Radio România Internațional

Tag: parliament

  • June 8, 2016 UPDATE

    June 8, 2016 UPDATE

    Official visit – The Prime Minister of Romania, Dacian Ciolos, will be on an official visit to France on Thursday and Friday. According to a Government news release, on Thursday the Romanian PM will address the Council of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. On Friday Ciolos is to meet his French counterpart, Manuel Valls, and sign an updated roadmap for the Romanian-French strategic partnership, and he will also be received by the President of France François Hollande. Ciolos and Hollande will attend together on Friday night in Paris the football match between France and Romania, which opens the 2016 European Championship.




    Parliament – The Chamber of Deputies Wednesday endorsed a simple motion against the Agriculture Minister Achim Irimescu tabled by the leftist Social Democratic Party and the right-of-centre Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. The Deputies made this decision with 189 votes in favour and 11 against, while 89 MPs abstained from voting. According to the authors, the document penalises, among other things, the failure to pay farmers subsidies and to use EU funds and the flawed management of the Ministry and the subordinated units. The motion was discussed in the Chamber of Deputies 3 weeks ago, in the presence of Minister Irimescu, who said he had nothing to feel guilty about.





    Salaries – The Government of Romania Wednesday passed a draft bill on salaries in the public sector for 2016. The bill is designed to address dysfunctions and inequities in the system, by introducing a bonus system based on performance criteria and working on the principle of equal pay for equal jobs and seniority. The Labour Minister, Dragoş Pîslaru, said that 50% of the benefits in the new system will be available as of August, and the entire system will be applicable starting the end of 2017. The draft bill will be submitted to Parliament for discussion and approval, and the law is to take effect in September.





    Medal – The Romanian National Anti-Corruption Directorates Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruţa Kövesi has been awarded the French highest civilian decoration, that of Knight of the Legion of Honour. It was awarded by the French Ambassador to Bucharest, François Saint Paul. At the award ceremony, the French Ambassador highlighted the fact that the Romanian anti-corruption agencys results were outstanding. In confirmation of that came a European Union report, ranking the National Anti-Corruption Directorate among Europes top five such institutions. The French Ambassador went on to say the head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate was an epitome of professionalism, integrity and probity. In turn, Laura Codruta Kovesi stated that the fight against corruption was central to safeguarding the rule of law in Romania.

  • The Week in Review 18 – 24 April

    The Week in Review 18 – 24 April

    Romanias Schengen accession might take place in two stages


    The European Commission supports Romanias and Bulgarias Schengen accession, as both countries have clearly met all accession criteria. The statement was made by the EC President Jean – Claude Junker in Strasbourg, at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in response to a question raised by a Romanian MEP. According to diplomatic sources quoted by the Radio Romania correspondent in Strasbourg, the accession might take place in two stages, starting the second half of the year. Initially planned to take place in March 2011, Romanias joining the border-free area has been postponed several times, as some of the EU member states have voiced reservations about this countrys effectiveness in reforming the judiciary and fighting corruption. In the meantime, Bucharest authorities have repeatedly stressed that Romania fully meets all technical accession criteria.


    The     new Romanian labour minister is faced with many challenges


    The salary law in the budget sector and the enforcement of the new provisions of the law on child-rearing leave and benefits are the main challenges facing the new labour minister Dragos Paslaru. A former economic adviser to Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, the 40-year-old minister Paslaru has replaced Ana Costea, who resigned following discontent voiced by trade unions with regard to the draft emergency law on salaries in the public sector. On Friday, at a stakeholders meeting, Prime Minister Ciolos explained that the salary law would not be changed for the time being and the Government would come up with a new proposal, aimed at making up for the inequities in the public salary system, in particular with regard to low salaries. Paslaru must also find solutions for the application of the new provisions of the law on child-rearing leave and benefits, which has been recently promulgated by the head of state. Under the new provisions, there will be no cap for the monthly child benefits, which used to stand at approximately 760 Euro. From now one, benefits will account for 85% of the incomes and are to be granted for a period of two years. The parents who decide to go back to work earlier, are entitled to an incentive of 50% of the minimum guaranteed benefits.




    Trade unionists in the health-care, mining and energy sectors are protesting against the current financial situation



    In Romania, trade unionists in the health-care sector have this week picketed prefects offices in several county seats and the Parliament Palace in Bucharest, asking for the elimination of unfair wage distribution in the medical system and a proper funding of the system. Protesters demand rules for the functioning of medical offices in schools and the allocation of 6% of the GDP for health. Equally disgruntled, dozens of miners and employees of the Oltenia Energy Complex, in southwestern Romania, marched 300 kms to Bucharest to voice their discontent. The energy minister Victor Grigorescu has stated that the government will find solutions to salvage the company. He has talked with management and employee representatives and together they have come up with a planned aimed at rendering the company more effective and restructuring the personnel scheme.



    The liberals keep appointing candidates for the office of general mayor of Bucharest



    Liberals, the main right-wing force in Romania, have just issued their fourth nomination for the general mayor candidate. The new candidate is the current leader of the partys Bucharest branch, former justice minister Catalin Predoiu. The previous proposals were the MEP Cristian Busoi, followed by the first-vice-president of the National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban, who renounced and also resigned from all party positions, as a result of him being investigated for corruption. The third nomination, that of Marian Munteanu, a former leader of the students movement during the anti-Communist revolution of 1989, was not too happy a choice either. Munteanu stepped back, rejecting however the allegation that he had collaborated with the former political police, the Securitate.





