Radio România Internațional

Tag: no-confidence vote

  • February 9-13

    February 9-13

    100 days with Ilie Bolojan, after 10 years with Klaus Iohannis

    This Wednesday, Klaus Iohannis ended his second and last term as President of Romania. Ilie Bolojan, who stepped down as Senate Speaker and president of PNL took over the position of interim head of state. The Constitutional Court took note the presidency was vacated after Klaus Iohannis announced his resignation on Monday and established that the head of the Senate should step in as interim president. Ilie Gavrilă Bolojan was born 1969, in Bihor County (west). He studied mechanics and mathematics. He joined PNL in 1993. He is considered one of the best local specialists in local public administration. Over 2008-2020, he was mayor of Oradea, holding three mandates. Since 2020, he has been president of the Bihor County Council, a position he held until last year, when he became a senator. As interim president, an office he will hold for about a hundred days, Bolojan will have limited powers: he cannot address Parliament on key political issues, he cannot dissolve Parliament and he cannot call a national referendum. On December 21, 2024, Klaus Iohannis was supposed to end his term in office, but his stay at the Presidency was extended after the Constitutional Court annulled the entire process for the election of a new president. A new presidential election is slated for May, with the first round on the 4th and the second round on the 18th.

     

    The state budget for 2025, ratified on the last day of Iohannis’ term in office

    A few hours before announcing his resignation, President Iohannis signed the decrees for ratifying the State Budget Law for 2025 and the State Social Security Budget Law. The two bills were voted last week in a joint Parliament sitting. The budget is based on an economic growth rate of 2.5% and a budget deficit target of 7% of GDP. Finance Minister Tanczos Barna stated, before the plenary sitting, that the state budget is “moderate” and based on a prudent increase in revenues, “without exaggerations”. The Romanian official pointed out that the State Social Security Budget Law focuses “primarily on the payment of pensions”.

     

    A no-confidence vote is in the making

    The three parties in the self-proclaimed sovereignist opposition, AUR, SOS Romania and POT, have announced their intention to call for a vote of no-confidence against the PSD-PNL-UDMR ruling coalition. The motion could also be voted by MPs from the pro-European opposition party USR. Social-Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu claims he has no reasons to be afraid and that he is “confident” that “the government will not fall”. Political pundits do not rule out, however, possible defections within the majority and are skeptical about the chances of Ciolacu’s Cabinet staying in power.

     

    A new Russian attack

    The Romanian Foreign Ministry firmly condemns the irresponsible attack by Russian forces on February 13, when two drones carrying explosives violated the airspace and fell on Romanian territory, near the border with Ukraine. By order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Emil Hurezeanu, the ad interim charge d’affaires of the Russian Federation in Bucharest was urgently summoned to the headquarters of the Ministry, where the Romanian side firmly condemned the repeated violations of Romania’s airspace. These illegal and irresponsible attacks must cease, while Romania has the right to take the necessary response measures, the Ministry said. Attending the 61st edition of the Munich International Security Conference, in Germany, organized over February 14-16, Minister Emil Hurezeanu calls for a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace in Ukraine The head of diplomacy from Bucharest also advocates for the continued provision of solid support for increasing the resilience of the Republic of Moldova.

     

    Bloody brawl in Urziceni

    Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, states that the involvement of several state structures is needed to combat organized crime and dismantle underworld clans. According to the Romanian official, although hundreds of organized crime groups have been dismantled in recent years, they are regenerating, and solving the problem may take a long time. At the end of last week, in Urziceni (south), two people died and five were injured, following a street brawl seasoned with gunfire, involving a few dozen people. Some of the combatants were arrested and charged with aggravated murder, brawl, disturbing public order and peace, failure to comply with the weapons and munitions legislation, unauthorized use of a weapon, attempted aggravated murder. Street brawls are uncommon in Romania, generally considered a safe country.

     

    Romania secures Rugby World Cup qualification

    Romania qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia after grabbing victories this month against Germany, 48-10, and Belgium, 31-14, in Rugby Europe Championship 2025. The Oaks have only missed out on the World Cup once, in 2019, when they were disqualified for fielding a naturalized but ineligible Tongan player. In football, Romanian champions FCSB from Bucharest defeated Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki 2-1 on Thursday night in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 play-offs. The return leg against the Greeks, coached by Romanian Răzvan Lucescu, is scheduled for next week in Bucharest. Also on Thursday, in handball, the defending champions Dinamo Bucharest lost 26-33 the home match against the Hungarian side One Veszprem HC, in Champions League Group A. (VP)

  • October 6, 2021 UPDATE

    October 6, 2021 UPDATE


    COVID-19 – Romania on Wednesday
    recorded almost 15,000 new Covid infections and 331 related fatalities, while
    more than 1,500 Covid patients are in intensive care. The incidence rate hit a
    new record high in the capital Bucharest, nearing 11 per 1,000 inhabitants from
    6.33 last week. The incidence rate is over 10 in 10 cities around the country.
    The healthcare system is under unprecedented pressure, with hospitals
    struggling to find beds for new admissions.




