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Reactions to the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis

The political class in Bucharest reacted to the first resignation in the history of Romanian presidents.

Klaus Iohannis announced his resignation from the position of President of Romania on Monday, saying his decision was meant to pre-empt a political crisis. In a public statement, Iohannis described the opposition MPs’ bid to impeach him as useless, unfounded and damaging. He said that he had never violated the Constitution and warned over the danger of Romania facing political crisis had he been impeached.

Klaus Iohannis: “Internally, society will be divided, there will be no discussion about the upcoming presidential elections, there will be no discussion about how Romania will move forward. Externally, the effects will be long-lasting and very negative. Absolutely none of our allies will understand why Romania is impeaching its president, after, in fact, it has already started the procedure for electing a new president. In order to spare Romania and the Romanian citizens from this crisis, from this unnecessary and negative development, I am resigning from the position of President of Romania.”

The leaders of the ruling coalition in Bucharest said they were not aware of Klaus Iohannis’ intention to resign, but that the move was preferable to impeachment, which would have complicated the political situation. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu: “I did not know about it. I am not a big fan of President Klaus Iohannis. I have never voted for him”. Klaus Iohannis is now in the past, said in turn, the leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), Kelemen Hunor, who explained that 10 years ago Iohannis was elected with huge hopes, but that he left behind a tense society. Kelemen Hunor: “He was elected with great hopes and with the chance to be a good president for every person, for every community. He has now stepped down, leaving behind frustration and disappointment, but, at the same time, has opened the way for all of us, for the coalition, for its candidate and for Romania to elect a good president, a president for every individual”.

The opposition parties, the sovereigntist-isolationist POT, AUR, S.O.S Romania and the pro-European USR, who signed the motion for the president’s impeachment, welcomed the latter’s decision to resign. USR, however, says that the resignation comes very late and does not give answers to the questions that are tormenting the country. USR deputy leader, Ionuţ Moşteanu: “It is a decision that everyone has been waiting for. And USR has contributed to it. It is an advantage for all pro-European candidates that Klaus Iohannis will not be at Cotroceni during this campaign”.

In turn, the representatives of AUR welcomed Klaus Iohannis’ resignation and announced their intention to table a censure motion against the government led by Marcel Ciolacu. The international media also reacted to the first resignation in the history of Romanian presidents. In a troubled Romania, the president throws in the towel, France Presse wrote, adding: “Klaus Iohannis leaves the presidency with an extremely controversial mandate and a high degree of unpopularity”, while Reuters specifies that the outgoing president of Romania resigns to pre-empt an impeachment bid in parliament.

11 February 2025
Surprising result in Romania’s presidential elections

The independent candidate Călin Georgescu takes the lead in the first round of the presidential elections in Romania.

Over 9.4 million Romanians cast their ballot for the country’s next president in the first round of voting on Sunday. The voter turnout rate was 52.55%, much higher than five years ago, when it stood at 42.19%. Over 820,000 Romanians voted abroad, most of them in the United Kingdom (150,000), Germany (145,000) and Italy (123,000). The big surprise of the election is the independent candidate Călin Georgescu, a 62-year-old agronomist engineer, who ranked first in the voters’ preferences. He worked as an expert in sustainable development and was secretary of state in the Ministry of Environment. He headed a department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then held various positions at the UN in the field of environment, for several years. Since 2013, he has been head of the European Research Centre of the Club of Rome, and is currently a professor at the University of Piteşti (south).

The international media reports that Romanians are voting for extremism, which from a geopolitical point of view is a disaster. Electoral earthquake in Romania: a pro-Russian candidate that no one expected came out first in the first round of the presidential elections, ahead of the pro-European Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, France Presse reports. A hard-right Romanian politician and NATO critic has achieved a shocking result that threatens Romania’s firm pro-Ukraine stance, Reuters reports. Călin Georgescu was associated with the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), a party that had repeatedly mentioned his name as a candidate for prime minister. He was later removed by the AUR leadership, who accused him of damaging the party’s image with his pro-Russian and anti-NATO stance. In a 2021 interview, Călin Georgescu described NATO’s missile shield at Deveselu as “a shame of diplomacy” and said the Alliance would not protect any of its members if they were attacked by Russia. In addition, he said that Ion Antonescu, Romania’s de facto leader in World War II, who was sentenced to death for his role in the Holocaust, and Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, the leader of the Legionary movement – one of the most violent and anti-Semitic in Europe – are national heroes.

A criminal case was opened against Georgescu for promoting the personality cult of individuals suspected of genocide. Romania’s best chance is “Russian wisdom,” he said in another interview. Extremely religious and nationalist, he campaigned for reducing Romania’s dependence on imports, supporting farmers and increasing domestic food and energy production. Călin Georgescu stayed out of the spotlight and focused on social media. Romanians voted for him, including those in the diaspora, despite his strongly anti-Semitic, legionary, “messianic,” pro-Russian and anti-Western discourse. “I said we are not doing politics, we are doing history. It came true,” he pointed out, after the polling stations closed.

