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Tag: Ombudsman

Ombudsman gets reinstated

Renate Weber will be reinstated as Ombudsman, after
the Constitutional Court unanimously invalidated her dismissal by Parliament
two weeks ago. The Court accepted a complaint from the Social Democratic Party in
opposition and ruled that Weber must continue her 5-year mandate, which she
received in 2019. In a press statement, the magistrates explained that the decision
by which Parliament dismissed her is in breach of the principle of the rule of
law and the principle of the legality and supremacy of the Constitution, as
well as of certain provisions of the law regulating the institution of
Ombudsman.

Renate Weber was dismissed on 16th June by
the parliamentary majority during a session that Social Democrats refused to
attend. The president of the Senate’s legal committee, the Liberal MP Iulia
Scântei, said at the time that the Ombudsman’s job is to defend the citizens’
fundamental rights and freedoms and levied a number of accusations against
Weber:

The Ombudsman failed to act consistently in relations
with Parliament and other authorities in keeping with the principle of loyal
cooperation. Neither did the Ombudsman fulfilled her role and duties in 2020
with respect to defending, protecting and promoting the rights of children, who
were strongly affected by the restrictions adopted during the pandemic.

In response, Renate Weber said she had nothing to
blame herself for during her term in office. The leader of the Social Democrats
in opposition, Marcel Ciolacu, spoke of an attack by this toxic coalition against
the rule of law, adding:

The Ombudsman has the job to monitor the government in
case they violate citizen’s rights and our freedoms. The Ombudsman’s job is not
to applaud the government, on the contrary. For the government of a European
country to accuse the Ombudsman of monitoring it and pointing out breaches of
the law with respect to citizens’ rights and freedoms is simply an act of
contempt.

The Venice Commission also requested explanations from
the speakers of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, Anca Dragu and Ludovic
Orban, respectively, about the dismissal of the Ombudsman. Last week, the legal
committees of the two chambers already gave the green light to the nomination
of Fabian Gyula from the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania to
take over as the new Ombudsman, a move that now proves to have been in vain. Among
other powers, the Ombudsman can block the government’s orders by challenging
them in the Constitutional Court. (CM)

30 June 2021
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)

23 June 2021
June 23, 2021

Covid-19. 66 new Covid cases from 32,000
tests were reported in Romania on Wednesday, as well as 16 deaths 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. 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.

No-confidence motion. The Social
Democratic Party in opposition today filed a no-confidence motion against the
centre-right coalition government led by the Liberal Florin Cîţu, which will be
voted on next week. The Social Democrats’ 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 country’s economy to disaster and says the
people’s living standards have dropped. It also says the government has failed
with respect to the vaccine roll-out and Romania’s 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.

Ombudsman. The Venice Commission
sent a letter to the speakers of the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament
requesting additional information about Renate Weber’s dismissal as Ombudsman. The Parliament in Bucharest today 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 doesn’t challenge its
decisions and contested Renate Weber’s dismissal in the Constitutional Court,
which will discuss the case on 29th June. The Social Democrats
believe the parliamentary majority should await the Court’s decision before
voting in a new Ombudsman, given the criticism of 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 president’s office, the agenda of
the talks will again feature issues such as European coordination in the
context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Union’s economic recovery process, the
management of migration and the EU’s 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.

Weather. An amber code alert for heat and
thermal discomfort is in place today in the eastern half of Romania, where the
highs range from 37 to 39 degrees Celsius. A yellow code alert is also in place
in the rest of the country until this evening, with the highs of the day ranging
from 33 to 37 degrees Celsius. 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. (CM)

23 June 2021
June 22, 2021

Covid-19. 41 new
Covid-19 cases were reported on Tuesday in Romania from 17,600 tests, as well
as four new related deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. 151 Covid patients
are still in intensive care. World Health Organisation officials are warning
that the Delta variant first identified in India is the fastest and fittest
strain to have emerged so far and one that targets vulnerable people,
especially in places with a low vaccination rate. Romanian experts emphasise
the only way to prevent the spread of the virus is to vaccinate as many people
as possible and boost testing. 26 cases of the Delta variant have been
identified in Romania, associated with outbreaks involving Indian citizens.

Exams. More than
130,000 year 8 graduates are taking the national evaluation exams. The first
test today was the written Romanian language and literature examination. The
mathematics exam will be held on Thursday, followed by the exam in the mother
tongue on Friday. The results will be published on 4th July. The
marks in the national evaluation exam are important for entering high school.
Exams are held amid strict physical distancing and hygiene rules, and wearing
face masks is obligatory.

Pogrom. The victims
of the 1941 Iaşi Pogrom are commemorated these days in Romania and Israel. The
Museum of the Jewish People at Tel Aviv University hosted an event organised by
the Romanian Embassy in Israel to mark the 80th anniversary of the
pogrom. This was the first event attended by Israel’s new minister for diaspora
affairs Nachman Shai. Romania’s ambassador Radu Ioanid introduced footage from
a documentary film made by the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the
Holocaust in Bucharest. The WWII pogrom in Iaşi, north-eastern Romania, was one
of the most violent episodes in the history of Romanian Jews and was initiated
by the regime of general Ion Antonescu, an ally of Hitler’s Germany. More than
13,000 Jews were killed in the pogrom.

Ombudsman. Today
is the deadline for parliamentary parties to submit their nominations for Ombudsman,
a position which is now vacant following the dismissal of Renate Weber. The
proposals will be discussed on Wednesday by Parliament’s legal committees, with
both chambers of Parliament expected to meet most likely on the same day. The
ruling coalition said Renate Weber broke the law to serve those who appointed
her in the first place, namely the Social Democratic Party now in opposition,
while opposition MPs described her sacking as a form of public execution. The
Social Democrats say they challenged the move in the Constitutional Court,
which will discuss the complaint on 29th June.