    FORECAST – The World Bank improved its
    forecast on the evolution of the Romanian economy this year to 7.3%, according
    to its latest forecast for Europe and Central Asia. For next year, the World
    Bank is expecting a 4.1% growth rate. In 2023, the World Bank is expecting
    Romanian economz to grow by 3.9%. As for Europe and Central Asia, it says a
    surprisingly strong recovery in the first half of the year boosted economic
    activity on emerging markets and developing countries, with regional economy
    expected to grow more than estimated to reach 5.5% this year.




    FINANCE – The decision of the
    National Bank of Romania to increase the key interest rate to 1.5% per year, up
    from 1.25%, came into force on Wednesday. The central bank is thus trying to
    keep in check the recent steep growth of the inflation rate, which has exceeded
    estimates. According to the National Bank, the situation is the result of price
    hikes, especially electricity and natural gas, and, while it cannot influence
    these developments, it can intervene in areas that it can control. The Bank
    forecasts that the price of energy products will continue to grow, with the
    inflation rate hitting significantly higher values than expected. Official data
    show that the annual inflation rate passed 5.2% in August.




    POLITICS – Romania’s minority
    government formed by the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of
    Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and led by the Liberal Florin Cîţu was ousted
    following Tuesday’s no-confidence vote. 281 out of Parliament’s 318 MPs voted
    against the government. The motion was initiated by the Social Democrats in
    opposition and also got the votes of the Save Romania Union, until recently in
    the coalition government, and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians. In his
    first public reaction after the vote, president Klaus Iohannis said Romania is
    facing a health as well as a political crisis and invited political parties for
    consultations next week to nominate a
    new prime minister.




    SUMMIT – Romania’s president Klaus
    Iohannis attended the informal autumn summit of the European Council and the
    EU-Western Balkans summit hosted by Brdo, Slovenia. EU leaders together with
    the six partners in the Western Balkans discussed the global role of the EU.
    Talks focused on the developments in Afghanistan, the security agreement
    between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia (AUKUS) , as well
    as relations between the European Union and China. Klaus Iohannis referred to
    ensuring stability, security and resilience for the EU, as well as the key role
    of the trans-Atlantic relation, as part of the same community of values. The
    Romanian president also spoke about the need to quickly come up with solutions
    at EU level with respect to soaring energy prices.




    NOBEL – Researchers Benjamin List
    from Germany and David W.C. MacMillan from the United States on Wednesday were
    awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their development of a new tool
    for molecular construction called organocatalysis. The Nobel Awards week kicked
    off on Monday, when researchers David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian were
    bestowed the Prize in Medicine for their discovery of temperature and touch
    receptors. On Tuesday, the Nobel Prize in Physics went to researchers Sykuro
    Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi for groundbreaking contributions to
    our understanding of complex systems. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
    will award the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday and the Nobel Peace Prize
    on Friday. The Riksbank Sveriges Award in Economic Sciences will be announced
    on October 11. (CM & VP)


  • No-confidence vote against the Liberal Government

    No-confidence vote against the Liberal Government

    233 votes in favor are needed for the no-confidence motion filed against the
    Liberal Government to pass. The Social-Democrats in opposition, who were
    removed from power at the end of last year, claim they have the necessary votes
    to topple the Government, whom they accuse of losing control over the
    epidemiological developments in Romania, destroying the economy, which resulted
    in a collapse of the population’s living standards. The Social-Democratic Party
    says it has devised a realistic governing program. With details on that, here
    is Social-Democrat vice-president, Sorin Grindeanu:


    The
    Social-Democratic Party’s top three priorities are healthcare, education and
    the economy. We virtually elaborated this program in response to four
    fundamental issues: the professional management of the health crisis, opening
    schools safely, re-launching the economy and increasing Romanians’ income.


    The Liberals in
    turn accuse the Social-Democrats of acting irresponsibly, trying to use the
    health crisis to serve their interests in the upcoming election. The Liberals
    have referred the vote to the Constitutional Court, saying they are expecting
    until September 1 a ruling on an alleged legal conflict between the Government
    and Parliament. Meanwhile, both sides are making their own calculations, and
    negotiations have so far been fierce. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban:


    As you well
    know, negotiations are not public. You have to wait for the result. I wouldn’t
    call it a no-confidence motion per se, I would call it an attempt from the
    Social-Democrats to poison Romania once again.


    After quickly
    rallying the support of the PRO Romania Party and the Alliance of Liberals and
    Democrats, the Social-Democratic Party hopes the vote will improve their
    position in the polls ahead of the local election due on September 27, as well
    as for the legislative election later this year, some pundits have argued. The
    Social-Democrats have lost nearly half of the election score obtained in the
    legislative election of 2016. Toppling the Orban Cabinet does not mean the
    Social-Democrats will come to power, says President Klaus Iohannis, who has
    made it clear on numerous occasions he would not appoint a Social-Democratic
    Prime Minister, even if the party would make up a ruling coalition. A potential
    interim mandate ensured by the Liberals would however limit their governing possibilities,
    as the Cabinet would no longer have the power to issue emergency decrees, an
    instrument which the Liberals have used frequently in the absence of a majority
    in Parliament. The other parties in opposition, the Save Romania Union and the
    People’s Movement Party, announced they would vote against the
    Social-Democrats’ motion. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians has not yet
    made public its voting intentions.