25 November 2024
September 15, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

FLOODS – A crisis cell was set up at the Health Ministry to provide the necessary medical assistance to the residents of Galati and Vaslui counties (eastern Romania) affected by the floods. The Interior Ministry and the Defense Ministry have mobilized hundreds of firefighters, gendarmes, soldiers and equipment to help evacuate the victims and repair the infrastructure destroyed by the waters. Dozens of modular homes have already been sent and others are being prepared. More than 5,000 households were flooded, 300 people were evacuated, and another five died, according to the authorities’ latest report. Aid from the state reserves is taken to the affected areas. On Sunday, an energy command was convened by minister Sebastian Burduja. According to him, all teams of the local distribution operator are mobilized in Galati County. The number of people without electricity exceeded 24,000 on Saturday. Several sections of national and county roads in Galati and Vaslui were still closed on Sunday due to the flooding.

WEATHER – Torrential rains have severely affected Central and Eastern Europe in recent days, causing rivers to swell and triggering flood warnings in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Flood dams were erected in Prague. Tens of thousands of households in northern areas of the Czech Republic were affected by power outages. In Poland, one person died and thousands of residents in flood-ravaged areas were left without electricity. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged the affected population to cooperate with rescue teams. Heavy rainfalls are becoming more frequent in Europe, as in most areas of the world, due to climate change. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, which leads to more precipitation.

FARMERS – Farmers in the European Union will benefit from faster advance payments to cope with this year’s drought and other extreme weather phenomena. The European Commission announces that it has authorized such payments based on requests received from several member states. Thus, starting from October 16, farmers will be able to receive up to 70% of direct payments in advance, compared to 50% at present. According to the European Commission, farmers in the EU face liquidity problems due to the extreme weather phenomena of recent years, drought, but also floods, high interest rates on the financial markets and high production costs. In Bucharest, the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, gave assurances that farmers whose crops were affected by this year’s drought will receive compensations by October 15. According to official data, over two million hectares of corn and sunflower crops were compromised by the lack of precipitation in Romania.

LIBERALS – The Liberal Party’s National Council validated, on Sunday, in Bucharest, the candidacy of Nicolae Ciucă for president. Former general and chief of the Army General Staff, Nicolae Ciucă is currently the speaker of the Senate. Mircea Geoană, former president of Social Democrats and former NATO deputy secretary general, recently announced his candidacy as an independent. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, president of the PSD, as well as Elena Lasconi, the mayor of Campulung Muscel and leader of the Save Romania Union (USR, in opposition), are also part of the race for president. The first round of the presidential elections will take place on November 24, and the second on December 8. At the same time, the legislative elections are scheduled for December 1, on Romania’s National Day.

ELECTIONS – Romanian citizens who have their domicile or residence abroad can express their electoral option by mail in the presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled in November and December. The application deadline is September 24. So far, approximately 2,800 applications for voting by mail in the parliamentary elections have been registered on the website of the Permanent Election Authority. A little over 3,000 Romanian citizens domiciled or residing abroad registered for the presidential elections. We remind you that the first round of the presidential elections is scheduled for November 24, and the second for December 8. The voting for the election of the future Parliament will take place on December 1, when the National Day of Romania is being celebrated.

DAVIS CUP – Romania defeated China 3-2, in the Davis Cup’s World Group II, after the tennis player Cezar Creţu defeated Rigele Te, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, on Saturday, in Craiova (south). Also on Saturday, the Romanian tennis player Gabi Adrian Boitan was defeated by Yunchaokete Bu, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), while the Victor Cornea/Bogdan Pavel pair was defeated by Fajing Sun and Rigele Te, 6-4, 6-4, in the doubles. On Friday, in the first singles match, Cezar Creţu (292 ATP) defeated Yunchaokete Bu (113 ATP) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), while Gabi Adrian Boitan (364 ATP) beat Yi Zhou (527 ATP) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2. Romania and China have never met before in the Davis Cup.

15 September 2024
July 1, 2021 UPDATE

CERTIFICATE A digital Covid certificate is available as of 1 July, to ease travel around the European Union. The document proves the owner has been vaccinated, has recovered or recently tested negative for the disease. The Special Telecommunication Service in Romania has created a web platform, which can be accessed at certificate-covid.gov.ro. After filling in a form, users can download a QR code, which can be printed or displayed on the mobile phone so that it may be scanned by customs officers. In another development, new relaxation measures were introduced in Romania on 1 July. Fairs and theme parks have been opened while accommodation facilities and gyms are allowed to operate at full capacity. Cafes and restaurants can stay open until 2 o’clock in the morning but access to night clubs and bars is only allowed to those vaccinated. On Thursday authorities announced 31 new Covid infections out of 26 thousand tests and reported only 5 fatalities in the past 24 hours. 450 patients are being treated in hospitals and 67 in intensive care.