Euro 2020. Austria defeated Ukraine on Monday
night on the National Arena stadium in Bucharest, one of the venues hosting the
European Football Championship. This was the final match in Group C and Austria
reached the round of last 16 of a European Football championship for the first
time. Bucharest’s National Arena hosted three Group C matches and will also
host a last 16 round match on 28th June. Also on Monday, the
Netherlands defeated North Macedonia 3-nil in Amsterdam; Belgium defeated Finland
2-nil in Saint Petersburg; while Denmark defeated Russia in Copenhagen to
advance to the next round. (CM)

22 June 2021
June 17, 2021 UPDATE

Visit. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, discussed, on Thursday, in Tallinn, with the Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, the prospects of the bilateral relationship, topics of mutual interest on the European agenda, as well as priority topics at regional and multilateral level. Bilaterally, the President of Romania emphasized the desire to strengthen economic cooperation, including by intensifying trade. During the discussions, the common interest for the development of cooperation in the digital sector was highlighted, in this context President Iohannis emphasizing the interest for cooperation in the field of cyber security and artificial intelligence, given the experience in this field of Estonia and also of Romania, which hosts the new Cyber Center of the European Union, the Presidential Administration in Bucharest states in a press release. During the discussion with the President of the Estonian Parliament, Jüri Ratas, the Romanian head of state expressed interest in intensifying parliamentary cooperation. The meetings with the two Estonian officials were followed by the laying of a wreath at the War of Independence Monument and a visit to Tallinn City Hall, as well as visits, together with the Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, at the e-Estonia Center and the Unicorn Squad start-up. “Romania and Estonia share common visions and interests at the level of the European Union, which facilitates the close cooperation between us in relation to the current agenda and the priorities of the Union in the future”, President Iohannis said.

Covid-19RO. The president of the National Committee for the Coordination of Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in Romania, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, announced on Thursday that the vaccination coverage at national level stood at almost 25% of the eligible population. According to the military doctor, the highest vaccination coverage rates were registered in Bucharest – almost 45% of the eligible population – and Cluj (northwest) – with over 41%. The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Health Andrei Baciu pointed out that vaccination is the solution at hand until a possible treatment appears. On the other hand, all counties and Bucharest remain in the green scenario in terms of new infections, the highest incidence per thousand inhabitants being reported in the counties of Prahova (south) and Alba (center) – 0.2, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Thursday. In the Capital, the infection rate remained at 0.12 cases per thousand inhabitants, as the day before. 87 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infected people were recorded in the last 24 hours, among some 27,400 tests performed. There were also 87 deaths reported, but 82 of them were from last year and the first half of this year, introduced in the database following updates by the Public Health Directorates, at the request of the Ministry of Health. Since the onset of the pandemic, 31,115 people diagnosed with Covid-19 have died in Romania. 944 infected people are hospitalized in specialized health units, of which 186 in intensive care .

Ombudsman. A new Ombudsman will be appointed by the Bucharest Parliament next Wednesday, according to the calendar established on Thursday by the Legislatures leadership, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the Liberal leader Ludovic Orban has announced. He has specified that candidacies from the parliamentary groups will be submitted until Tuesday, and the vote will be held the next day, in the plenary of the two Chambers. Also on Thursday, the Opposition Social Democratic Party announced that it would challenge at the Constitutional Court the parliamentary majoritys decision to dismiss Renate Weber from the office of Ombudsman.

Public Radio and TV. The Constitutional Court of Romania admitted, on Thursday, the claim filed by the Social Democratic Party (in opposition) and ruled that Parliaments decisions regarding the appointment of the interim general directors of the public radio and television were unconstitutional. The judges invoked the failure to observe several articles in the law on the functioning of the two public institutions, including the one regarding the transition between two legislatures in which appointing interim directors of the public radio and television stations is allowed. In a statement for Radio Romania News, the former president of the RCC, Augustin Zegrean, claims that Parliament can review the decisions to appoint the two interims by resuming the procedure. Liviu Popescu and Ramona Săseanu were appointed interim directors of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation and of the Romanian Public Television respectively, on May 11, after the activity reports on several years, submitted by the former managements, were rejected by the Romanian Parliament.

Task Force. The French Defense Minister Florence Parly on Thursday welcomed in a Twitter message Romanias decision to deploy 45 soldiers for the Takuba Task Force which assists Malian Armed Forces in Sahel. France Presse reports that Romanias aid comes at a time when France is counting on this mobilization to reduce its staff in the region. “We thank our Romanian friends for their commitment”, the French official said. Romanian senators and deputies approved on Wednesday the draft decision on the participation of the Romanian Army with forces, means and equipment in the European mission Takuba Task Force in Sahel, under the leadership of France, starting with the fourth quarter of 2021. We recall that in March 2020, 13 states announced the creation of the Takuba Task Force to combat terrorist groups in the Liptako region, at the confluence of the African states of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

European Commission. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen continued her European tour on Thursday, with stops in Greece and Denmark to present the Commissions assessment of these countries national recovery and resilience plans, under which EU money will be spent on economic after the Covid-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, the European Commission approved the first plans. One is that of Portugal, which holds the six-month presidency of the EU Council and was the first to send its reform and investment program to Brussels in April. After Lisbon, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, went to Madrid, where she announced the approval of the plan submitted by Spain, which, after Italy, benefits from the most generous amount of investments, of almost 70 billion euros. On Friday, the President of the Community Executive will arrive in Luxembourg.

