’s Cabinet by means of a no-confidence motion
    raises many questions as to the subsequent evolution of this country. Prime
    Minister Orban warned that the chances of the Romanian Government cooperating
    with a Moldovan Government that offers no real guarantees in defense of a
    genuine democracy are very slim. Invested 5 months ago, Maia Sandu’s pro-western
    Government did not survive Tuesday’s no-confidence motion in Parliament, filed
    by the pro-Russian Socialist Party and the Democratic Party. The motion was
    filed last week by the Socialist Party, a junior coalition party, after the
    Government pledged to modify the procedure for appointing the prosecutor
    general. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini,
    reiterated that the EU’s relations with Moldova will continue to rely on the
    observance of the rule of law and democratic standards.




    RADET – Bucharest’s heating
    supplier RADET has officially gone bankrupt, following a final ruling by the
    Bucharest Court of Appeal, but the municipality and representatives of ELCEN,
    the company that produces heat and hot water for the centralized system, has
    assured the citizens of Bucharest that they will not be affected by this
    situation. The company that provides heating in the capital has been under
    insolvency for three years, and the causes that have led to the current
    situation are many. Among them, the huge debt, of more than 840 million Euro,
    to the producer ELCEN, the state not paying the due subsidies and also the old
    installations owned by RADET.




    INFLATION – The annual rate of
    inflation in Romania dropped in October to 3.4%, from 3.5% in September,
    against the background of an increase in the prices of non-food products and
    services. The National Bank has decreased to 3.8% the inflation forecast for
    the end of this year and it estimates an inflation rate of 3.1% next year. The
    International Monetary Fund has revised upwards the forecasts regarding
    consumption prices in Romania this year, up to an average annual increase of
    4.2%, as to the 3.3% estimated in spring.


    (Translated by M. Ignatescu & V. Palcu)

  • October 3, 2019 UPDATE

    October 3, 2019 UPDATE

    MOTION – A motion
    of no-confidence initiated by the opposition against the Social Democrat
    minority government was read in Parliament on Thursday. Titled To rebuild
    Romania, the Dancila government must be urgently dismissed!, the motion
    will be debated and put to a vote next Thursday, October 10. The government is
    described as one of missed chances, because, although the country’s economy is
    going through a favorable period, with significant growth rates, no major
    infrastructure project was started, the motion reads. Trust in the Romanian
    economy is diminishing, mainly because the legislation governing the economic
    sector changes almost every week, the document also says. The leader of the
    Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister of Romania Viorica Dancila says the
    opposition does not have the necessary number of votes to bring down the
    government. The motion was signed by 237 MPs from across the political
    spectrum. 233 votes are needed for the government to fall. We recall that at
    the end of August, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats walked out of the
    governing coalition with the Social Democratic Party.




    Media2020 – The
    audience of public broadcasters needs independent, unbiased and trustworthy
    news created by professionals, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Secretary
    General Dr. Javad Mottaghi said on Thursday in Bucharest on the sidelines of
    the 5th edition of the Media2020 Conference organized by Radio
    Romania. This year’s theme is Crossing Borders in the Digital World. The
    event brought together 40 representatives of some of the most important media
    outlets in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Debates focused, among other
    things, on the future of public radio in the digital era, ways to protect copyright,
    how to combat fake news and the promotion of cultural diversity through the use
    of new digital technologies. Radio Romania and BBC Radio signed a bilateral
    agreement to develop a creative cooperation partnership. Radio Romania has
    signed similar agreements with Radio France and RAI as part of its strategy of
    collaboration with the most prestigious media institutions in Europe.




    EIB – The
    European Investment Bank will triple its support for Romanian enterprises, from
    500 million to 1.38 billion euros, EIB vice-president Andrew McDowell said
    Thursday in Bucharest, where he attended the signing of new contracts modifying
    existing agreements with Romanian financial intermediaries aimed at increasing
    the amount of financing. According to the EIB official, the initiative for SMEs
    combines structural funds with other EU and EIB resources in order to provide
    loans to 5,000 Romanian SMEs in favorable terms, thus contributing to creating
    new jobs in the private sector. This has
    worked well in the last year, which is why we are increasing the amount of
    funds to almost double the amount previously allocated, Andrew McDowell went on
    to say. Attending the event, Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici said over 2,000
    Romanian SMEs have benefitted from this initiative, and 500 million euros have
    already been allocated.




    NAVY – Romanian
    border police officers, the crew of a surveillance coast guard ship, on
    Thursday returned home after a three-month mission in the Aegean Sea under the
    aegis of FRONTEX. As part of the Poseidon 2019 mission, the Romanian officers
    carried out over 930 hours of patrolling on the EU’s external maritime borders,
    saving 484 people. The two crews, operating on a rotation basis onboard the
    Romanian Border Police officers, carried out patrol, surveillance, search and
    rescue operations in the Aegean Sea, alongside other EU member states.