    (Translated by
    V. Palcu)





  • December 19, 2018 UPDATE

    December 19, 2018 UPDATE

    NO CONFIDENCE MOTION – The Bucharest Parliament on Thursday is debating and voting on the no confidence motion against the cabinet made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, headed by PM Viorica Dancila. The document was introduced and signed by 163 MPs, mainly from the Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the People’s Movement Party, as well as by independents. 233 votes are needed to bring down the government. Signatories claim that the executive, whom they define as an “organised crime group” destroys the rule of law and undermines the country’s political and economic stability. Liberal leader Ludovic Orban called on Parliament to pass the motion. The head of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, has announced his party members will be present in Parliament but will abstain from voting.




    DEFENSE — The meeting of the Supreme Defense Council of Romania, suspended on December 11 by President Klaus Iohannis at the request of the members, resumed on Wednesday in Bucharest. According to the Presidency, the plan of equipping the armed forces between 2019- 2028 was approved at the meeting as well as the number of troops Romania will send in international missions next year. The agenda of the meeting also included major issues related to the countrys defense and national security, the councils schedule for next year and the National Plan for Informative Priorities.




    STOCK EXCHANGE – The business environment in Romania warned on Wednesday over the negative effects of the new taxes to be introduced by the Bucharest Government as of next year. The Bucharest Stock Exchange opened Wednesday in free fall. The fiscal and budget measures for 2019 presented by Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici sent the market plummeting to minus 7%. Teodorovici announced so called taxes on greed leveled on banks, depending on the evolution of interbanking loans, as well as a package of measures for energy companies — a contribution equal to 3% of turnover, capping natural gas prices, and price controls for electricity prices. Investors’ trust has eroded quickly, in only a few hours after the Government’s announcement, the American Chamber of Commerce in Bucharest has said, asking for the immediate withdrawal of the emergency decree on the newly proposed measures. The Opposition is firmly against the move while the country’s president Klaus Iohannis has warned the Government that its decision has negative effects on economy and Romanians’ revenues.




    PENSIONS – The law regulating pensions passed in the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday. The bill sets a minimum of 15 years of employment in order to qualify for social benefits, with contributions to the system in the 15 years. The only changes that deputies brought to the bill introduced by the executive regards the rights of people with disabilities, who would get benefits for working a third of the mandatory period. This amendment, introduced by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, was initially turned down by the Labor Committee. The bill passed by 193 votes. The novelties in this bill, according to Social Democrat Deputy Olguta Vasilescu, are eliminating inequalities in pensions for people with similar work experience, granting the most advantageous survivor pension to a spouse, and the possibility of retiring six years early for mothers of three children or more. Vasilescu, former Minister of Labor, specified that a gradual rise in pensions until 2020 will bring pensions up to 1,775 lei.




    RULING – Romania’s Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that there is a constitutional conflict between the Government and the country’s President, Klaus Iohannis. The Court debated Wednesday the governments claim regarding a possible constitutional conflict between the government and the president, who delayed the appointment of the ministers for transportation and regional development. The proposals were Lia Olguta Vasilescu for regional development and Mircea Draghici for transportation. According to the claim filed by Prime Minister Viorica Dancila with the high court, the prolonged analysis by President Iohannis of the proposals has no legal basis, and constitutes willful obstruction.




    MEDIA — The Reporters without Frontiers organization accuses Romania of excessive politicization of the press and corrupt financing mechanisms, making editorial compromises under pressure from owners, and the infiltration of intelligence agents in editorial rooms. The 2018 annual report of the organization points out that the use of the press as a political propaganda tool was more visible than ever in the last few years, especially during election campaigns. In Romanias case, the worsening climate in the press is in part due to the activity of small extreme right groups . The organization adds that the bill proposed by majority leader Liviu Dragnea, introducing penalties for denigrating Romania, and reintroducing calumny in the Penal Code, raises fears of political censorship in the media. Romania was ranked 44th in the world in the freedom of the press index for 2018. (Translated by E. Enache)




  • June 26, 2018 UPDATE

    June 26, 2018 UPDATE

    NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE – The no-confidence motion initiated by the National Liberal Party and backed by Save Romania Union and the Peoples Movement Party against the Dăncilă Cabinet was read out on Monday in Parliament, and is to be discussed and voted on Wednesday. The Government is criticized, among other things, for the changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure, for reducing the powers of the countrys president and for negative economic performances.



    EUROPEAN COUNCIL MEETING – President Klaus Iohannis will attend with European Council meeting on Thursday and Friday in Brussels, where he will express Romanias support for NATO and EU initiatives aimed at boosting military mobility, the presidency reports. Iohannis will also argue in favor of maintaining an attractive climate for investment in the EU. High on the Councils agenda are topics such as migration, Brexit, the future community budget and the EUs external relations.