Euro2020.The Ukrainian national football team defeated the team of North Macedonia with the score of 2-1, on Thursday, in Bucharest, in Group C of the final tournament EURO 2020. Its for the first time in history that the Romanian capital hosts four matches, one in group C and one in the round of sixteen. In the first match played on Sunday in Bucharest in the group that also includes the Netherlands, Austria defeated North Macedonia 3-1. The last match of group C hosted by the National Arena in the Romanian capital will take place on June 21 between Ukraine and Austria. The round of sixteen match in Bucharest will take place on June 28. At the current edition of EURO 2020, Romania has, also for the first time, two brigades of referees. Unfortunately, due to a mediocre run in the preliminaries, the Romanian national team is not participating in the competition. (MI)

17 June 2021
Parliament dismisses Ombudsman

The Romanian Parliament on Wednesday
dismissed Renate Weber from her position as Ombudsman with 247 MPs voting in
favour and 32 against. The parties in the ruling coalition, namely the Liberal
Party, the Save Romania Union and PLUS Alliance and the Democratic Union of
Ethnic Hungarians, accuse her of overstepping her powers and violating the Constitution
and say she did not support the authorities and did not initiate actions with
respect to the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism and did not investigate accusations
of illegal actions from the administration or of corruption from public
servants.

The chair of the Senate’s
legal committee, the Liberal MP Iulia
Scântei, explains why the legal committees also previously rejected the
Ombudsman’s activity reports:

The Ombudsman did not act constantly in the relationship
with Parliament and the other authorities, based on the principle of loyal
cooperation. Neither did she fulfil, in 2020, her role and duties with respect
to the defence, protection and promotion of the rights of children, who were
strongly affected by the restrictions adopted during the pandemic.

Save Romania Union MP Andrei
Lupu accused Renate Weber of being in the service of those who appointed her:

I am absolutely convinced
that you are a competent person, but there is one major problem in your
activity more recently. You have done your job in a selfish way, in your own
interest and of those who appointed you to your post.

From the opposition, the
Social Democrats, who refused to take part in the vote in Parliament, say they
will challenge the result in the Constitutional Court because the Ombudsman’s
dismissal is not justified. The Social Democrats are accusing the Liberals of
wanting someone in this position who won’t challenge the government’s orders.
The Social Democrat MP Titus
Corlăţean:

The Ombudsman safeguards the fundamental rights and
freedoms of citizens, not of those of the government, of those in power. This clearly
shows the unsophisticated manner in which the current right-wing government understands
democracy and seeks to subordinate a fundamental institution that should be
independent in any western-type democracy.

The leader of the Alliance of the Union of Romanians Claudiu
Târziu described the dismissal of the Ombudsman as a public execution. At the
end of the debates in Parliament, Renate Weber said she has nothing to blame
herself for while Ombudsman:

I believe I have acted with dignity in this office. For
me, rights and freedoms are sacred.

The ruling coalition is yet to propose a replacement but
promised to do so before Parliament goes into recess.

17 June 2021
June 16, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 Romanian authorities announced on Wednesday 104 new SARS-CoV-2 cases for the past 24 hours, out of over 30,000 tests. Close to 1,000 people are hospitalised, with 192 patients currently in intensive care. Another 71 COVID-related deaths have also been reported, but only 18 of them occurred in the past 24 hours. Given the declining trend in the pandemic, the authorities are considering a return to normal activity in a growing number of hospitals. Meanwhile, the vaccine roll-out continues, although the pace is considerably slower than in previous months. Over the past 24 hours around 32,000 doses have been given, accounting for around one-third of the figures in peak periods. As many as 4.6 million Romanians have received the COVID-19 vaccine, and over 4.2 million of them have received both doses.

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis
Wednesday began a 2-day official visit to Estonia. He had a meeting in Tallin
with his counterpart Kersti Kaljulaid, and will also have talks with PM Kaja
Kallas and with the Estonian Parliament speaker Jüri Ratas. After the talks,
the Romanian official announced having invited Estonia to take part in the
Euro-Atlantic Centre for Resilience in Bucharest. Romania and Estonia share
views and interests at EU level, which facilitates the close cooperation
between our countries in relation to the current agenda and future priorities
of the EU, Iohannis said. He also added that the talks tackled means to
strengthen bilateral cooperation in the digital sector, in cyber security and
AI, given Estonia’s experience in the field and the fact that Romania is
hosting the EU’s new cyber centre. Kersti
Kaljulaid said Estonia is very open to working with Romania in the digital
sector.

OMBUDSMAN Romanian MPs have endorsed the dismissal of Renate Weber as Ombudsman. She was appointed to office 2 years ago, when the Social Democrats were in power. The current right-of-centre parliamentary majority Tuesday rejected the institutions annual reports for the past 3 years. Renate Weber has been criticised for exceeding her powers, which resulted in breaches of the Constitution and of the legislation regulating the activity of the institution. The Social Democratic Party in opposition say they are considering taking the matter to the Constitutional Court, because in their view the Ombudsman has not broken the Constitution.

TALKS The US president Joe Biden and his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Putin had talks in Geneva on Wednesday, at a time of tense
relations between the two countries. The meeting took under 4 hours, less than
expected. The US-Russia
relation must be stable and predictable, president Biden said in a separate
press conference after the summit. He added he made it clear that his agenda
was not against Russia, but that the US will continue to raise human rights issues.
According to Biden, the last thing Putin wants now is a cold war. In turn, the
Russian president described the meeting as constructive, with no hostility, and proved the 2 leaders’ desire
to understand each other. Putin also said Russia and the US share
a responsibility for nuclear stability and willhold
talks on possible changes to their recently extended New START arms limitation
treaty. News
agencies also report that diplomats recalled earlier this year will return to
post.

MILITARY The Parliament of Romania approved the participation of Romanian troops and military equipment in the Takuba Task Force in Sahel, led by France. Romania will contribute 50 troops beginning the last quarter of this year, and the funds required for the participation will be supplied by the National Defence Ministry. In March 2020, a group of 13 countries announced the set-up of the Takuba Task Force designed to fight terrorist groups in the Liptako region in Africa.