    Ukrainian president Petro Porosenko pays a visit to Romania


    On Thursday, Romanian authorities reiterated their support for Ukraines sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, on the occasion of the visit paid to Bucharest by the Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. The Kiev leader met with his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis and PM Dacian Ciolos. The two heads of state discussed, among other things, security developments in the Black Sea area. Poroshenko said Ukraine would join the initiative for the creation of a Black Sea fleet, which would strengthen NATOs presence in the area and would help increase security in the region. The two presidents also discussed the setting up of a Romanian – Ukrainian – Bulgarian brigade, after the model of the one set up by Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine. The Ukrainian president also met with PM Dacian Ciolos, who said that the formation of the new government in Kiev was a fresh opportunity for speeding domestic reforms and stabilizing the neighboring state. Two agreements were signed on the occasion, one on bilateral cooperation in the military transportation field and another one on joint patrolling along the border between the two countries.



  • February 20, 2016 UPDATE

    February 20, 2016 UPDATE

    EUROPEAN UNION – British Premier David Cameron announced on Saturday, after a Cabinet meeting, that the date for the referendum on whether Britain should remain in the EU is June 23rd. We remind you that late on Friday, the European Council president Donald Tusk announced that an agreement on renegotiating the UKs EU membership was reached. In his turn, David Cameron confirmed that the EU provided the concessions he sought, including assurances that the other nations wont try to make Britain part of a “European superstate.” According to the British premier, there will be tough new restrictions on access to his country’s welfare system for EU migrants. World leaders praised the deal, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying the EU leaders clearly wanted Britain to stay. President Klaus Iohannis, who represented Romania at the summit, has said that Romanians currently working in the UK will not be affected by the deal, which only affects workers that will enter the British labour market after its enforcement.




    HEALTHCARE — The two foreign experts from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control who travelled to Romania on Thursday to help find the cause of an infection that developed in a number of children from Arges county, are now looking over the data that Romanian doctors have gathered so far, The National Centre for the Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases announced. We recall that three children died this month due to serious digestive infections followed by major complications and seven children are being further treated in a Bucharest hospital, having been diagnosed with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. They are all from the Arges county and finding the cause of the infection might take months.




    PRESIDENCY – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will address Parliament’s plenary sitting on Monday. The President’s address, his first this year, will focus on domestic politics, Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu has announced. This is Iohannis’s 5th Parliament address since he took over the presidential seat in December 2014.




    LAW – The Romanian Justice Ministry jointly with the Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), the Direction for the Investigation of Organized Crimes and Terrorism (DIICOT) and the General Prosecutor’s Office are working on a bill allowing public bodies to further access private communications. The Constitutional Court has recently ruled that several provisions of an article in the Criminal Procedure Code violate the fundamental law, such as the ones allowing the Romanian Intelligence Service to tap suspects’ phone calls. Justice Minister, Raluca Pruna, has said that the bill will be ready by the time the Court publicly motivates its ruling, so that there will be no legislative gaps with negative effects on the ongoing criminal investigations.




    FILM – The independent production “Illegitimate” (Ilegitim), directed by Romanian Adrian Sitaru and produced by Anamaia Antoci, won the award of the International Confederation of Art Cinemas. The feature had its world premiere last week, at the 66th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival. The film was selected in the Forum section of the event, which presented a total of 44 films in its main program, 34 of which were world premieres. At the same festival, another Romania director, Roxana Stroe, won the Special Prize of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the best short film, with “A Night in Tokoriki” (O noapte in Tokoriki). According to the competition’s website, “the jury appreciated the film for its idiosyncratic tone of voice and superb craft and storytelling. This film manages to playfully depict a heartfelt but urgent message. With humorous mise-en-scene, no dialogue and an ironic use of music, the film tells a brilliantly engaging story about unacceptable love in rural Europe and its repercussions.”




    HANDBALL –Romania’s vice champion women’s handball team, HCM Baia Mare, on Friday qualified to the Champions League’s quarter finals, after defeating, on home turf, the German team Thuringer HC, 38-27, in the main Group 1 of the Champions League. In the same competition, but in the 2nd main Group, the champions CSM Bucharest is playing Midtjylland of Denmark on Sunday away from home. The Romanian champions need at least a draw to secure qualification to the quarterfinals. At present CSM Bucharest is ranked 4th in the group tables.



    (Translated by Elena Enache)



  • February 14, 2016 UPDATE

    February 14, 2016 UPDATE

    The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis is scheduled to have a meeting in Bucharest on Monday with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. The meeting will precede the European Council meeting of February 18 -19, when a political agreement may be reached regarding Britains requests for a change in the rules governing the European Union. According to the British Prime Minister David Cameron, the UK has made its future EU membership conditional on the adoption of these changes. A referendum will be held in Britain, possibly in June, regarding the countrys exit from the European Union.



    The Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Cioloş will make a visit to Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, to talk to high EU officials, including the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz. The Romanian PM will present the priorities of his Cabinet, his economic development strategy, the administrative reform programme as well as the manner in which Romania intends to get involved in the current European debates. The talks will also approach the issue of migration, the energy union and energy security, the progress made by Romania under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism as indicated in the latest report of the European Commission, as well as the prospects for Romanias Schengen accession. Dacian Cioloş will also have talks with the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, with the European Commissions vice-president in charge with budget and human resources, Kristalina Georgieva, as well as with Romanian experts holding key posts in EU institutions.



    The Parliament of Romania convenes on Monday, to discuss, among other things, a request sent by President Klaus Iohannis regarding the participation of the Romanian Army in the training of the Iraqi security forces, as part of the international coalition against the IS terrorist group. Romania will send 50 military personnel from fields such as special security forces, military intelligence and land troops, to train the Iraqi army. Klaus Iohannis has requested Parliament to approve this mission, which is to take place in 2016 alone.