    FLAG DAY – Bucharest and other cities in Romania on Tuesday hosted military and religious ceremonies as well as air shows, to mark National Flag Day. Taking part in the events in the capital city were the Defence Minister Mihai Fifor, troops, war veterans, and retired officers. National Flag Day was proclaimed by law in 1998 and is celebrated every year on June 26. The date was chosen to mark the day in 1848 when the blue, yellow and red colors were chosen as the symbol of the Romanian nation.



    ACCUSATIONS – Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Tuesday said the ministry he represents received no official notification from Moscow authorities referring to the Romanian citizen accused of espionage. Melescanu said the ministry tried to get clarifications from the Russian Embassy in Bucharest. According to TASS news agency, Carina Turcan, who holds both Russian and Romanian citizenship, was arrested on June 14 and risks a 20-year prison sentence. Turcan sits on the board of a Russian energy company.



    RESIGNATION – The head of the Romanian Police Catalin Ionita resigned for personal reasons on Tuesday. Ionita was appointed for a six-month term in January 2018 following an internal dispute at the Interior Ministry between Minister Carmen Dan and former Prime Minister Mihai Tudose. The new police chief will be Ioan Buda from the Border Police, a State Secretary and head of the Public Order and Safety Department in the 2015-2016 period.



    SENTENCE – The former head of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), Alina Bica, was sentenced by the High Court of Cassation and Justice on Tuesday to four years in prison. Bica was found guilty of aggravated abuse of office after in 2014, while head-prosecutor at DIICOT, admitted a plea to lift a lien on shares owned by Adriean Videanu, a former Economy Minister, who was acquitted in the same case. Also on Tuesday Bica was acquitted in another case where she was accused of abuse of office. Alina Bica is currently in Costa Rica, where she was granted political refugee status in January.



    BYKES – Around 250 bikers set out on Tuesday from the capital city Bucharest, from Iaşi in the north-east, Timişoara in the west and Drobeta Turnu Severin in the south-west, to meet in Alba Iulia, in the center of the country, where the Great Union was proclaimed 100 years ago. The cycling tour is devoted to the celebration of 100 years since the formation of the Romanian nation state, on December 1, 1918. The around 500-km route will be completed in 5 days. For a short while the participants were joined by President Klaus Iohannis, who took the opportunity to plead for national unity.


    (Translated by A.M. Popescu and V. Palcu)

  • November 23, 2017 UPDATE

    November 23, 2017 UPDATE

    SUMMIT — Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Friday is attending the fifth Eastern Partnership summit held in Brussels under the Estonian Presidency of the European Council. According to the presidency, Klaus Iohannis will encourage a robust policy in the EU’s eastern neighbourhood, an area that must become a predictable, stable and prosperous space, devoted to European values and principles by means of irreversible reforms. On this occasion, EU leaders will agree on a set of 20 objectives to be included on a roadmap for 2020. Launched in 2009, the Eastern Partnership is aimed at promoting the political and economic integration of six EU partner states: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.



    NO CONFIDENCE VOTE — The censure motion filed by the right-wing opposition against the coalition Government was rejected on Thursday in Parliament, with only 156 votes in favour. To pass the motion needed 233 votes. Signed by MPs from the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union, the People’s Movement Party and by independent MPs and read out in Parliament on Monday, the motion called for the resignation of the cabinet led by the Social Democrat Mihai Tudose, whom they accused of disturbing the economic environment and the legal system, and of worsening the population’s living standards. In response, the Prime Minister claims that thanks to the fiscal reform, more money will go to the budget and the pension fund next year, and companies will benefit from simplified procedures.



    JUSTICE LAWS — In Bucharest the special parliamentary committee on the justice laws on Thursday decided that the Romanian President should no longer be able to refuse the appointment of judges and prosecutors. The Liberals’ representatives have criticized this proposal and have explained that the Romanian President is also the head of Romania’s Supreme Defense Council and should have the right to refuse the appointment of a judge or of a prosecutor. The committee’s proceedings started on Wednesday and the debates have been marked by disputes between the power and a part of the opposition. The Liberal MPs left the room, being discontented with the rejection of their proposal that the justice laws package be debated in a normal parliamentary procedure and not by a special committee. The justice laws are vehemently contested by civil society. President Klaus Iohannis has also said he is worried about this issue.



    RULING — Romania’s Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled against a notification filed by Senate Speaker Calin Popescu-Tariceanu over a possible legal conflict between the Cabinet and the Public Ministry, regarding Government decrees. The notification was filed after the National Anticorruption Directorate started investigating two former members of the current Government — Sevil Shhaideh, who acted as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development, and Rovana Plumb, who held the European Funds portfolio. The two resigned last month in the wake of accusations that parts of the Belina island and the Pavel arm of the Danube were illegally transferred from state property into that of the Teleorman County administration, under a government decision. At the time Shhaideh was Minister for Regional Development and Plumb was Environment Minister



    COUNCIL — The country’s Supreme Defense Council will convene next Tuesday, the presidency has announced. Chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, the meeting has several topics on its agenda, including plans for deploying armed forces in external missions in 2018 and the status of implementing the decisions of the NATO Summit of Warsaw. Talks will also focus on measures Romania has taken to implement sanctions adopted at international level, the presidency also reports.