FOOTBALL According to the draw in Switzerland for the second preliminary round of the new football competition Europa Conference League, Romanias vice-champions FCSB will play against Shahtior Karaganda (Kazakhstan), while Romanian Cup winner Universitatea Craiova will take on the winner of the match pitting Lach (Albania) against FK Podgorica (Montenegro), in the first preliminary round. Another Romanian team, Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe, will play against the winner of the match between Spartak Trnava (Slovakia) and Mosta (Malta). Romanian champions CFR Cluj, in case they lose to Borac Banja Luka in the ChampionsLeague first preliminary round, will have to play in the second preliminary round of the Europa Conference League against the loser in the match pitting Zalgiris Vilnius (Lithuania) against Linfield Belfast (Northern Ireland). (tr. A.M. Popescu)

16 June 2021
June 16, 2021

Covid-19RO. Romanian authorities have announced today 104 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in 24 hours, out of almost 30,000 tests performed. There are some one thousand people hospitalized, and 192 patients are in intensive care. At the same time, 71 Covid-19 related deaths were reported, but only 18 in the last 24 hours, the rest dating back to last year and early this year. Meanwhile, the vaccination campaign continues, but at a much slower pace than in previous months. In the last 24 hours, about 32,000 doses of vaccine have been administered, which is a third of the peak periods. Romania has reached almost 4.6 million people immunized, of whom more than 4.2 million with both doses.

Visit. The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis is paying a formal two-day visit to Estonia. Iohannis will have talks with his Estonian counterpart, Kersti Kaljulaid, with PM Kaja Kallas, and with the Parliament speaker, Jüri Ratas. The agenda of talks focuses on strengthening the bilateral relations, including economic and sectoral cooperation, with an emphasis on the digital sector, on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and on EU-related topics, such as the EU Recovery Plan, the green transition and the digital transition, the EU enlargement process, and developments in the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. The officials will also discuss the Romanian-Estonian cooperation within NATO, including in terms of security at the Black Sea and Baltic Sea and against the background of the June 14 NATO summit, as well as cooperation as part of the Bucharest 9 format and the Three Seas Initiative.

Ombudsman. The Romanian Parliament gathers today to debate the request for the dismissal of Ombudsman Renate Weber. The right-wing majority (PNL – USR PLUS – UDMR) rejected, yesterday, the institutions activity reports for the last three years. The MPs accuse Renate Weber of violating the countrys constitution and laws, of not supporting the authorities, not taking action to meet the CVMs objective, and not investigating alleged illegal actions by the administration or corruption among civil servants. From the opposition, the Social Democratic Party is considering to notify the Constitutional Court, saying that the Ombudsman did not break the fundamental law.

Government. The Government of Bucharest gathers today to discuss, among other things, the ordinance on school transport. This will allow reimbursement of transport costs for the pupils who study in localities different from those where they live. Also, those living in boarding schools or with other families will benefit from eight round trips for the first semester. The executive will also debate the draft of an emergency ordinance that extends by eight years the period in which social protection measures will be granted to people that lose their jobs through collective redundancies, as a result of mine closures. The agenda also includes a normative act that extends the national health programs for 2017 and 2018 until the end of the month in which 60 days have passed since the date of entry into force of the Budget Law for 2022.

Meeting. US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are meeting for the first time in Geneva today, at a time when the bilateral relationship is rather tense. The two had a first conversation in January, after Joe Biden took office, in which he blamed Moscow for the alleged interference in the US election process, cyber attacks, poisoning the Russian opponent Aleksei Navalny and aggressive behavior towards Ukraine. For some of these cases, the Biden Administration adopted a series of sanctions in April and expelled several Russian diplomats. Analysts do not expect todays summit, which will not be followed by the usual dinner or a joint press conference, to lead to a significant improvement of bilateral ties. The two leaders have stated, however, that they want the outcome of the meeting to be a more stable and predictable relationship, Reuters reports.

Strikes. The Israeli aviation carried out, today, air strikes in Gaza, after Palestinians launched several incendiary balloons from the territory to the south of Israel, according to sources related with the Palestinian security services and some witnesses, FP reports. These are the first major incidents between Israel and Islamists in Gaza since the May 21 truce, which ended 11 days of bombardments, and also the first Israeli strikes against the Palestinian territory since the coming to power of a heterogeneous coalition that ended Benjamin Netanyahus 12-year rule. The strikes and the launching of incendiary balloons, which set fires in southern Israel, took place in parallel with nationalist and far-right demonstrations in East Jerusalem, which gathered more than a thousand people.

Judo. Three Romanian judokas, Andreea Chiţu (cat. 52 kg), Alexandru Raicu (cat. 73 kg) and Vlăduţ Simionescu (cat. +100 kg), managed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee has announced today. The world ranking was the basis of their qualification. Romania now has 93 athletes qualified for the 2020 Olympics, in 15 sports: swimming, athletics, rowing, football, artistic gymnastics, 3×3 basketball, cycling, wrestling, sport shooting, canoeing, table tennis, boxing, fencing, triathlon and judo. Originally scheduled for last summer, the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed due to the pandemic for July 23-August 8, 2021. (MI)

16 June 2021
June 15, 2021 UPDATE

Motion. The Romanian Chamber of Deputies has rejected the simple motion filed by the opposition Social Democratic Party against the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, from the center-right coalition government. There were 143 votes in favor, 171 against and one abstention. The motion, entitled Cristian Ghinea – from zero to the abyss, reads that the urgent dismissal of the minister is necessary because he has demonstrated nothing but “managerial dilettantism” and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan is “a disaster and will destroy Romania in the next five years”. Cristian Ghinea has replied saying that the text is a blatant lie, full of disinformation and contradictions and that Romania now has an absorption rate of European funds of 55%, within the EU margin of 58%.