    MOLDOVA – The EU
    will withhold its financial support for the Republic of Moldova unless this
    country continues its reforms and fulfills its commitments, the EU High Representative
    for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini said in Chisinau on
    Thursday. The EU official stated her visit marks a strong signal of support for
    Moldova and its line of reforms. Federica Mogherini held talks with Prime
    Minister Maia Sandu regarding the reform of the judiciary and ensuring the
    independence of state institutions. This is the first visit paid by Federica
    Mogherini to Chisinau in the last five years.




    BREXIT – EU leaders
    have reacted with caution to the UK’s new Brexit proposals. The president of
    the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said the proposed deal contains
    both positive advances and problematic aspects. The EU chief Brexit negotiator
    Michel Barnier said a lot of work still needs to be done to reach a deal on the
    backstop mechanism proposed by the European Union to avoid a hard border with
    Ireland. On Wednesday, the British government made public its proposals on the
    Irish border, but the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said they are not enough
    to maintain an open border.




    EUROPALIA – The
    EUROPALIA International Arts Festival has got under way in Brussels, with
    Romania as the guest of honour this year. The official opening was held on
    Tuesday, and it was attended, among others, by King Philippe of Belgium, Queen
    Mathilde and Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis. They visited the exhibition
    devoted to the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi entitled Brancusi. Transcendence
    of Form and hosted by the Bozar center and organized by the Romanian Cultural
    Institute. This is the most important exhibition devoted to the Romanian artist
    in recent decades and the highlight of the festival. Over the next four months,
    Europalia events will be held in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg
    and Great Britain, featuring some 250 different visual arts, music, theatre,
    cinema, literature and performing arts projects.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • September 28, 2019 UPDATE

    September 28, 2019 UPDATE

    ELECTION – The
    Central Electoral Bureau on Saturday drew lots to set the order of the 14 candidates
    on voting ballots for the presidential election. All parliamentary parties have
    submitted a candidate. The top candidates are acting president Klaus Iohannis,
    supported by the National Liberal Party in opposition, Social-Democrat Prime Minister
    Viorica Dăncilă, Dan Barna representing the Save Romania Union – Plus Alliance,
    Theodor Paleologu, the candidate of the People’s Movement Party, Mircea
    Diaconu, who has rallied the support of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats
    and Pro Romania Party, and Kelemen Hunor from the Democratic Union of Ethnic
    Hungarians. Other candidates from non-parliamentary parties are Cătălin Ivan,
    Ninel Peia, Sebastian-Constantin Popescu, John-Ion Banu, Ramona-Ioana
    Bruynseels and Viorel Cataramă. Bogdan Stanoevici and Alexandru Cumpănaşu are
    independent candidates. October 12 is the first day of the campaign, the first
    round of the election is scheduled for November 10, and the decisive round on
    November 24. According to a government resolution, Romanians living abroad will
    be able to vote between November 8 and 10 in the first round, and between
    November 22 and 24 for the runoff.




    MOTION – Liberal
    leader Ludovic Orban announced a no-confidence motion will be filed against the
    Social-Democrat Government at the start of next week. The Liberals will rely on
    237 votes, which is enough to remove the Dancila Cabinet, Orban added, who says
    this reflects Parliament’s clear willingness to change the Government. Chamber
    of Deputies Speaker Social-Democrat Marcel Ciolacu expressed doubt over the
    motion’s chances to succeed, saying the Liberals have not presented a governing
    program or come up with an alternative Prime Minister.




    VISIT – Prime
    Minister Viorica Dancila, on a visit to the United States, has told US
    investors that her Government has adopted ambitious measures to boost
    businesses in the fields of energy, healthcare, research, IT and
    communications. According to a Government release, representatives of US
    companies have appreciated the Romanian authorities openness towards dialogue and
    increase in the budgets for investing in healthcare, infrastructure and
    defense. Previously, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila met with US Energy
    Secretary Rick Perry, on which occasion Romania and the United States signed a
    memorandum of understanding concerning strategic civil nuclear cooperation
    (NCMOU). The Romanian official expressed her Government’s commitment towards
    the development of economic cooperation under the Strategic Partnership between
    the two states, grounded on a pragmatic and mutually advantageous cooperation.