    BREXIT — On December 4 the British Parliament will start debating the law on leaving the European Union, the House of Commons in London has announced. Facing fierce opposition in Parliament, the law provides for the severing of political, financial and judicial ties with the community bloc, as well as transposing several items of European legislation into British law, after the United Kingdom leaves the EU in March 2019, Reuters reports. In another development, also on December 4, Prime Minister Theresa May will meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Chief negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier in Brussels. The EU hopes May will come up with new proposals to steer negotiations forward, Reuters further reports. (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • November 23, 2017

    November 23, 2017

    NO CONFIDENCE VOTE — The two chamber Parliament in Bucharest is today debating a censure motion tabled by the right-of-centre opposition against the coalition government. Signed by MPs from the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union, the People’s Movement Party and by independent MPs and read out in Parliament on Monday, the motion calls for the resignation of the cabinet led by the Social Democrat Mihai Tudose, whom they accuse of disturbing the economic environment and the legal system, and of worsening the population’s living standard. In response, the Prime Minister claims that thanks to the fiscal reform, more money will go to the budget and the pension fund next year, and companies will benefit from simplified procedures. Commentators say the chances for the motion to be adopted are slim, especially after the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania has announced it will abstain from voting, because its MPs agree with some of the measures taken by the government, and disagree with others.



    EUROPEAN FUNDS — Romania has available over 5 billion Euros under the Large Infrastructure Program, but in order to efficiently absorb this sum of money the country needs realistic planning, thorough preparation works and an efficient implementation of transport projects. The statement has been made by the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, who met in Brussels with Romanian transport minister, Felix Stroe, for talks on transport projects and draft projects for the 2014-2020 Large Infrastructure Operational Program, co-funded through the European Regional Development Fund. Cretu has underlined the need for the line minister in Bucharest to play the leading role in managing the sides involved in the projects, considering that contractual litigations between entrepreneurs and major transport beneficiaries have led to delays in implementing projects. At present, the Romanian authorities are tightly cooperating with international experts to draft a new standard contract, with clauses of arbitration to solve conflicts.



    JUSTICE LAWS — In Bucharest the special parliamentary committee on the justice laws has today decided that the Romanian President should no longer be able to refuse the appointment of judges and prosecutors. The Liberals’ representatives have criticised this proposal and have explained that the Romanian President is also the head of Romania’s Supreme Defence Council and should have the right to refuse the appointment of a judge or of a prosecutor. The committee’s proceedings started on Wednesday and the debates have been marked by disputes between the power and a part of the opposition. The Liberal MPs left the room, being discontent about the rejection of their proposal that the justice laws package be debated in a normal parliamentary procedure and not by a special committee. The justice laws are vehemently contested by civil society. President Klaus Iohannis has also said he is worried about this issue.



    GAUDEAMUS BOOK FAIR — The Gaudeamus Book Fair, organised by Radio Romania, continues in Bucharest today. The second day of the event will truly be a special one, offering readers the chance to see the most sought-after books of the moment and interesting debates on literary themes. One such meeting is the round table talks “Life after life — undeciphered destinies”. The fair brings together, until Sunday, 300 exhibitors and over 800 editorial and professional events. Exhibiting are Romanian publishing houses boasting a long tradition in the field, universities, book distributors and sellers, publications, professional associations and NGOs. The honorary president of the Gaudeamus Book Fair is the famous Romanian playwright and journalist established in France, Matei Visniec, and the honorary guest of the fair this year is the European Commission.



    FOOTBALL — Romania’s vice-champion team, FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, tonight take on Viktoria Plzen, away from home, in a last-but-one fixture of Europa League’s Group C. With 10 points they won in the first four games played, FCSB are at the top of the table in their group and mathematically, they have already secured their ticket in the Cup’s round of 32, to be held in 2018. Czech contenders Viktoria Plzen are the runner-up team in Group C, followed by Hapoel Beer Sheva of Israel, with 4 points, and Switzerland’s Lugano, with 3 points on their record sheet.

  • November 17, 2017

    November 17, 2017

    CENSURE MOTION – The National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, in opposition, on Friday filed a censure motion in Parliament, against the government made up of the Social Democratic Party-the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. The motion has been signed by 148 MPs. The motion, initiated after the government amended the Fiscal Code, is also backed by the Peoples Movement Party and by the independent MPs. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania will not sign the motion and the Pro Romania party, led 8by the former PM Victor Ponta will not back the motion, either, saying a replacement of the PSD government with a PNL cabinet would not be a good solution for Romania. Amendments to the Fiscal Code provides for the transfer of social contributions from employer to employee and a cut in income tax from 16 to 10% as of January 1, 2018. Those contesting the measure say their incomes will actually decrease, and many others will run the risk of loosing their jobs. In exchange, Social-Democrat PM Mihai Tudose claims that, by the fresh fiscal reform, much more money will go to the budget and the pension fund, and companies will benefit from simplified procedures. Over the past few weeks, against the backdrop of the ruling coalitions plans to amend the Fiscal Code and the Justice Laws, people took to the streets in the big cities across the country, particularly in Bucharest.