Visit. On Wednesday and Thursday, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis will pay a formal visit to Estonia, the Presidential Administration has announced. Iohannis will have talks with his Estonian counterpart, Kersti Kaljulaid, with PM Kaja Kallas, and with the Parliament speaker, Jüri Ratas. The agenda of talks focuses on strengthening the bilateral relations, including economic and sectoral cooperation, with an emphasis on the digital sector, on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and on EU-related topics, such as the EU Recovery Plan, the green transition and the digital transition, the EU enlargement process, and developments in the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. The officials will also discuss the Romanian-Estonian cooperation within NATO, including in terms of security at the Black Sea and Baltic Sea and against the background of the June 14 NATO summit, as well as cooperation as part of the Bucharest 9 format and the Three Seas Initiative.

Covid-19RO. Romanian authorities reported on Tuesday 103 new cases of Sars-Cov-2 infection and 96 deaths caused by the disease, but most of them dating back to previous months. About 200 patients are currently in intensive care. Meanwhile, the authorities have stepped up efforts to persuade the population to get vaccinated. Since December 27, 2020, more than 4.5 million people have been vaccinated. Of these, more than 4.2 million have received both doses. Because of the drop in peoples interest in getting the jab, several vaccination centers have been closed and others had their operating hours reduced. The available staff will form mobile teams that will continue the campaign in small towns and villages. At the same time, Romania has requested the suspension of the delivery of two thirds of the 7.1 million doses it should have received this month.

Corruption. The coronavirus pandemic has fuelled corruption among EU citizens, less than half of whom believe the crisis has been transparently managed by the authorities, a survey made public on Tuesday by Transparency International and quoted by AFP says. According to the organization, healthcare services are particularly affected by corruption. Although only 6% of the interviewees said they offered bribe in exchange for access to healthcare, 29% of them said they used personal connections to gain privileged access. The frequency of bribe in the healthcare sector, as reported by interviewees, is higher in Romania (22%) and Bulgaria (19%), whereas the use of personal connections is higher in the Czech Republic (54%) and Portugal (46%). The authors of the report call on EU governments to step up efforts to guarantee that the on-going pandemic is overcome in a fair and equitable manner. Over 40,000 of the citizens of the 27 EU member states took part in this European corruption barometer conducted in October – December 2020.

Ombudsman. In a joint session on Tuesday, Romanian senators and deputies rejected the Ombudsmans activity reports for the last three years. The Liberal Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Ludovic Orban has stated that, following this decision, the governing coalition will request the dismissal of Renate Weber from this office. Appointed two years ago, when the Social Democratic Party was governing, Weber has often been accused by representatives of the current center-right of serving the interests of the Social Democrats and, in 2020, of sabotaging the governments efforts to combat the pandemic. Deputy Gabriel Zetea announced that the Social Democrats will notify the Constitutional Court.

Collective. The Bucharest Court of Appeal is trying these days the case against the owners of the Collective nightclub in Bucharest and the technicians who organized the fireworks that caused the fire that killed 64 people on the night of October 30, 2015. On Monday, the Court decided to split the Collective case into two, with the former mayor, city hall employees and fire-fighters to be tried this autumn, separately from the club owners. In December 2019, all the defendants received prison sentences and were ordered to pay damages of nearly 50 million euro to the victims of the fire.

Football. Romanias football champions CFR Cluj will play against the Bosnian team Borac Banja Luka in the Champions League first preliminary round, according to the draw held in Switzerland on Tuesday. CFR will play the first match on home turf, on July 6th or 7th, and the second leg will be hosted by Bosnia, on July 13th or 14th. CFR Cluj is the only Romanian team in this competition. (MI)

15 June 2021
January 23, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 — As many as 830 thousand people had registered until Saturday on the dedicated vaccination platform as part of the 2nd stage of the vaccination campaign, which mainly includes the elderly and the people with chronic diseases, the disabled and the employees of key sectors. The Prime Minister Florin Cîţu said that the authorities maintain the objective of having at least 1.2 million Romanians vaccinated with both doses by the end of March and 10.4 million by the end of September. He also stressed the importance of continuing to observe anti-coronavirus protection rules everywhere and at all times. Despite the recommendation of the Romania Health Ministry, restrictions generated by Covid-19 will be partially lifted in Bucharest as of Monday – the Municipal Committee for Emergency Situations announced. Theaters, cinemas, restaurants, bars, cafes and gambling halls will be able to operate, but at a capacity of maximum 30%. Official data made public on Saturday show that 2,719 new COVID-19 cases have been identified in Romania following 26.700 tests made. Another 94 people have died from COVID-19. So far, more than 709 thousand cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Romania, and about 90% of the patients have recovered.

Travel – All persons reaching the US by air will be required to present, upon boarding, a negative SARS-CoV-2 test or a document attesting that they have been infected but have recovered. The negative test should be made 72 hours (3 days), at the most, prior to reaching the USA – the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The measure, which will apply to all people over the age of 2, including to US citizens, permanent residents and citizens transiting the US, will take effect on January 26. In another move, people in risk areas, including Romania, who travel to the Netherlands by air or sea, should present, starting on Saturday, a rapid test for the new coronavirus, made no later than four hours before departure. France will also require, as of Sunday at midnight, a negative PCR Covid-19 test that needs to be taken with a maximum of 72 hours before the trip. Exempted from the rule are road transporters and cross-border workers.

Brussels – The European Ombudsman, quoted by Reuters, has announced the launch of an investigation into the way in which the European Commission is managing the contracts for the purchase of the Covid-19 vaccines concluded with pharmaceutical companies on behalf of the EU member states. The EU has spent about 2.5 billion Euros for down payments to buy about 2.3 billion doses of vaccine from six companies that have Covid-19 vaccines approved or in the experimental phase. The prices, delivery deadlines and other important clauses in the contracts are kept secret, the European Commission claiming that confidentiality is essential to obtain the best possible contractual conditions. However, the Ombudsmans inquiry concerns the EC’s refusal to provide public access to those documents. EU states have complained about insufficient vaccine deliveries and uncertain timelines.