    The President of Russia Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Barack Obama agreed, during a telephone conversation on Sunday, to strengthen cooperation through diplomatic agencies and other entities to implement the Munich agreement on Syria, the Kremlin announced, according to Reuters. World leaders agreed on Friday on a temporary ceasefire in Syria, to begin in a week. According to the Russian presidency, during the talks participants reiterated the need for closer contacts between the Russian and American militaries, which would enable them to successfully tackle the IS and other terrorist groups. The two officials also discussed the importance of creating a common front against terrorism. The Syria situation was the key issue discussed at the Munich Security Conference these days.



    The Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazăr Comănescu, is taking part on Monday in Brussels in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. The EU ministers will discuss a number of topical issues, including the political and economic situation in the Republic of Moldova and the ways in which the EU may assist this country, the prospects for the EU – Belarus relations, the recent developments in Syria from a humanitarian point of view and the outcomes of the February 4th Conference in London. The European officials will also exchange opinions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration of Lebanon, Gebran Bassil, regarding the relations between the EU and Lebanon, and will analyse aspects of mutual interest related to the impact of the Syrian and Libyan crises on the Middle East region.


    (translation by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The Week in Review 8 – 14 February

    The Week in Review 8 – 14 February

    Romania sets the date of local elections on June 5



    Romania’s technocratic government on Wednesday set June the 5th as the date for the local elections. Also, in order to ensure the smooth running of the elections, the Government earmarked more money from the state budget than at the previous elections – around 75 million euros. Candidacies for mayors and local counsellors may be submitted between April 11th and 26th. The election campaign will start on May 6th and will last 30 days. In the case of equal score or fraud, a new round of voting will be held on June 19th. Unhappy with the current election law and supporting the idea of a two-round system, the National Liberal party has announced its intention to sue the Government. The co-president of the National Liberal Party, Alina Gorghiu.



    Alina Gorghiu: “There is no democracy in Romania if our attempt to introduce the two-round voting system fails. If the current law is maintained, only 15 or 17% of mayors will be changed. But if the two-round system is introduced, more than 70% will be new mayors.”


    The local elections in June will be followed by the legislative elections in autumn.



    The Government green lights anti-poverty package



    Prime minister Dacian Ciolos has warned that many people in Romania are below the poverty line, including 1.7 million children. In order to support them, the Government this week launched an anti-poverty strategy for the long run. Dacian Ciolos has proposed a plan of measures that combine European funds with funds from the state budget.



    Dacian Ciolos: “Apart from support for medical screening, we must ensure that all new-born children have access to vaccination and receive an identity. There are cases of children whose families don’t have a fixed domicile and for this reason they are left without identity documents, which leads to exclusion. We also plan to expand the programme Every Child in Kindergarten with several measures aimed at providing pre-school children with school supplies, clothing and vitamin supplements. Another objective for school-age children is to prevent school dropout.”


    Social assistance and professional integration programmes are also included in the Government’s anti-poverty package.



    Healthcare in Romania



    Prevention costs less than treatment, while the effects of special programmes become visible in five to ten years. Starting from this principle, several Liberal MPs have drafted a bill according to which people who refuse to take part in national prevention programmes must partially or fully cover the costs of medical treatment on their own expense in case they become sick. The controversial bill is publicly debated until March 1st. In another move, The National Centre for the Surveillance and Control of Contagious Diseases has announced that swine fever made eight victims in the first week of February. This season, 9 Romanians died after getting infected with the AH1N1 virus. The health and sanitary authorities are on the alert, after tens of babies and toddlers under two have been taken to hospitals in Bucharest and Arges County, in southern Romania, with severe bacterial digestive infections and a high risk of kidney failure.



    The leadership of the National Fiscal Administration Agency has been sacked



    Daniel Diaconescu has taken over as interim president of the National Fiscal Administration Agency. The announcement was made shortly after Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Thursday sacked the president of the institution, Gelu Diaconu. The latter and the vice-president of this institution, Mihai Gogancea Vatasoiu, who has also been dismissed, are prosecuted in a corruption file in which MPs Madalin Voicu, of the Social Democratic Party, and Nicolae Paun, a representative of the Roma community in Parliament, are also being investigated. For the two MPs, the anti-corruption prosecutors have requested endorsement from Parliament for preventive detention. Madalin Voicu and Nicolae Paun are accused of misappropriation of European funds while developing projects for Roma communities. According to the prosecutors, between 2010 and 2015, under the pretence of helping thousands of ethnic Roma find a job or become entrepreneurs, the two crafted a plan that allowed them to divert money and use 6 million euros to their personal benefit.




    The first Romanian communist head warden arrested



    The former head warden of the Penitentiary in Ramnicu Sarat, south-eastern Romania, Alexandru Visinescu, now 90, was taken to prison on Wednesday, just hours after he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity by the High Court of Cassation and Justice. This is the first ruling of its kind passed by Romanian courts with respect to offences committed under the communist regime. Between 1956 and 1963, when Visinescu was the head of the penitentiary, political prisoners, people who had opposed the communist regime, were subjected to inhuman treatment. Judge Valentin Selaru explains:



    Valentin Selaru: “The Court notes that while a commander of the Ramnicu Sarat Penitentiary, the defendant Alexandru Visinescu subjected the community of prisoners to inhuman treatment, physical and psychological torture and extermination, and did so for political reasons.”



    Many of the prisoners died following a slow but efficient process of physical and psychological torture. According to historians, over 600,000 Romanians were thrown into prison for political reasons during the communist dictatorship, between 1947 and 1989.