EU Slovenia took over on 1
July the half-yearly rotating EU presidency from Portugal. PM Janez Jansa promised Slovenia will be an
unbiased mediator in the dispute between various EU member states with respect
to the rule of law and human rights. On the other hand, he called for consensus
over the enlargement of the bloc. This is Slovenia’s
second term at the helm of the EU since 2008. During its present term Slovenia,
jointly with the EU’s main institutions will chair the Conference over Europe’s
future.

REGISTRY The Romanian Police announced that a national registry is operational, concerning people having committed sexual offences, exploitation and offences against children. This is a separate record from a persons criminal history, and is an operative identification and surveillance instrument focusing on perpetrators of human trafficking and exploitation and sexual offences. Individuals listed in the Registry are under an obligation to appear regularly before the police, to provide information and to notify the authorities of any travels longer than 15 days. Citizens may obtain their own integrity certificates, valid for 6 months, by submitting an application.

UNEMPLOYMENT The unemployment rate in the EU dropped 0.1 last month compared to April, to 7.3%, but it is over the 6.9% mark reported in May 2020, the Eurostat announced on Thursday. The member states with the lowest unemployment rates, below 4%, are the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Germany, Malta, Poland and Hungary. At the opposite pole are Greece and Spain, with over 15%. With a 5.5% unemployment rate in May, down from 5.7% in April, Romania has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the EU.

WHO Hans Kluge, the head of WHO Europe, Thursday announced during a news conference that the ten weeks of decline in the number of Covid-19 infections in Europe are over. According to the WHO official, a new wave of infections is expected unless citizens and authorities comply with medical rules. Last week the number of new cases rose by 10% driven by increased mixing, travel, gatherings and easing of social restrictions, Kluge said. ‘This is taking place in the context of a rapidly evolving situation. A new variant of concern -the Delta variant and in a region where despite tremendous efforts by member states, millions remain unvaccinated, the WHO official went on to say. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

1 July 2021
July 1, 2021

CERTIFICATE A digital Covid certificate has been made available
today in an attempt to ease travel around the European Union. The document
proves the owner has been vaccinated, has recovered or recently tested negative
for the disease. The Special Telecommunication Service in Romania has created a
web platform, which can be accessed at certificate-covid.gov.ro. After filling
in the form, all those interested can download a QR code, which can be printed
or displayed on the mobile phone so that it may be scanned by customs officers.
In another development, new relaxation measures have been adopted in Romania on
July 1st. Fairs and theme parks have been opened while accommodation facilities
and gyms are allowed to function at their full capacity. Cafes and restaurants
can stay open until 2 o’clock in the morning but night clubs and bars can be
accessed only by those vaccinated. Authorities in Romania on Thursday announced
31 new Covid infections out of 26 thousand tests and reported only 5 fatalities
in the past 24 hours. 450 patients are being treated in hospitals and 67 in
intensive care.

UE Slovenia is today taking over the half-yearly rotating EU presidency from
Portugal. This has been Slovenia’s second mandate at the helm of the EU since
2008. The Slovene presidency will attach priority to the recovery and
strengthening the bloc’s resilience and strategic autonomy. During its present
mandate Slovenia and the EU’s main institutions will have the occasion of
leading the Conference over Europe’s Future.

TENNIS Romania’s tennis player, Irina
Begu on Wednesday night made it to the third round of the Wimbledon tournament
after a three-set win against Petra Martic of Croatia. Begu has thus equaled
her performance in 2015 when he qualified for the third round of Wimbledon, the
year’s third grand slam tournament. The Romanian will be up against Iga Swiatek
of Poland on Friday. Another Romanian, Sorana Cirstea has qualified for the
second round after a two-set win against Samantha Murray Sharan of Britain. Cirstea will today play
12th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. Begu and Cirstea are Romania’s only
representatives in the singles contest of Wimbledon.

WHO Hans Kluge, the head of WHO Europe, on Thursday announced during a news conference that the ten weeks of decline in
the number of Covid-19 infections in Europe are over. According to the WHO
official, a new wave of infections is expected unless citizens and authorities
are complying with medical discipline rules. Last week the number of new cases
rose by 10% driven by increased mixing, travel, gatherings and easing of social
restrictions, Kluge said. ‘This is taking place in the context of a rapidly
evolving situation. A new variant of concern -the Delta variant and in a region
where despite tremendous efforts by member states, millions remain unvaccinated
the WHO official went on to say.

WEATHER The weather remains unstable in
Romania with an overcast sky, and thunderstorms in some areas in the north,
north-west, center and south-east. Some torrential rains are expected in the
mountains. Temperatures are lower than yesterday but the weather remains hot in
most of the regions with discomfort indexes above normal. The highs of the day
range between 23 and 34 degrees Celsius with a noon reading in Bucharest of 28
degrees. Meteorologists have issued yellow warnings for hot and unstable
weather for almost the entire territory with the exception of some areas in the
country’s west.