Expo — The Commissioner of the Romanian Section for Expo 2020 Dubai, Ferdinand Nagy, paid a working visit to the United Arab Emirates between January 17-21. He met with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman of the Expo Dubai 2020 Steering Committee. During the talks, the two stressed the importance of bilateral relations, in the context of the Strategic Economic Partnership concluded in 2018. The Romanian official also had a meeting with Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, both expressing confidence that Romanias presence at Expo 2020 Dubai will attract both the interest of visitors and of the business environment. Romania will participate in the World Exhibition with a national pavilion entitled New Nature. Expo 2020 Dubai will have the theme Connecting Minds, Creating the Future and will take place between October 1, 2021 – March 31, 2022.

Chisinau – The president of the Committee for International Relations of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, Konstantin Kosaciov, virulently criticized the recent decision of the Constitutional Court in Chisinau, which declared unconstitutional the law that gave the Russian language a special status in Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population. Konstantin Kosaciov considers similar the Moldovan Constitutional Court’s decision and Ukraines decision of 16 January, which introduced the Ukrainian language to the countrys service sector, calling the decisions attacks on the Russian language. The Russian senator makes a link between the two measures and Republic of Moldova’s and Ukraine’s aspirations for European integration. In his opinion Russophobia becomes a systemic element of European policy, encouraged by the European Union in Russias neighborhood. The Romanian Ambassador to Chisinau, Daniel Ioniţă, on the contrary, has appreciated as correct and normal the decision of the Constitutional Court, this being an additional proof that the Romanian language must be known by all the citizens living on the territory of the Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova.

Moscow – More than one thousand people were arrested by the riot police on Saturday in Russia during the demonstrations in favor of the Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, according to the OVD-Info NGO, which specializes in monitoring protest movements in the country. The crowd numbering 10,000 people according to France Press and 40,000 according to Reuters, gathered in central Moscow, and journalists witnessed violent arrests and clashes between the police and protesters. Iulia Navalnaya, the wife of the Russian opposition leader, announced that she was detained by the police in Msocow during the demonstration. Alexei Nalvalny was arrested on his return from Germany, where he had been treated after a poisoning attempt, for which he blamed the FSB. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent to Moscow, before the protests, several collaborators of Alexei Navalny were arrested for a several days and fined. The Kremlin labeled the demonstrations as inadmissible. “Russia will be free”, “Putin is an assassin” and “Freedom for political prisoners” — were the slogans the chanted by crowd gathered in Pushkin Square. (tr. L.Simion)

23 January 2021
August 8, 2020

COVID-19 Authorities in Bucharest have announced 1,350 new Covid infections, bringing
the total number of cases to over 60 thousand since the beginning of the
pandemic five months ago. 43 fatalities have also been announced adding to a
death toll of 2,659. 448 patients have been reported to be in intensive care
units. The most affected regions in Romania are the capital Bucharest and the
counties of Prahova, Arges and Dambovita all in the country’s south. A state
secretary, who is also an army physician, has been appointed in charge of the
Public Health Direction in Bucharest (DSP) in an attempt to deal with the
shortcomings of this institution. DSP has attracted a lot of heat lately for
failed or even non-existent epidemiological investigations. In another move the
Ombudsman has challenged at the Constitutional Court several provisions of the
newly-passed law on quarantine and isolation. The compulsory hospitalization of
those infected and the provisions regulating the deployment of the medical
personnel have been challenged. The Ombudsman believes that mandatory
hospitalization is tantamount to an abuse and this measure should be imposed
only after all the other less severe measures have failed. According to the
Ombudsman, under the current provisions, the deployment of personnel looks more
like mandatory deployment and is unconstitutional. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
has criticized the Ombudsman’s latest moves saying it is challenging
fundamental laws.

MAE According
to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, authorities in Germany have revised the
conditions required for entering this country after 7 Romanian counties, Arges,
Bihor, Buzau, Neamt, Ialomita, Mehedinti and Timis have been included on a list
of risky regions. So all people coming from these regions, irrespective of
their citizenship, must produce a negative Covid test carried out 48 hours
before their arrival or take a free test 72 hours since their arrival on German
soil. Those who refuse to comply can be denied entry or can be imposed self-isolation.
If the test is carried out while on German soil, self-isolation is imposed
until the result of the test is known.

TOURISM Almost 150 thousand tourists are expected to arrive in the seaside
resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast this weekend, which are running to full
capacity thanks to the hot weather. Tourists are requested to pay attention to
several aspects such as the extreme hot weather, the rough sea or the issues
caused by the novel coronavirus. As the seaside resorts are the most crowded
tourist areas in Romania, tourists are facing an increased risk of infection. Teams
made up of police troops, gendarmes, firefighters as well as representatives of
the public healthcare institutions and consumers’ protection have been deployed
to assess the observance of safety regulations. 150 fines totaling 11 thousand Euros
have been applied in the past 24 hours.

ASSISTANCE Romania has joined the international assistance efforts to Lebanon in
the wake of the devastating explosion at an ammonium nitrate storehouse on
Tuesday. Approximately 8 tons of medical equipment and medicine are today being
transported to Lebanon by two planes belonging to the Romanian Air Force. The
government in Bucharest, civil society and representatives of the Lebanese diaspora
have responded to the assistance appeal received from the Lebanese government. Two
experts with the Romanian General Emergency Inspectorate are accompanying the
transport. The explosion has killed at least 150 people while 5,000 others have
been wounded. Hundreds of Beirut residents have been made temporarily homeless
while the collective loss might reach billions of dollars.