  • Romania Has New Anti-Smoking Law

    Romania Has New Anti-Smoking Law

    Alarming data about the number of deaths caused by smoking in Romania prompted Parliament to pass a Law against smoking, initiated in 2011 and backed by a number of NGOs. The public debate on this project has been inspired from the best practice of European states. Smoking is completely banned in 17 out of the 28 EU countries in enclosed public spaces, on public transport and at the workplace.



    Nevertheless, Romanian MPs are divided over this law. 33 parliament members from all parties challenged the definition of “enclosed space where smoking is forbidden, which they see as discriminatory, and took the matter to the Constitutional Court. The Court dismissed the appeal on Wednesday, and ruled that the Law against smoking was constitutional. The head of state is now to sign it into law, and the act will take effect 45 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.



    Under the new law, smoking is banned in clubs, bars, restaurants, taxis, education institutions, hospitals and also in both indoor and outdoor childrens playgrounds. However, smoking restrictions will not apply to maximum-security prison cells and designated smoking areas in international airports. People who break this law will be fined up to 500 lei, while in the case of clubs, bars and restaurants the fine can go up to as much as 15,000 lei or the respective units can be closed down. There are several MPs however who disagree with the Courts decision. Cristiana Anghel, a Conservative Senator, is one of them:



    Cristiana Anghel: “In my opinion this law is ridiculous, in that it violates smokers rights. Germany, for instance, has reconsidered its decision and has allowed, among other things, those special smoking areas at the workplace, because labor productivity had decreased dramatically. But where there is a law there is no room for negotiation.



    Other MPs approve of the no-smoking law, which brings Romania in line with the other European states. Horia Cristian, a Liberal MP, argues in favour of the new legislation:



    Horia Cristian: “The Courts ruling came as no surprise, because it is not at all discriminatory. On the contrary, I believe that non-smokers have been discriminated against for a long time now. This is an important step forward for Romania and for its disease prevention strategy.



    The law against smoking has been appreciated by almost 80% of the participants in an opinion poll conducted this month in Romania. Three quarters of those questioned have said they dont smoke, four out of ten have tried to quit smoking, while one-fifth of them are planning to do that in the following month.

  • Special Pensions

    Special Pensions

    Besides members of Parliament, local elected officials will also benefit from special pensions. On Monday, the Senate in Bucharest passed a law by which mayors, deputy mayors and presidents and deputy presidents of county councils who reach the retirement age are entitled, once their terms in office come to an end, to a retirement pension, unless they are elected for a new term. The law passed with 86 yes votes and only one no vote.



    Under the new law, the lowest special pension on top of the ordinary pension stands at around 190 euros for one term in office. The biggest special pension is awarded to a person who served as mayor of Bucharest, and stands at some 480 euros for one term in office. If they serve more than one term, local elected officials receive more money, but not after three terms. The only piece of bad news for those who qualify for several types of special pensions is that they have to choose only one of them. The law does not apply to persons who have received final sentences for acts of corruption.



    The Liberal Party said they were against this law initiated by the Social Democratic Party, and its MPs left the house before the vote. The Liberals say they oppose the idea of special pensions for local elected officials, arguing in favour of a uniform pension system for all public sector employees, including local officials.



    In November, the bill had been tacitly adopted by the Chamber of Deputies and received a positive opinion from the specialist committees. A week ago, Parliament also passed a bill on special pensions for MPs, while ordinary pensions will increase by 5% on January 1st and the increase in the minimum wage depends on a government decision that may or may not come by the end of the year. The labour ministry first has to analyse all proposals, forecasts and data supplied by trade unions and employers associations to make sure the increase of minimum wages does not destabilise certain economic sectors. There is no estimate yet as to how much the new special pensions law will cost the state.



    The law will next be sent to president Klaus Iohannis to be signed, but he may ask Parliament to reexamine it. Klaus Iohannis has also asked Parliament to reexamine the law on the pensions of senators and deputies, but Parliament only took into account some of his observations. After last weeks vote in Parliament, the president is now obliged to sign the law providing for special pensions for members of Parliament.


    (translation by: Cristina Mateescu)


  • December 14, 2015

    December 14, 2015

    BUDGET – Romanias 2016 draft budget law is being discussed in Parliament as of today, without major changes on the bill tabled by the Government. The budget committees unanimously approved the Cabinets bill. Few amendments have been accepted, and they have no significant financial impact. The most heated debates concerned the budget of the Transport Ministry, where many MPs tried to support local infrastructure projects. The final vote on the budget is scheduled for Wednesday.



    EU – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazăr Comănescu, is taking part today in Brussels in a meeting of the EU foreign ministers. The agenda of talks includes the recent developments in the Eastern Partnership countries, further to the commitments undertaken at the Summit in Riga in May. The Eastern Partnership is part of the EUs European Neighbourhood Policy, and apart from the EU member countries it includes six eastern European states, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The initiative was launched at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Prague, in May 2009. In Brussels, the participants will also discuss means to contribute to fighting terrorism, the support the EU can give to the political resolution and reform processes in Iraq, and the situation in Libya.



    COLECTIV – Another patient injured in the October 30 fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest died on Sunday. The woman was being treated in a hospital in Germany, where she had been transferred three weeks ago. The Colectiv fire death toll thus reached 61. At present, 21 patients are treated abroad, and 22 others in Romanian hospitals. The Health Ministry is currently analysing options for the construction of a new hospital for burns patients in Bucharest. Under a programme funded by the World Bank, three such units will be built, in Iasi (in the north-east), Târgu Mureş (centre) and Timişoara (west).