    EUROPALIA – The
    Europalia International Arts Festival will kick off on October 1 in Brussels,
    with Romania as guest of honor. Attending the opening ceremony will be
    President Klaus Iohannis and King Philippe of Belgium. The two officials will
    also visit the exhibition titled Brancusi – the Sublimation of Form, the most
    important event devoted to the Romanian-born sculptor Constantin Brancusi organized
    in the last few decades, and will also be attending the Romanian Rhapsody concert
    performed by the RaRo-SoNoRo ensemble. The Europalia Romania Festival, held
    over October 2019 – February 2020, comprises events in the fields of visual
    arts, performing arts, music, film, literature and cultural education, held in
    Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and Great Britain.
    Romania will be organizing over 250 events at the 27th edition of
    the festival.




    CHIRAC – The
    French Embassy in Bucharest has opened a book of condolences on its webpage for
    anyone willing to pay homage to the former French President Jacques Chircac,
    who passed away Thursday aged 86. President Emmanuel Macron has declared a
    national mourning day on Monday, on which occasion flags will be flown at
    half-mast, including at the French Embassy in Bucharest. France is in mourning
    after the death of Jacques Chirac, a statesman, a great European and a friend
    of Romania, a country he visited on several occasion, especially during the
    Summit of La Francophonie hosted by Bucharest in 2006, the French Embassy
    writes on its Facebook page.




    TENNIS – Romanian
    tennis player Simona Halep (WTA no. 6) on Sunday will play Rebecca Peterson of
    Sweden (53 WTA) in the first round at the Beijing Open, totaling some 8.3
    million dollars in prize money. On Saturday, another Romanian, Sorana Cirstea lost
    6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to Alison van Uytvanck of Belgium in the final of the WTA
    tournament in Tashkent, totaling 250 thousand dollars in prize money. This was
    Sorana’s second final in Uzbekistan, following the one in 2008, when she won
    her only title in the singles circuit. Cirstea played another two finals in WTA
    competitions, in 2007 in Budapest and in 2013 in Toronto. In 2012 in Tashkent,
    another Romania, Irina Begu, won the title.




    HANDBALL – The
    Romanian women’s handball team is playing the Faeroe Islands on Sunday in a
    match counting towards the 2020 European Championship preliminary Group 7. On
    Wednesday, in its debut match, Romania defeated 27-24 neighboring Ukraine at
    home. The first two teams will advance to the final tournament. At the previous
    edition of 2018, Romania ranked 4th, losing the bronze final to the
    Netherlands.


    (Translated by V.
    Palcu)

  • September 28, 2019

    September 28, 2019

    ELECTION – The
    Central Electoral Bureau on Saturday drew lots to set the order of the 14 candidates
    on voting ballots for the presidential election. All parliamentary parties have
    submitted a candidate. The top candidates are acting president Klaus Iohannis,
    supported by the National Liberal Party in opposition, Social-Democrat Prime Minister
    Viorica Dăncilă, Dan Barna representing the Save Romania Union – Plus Alliance,
    Theodor Paleologu, the candidate of the People’s Movement Party, Mircea
    Diaconu, who has rallied the support of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats
    and Pro Romania Party, and Kelemen Hunor from the Democratic Union of Ethnic
    Hungarians. Other candidates from non-parliamentary parties are Cătălin Ivan,
    Ninel Peia, Sebastian-Constantin Popescu, John-Ion Banu, Ramona-Ioana
    Bruynseels and Viorel Cataramă. Bogdan Stanoevici and Alexandru Cumpănaşu are
    independent candidates. October 12 is the first day of the campaign, the first
    round of the election is scheduled for November 10, and the decisive round on
    November 24. According to a government resolution, Romanians living abroad will
    be able to vote between November 8 and 10 in the first round, and between
    November 22 and 24 for the runoff.




    MOTION – Liberal
    leader Ludovic Orban announced a no-confidence motion will be filed against the
    Social-Democrat Government at the start of next week. The Liberals will rely on
    237 votes, which is enough to remove the Dancila Cabinet, Orban added, who says
    this reflects Parliament’s clear willingness to change the Government. Chamber
    of Deputies Speaker Social-Democrat Marcel Ciolacu expressed doubt over the
    motion’s chances to succeed, saying the Liberals have not presented a governing
    program or come up with an alternative Prime Minister.




    VISIT – Prime
    Minister Viorica Dancila, on a visit to the United States, has told US
    investors that her Government has adopted ambitious measures to boost
    businesses in the fields of energy, healthcare, research, IT and
    communications. According to a Government release, representatives of US
    companies have appreciated the Romanian authorities openness towards dialogue and
    increase in the budgets for investing in healthcare, infrastructure and
    defense. Previously, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila met with US Energy
    Secretary Rick Perry, on which occasion Romania and the United States signed a
    memorandum of understanding concerning strategic civil nuclear cooperation
    (NCMOU). The Romanian official expressed her Government’s commitment towards
    the development of economic cooperation under the Strategic Partnership between
    the two states, grounded on a pragmatic and mutually advantageous cooperation.