(translated by bill)

8 August 2020
June 19, 2020

CONFERENCE
Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis is today
attending the European Council proceedings in video-conference format. According
to the presidential administration in Bucharest, high on the agenda are the
revised 2021-2027 multi-annual financial framework that has been recently
proposed by the European Commission and Next Generation EU, an economic
recovery plan adjusted to the new conditions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Romanian president is expected to refer to the fact that the union’s
multi-annual budget must be substantial, balanced and able to respond to the
concerns of the member countries. At the same time Iohannis is expected to
mention the fact that all the member states need financial assistance in the
process of economic recovery although in various degrees as the national
instruments and mechanisms prove to be inefficient. In the wake of the
conference the European Council president Charles Michel is expected to present
the revised version of the future budget and the economic recovery plan after
negotiations. Also high on the conference agenda is the negotiation process of
the relations between the European Union and Great Britain after Brexit. The
progress obtained so far in the negotiation process is limited

COVID-19 Another 11 people have been killed by the novel
coronavirus in the past 24 hours in Romania taking the death toll to 1,484. 320
new Covid infections were announced by the authorities on Friday, which brings the
total number of cases up to 23,400. 16,500 patients have been cured and left
hospitals. 184 people are in intensive
care, almost 1,400 in quarantine and 86 thousand people are being monitored at
home. 3,511 Romanian nationals have been infected with the novel coronavirus
abroad and 115 have died. Several outbreaks have recently been registered in
areas inhabited by Romanians in Berlin, prompting the authorities to close down
ten schools and test the population.

NATO The Multinational Division South-East Command will
contribute to the deterring and defence capabilities of NATO’s eastern flank,
Romania’s Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca has said. His statement came after
Parliament in Bucharest on Thursday endorsed the setting up of this command in
Sibiu, central Romania. According to Ciuca, Romania’s initiative has been
appreciated by NATO partners and accepted by the allies thus highlighting the
strategic importance of the Black Sea for the security of the Euro-Atlantic
area and the need for increasing allied military presence in the region. The
new military body will have the statute of international military command
subordinated to an allied command outside the national structure of command and
control.

NOTIFICATION The High Court of
Cassation and Justice in Bucharest and the Ombudsman have notified the
Constitutional Court about a law on the progressive taxation up to 85% of all
special pensions in Romania, a law endorsed by Parliament. The court has criticized
several aspects such as the fact that its rulings concerning this aspect have
been repeatedly ignored, the Supreme Council of Magistrates has not been
consulted and several principles haven’t been observed, such as that of proper
and equitable taxation and the independence of judges. There are multiple
reasons of unconstitutionality, the Ombudsman has also pointed out adding that
under the law the beneficiaries of these special pensions are being
discriminated against. We recall that on May 6th Romania’s
Constitutional Court turned down a law on cancelling these special pensions
upon two notifications by the High Court and the Ombudsman.

(translated by bill)

19 June 2020
March 12, 2020

COVID-19 Romania has reported 48 cases of infection with the new
coronavirus. Six of those infected have been cured so far but 1,450 people have
been quarantined while 13,500 are being monitored at home. In order to prevent
and contain the spreading, the Ministry of Defence is assessing and preparing
its own medical facilities to be able, if need be, to isolate or monitor any possible
cases. Authorities have suspended for six months the distribution outside
Romania of medicines and medical materials needed to fight the outbreak.
Cultural and entertaining events with more than 100 people attending have also
been suspended until March 31st. Under-graduate schools have been
closed down until March 22nd while universities are staging only online
courses for the following period. Road transportation of persons between
Romania and Italy has been suspended until the end of this month. The same
measure had been imposed for air and rail transports. Army medical personnel
will be deployed at the borders to strengthen epidemiological monitoring
capacities. Romanian nationals returning from Italy, China, Iran and South
Korea will be placed in quarantine or home isolation. The situation has
worsened in Spain where a major community or Romanians is living and the
Romanian ambassador to that country has called on the Romanians to avoid
travelling and has informed them on their being quarantined upon their arrival
in Romania.

ECONOMY Stocks in Asia dropped on Thursday after president Trump’s
announcement to suspend all flights from Europe to the USA, with the exception
of those coming from Britain for 30 days due to the coronavirus, AFP informs. European
stock exchanges, including that in Bucharest, have also dropped several
percentages. According to analysts travel restrictions also mean less economic
activity. Crude prices have dropped by 6% on Asian markets as the suspension of
flights to Europe and the USA has caused a sharp drop in fuel consumption. Pundits
expect the European Central Bank to announce new measures aimed at boosting the
Eurozone economies to enable them to face the shock triggered by the
coronavirus epidemic.

VOTE Parliament in Bucharest is today seeing the investiture
vote for the cabinet proposed by Florin Citu, the incumbent Finance Minister.
The coronavirus epidemic has raised the chances for the designated Prime
Minister to get the confidence vote in spite of the announcement of the Social
Democratic opposition to vote against. In order to get endorsement, Parliament
needs at least 233 votes. We recall the Liberal government led by Ludovic Orban
was sacked through a no-confidence vote last month. The president has again
designated Orban to form a new government, but the latter stepped down
following a Constitutional Court decision.

ELECTIONS The Constitutional Court has found that the emergency
order amending the laws on parliamentary elections and on the organisation of
early elections comes against the Constitution. According to the Court, the
article that scraps previous restrictions and allows voters to cast their
ballots in any polling station, regardless of the constituency in which they
live, violates the fundamental rights laid down in the Constitution. Thursday’s
decision of the Constitutional Court thus confirms the unconstitutionality
claim raised by the Ombudsman.