    FRANCE – The second round of the local elections in France, held on Sunday and seen as a major test ahead of the presidential ballot in 2017, was won by the right-of-centre opposition, headed by former president Nicolas Sarkozy, which won the election in 7 out of the 13 regions, including Paris, which had been a Socialist stronghold for 17 years. Second came Hollandes Socialists, with 5 regions. The surprise came from the far-right National Front party, headed by Marine Le Pen, which failed to win any region although after the first round it was a favourite in almost half of them. These results were prompted by higher voter turnout and by the fact that in two regions, where they had slim chances to win, the Socialist Party and its left-wing allies withdrew and urged their supporters to vote for the right, so as to prevent the National Front from winning.



    MOLDOVA – The interim president of the Liberal Democratic Party in the Republic of Moldova, the ex-PM Valeriu Streleţ, announced on Sunday night that his party would take part in the political negotiations for the establishment of a new parliamentary majority and a new government. The Liberal Democrats however will not give up the three conditions announced previously, namely the nomination of a non-affiliated prime minister, the elimination of political involvement in running state-owned institutions and the resignation of those involved in massive banking frauds. The Constitutional Court announced that the Parliament of Moldova may be dissolved unless a new Cabinet is validated by the end of January 2016.



    HANDBALL – Romanias womens handball team Sunday won a breath-taking match against world Champions Brazil, 25-22, in the eighth-finals of the World Championship in Denmark. Thanks to this surprising win, the Romanians booked their places at the Rio Olympics in 2016. In the quarter-finals, Romania will face Denmark on Wednesday. Romania remains the only country which has taken part in all the World Championship final tournaments since 1957. Its track record includes a gold medal in 1962, and two silver in 1973 and 2005.


    (translation by; Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The Week in Review, 1-5 December

    The Week in Review, 1-5 December

    Romanians celebrated National Day


    December 1st, Romanias national day, was celebrated by Romanians everywhere. The 97th anniversary of the union of all Romanians in a single state was celebrated at home and abroad with religious ceremonies, military parades, concerts and receptions. In Bucharest, thousands attended the impressive military parade. Over 2.600 soldiers and specialists, combat vehicles and armored vehicles filed through in front of Parliament building, with helicopters and Hercules and Spartan planes flying over. The Romanian military was joined in this endeavor by comrades from Moldova, Bulgaria, the US, Poland and Turkey. For the first time this year, joining the event was a unit made up of Romanian soldiers wounded in the West Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. The parade was attended by high state officials, including President Klaus Iohannis and PM Dacian Ciolos. The two pleaded for a new beginning in mentality and behavior, in honoring national symbols and valuing people who promote Romanian societal values.



    Romania upgrades its role in NATO


    In line with NATOs policy of consolidating its eastern flank, Romania will be hosting the NATO Multinational Division Southeast headquarters and a NATO Force Integration Unit. Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu signed in Brussels the agreement on the legal framework for the operation of these structures. Romanias key role in NATO and its significant contribution to the organization was recognized officially by the US as well. The House of Representatives in Washington passed a resolution on the 135th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, emphasizing Romanias commitment to the North Atlantic pact and to its alliance with the US. The document also emphasizes the role of the bilateral strategic partnership in promoting security, both transatlantic and regional. In a related event, 70 pieces of American military gear have arrived in Romania from Germany, going to the Mihail Kogalniceanu base.



    Romania salutes Montenegros invitation to join NATO


    Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu attended in Brussels a meeting of NATO counterparts, emphasizing that the open door policy promoted by the Alliance has benefited Romania, which joined the alliance in 2004. He added that it was Bucharests turn to support new aspiring members.



    Lazar Comanescu: “This decision is very important as a message for countries that have a partnership with the Alliance. I am thinking primarily of Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine.



    Romania saluted NATOs decision to invite Montenegro to join the organization, which would thus become its 29th member.



    The parliament in Bucharest voted to lift immunity for Senator Dan Sova


    A shift of attitude occurred in Parliament in Bucharest, which voted on Thursday to lift immunity for Social Democrat senator Dan Sova, who, only a few hours later, was detained by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in a new case of corruption. Sova is accused of influence peddling in a legal assistance contract for a state-owned energy company. According to prosecutors, between 2011 and 2014, Sova accepted 100,000 Euro to persuade the general manager of the company to sign a contract with a specific law firm. In March, the Senate rejected a prosecution request from the NAD against Senator Sova, in a case involving two energy complexes in Rovinari and Turceni, also for corruption. The same case also involves former PM Victor Ponta, who resigned last month. At the same time, the deputies in the Judicial Oversight Committee approved temporary detention for Liberal parliamentarians Ioan Oltean and Catalin Teodorescu, also under suspicion of corruption. The final decision in their case will be made next week, when the lower chamber of Parliament convenes in plenary session.



    Romania has a draft budget for 2016


    The Romanian Finance Minister Anca Dragu has recently presented the main figures on which the 2016 draft budget was built. She said that the bill aims at stability and taxation predictability that would ensure business growth and private investment, and also a better use of budget resources. The minister said that the budget bill also provides for boosting pensions by 5% and rises in public employee salaries, already endorsed by Parliament. Minister Dragu has added that higher spending is scheduled for defense, investment, health, and education. The budget is built on a projected deficit lower than 3% of the GDP, and an economic growth worth 4%. The main fiscal measures to come into effect next year are reducing the VAT from its reference rate of 24% to 20%, and lowering the dividend tax rate from 16 to 5%.