    EUROPALIA – The
    Europalia International Arts Festival will kick off on October 1 in Brussels,
    with Romania as guest of honor. Attending the opening ceremony will be
    President Klaus Iohannis and King Philippe of Belgium. The two officials will
    also visit the exhibition titled Brancusi – the Sublimation of Form, the most
    important event devoted to the Romanian-born sculptor Constantin Brancusi organized
    in the last few decades, and will also be attending the Romanian Rhapsody concert
    performed by the RaRo-SoNoRo ensemble. The Europalia Romania Festival, held
    over October 2019 – February 2020, comprises events in the fields of visual
    arts, performing arts, music, film, literature and cultural education, held in
    Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and Great Britain.
    Romania will be organizing over 250 events at the 27th edition of
    the festival.




    CHIRAC – The
    French Embassy in Bucharest has opened a book of condolences on its webpage for
    anyone willing to pay homage to the former French President Jacques Chircac,
    who passed away Thursday aged 86. President Emmanuel Macron has declared a
    national mourning day on Monday, on which occasion flags will be flown at
    half-mast, including at the French Embassy in Bucharest. France is in mourning
    after the death of Jacques Chirac, a statesman, a great European and a friend
    of Romania, a country he visited on several occasion, especially during the
    Summit of La Francophonie hosted by Bucharest in 2006, the French Embassy
    writes on its Facebook page.




    TENNIS – Romanian
    tennis player Sorana Cirstea on Saturday lost 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to Alison van
    Uytvanck of Belgium in the final of the WTA tournament in Tashkent, totaling
    250 thousand dollars in prize money. This was Sorana’s second final in
    Uzbekistan, following the one in 2008, when she won her only title in the
    singles circuit. Cirstea played another two finals in WTA competitions, in 2007
    in Budapest and in 2013 in Toronto. In 2012 in Tashkent, another Romania, Irina
    Begu, won the title.




    HANDBALL – The
    Romanian women’s handball team is playing the Faeroe Islands on Sunday in a
    match counting towards the 2020 European Championship preliminary Group 7. On
    Wednesday, in its debut match, Romania defeated 27-24 neighboring Ukraine at
    home. The first two teams will advance to the final tournament. At the previous
    edition of 2018, Romania ranked 4th, losing the bronze final to the
    Netherlands.


    (Translated by V.
    Palcu)

  • Government survives no-confidence vote

    Government survives no-confidence vote

    The left-of-center Government in
    Bucharest on Tuesday survived the no-confidence motion submitted by the
    right-wing opposition, despite facing obvious difficulties. The
    Social-Democratic Party, the main ruling-coalition party, grabbed only 22% in
    the European Parliament election of May 26, with 0.5% less than the main opposition
    party, the National Liberal Party, and very close to another opposition party,
    the Save Romania Union-PLUS Alliance. The Social-Democrats’ junior coalition
    partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, failed to meet the 5%
    election threshold. Adding to the poor result was the imprisonment of the
    Social-Democrat strongman Liviu Dragnea, who got a three year and a half prison
    sentence for corruption.

    All this time Social-Democrat MPs continued to leave
    the party and join the newly-founded Pro Romania Party, led by their former
    Social-Democrat leader, Victor Ponta. Still, the Government led by
    Social-Democrat interim leader Viorica Dancila remains in power, after
    Parliament voted against the no-confidence motion on Tuesday. The document
    grabbed only 200 votes of the 233 necessary in order to pass. While the
    initiators of the motion, the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union,
    the People’s Movement Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in
    Romania, have accused the Government of mounting a relentless attack on the
    judiciary and destabilizing the economy, Government officials expressed doubt
    with the opposition’s willingness to take over the Government at this time.
    Liberal leader in the Chamber of Deputies, Raluca Turcan, says the opposition
    has the capacity of taking over and that the no-confidence vote reflects the
    result of the May 26 ballot.


    We can organize a
    Government that should conduct feasibility studies legally and start motorway
    construction works. We could also introduce postal voting for Romanians in the
    Diaspora and correct the legislation in the justice system.


    Prime Minister Viorica Dancila in
    turn reiterated her determination to see through her mandate, arguing economic
    indicators are evidence in favor of the Government’s effective policies.


    It is obvious you have
    no alternative to the Government. Do you really want to change this Government
    before the upcoming election? I know you don’t. You have provided no concrete
    solution for the functioning of the economy in the interest of citizens.


    Political pundits in turn say
    chances are the opposition won’t take over the power at this time, for various
    reasons. For once, the left-wing’s excessively generous social policies will produce
    effects soon, which will need correction. On the other hand, the public system
    is now filled with associates of the ruling coalition, who threaten to sabotage
    any non-affiliated Government. Pundits agree, however, that political parties
    will resume their confrontation in autumn, ahead of the presidential election.