(translated by bill)

12 March 2020
26 June 2019, UPDATE

Moldova. In a joint session on
Wednesday, the two chambers of Romania’s Parliament adopted a declaration
supporting the new government in the Republic of Moldova and the firm
commitment to this neighbouring country’s European path. The Romanian senators and deputies reiterated
Romania’s constant support for the European aspirations of the Republic of
Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population, and expect
a firm commitment from the Moldovan government to continue on this path. They
also called on the Romanian government to go ahead with the implementation of
the bilateral strategic partnership with the Republic of Moldova. Also on
Wednesday, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis talked on the phone with
Moldova’s prime minister Maia Sandu and her deputy prime minister Andrei
Nastase, both of them pro-Europeans, as well as with Moldova’s pro-Russian
Socialist president Igor Dodon. According to the president’s office in
Bucharest, the talks were held after the EU leaders meeting at a summit last
week hailed, at the initiative of the Romanian president, the peaceful transfer
of power in Moldova and agreed to consolidate EU support for the republic based
on concrete measures. The Moldovan officials thanked Romania for its constant
support. President Dodon said he was in favour of a continuation of the
strategic partnership with Romania, a country which is also Moldova’s main
trade partner.

Defence. Between June
25-27, the Romanian defence Minister Gabriel Les is taking part in Brussels in
a series of official events, such as the meeting of NATO defence ministers and
of the global coalition against ISIS. Minister Les also meets his counterparts
from Georgia and France. On Tuesday, he attended the 15th
anniversary of the European Defence Agency, where he emphasised the excellent collaboration
with the agency during Romania’s rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.
The defence agency was set up in 2004 in Brussels as a joint government agency
of the Council of the EU. The agency currently brings together all EU member
states, except Denmark.

Ombudsman. The two chambers of the Romanian Parliament
on Wednesday validated the former MEP Renate Weber as new Ombudsman. Backed by
the ruling coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats, Weber got 208 votes in favour and 134 against. Her
rivals for the post, the former MP Peter Eckstein-Kovacs, supported by the National Liberal Party, the Save
Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, and the
lawyer Catalin Voinea Mic, proposed by the People’s Movement Party, were
rejected. Renate Weber will succeed the former Christian Democrat prime
minister from the 1990s Victor Ciorbea, whose performance as Ombudsman has come
under frequent criticism from the opposition, civil society and the media. A
lawyer and human rights activist, as well as Liberal politician, 63-year-old
Renate Weber also served as an advisor to the former president Traian Basescu
and as chair of the Soros Foundation Romania.

Football. Romania face Germany on
Thursday night in the semifinals of the European Under-21 Championship hosted
by Italy and San Marino. In the other semifinal, Spain take on France, also on
Thursday. The final will be held on Sunday. Romania reached the semifinals
after winning Group C with two clear wins, against Croatia, 4-1, and then
against England, 4-2, and a goalless draw against France. The qualification
also secures Romania’s ticket, after 55 years, to the Olympic Games hosted by
Tokyo next year. This is the second time Romania take part in a European Under-21
final tournament after 1998 when it was hosted by Bucharest.

Tennis. Simona Halep of Romania has reached
the quarterfinals of the grass court tennis tournament in Eastbourne, the UK,
after she defeated Slovenia’s Polona Hercog in three sets. She will play next Germany’s
Angelique Kerber. The tournament in Eastbourne is a good test ahead of Wimbledon,
the third Grand Slam tournament of the year which begins on Monday.

Weather. A warning is in place in Romania
until Thursday night for humid and hot weather, with the temperature-humidity
ratio expected to exceed the critical threshold. Rains will return, first in
the north and the hilly and mountainous regions and then spreading across the
country. The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations said on Wednesday
that fire fighters were deployed to help clear the effects of dangerous weather
phenomena in 40 towns and villages in 13 counties and the capital Bucharest.
They helped pump out the water from dozens of homes, courtyards and cellars and
remove the trees felled by the storm on roads and streets.

26 June 2019
The new administrative code approved through an emergency ordinance

The new
administrative code comes to support the citizens currently facing the
shortcomings of the administrative system, Romania’s Deputy Prime Minister
Daniel Suciu announced on Tuesday after the aforementioned code had been passed
through an emergency ordinance.

According to
Suciu, the code is simplifying Public Administration regulations and sets in
place mechanisms aimed at preventing various institutional dysfunctions. The
document isn’t perfect, but can be improved in Parliament. Romania was in dire need
of a fresh administrative code and those criticizing this government decision actually
don’t want it passed since the document largely contributes to streamlining local
and central public administration.

Daniel Suciu: The document had been subjected to Parliament debates for six-seven
months, then challenged at the Constitutional Court and sent back to
Parliament. We have been already working on the next financial exercise with
the European Commission and we must accomplish what we have assumed regarding
the public function. We are two years behind the schedule regarding one
provision and one year behind another one assumed with the European Commission.

The code also
includes a series of controversial provisions regarding the special pensions of
local officials and the deadline for the president to appoint a government
member in case of reshuffling or resignation. The period for the Prime
Minister’s nominations are of five days, while the president will have to
validate or invalidate the nominee in 10 days.

Under the new
code, the president is allowed to refuse the nomination only once. According to
Daniel Suciu, no response term is stipulated under the present legislation and no
one can be held accountable for a prolonged interim position. The new code also
provides for a series of regulations and procedures for the validation of the
local councilors, elected through a court ruling and not through a decision by
a validation committee. Decision-making in local and county councils will need a
majority, which means half plus one of the total number of councilors.

The country’s
president, Klaus Iohannis, considers the present document a serious attack against
the entire administrative system adding that it should have been passed only after
a new round of Parliament debates and large-scale social dialogue. The
right-wing opposition is also contesting the new code.

The Save Romania
Union believes the document comprises a series of controversial provisions
favouring the local officials elected. The Liberals, who have described the new
code as being dedicated to the local PSD tycoons and tantamount to a national
hold-up, have called on the Ombudsman to notify the Constitutional Court.

In turn, Marian
Oprisan, the Social Democratic chair of the National County Councils Union has
hailed the new administrative code about which he said it helps clarifying
things and improving the administration relation with the citizens.

(translated by bill)

26 June 2019