(bill)

1 July 2021
Two candidates for the presidency of the National Liberal Party

Romanian Liberals convened in
Bucharest on Sunday in a National Council with a view to electing their new
president during the Congress they are going to stage on September 25th.
Two candidates are vying for this position, the incumbent leader Ludovic Orban
and the country’s present Prime Minister Florin Citu. Whether Orban’s intention
to run for the PNL presidency had been known for quite some time, Citu made
public his intention during the aforementioned Council.

However, the two politicians’
intentions were predictable as they had increased their public appearance of
late. The incumbent president has paid a series of visits to the party branches
in an attempt to gather support and had some media appearances in the company
of several PNL mayors. In turn the Prime Minister has focused on the vaccine
rollout and his latest efforts have been largely covered by the media.

According to Prime Minister Citu, the
PNL, the main political group of the centre-to-right government in Bucharest
needs a fresh impetus. He has also mentioned his intention to keep the party in
power for at least 8 years. Romania is changing. Europe is changing. The world
is changing and there is a need for another kind of politicians, the Prime
Minister went on to say.

Ludovic Orban, who was Romania’s
Prime Minister last year, has hailed Citu’s decision to run for the party’s
presidency adding that this situation is not going to affect either the party’s
activity or its ruling abilities. He has given assurances that there is going
to be no rift between him and his opponent caused by intestine fights as they
have a series of common objectives such as the ruling programme, the anti-Covid
vaccine rollout and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

‘Even if there is competition, which
is only natural because every four years we stage elections in our party, we
are making all decisions together and are all attending the party sessions’
says Ludovic Orban, who is currently the president of the Chamber of Deputies.

The Prime Minister has also mentioned
the team work and common goals, but newspapers in Bucharest have pointed out
the two leaders have not been seen together for quite some time now, not even
at the 146th anniversary of their political party.

The party is going to elect its local
leaders over 1st June and 15th July, while elections for county
leaders are due between 1st July and 10th August. After
these first rounds, the two presidential candidates must submit a motion to the
local branches, which must decide what candidate they are going to support.

However, if a local branch makes a
decision to support a certain candidate, it doesn’t mean that all its members must
endorse that candidate. And in order to win the election a candidate must be
supported by 10 county branches.

(bill)

31 May 2021
July 1, 2020

COVID-19 So far 27,296 coronavirus infection cases have been reported in Romania, with 326 new cases confirmed over the past 24 hours Over 20,749 of them have recovered, and 1,667 people died. The healthcare minister Nelu Tătaru announced 2 days ago that the increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases prompted the authorities to postpone the lifting of further restrictions as of July 1. Three relaxation stages have been introduced since mid-May, when Romania switched from a state of emergency to a state of alert. Among the Romanians living abroad, 4,795 have so far tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and 115 of them died.

ECONOMY In Bucharest, in the presence of president Klaus Iohannis and Cabinet members, PM Ludovic Orban is presenting tonight a national economic recovery plan following the coronavirus crisis. The PM has recently stated that the regulations required for the implementation of this plan will be adopted shortly. According to the prime minister, infrastructure investments are a fundamental pillar in upgrading and restarting the economy, because Romanias priority is modernisation through investments in transport, energy, healthcare, communications, education and agriculture.

NATURAL GAS The Romanian natural gas market is fully liberalised as of July 1. Tariffs are no longer regulated by the government, but by demand and supply mechanisms. The liberalisation comes at a time when the energy market is highly concentrated, with 2 companies accounting for 90% of the household consumers. These companies have sent their clients offers with the same prices as before, and unless they receive an answer, the new contracts will take effect by default. A week ago, the Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, told AGERPRES news agency that households should pay 10-15% less for natural gas after deregulation. He explained that unless major suppliers cut down prices, the Competition Law enables the government to intervene in the market for a 6-month period.

PARLIAMENT The Parliament of Romania convenes until mid-July for a special session. The Chamber of Deputies is set to discuss a number of bills, including the one setting the date of local elections and an initiative banning people with criminal records from running for public office. On Monday the Deputies will hear PM Ludovic Orban on the procurement contracts signed during the pandemic. In turn, Senate is also to vote on the local elections bill, after the Government decided the election should take place on September 27.

EU Germany will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next 6 months, taking over from Croatia. The coronavirus crisis and its aftermath is the main challenge for Berlin during this term in office, according to a plan approved by the German government on June 24, and entitled “Together for Europes Recovery. Germanys priorities also include the completion of the Brexit negotiations and topics like environment protection, digitisation and Europes relations with China and the US. With the EU facing the deepest economic recession since World War 2, member states must agree in the following months on a multi-annual budget for 2021-2027 and on the operation of the 750-billion euro European Recovery Fund designed by the European Commission to support the economies of the countries that were hit the worst by the pandemic, particularly Italy and Spain.