  • Postal voting, debated in Parliament

    Postal voting, debated in Parliament

    Nearly a year after the presidential election in Romania, which sparked a huge scandal that went beyond the countrys borders, the Parliament in Bucharest is preparing to pass the draft law on postal voting. It took queuing for hours in front of embassy buildings abroad, with hundreds of thousands of Romanians still not being able to cast their vote, for the Romanian political class to take action.



    The scandal resulted in two Foreign Ministers losing their mandate and entailed heated debates in Parliament. Power and opposition accused each other of lack of action, delaying the vote and ill will. On Monday however, the Senate passed the draft law on postal voting. Drafted by the Permanent Election Authority and sanctioned by parliamentary parties, the document stipulates that people residing abroad who want to vote by post in legislative, presidential or European elections shall register with the Election Bureau either in a written letter submitted to the local embassy or by filling in an online form. Liberal Senators have welcomed the project. Liberal Senator Ion Popa says the law had been much anticipated in the Diaspora:



    “I can see the efforts of Liberal MPs, also including our token strike, have not been futile, and therefore I want to thank Social-Democrat MPs for their wise choice. It is a law the Romanians have long expected.



    In turn, Social-Democrat Senator Mihai Fifor underlined the importance of the law:



    “I will refer to a promise we have kept, a promise the Social-Democratic Party made to voters in the Diaspora, to Romanians there, and which we are keeping today. We pledged to submit the law to Parliament within a week, and today, ladies and gentlemen, the law stands before you, flawed as it may be, but it will reach the Chamber of Deputies. There it can be further amended.



    Even so, the draft law was not passed unanimously. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the Liberal-Conservative Group ALDE did not vote in favour, arguing the bill raises a number of questions. As for president Klaus Iohannis, he hailed the passing of the law by the Senate, expressing hope the bill will be passed next week. President Klaus Iohannis:



    “I am very happy the Senate voted the draft law on postal voting and I continue to hope the parties will be just as enthusiastic about it, and that by next week we will have such a law.



    The draft law will be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this matter.

  • September 21, 2015 UPDATE

    September 21, 2015 UPDATE

    The ruling coalition in Romania Monday decided to continue to support the Social Democrat Victor Ponta as PM. His situation was analysed by the National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition, after on Thursday the anti-corruption prosecutors formally indicted him for offences committed prior to his appointment as prime minister, when he was a lawyer. Victor Ponta faces charges of forgery, accessory to tax evasion and money laundering, in a corruption case involving contracts signed by the Turceni and Rovinari power companies. Ponta has repeatedly denied the charges. Meanwhile, the National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania, Monday tabled a no-confidence motion on the governments lack of credibility as a result of Prime Minister Victor Pontas legal problems. The motion will be read out in Parliament on Wednesday, and the vote is scheduled for September 29. For the motion to pass, it needs 276 votes in Parliament. The proceedings against the prime minister and four other individuals, including the Social Democrat Senator Dan Sova, were initiated on Monday at Romanias Supreme Court.



    A joint meeting of the cabinets of Romania and the Republic of Moldova will be held on Tuesday in the Romanian Black Sea resort of Neptun. According to a news release issued by the Romanian government, special attention will be given to ways to carry on energy infrastructure projects, to ensure the inter-connection of the national electricity and natural gas systems. Other joint projects, in the field of transportation, agriculture, healthcare and education, will also be discussed. During the joint meeting, talks will also focus on the financial difficulties that the Republic of Moldova is experiencing, on Chisinaus efforts to stabilise the banking system and to sign an agreement with the IMF. On the other hand, Romania will reiterate its strong support for Moldovas European accession efforts.



    The Romanian deputy PM and Interior Minister, Gabriel Oprea, takes part on Tuesday in Brussels in an extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council focusing on the migration issue. He announced that Romania stands by its position as regards the number of migrants it can receive, namely 1,785 people, and if a vote is held, Romania will vote against mandatory relocation quotas. On Wednesday, also in Brussels, a special summit of the EU heads of state and government will be held, in an attempt to find solutions to the current migrant crisis in Europe. Many EU countries, particularly the central and east-European ones, oppose the mandatory redistribution of the 160 thousand migrants. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on EU leaders to share the responsibility for the most serious migration crisis since the Second World War.



    The Romanian authorities are making preparations for the possible arrival of refugees in Romania. According to the interior ministry, an exercise is carried out in the western county of Timis, near the border with Serbia, related to the creation of temporary refugee camps. These military-type shelters are guarded by security forces and may accommodate hundreds of people. Meanwhile, the Romanian interior ministry Monday tabled a bill imposing harsher penalties for migrant smugglers. The bill increases the minimum penalty from 3 to 5 years in prison and the maximum one from 10 to 12 years. The proceeds from people trafficking operations are also to be seized. This initiative is designed to deter the recruitment, transport and people smuggling across the Romanian border.



    Romanias president Klaus Iohannis Monday received the new US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, who also had a meeting with the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu. According to the Foreign Ministry, the two discussed the bilateral political and military cooperation, means to broaden the economic cooperation, and aspects related to regional stability and security, with a focus on developments in Romanias neighbouring regions. Hans Klemm said that during his term he would focus on developing Romanian-American economic ties and providing assistance to Romania in the fight against corruption. Mark Gittenstein was the latest US ambassador to serve in Romania, his term ending in December 2012. Since then, the US embassy in Bucharest has been run by a charge daffaires.



    The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Monday called on the radical left-wing Syriza partys Alexis Tsipras, elected PM on Sunday, to maintain the stability of the country and comply with the reform calendar undertaken by Greece. Alexis Tsipras left-wing Syriza party won Sundays early elections in Greece, and will have 145 out of the 300 seats in Parliament, according to the final vote count. The Conservative leader Vangelis Meimarakis, Tsipras main rival, whose party will have 75 seats in Parliament, has conceded defeat. Alexis Tsipras said he would try to form a new ruling coalition together with the small right-wing Independent Greeks Party (10 seats in Parliament) in order to implement Greeces third bailout agreed in July in exchange for 86 billion euros.