    SUMMIT – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis is today attending the Social Summit on promoting equitable jobs and economic growth in the EU, venued by Gothenburg, in Sweden. The summit brings together EU heads of state and government, social partners as well as other key players. The summit includes an introductory plenary session and three thematic sessions on access to the labour market, the current situation on the labour market and the transition between jobs on the labour market. The Romanian President said Romania will stand for a new education system adapted to the needs of the economy, so that the best solutions be found to create jobs for young people, on the one hand, and to properly train youngsters to successfully enter the labour market, on the other. According to FP, the summit is part of the offensive launched by Brussels and Sweden to regain the citizens confidence in face of rising populism which renders Europe fragile. After the Brexit shock and against the backdrop of growing Euro-scepticism in the EU member states, including in Germany and Austria as of late, the European Commission is determined to show that the EU is not a mere big market, but it wants to reduce inequalities.



    TRANSCARPATHIA – Students and teachers in the schools with teaching in the Romanian language, in the Transcarpathia region in south-western Ukraine, which is home to over 40,000 ethnic Romanians, are currently being assessed by a commission of the Education Ministry in Kiev. The teachers are outraged, saying the evaluation, which hasnt been made for years, would be aimed at proving that the schools of the national ethnic minorities would not be proficient enough, teachers would not be able to teach at a high quality standard and pupils would not be properly educated and ready to take national evaluation tests. Teachers say the evaluation will actually be a disguised form of exerting pressure and of intimidation, following the contested education law in Ukraine, which infringes upon the constitutional rights of the ethnic minorities to study in their languages. In late October, experts of the Venice Commission paid a visit to Kiev to assess the newly created situation following the adoption of the education law, which has been criticised also from Bucharest.



    NICOSIA – The state secretary for bilateral and strategic affairs in the Euro-Atlantic area, George Ciamba, has held consultations in Nicosia, with several Cypriot officials together with whom he approached the migration issue as well as the priorities of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019. During the meeting with the Cypriot foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides, George Ciamba has underlined the interest taken by Romania in rendering the dialogue more dynamic, given the traditional cooperation between the two states, and has also referred to the presence of a large Romanian community in Cyprus and of a Cypriot business community in Romania. In the field of migration, the officials reiterated their support for the EUs actions to strengthen cooperation with foreign partners, origin and transit countries, and for further implementing the EU-Turkey Declaration. Relative to the Eastern Neighbourhood, the officials underlined the need to further support the Republic of Moldova on its European path. The Cypriot officials reiterated their support for Bucharests candidacy for a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020 – 2021 period and for Romanias Schengen accession.



    TRAVEL FAIR– The 38th edition of Romanias Travel Fair bring together until Sunday over 200 tour operators and travel agencies. 12 foreign countries from around the globe chose to have their own stands at the fair, just like Romanian county councils which try to promote Romanias travel destinations.

  • November 14, 2017

    November 14, 2017

    GDP — In 2017 Romania’s real GDP went up by 2.6% in the third quarter as against the previous quarter, and by 8.8% as compared with the same period last year, according to the National Statistics Institute. In the first nine months this year Romania’s economy grew by 7%. Early this month the National Forecast Commission revised upwards the country’s economic growth prospects for this year, from 5.6% to 6.1%. Also, according to the European Commission, the Romanian economy could go up by 5.3% this year and by 4.2% in 2018. In October the IMF also revised upwards the Romanian economy’s growth estimations for this year, from 4.2% to 5.5%.




    CELEBRATION — Romania celebrates today 139 years since the southeastern province of Dobruja was unified with the country. The province had been, up to that point, under Ottoman rule. In 1878, following the Russian-Romanian-Turkish war, the International Peace Congress in Berlin recognised Romania’s independence and the province of Dobruja together with the tiny Snake Island in the Black Sea as part of its territory. Authorities in the counties of Tulcea and Constanta are staging ceremonies to celebrate this historic event.




    NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION – The National Liberal Party, the main right wing opposition party in Parliament, is today starting negotiations with representatives of other parliamentary parties to support the no-confidence vote against the coalition government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and headed by Mihai Tudose. The Liberal President Ludovic Orban has announced that information campaigns will be organised across the country and protest rallies will be staged in the country and abroad. The Liberals also requested the Ombudsman to challenge the tax reform promoted by the government in the Constitutional Court. Rallies were staged in Bucharest and other cities to protest against the governments new measures and the bills on the amendment of the laws governing the justice system. Both the prime minister Mihai Tudose and the Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea said they would not reconsider their planned changes to the tax code, which they say would bring in more revenues to the budget and the pension fund, while also simplifying procedures for businesses.




    QUAKE – Iran has declared a day of mourning for the victims of Sunday’s quake. According to the authorities’ latest report, over 450 people lost their lives after the earthquake struck the country near its Iraki border. The US Geological Survey said the epicentre was about 32 kilometers southwest of the city of Halabjah and measured 7.2. On the Iraqi side, the most extensive damage was in the town of Darbandikhan, in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region. Iran is prone to near daily quakes as it sits on many major fault lines. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude destroyed the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.