PANDEMIC The total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide passes 10.5 million, with the death toll standing at 514,000, and 5.8 million patients recovered, according to Worldometers.info. In the US, the last 24 hours brought over 47,000 new cases, the highest daily rate since the start of the pandemic, Reuters reports. More than 126,000 Americans died and millions have lost their jobs. The economy collapsed in the first quarter, and is expected to further drop in the second one. Meanwhile, the EU has approved today a list of safe countries for non-essential travel. The list, which includes 14 countries (Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay) will be updated every 2 weeks, depending on local COVID-19 developments.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

1 July 2020
September 18, 2019

DEADLOCK The Constitutional Court in Bucharest is to discuss today the notification filed by PM Viorica Dancila with respect to a possible conflict of powers, triggered by the Presidents refusing to appoint interim ministers. Last week President Klaus Iohannis announced he would not accept the reshuffling proposed by the Prime Minister, which he dismissed as “void and unsuitable. Last Wednesday Viorica Dancila sent the head of state a document nominating members of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for the vacant positions in Cabinet after that party left the ruling coalition last month. Also today, the Social Democratic Partys National Executive Committee convenes to discuss the situation of the Cabinet, which has many minister positions still unfilled.

VISIT The prime Minister of Romania Viorica Dăncila received in Bucharest today her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki, for a second round of inter-governmental consultations between the 2 countries. This is the second inter-government meeting after the one in Warsaw last May, and it takes place in the context of the celebration of a decade-long strategic partnership, of 3-decades long democratic regime and of a century of diplomatic relations. The members of the 2 governments will sign a memorandum of agreement in major sectors, including infrastructure, energy, transport, communications, digitisation, entrepreneurship and the management of European funds.

FESTIVAL In Bucharest, classical music lovers are invited today to concerts with highly appreciated artists, as part of the George Enescu International Festival. Todays programme includes a concert of the Lille National Orchestra, conducted by Vlad Vizireanu, at the Romanian Athenaeum. The soloists, Sergey Khachatryan, on violin, and Timothy Ridout, on the viola, will perform George Enescus Chamber Symphony for 12 instruments, Johannes Brahmss Violin Concerto in D major and ‘Harold in Italy’ by Hector Berlioz. The George Enescu International Festival, with Radio Romania as a co-producer, will continue until September 22, bringing together 2,500 of the worlds most celebrated musicians in 84 concerts and recitals. Bucharest and other cities in Romania and in Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the Republic of Moldova are hosting performances as part of this years Festival.

BILL A bill on the taxation of special pension benefits, introduced by the Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici, has been passed by the Senate today after being approved by the budget committee on Tuesday. The document concerns a 30% tax rate on special pensions ranging between approx. 1,480 euro and 2,115 euro, and a 50% tax rate on pensions above this threshold. Senators also decided that country presidents emoluments in excess of roughly 1,480 euro should be subject to taxation. The bill will be sent to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision making body in this respect.

EMPLOYMENT Most EU citizens working part time last year (26% of the total) said they could not find full-time jobs, while another 24% chose part-time work because they were looking after children or incapacitated adults, according to data released today by the European Statistics Office, Eurostat. The highest percentage of people who were working part-time in 2018 because they did not find full-time employment was reported in Greece (70%), Italy (66%), Cyprus (65%), Bulgaria (59%), Spain (56.5%) and Romania (54.9%). The lowest rates were reported in Estonia (6%), Belgium, the Czech Republic and Slovenia (7% each) and Netherlands (8%). Around one-fifth of the total number of employed EU citizens had part-time jobs last year, accounting for 31.2 million women and 9.5 million men.

ISRAEL The Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his challenger Benni Gantz are shoulder to shoulder, with 32 seats each in the new Parliament, according to Tuesdays election results after counting over 92% of the votes. Israeli mass media note however that none of them has enough allies for a governmental majority. Israel Our Home party, whose 9 seats in Knesset make it indispensible for a ruling coalition, proposed a national unity government, but its leader Avigdor Lieberman is one of Netanyahus opponents. According to Radio Romanias correspondent, Israeli citizens would not agree to a new election campaign, and the countrys president vowed to avoid a third early election.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

18 September 2019
The Week in Review 15-21.07.2019

Overview of Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU in the European Parliament

Romania will continue to support the European project and will equally focus on completing its integration, said the Romanian PM Viorica Dancila on Tuesday in the plenum of the European Parliament, where she presented an overview of Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2019. The Romanian PM underlined that Bucharest managed to show that the European institutions are working in the interest of the citizens and to provide prospects for the future. Europe should not have more speeds, PM Dancila told the MEPs, and there should be no gaps among member states, given that progress is going to be thorough and benefits for the citizens measurable if countries work together, cohesion being one of the strongest binding forces of the European project. The PM also added that Romania was at the helm of the Council of the EU in a period of challenges, in the context of Brexit and the EP elections but it still managed to finalize 90 pieces of legislation related to copyright on the Single Digital Market, to amending the directives on natural gas, to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and to improving reaction to cyber attacks. During its presidency of the Council of the EU Romania proved its capacity to bring added value to the EU, PM Dancila also said.