  • Romania and the Need for a Reformed Parliament

    Romania and the Need for a Reformed Parliament

    Unlike other presidents that Romania has had after the fall of communism, such as Ion Iliescu and Traian Basescu, the current president, Klaus Iohannis, has never been a Parliament member. A former mayor of the city of Sibiu between 2000 and 2014, representing the German Democratic Forum, Iohannis became a member of a major political party only in 2013, when he joined the National Liberal Party. This is why, pundits say, he is so good at expressing citizens dissatisfaction with the legislative body and the petty political games that senators and deputies in important parties are playing.



    On Wednesday, President Iohannis did not hesitate to ask Parliament for more coherence in drawing up the laws. In a speech delivered before the Parliaments plenary session, Iohannis warned that the repeated revision of laws is affecting key fields like Education and Health. The head of state mentioned the example of the Education Law, which has been revised 26 times. Also, the Health Law has been revised 114 times, the Local Administration Law 38 times, the Labor Code 28 times and the Public Procurement Law 35 times. This can only trigger growing dissatisfaction among citizens. Klaus Iohannis:


    Klaus Iohannis: “Ive recently seen a study which shows that 80% of Romanians are unhappy with the laws being so difficult to understand. The fact that people want laws that are clearer and more simple, that do not change overnight, should not surprise anyone. The habit of passing a law today only to change it through an emergency ordinance tomorrow must be given up.



    The President has proposed that MPs replace this counterproductive and expensive manner of legislating with a different one:



    Klaus Iohannis: “A flexible legislation, in keeping with the societys needs and expectations, free of populism and likely to last in time should become the priority of the entire political class.



    Over the last years, tens of MPs from the power and opposition, from the left and right wing, have been investigated and eventually sentenced to prison for their involvement in corruption cases. A lack of response and often the refusal to leave their colleagues without immunity, as requested by anti-corruption prosecutors, has affected the image of the Romanian Parliament.



    “In my opinion, a strong Parliament also means a fair position as to the judiciary. Respect for the law also means respect for the justice system. I have informed you every time that this principle was violated, not because I mean to interfere with Parliaments work, but because the way in which this institution answers requests from the judiciary can affect its credibility, President Iohannis has also said. After the speech, representatives of both the Social-Democratic power and the Liberal opposition have expressed their willingness to make efforts to improve the image of the Parliament, which currently enjoys the trust of only 10 to 12% of Romanians.

  • September 16, 2015 UPDATE

    September 16, 2015 UPDATE

    ROMANIAN PRIORITIES – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis, who attended a joint session of Parliament on Wednesday, expressed his wish for Romania to have a strong and reliable Parliament, an institution which should enjoy the Romanians confidence. Iohannis underlined that in order to reach this goal, Romania should have good quality laws and the legislature should have functional relations with the other structures of power. Romanias president pointed to some existing problems with respect to the quality and coherence of laws, adding that 80% of the Romanians are dissatisfied with a series of clumsy laws. Iohannis criticized the repeated changes made to some key laws, such as the Fiscal Code, the Education Law and the law on the reform of the healthcare system, delivering a pointed warning over the fact that the way laws change has a negative impact on the efficiency of the public systems, eventually undermining peoples confidence in Parliament. Klaus Iohannis stood for a stable, coherent and predictable legislation, also launching a national debate on education. As regards the refugee crisis, Klaus Iohannis expressed Romanias full support for the countries affected by this crisis, saying our country takes action in the spirit of human rights observance. Iohannis pleaded for a realistic approach, based on dialogue and consultations with the EU countries, also openly opposing a bureaucratic approach. Romanias President also said the next steps Romania should further take with respect to the refugee crisis will be agreed upon during Thursdays meeting of the Countrys Supreme Defence Council.



    REFUGEE CRISIS – Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic has announced he will meet his Austrian counterpart Werner Faymann on Thursday, for talks on the refugee issue. He has expressed his countrys readiness to receive refugees, most of whom having the intention to reach Germany and the Nordic countries. Some 300 immigrants crossed the border into Croatia, from Serbia, on Tuesday to Wednesday night, the Croatian Interior Ministry has announced. These are the first refugees to take this alternative route, after Hungary closed its border with Serbia. Hundreds of immigrants protested against the closure of the Serbian-Hungarian border, with Hungary using water cannons to spread the protesting refugees. Meanwhile, the flow of migrants on the Hungarian-Austrian border has almost stopped after the enforcement of the new anti-immigration law adopted by Budapest. Reuters quotes Hungarian police sources as saying the number of refugees has been reduced significantly, to several hundred people, as compared to the record high of some 9,400 people registered on Monday.



    IMMIGRATION STRATEGY – The Romanian Government on Wednesday endorsed the National Strategy on Immigration for the 2015-2018 period and the Action Plan for the current year. The strategy is aimed at managing more efficiently the phenomenon of immigration and includes general and specific strategic objectives and action guidelines which mirror the policies established at European level and adjusted to national realities. Referring to the Action Plan for 2015, the Government says it represents “a means to establish concrete activities to lead to the setting up of a flexible system to curb the phenomenon of migration which is gaining ground.