    TENNIS – The Romanian-Dutch pair Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer today face the Finnish-Australian pair Henri Kontinen and John Peers in their second match at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. In their first match on Sunday, Tecau and Rojer lost to the all-French pair Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. This is the fifth time Tecau plays in the World Tour Finals doubles after 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015, the last time he was there winning the title together with Rojer.




    FOOTBLALL – The Romanian national football squad today take on the similar team of the Netherlands, in a friendly game in Bucharest. On Thursday, November 9, in the city of Cluj, Romania outclassed the national team of Turkey in a test game, 2-nil. Today’s match is the fourth for the Romanian team with Cosmin Contra as head coach, who replaced in September the German Cristoph Daum.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • February 6, 2017 UPDATE

    February 6, 2017 UPDATE

    PROTESTS – For the 7th consecutive day Romanians are in the streets, demanding the resignation of the Grindeanu Cabinet, further to proposed changes in the countrys criminal law. The largest number of demonstrators was reported on Sunday night, when more than half a million protested in Bucharest and other cities against an emergency decree amending the Criminal Code, even after it had been repealed. The protesters carried signs with messages against the Government and the main party in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party. Also on Sunday, for the first time since the start of these protests, a pro-governmental rally took place in front of the Presidency building, with some 2,000 people attending. Some of them returned on Monday as well. On the same day, a news release posted on the website of the Justice Ministry announced that for the time being the Government was giving up plans to amend the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Ministry explains that it is not interested in drafting a law on this topic and that at present it is centralising the rulings passed by the Constitutional Court with respect to the legislation in question, for subsequent analysis.



    NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE – The National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, in opposition, Monday requested a no-confidence vote against the Grindeanu Cabinet in Parliament. The vote will be held in Parliament on Wednesday. The no-confidence motion was tabled in the wake of a controversial decree the Government passed last week modifying the criminal legislation. The decree was repealed on Sunday amidst mass street protests. Interim Liberal leader Raluca Turcan said the move was unprecedented, labelling it as an act of defiance against the people. In turn, the Save Romania Union leader Nicusor Dan said the Government is pushing Romania further away from civilization and is fostering corruption. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians has also argued against the Government decree, while the Peoples Movement Party has also joined in the efforts of the Liberal Party and Save Romania Union. The Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats are currently enjoying a steady majority in Parliament.



    2017 STATE BUDGET– Parliament Monday discussed the draft budget for 2017. On behalf of the ruling coalition made up of the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Finance Minister Viorel Stefan told Parliament committees that the bill observes the main guidelines in the governing programme, such as cutting the VAT from 20% to 19%, and eliminating the income tax for pensions of up to 450 euros. The budget is based on an economic growth rate of 5.2% and a budget deficit of 3%, and will also allow Romania to fulfil its commitments at NATO level regarding the allocation of 2% of the countrys GDP to defence. The right-wing opposition on the other hand claims the figures regarding revenues underlying the budget are overestimated. Well revert to this topic after the news.



    EU – The European Commission believes Romania should make progress in its anti-corruption efforts, and not cancel out what has been achieved so far, the Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans told the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu in Brussels. Frans Timmermans told Meleşcanu that the Commission was ready to work with Romania and provide expertise for Bucharest to reach the goals of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, EC spokesperson Margaritis Schinas said for Radio Romania. The meeting between the Vice-President of the European Commission and Minister Teodor Meleşcanu, who is in Brussels to take part in the EU Foreign Affairs Council, was intended as an opportunity for the Romanian official to present the situation in Romania, after the Cabinet operated a number of judicial changes.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • February 6, 2017

    February 6, 2017

    PROTESTS — Over half a million people on Sunday protested the Government decree amending the criminal legislation despite its repeal. Protesters in Bucharest and other cities shouted anti-Government slogans and messages against the Social-Democratic Party. Also on Sunday, a pro-Government rally was staged in front of the Presidency building, totalling some 2,000 people. Justice Minister Florin Iordache said he would present a new draft law on amending the criminal codes in order to harmonize some of their provisions with Constitutional Court rulings.



    NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE — The National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union in opposition have filed a no-confidence vote in Parliament against the Grindeanu Cabinet. The no-confidence vote was filed in the wake of a controversial decree the Government passed last week modifying the criminal legislation. The decree was rescinded on Sunday amidst mass street protests. Interim Liberal leader Raluca Turcan said the move was unprecedented, labelling it as an act of defiance against the population. In turn, the Save Romania Union leader Nicusor Dan said the Government is pushing Romania further away from civilization and is fostering corruption. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians has also argued against the Government decree, while the People’s Movement Party has also rallied the efforts of the Liberal Party and Save Romania Union. We recall that the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats are currently enjoying a steady majority in Parliament.



    BUDGET FOR 2017 — Parliament is today debating the draft budget for 2017. On behalf of the ruling coalition made up of the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Finance Minister Viorel Stefan told Parliament committees that the bill observes the main guidelines in the governing program, such as cutting the VAT from 20% to 19%, eliminating the income tax for pensions lower or tantamount to 450 euros. The budget is based on an economic growth of 5.2% and a budget deficit of 3%, and will also allow Romania to fulfil its commitments at NATO level regarding the allocation of 2% of the country’s GDP to the field of defence. The right-wing opposition on the other hand claims the figures regarding revenues underlying the budget are overestimated.