A Romanian in NATOs leadership

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has decided to appoint Mircea Geoana from Romania as the next Deputy Secretary General. Mr. Geoana will take up his post in mid-October 2019. According to Mr. Stoltenberg Mircea Geoana, the first Romanian to hold this senior office, is a staunch advocate of the transatlantic bond and will bring long experience as a statesman and diplomat to this post. So far, the highest position held by a Romanian within NATO was that of Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges. The post was held between 2013-2017 by Sorin Ducaru, who was the head of the Emerging Security Challenges Division. Mircea Geoana is the founder and president of the Aspen Institute Romania and he previously served as President of the Romanian Senate, Foreign Minister, and Romanias Ambassador to the United States. After the announcement made by Jens Stoltenberg Mircea Geoana wrote on a social network that his appointment was a huge challenge and an opportunity to represent the interest of the Alliance, which ensures the security of more than 1 billion people. The Romanian diplomacy has hailed Mircea Geoanas appointment to the post and considered the decision a special moment for Romanias NATO membership, which acknowledges Romanias important contribution within NATO 15 years after its accession to the Alliance.

The Constitutional Court and reviewing the Constitution

Proposals to amend the Constitution that would forbid pardoning or amnesty for acts of corruption run counter to the law, as ruled by the Constitutional Court on Thursday in Romania. The proposals were made after Romanians went to the polls on May 26, in a referendum called by the president. They voted to turn down proposals made by the ruling coalition for changes to the penal code that would have drastically reduced penalties for acts of corruption; the changes were planned under the form of government orders, but were challenged in the highest courts. President Klaus Iohannis called the referendum to stop what he referred to as the assault of the ruling coalition on the entire judicial system. The court’s argument was that outlawing pardoning or amnesty would violate the principle of equality before the law, and would be paramount to a suppression of human dignity. At the same time, the other proposals for amending the Constitution submitted by the coalition in power and the opposition have been declared constitutional. One such proposal provides that citizens who have been sentenced to definitive terms in jail for premeditated violations would be barred from running in parliamentary, local, European Parliament, and presidential elections. Also, according to the same bills, there will be an end to abusing government orders, and they will be available for a constitutionality review which the president will be able to call. The reviews can also be called by the Constitutional Court, 50 deputies or 25 senators, as well as by the Ombudsman.

Romanian triumph at Wimbledon

Romanian tennis star Simona Halep won her first Wimbledon title in the singles, and the first for her country, facing off against super-champion Serena Williams. This is what she said in the aftermath:

Simona Halep: “I am happy with how I played, and the way in which I reacted to such an important event and such a great day. I reached a high level, and I feel much more confident. I never thought I would become number one and that I would win a Grand Slam, but this has been the dream, and that is why I worked so much every single day. As I keep saying, Romanians are very talented, but we lack confidence in ourselves. We should try to improve, believe in ourselves, and see things in a more positive light.

Back in the country, she presented her trophy on the National Arena stadium for tens of thousands that came to share in her joy. It is Simona’s second Grand Slam, which she won in Roland Garros last year.

(translated by: Lacramioara Simion, Calin Cotoiu)

20 July 2019
1 July, 2019

EU presidency. Finland has taken over from Romania the rotating
presidency of the Council of the European Union. The central theme of the
Finnish presidency, held under the motto Sustainable Europe – Sustainable
Future, is to promote Europe’s position as a global leader in climate action.
This means committing to the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, the Finnish
prime minister Antti Rinne told Parliament last week. The challenges facing the
European Union in the next six months include the UK’s delayed exit from the
Union on 31st October.

Parliament. The Romanian Parliament meets this week in an extraordinary
session. The agenda includes, among others, a bill to amend the legislation
regulating voting for Romanian citizens abroad which was given green light by a
special joint committee. A new law for the presidential elections will be put
to vote in the Senate today before reaching the Chamber of Deputies on
Wednesday, the decision-making body in this case. Under the new bill, Romanian
citizens voting abroad will also be able to cast their ballots by postal voting
and early voting, alongside traditional voting. The voting process abroad is to
last three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The two chambers of the Romanian
Parliament will meet on Wednesday to make nominations for the managing board of
the National Bank.