    MILITARY DRILLS – The “Histria 2015 military drills got underway in several firing grounds across Romania. Some 7,000 employees of the countrys defence, public order and national security institutions took part in the exercise. For the first time ever, live rounds sessions were performed in a firing ground in the western county of Arad, with Europe-based US marines taking part in the exercise. Underlying the joint military undertaking was a complex scenario, tailored for todays security environment, so that Romanian military can accomplish their missions under war conditions and in crisis situations.



    FINANCIAL – The European Commission has decided to resume payments to Romania under two programs, “Economic Competitiveness and “Environment, both suspended in late April. Following this decision, around 120 million Euros will be transferred to the Romanian authorities in the ensuing period of time. The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, has hailed the efforts made by the Romanian authorities to improve the two programs management and control systems. The European Commission announced in April 2015 that it had found indicators of fraud in the management of the two programs.



    MUSIC – The George Enescu International Festival, one of Europes most prestigious classical music festivals continues in Bucharest and in other cultural centres across the country. For the first time ever, a performance tailored for children and youngsters, “Munchhasusen, the Master of Lies was presented to the public during this edition of the festival. The show is a production of the Comic Opera for Children. It was composed by Dan Dediu and stage-directed by Cristian Mihailescu. On Tuesday, the famous violinist David Garrett gave a concert in Bucharest, being accompanied by the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, conducted by Gianluigi Gelmetti. Garrett performed George Enescus Ballad for violin and orchestra, a work he also took on concert stages worldwide.



    SPORTS – Romanias national rugby team on Wednesday left for England, where it is scheduled to play the World Cup fixtures. Romania joins France, Ireland, Canada and Italy in Group D of the competition that kick-starts on Friday. Also known as the Oak Leaf Knights, the Romanian rugby players have taken part in all the seven previous editions of the World Cup, yet they failed to go past the competitions group stage.



  • Fiscal Policy Talks

    Fiscal Policy Talks

    The fiscal
    relaxation measures provided by the new fiscal code are sustainable, while the
    economic growth can offset the impact of their implementation, in addition to
    an increased tax collection rate this year, the Romanian Prime Minister Victor
    Ponta said on Monday. On the other hand, Victor Ponta claims that unless
    Parliament passes the code, public sector employees would not be able to
    benefit from a new salary law. The Prime Minister says the current dispute on
    the new code is 100% political in nature.






    Victor Ponta: Everyone agreed with the
    fiscal code until the day president Klaus Iohannis sent it back to Parliament
    for re-analysis. From that moment on everyone started looking for flaws, such
    as the lack of money. The money is there. Others say a new global crisis is
    looming. No one denies this, but I don’t think the crisis will strike because
    we lowered our VAT. Others say the increase in the salaries of all public
    sector employees starting January 1st next year spells disaster.
    This is a lie. The law provides for a several-year period of transition, while
    the increase in salaries will be spaced out, within the limits of the budget.






    Ponta has thus
    responded to accusations and warnings linked to the sustainability of fiscal
    relaxation measures voiced by the head of state, the National Bank governor, as
    well as international lenders. The IMF and the European Commission have warned
    that the simultaneous enactment of such measures could result in serious
    macroeconomic imbalances.






    Most have
    recommended Bucharest to moderate the rate at which these measures are to be
    implemented and to revise the spending plans. Parliament will re-discuss the
    fiscal code in an extraordinary session at the end of the month. In the
    meantime, after several days of heated debates, parliamentary parties have
    agreed to hold talks on the code.






    National
    Liberal Party co-president Alina Gorghiu labeled as extremely promising the
    dialogue between opposition parties and the ruling coalition regarding a
    project which the political class, the society and businesses all see as
    critical. Alina Gorghiu also said that the Liberals would eventually vote for a
    fiscal code that supports fiscal relaxation measures to a certain extent.



  • Romania has a new election law

    Romania has a new election law

    The proportional representation system will again be used, after
    being replaced in 2008 with the uninominal voting system.




    Over-sized, inefficient and far from properly representing voters
    this is how Parliament is perceived by public opinion in Romania. The
    inadequate, sometimes even abusive interpretation of the principle of
    parliamentary immunity has also largely contributed to this negative image.
    Something had to change, so the new law will replace the uninominal voting
    system with proportional representation.






    Without guaranteeing an improvement in the quality of Parliament’s
    members, the new system will at least result in a reduction in the number of
    MPs to 466 from 588. Fewer senators and deputies, a reintroduction of the
    proportional representation system and keeping the 5% minimum threshold are the
    main provisions of the new election law, a bill supported by all parliamentary
    groups. The Social Democrat MP Gabriela Podasca argues that proportional
    representation, which will be used in the 2016 elections, is the most
    representative, simple and fair election system:






    Gabriela Podasca: The number of seats you get in Parliament now
    depends on the number of votes you get, provided you reach the minimum threshold.
    We will now be able for the first time to gather exact data as to the number of
    Romanian citizens living abroad and we’ll know how many polling stations we
    need to set up.






    The number of MPs to represent Romanian citizens living abroad,
    whose upper limit is 6, has in fact been the major area of disagreement between
    the leftist majority and the Liberal opposition. The Liberal MP Victor Paul
    Dobre:


    Victor Paul Dobre: We believe the number of seats allocated to
    the diaspora is insufficient to represent the people living and working in
    various countries in the world, in particular the European Union.






    The vote of the Romanians living abroad has entered public agenda in
    the aftermath of last autumn’s presidential elections. The bad management of
    the voting process abroad, when many people had to wait in never-ending queues,
    has generated massive public discontent and possibly even cost the Social
    Democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta the presidential race. Under the new
    election law, the Permanent Electoral Authority will be responsible for holding
    the parliamentary elections and a computer system will be introduced to monitor
    voter turnout and prevent fraud.