    VISIT — Moldovan President Igor Dodon is on a three-day visit to Brussels, where he is meeting with EU and NATO officials. Elected in November 2016, Dodon last month paid his first official visit to Moscow, where he announced he would renounce the Free Trade agreement with the EU and called in favour of closer ties with the Eurasian Union. President Dodon said he would call a meeting with NATO leaders in order to sanction the neutrality of the Republic of Moldova. Political pundits in Chisinau fear Dodon’s visit to Brussels might actually worsen relations between the Republic of Moldova and the West. In another development, Moldovan Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu highlighted the President’s limited remit regarding foreign policy, and that the current Parliament majority has made it its priority to implement the Association Agreement with the EU. (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • The Week in Review 8-14 June

    The Week in Review 8-14 June

    Prime Minister Victor Ponta retains parliamentary imunity


    Although accused of conflict of interests while in office, the Social Democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta has managed to retain his parliamentary immunity. His colleagues in the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday rejected the request of the National Anticorruption Directorate for his prosecution, just like the judicial committee of the same chamber had done a day before. However, the National Anticorruption Directorate is already prosecuting the PM for another three crimes he allegedly committed as a lawyer. The PM is accused of forgery, accessory to recurrent tax evasion and money laundering, in a case also involving the former minister of transport, the Social Democrat senator Dan Sova. Therefore, Victor Ponta is the first prime minister of post-communist Romania under criminal investigation while still in office. Against this background, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis called for the PMs resignation. Victor Ponta replied on Facebook, saying he would not resign, because it was the Romanian Parliament that appointed him, so it is only Parliament that may dismiss him. Moreover, in a letter he has sent to foreign partners and media, the prime minister says the case built around him is a political one and aimed at bringing down the Government.



    The Ponta Government and the censure motion


    If the head of government does not resign, introducing a censure motion to dismiss the government can be the solution for Romania to get out of the current difficult situation, the co-president of the National Liberal Party, Alina Gorghiu has said. Consequently, the main opposition party has introduced a censure motion in Parliament. Quite predicibly, the motion did not pass. The themes of the motion were the organizational disaster at polls abroad, at the presidential election last November, which disallowed thousands to vote, as well as the failure to pass the law on postal voting, which could have prevented the said situations. The Ponta Government is still in power, but one of its ministers, Ioan Rus, has resigned following his offensive statements, in a TV interview, regarding the Romanians working abroad. The issue of high-level resignations has also been debated at the end of this week in Chisinau, when the Moldovan Prime Minister, Chiril Gaburici, suspected of having forged his school records, resigned.



    Romanias Defense Strategy


    “A strong Romania in Europe and the world is the subtitle of Romanias national defence strategy, which the countrys Supreme Defence Council will send to Parliament for approval. At the end of the councils meeting on Tuesday, president Klaus Iohannis said that the strategy entailed a new concept, that of ‘extended security. National security is not only about defence; it also has to do with public order, the economy, infrastructure, education, healthcare, the environment and culture, all of which have an impact on national security, the president said. The new strategy reaffirms the importance of Romanias strategic partnership with the US and its NATO and European Union membership as pillars of the countrys foreign and security policy. As proof of its involvement in the European project, Bucharest will propose, at the upcoming meeting of the European Council this month, the creation of a new common security strategy. On a domestic level, the strategy provides for the continuation, in 2015, of the armys restructuring and modernisation process and its provision with new equipment by 2027.



    Support for Romanian Physicians


    This week, the Romanian Senate has endorsed the draft law allowing medical staff in hospitals to increase their incomes by providing paid health-care services in the hospitals in which they work. The document is to be discussed by the Health Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and then voted upon in plenary session. The Health Ministry thus hopes to stop the Romanian physicians exodus abroad and to improve the quality of medical services provided in hospitals. In the past years, over 20 thousand physicians have left the country because of the small salaries they got in Romania.



    Positive Economic Forecasts for Romania


    The World Bank has revised upwards to 3% its economic growth forecast for Romania this year, as compared to the 2.8% world average. Moreover, Romania is likely to register a 3.2% growth rate in 2016, and 3.5% in 2017, which would be lower by 0.4%, though, than what the international financial institution had forecast in winter. Romanias economic performance, alongside that of the Czech Republic, has also been confirmed by the Statistical Office of the European Union – Eurostat- according to which in the first quarter of this year the two countries had the highest economic growth in the EU: 4.2%.



    Drought in Romania


    Agriculture, which is one of Romanian economys main driving engines, could be faced with severe drought this year. Since the contribution of the sector accounts for 5 to 7% of the GDP, this situation might hamper the economic growth forecast by specialists. Summer has not settled in yet, but the land has already cracked over extended areas, and many crops have dried. Water levels have also dropped significantly in many rivers and people are afraid that soon they will not have water for their animals. Currently, the most affected regions are in the north-east, east and south, where water in the soil has already reached alarmingly low levels. The irrigations system, built before 1989 can only cover 10% of Romanias arable land.