EU talks. EU leaders continue talks in
Brussels to reach an agreement over the nominations for the EU’s top jobs. The president
of the European Council Donald Tusk is trying to find a solution to the crisis
generated by the refusal of the European People’s Party to agree to a balanced
package for the distribution of the top EU positions. The so-called Osaka
agreement was rejected by most European People’s Party leaders. The deal agreed
with German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Emmanuel Macron and
other European leaders implied that the European People’s Party gave up the
presidency of the European Commission targeted by Manfred Weber and supported
instead the Social Democrat candidate Frans Timmermans provided the
European People’s Party got the positions of European Parliament speaker and
president of the European Council. Frans Timmermas also does not have the
support of the Visegrád Group
countries, nor that of Italy. European leaders must reach, however a consensus
to avoid an institutional blockage, given that the European Parliament meets
tomorrow to elect a new leadership. The positions of president of the European
Council and the European Central Bank and that of EU foreign policy chief are
also being negotiated.

Republic of Moldova. Maia Sandu, the new prime minister of the Republic
of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population,
travels to Bucharest on Tuesday. She will have talks with the Romanian
authorities about the development of joint projects, including in the energy
field, and the scholarships for Moldovan pupils. Sandu said her country would
like to see a faster pace of implementation in the case of certain projects,
such as in the energy field, to ensure alternative sources, and the
continuation of various cooperation projects in the area of education and
culture. In an interview to Radio Chisinau last week, she said neighbouring Romania has supported the Republic of Moldova
both politically and financially, in all projects and that it is her
country’s most important advocate in the process of European integration. Sworn
in this month, Moldova’s pro-European prime minister has decided to make her
first foreign trip to Bucharest, although she said earlier that she would
travel first to Brussels. According to Radio Chisinau, her official visit to
Romania is the result of an invitation from president Klaus Iohannis.

Tennis. The no. 7 seed Simona Halep
of Romania will face Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in the first round at
Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam tournament of the year, which begins today.
Another Romanian player, Mihaela Buzarnescu, plays against Jessica Pegula of
the US in the first round and will meet Halep if she makes it to the second
round. Qualifier Ana Bogdan is up for a tough match against the British no. 1 Johanna
Konta, who is seeded 9th. Sorana Cirstea will face 25th
seed Amanda Anisimova of the US. Monica Niculescu, who got a wild card for
Wimbledon, plays Germany’s Andrea Petkovic. Qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse faces
Germany’s Julia Goerges in the opening round, seeded 18th. In the
men’s draw, Romania’s Marius Copil faces Argentina’s Guido Pella in the first
round.

1 July 2019
30 June 2019, UPDATE

EU presidency. For the last six months, Romania
has held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, a role
it took over from Austria and which it fulfilled for the first time since
becoming a member in 2007. Finland takes over from Romania on July 1st.
The president of the European Council Donald Tusk has sent a message to the
Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on the conclusion of Romania’s term, characterising
its presidency as energetic and successful and saying 90 pieces of legislation were
agreed. Romania’s term was
marked by key moments such as the Sibiu summit held on Europe Day on 9th
of May and the elections for the European Parliament held between the 23rd
and the 26th of May.

Republic of Moldova. Romania has supported the Republic of
Moldova both politically and financially, in all projects, Moldova’s new
prime minister Maia Sandu told an interview on Radio Romania Chisinau ahead of
her trip to Bucharest next week. She said the talks with the Romanian
authorities would focus on the development of energy and infrastructure
projects for which Chisinau counts on Romania’s support. Also, Maia Sandu said
the neighbouring Romania is the most important advocate of the Republic of
Moldova in its process of European integration. Sworn in this month, the
pro-European head of the Moldovan government has decided to make her first
foreign trip to Bucharest, on the 2nd of July, although she had said
earlier that she would travel first to Brussels.

Pogrom. President
Klaus Iohannis sent a message on Sunday on the 78th anniversary of
the Iasi pogrom of 1941. Tolerance, respect and solidarity are essential,
defining elements that underlie Romanian contemporary society, principles we
must nurture and defend, his message writes. Iohannis also welcomed the
initiative of the local authorities to turn the former police headquarters into
a place for the commemoration of the Jews killed in 1941. He said he would
continue to support the creation in Bucharest of a national museum of the
history of Jews and the Holocaust. In June 1941, almost 15,000 people were
killed in Iasi, in the north-east, in the biggest massacre against the Jews
committed in Romania.

Party congress. Prime minister Viorica Dancila
was re-elected on Saturday at an extraordinary congress as leader of the Social
Democratic Party, the main force in the ruling coalition in Bucharest. She is
the first woman to hold this position in her party. The former president of the
party, Liviu Dragnea, is now in prison for acts of corruption. The finance
minister Eugen Teodorovici was elected executive president and
former defence minister Mihai Fifor secretary general.

Tennis. The no. 7 seed Simona Halep of
Romania will face Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in the first round at
Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam tournament of the year, which begins on Monday.
Another Romanian player, Mihaela Buzarnescu, plays against Jessica Pegula of
the US in the first round and will meet Halep if she makes it to the second
round. Qualifier Ana Bogdan is up for a tough match against the British no. 1 Johanna
Konta, who is seeded 9th. Sorana Cirstea will face 25th
seed Amanda Anisimova of the US. Monica Niculescu, who got a wild card for
Wimbledon, plays Germany’s Andrea Petkovic. Qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse faces
Germany’s Julia Goerges in the opening round, seeded 18th. In the
men’s draw, Romania’s Marius Copil faces Argentina’s Guido Pella in the first
round.

Film. The European Film Festival, held at the weekend in
Sibiu, brought together seven recent titles and a classic film from the 1990s.
The line-up included the French-Belgian production Memoir of War directed by Emmanuel
Finkiel, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s political thriller The Realm, Benedikt Erlingsson’s
comedy Woman at War, Bálint Kenyeres’s Yesterday, Elina Psykou’s Son of Sofia
and the 1998 Irish production My Left Foot by Jim Sheridan. The European Film
Festival was also held this year in Bucharest, Ramnicu Valcea, in the south,
Targu Mures, in the centre, as well as in Chisinau, in the Republic of Moldova,
an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population.

30 June 2019
30 June, 2019

EU presidency. Romania’s rotating 6-month
presidency of the Council of the European Union comes to an end today. Romania,
which joined the Union in 2007, has held the presidency for the first time. Its
term was marked by key moments such as the Sibiu summit held on Europe Day on 9th
of May and the elections for the European Parliament held between the 23rd
and the 26th of May. The president of the European Council Donald
Tusk has sent a message to the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on the
conclusion of the Romanian presidency, saying: You managed to have 90 pieces of legislation agreed in
the last 100 days before the European elections, including border protection,
reducing CO2 emissions and building a digital Europe. That is impressive!

EU summit. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis attends a special summit in Brussels
to discuss the nominations for the EU’s top jobs. An agreement must be reached
by the 2nd of July, when the new European Parliament holds its
inaugural session. The positions that are being negotiated are the roles of
European Parliament speaker, European Council president, the High
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the president of the
European Central Bank, and, the most disputed, the president of the European
Commission, a position currently held by Jean-Claude Juncker. The German press
says that after talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan, chancellor
Angela Merkel reportedly gave up endorsing the candidate of the European
People’s Party Manfred Weber, who was contested by France and the
Central-European states.

Commemoration. President
Klaus Iohannis sent a message on Sunday on the 78th anniversary of
the Iasi pogrom of 1941. Tolerance, respect and solidarity are essential,
defining elements that underlie Romanian contemporary society, principles we
must nurture and defend, his message writes. Iohannis also welcomed the
initiative of the local authorities to turn the former police headquarters into
a place for the commemoration of the Jews killed in 1941. He said he would
continue to support the creation in Bucharest of a national museum of the
history of Jews and the Holocaust. In June 1941, almost 15,000 people were
killed in Iasi, in the north-east, in the biggest massacre against the Jews
committed in Romania.

Party congress. Prime minister Viorica Dancila
was re-elected on Saturday at an extraordinary congress as leader of the Social
Democratic Party, the main force in the ruling coalition in Bucharest. She is
the first woman to hold this position in her party. The former president of the
party, Liviu Dragnea, is now in prison for acts of corruption. The finance
minister Eugen Teodorovici was elected executive president and
former defence minister Mihai Fifor secretary general.

Tennis. The no. 7 seed Simona Halep of
Romania will face Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in the first round at
Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam tournament of the year, which begins on Monday.
Another Romanian player, Mihaela Buzarnescu, plays against Jessica Pegula of
the US in the first round and will meet Halep if she makes it to the second
round. Qualifier Ana Bogdan is up for a tough match against the British no. 1 Johanna
Konta, who is seeded 9th. Sorana Cirstea will face 25th
seed Amanda Anisimova of the US. Monica Niculescu, who got a wild card for
Wimbledon, plays Germany’s Andrea Petkovic. Qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse faces
Germany’s Julia Goerges in the opening round, seeded 18th. In the
men’s draw, Romania’s Marius Copil faces Argentina’s Guido Pella in the first
round.

Film. The European Film Festival comes to an end in Sibiu,
in central Romania, where it brought together seven recent titles and a classic
film from the 1990s. The line-up included the French-Belgian production Memoir
of War directed by Emmanuel Finkiel, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s political thriller The
Realm, Benedikt Erlingsson’s comedy Woman at War, Bálint Kenyeres’s Yesterday, Elina
Psykou’s Son of Sofia and the 1998 Irish production My Left Foot by Jim
Sheridan. The European Film Festival was also held this year in Bucharest,
Ramnicu Valcea, in the south, Targu Mures, in the centre, as well as in
Chisinau, in the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority
Romanian-speaking population.

30 June 2019
June 21, 2019 UPDATE

EU The president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and the president of the European Council Donald Tusk hailed at the end of the Community summit on Friday in Brussels what they called a successful presidency of the Council of the EU on Romanias part. In turn, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis presented a report on the Romanian semester and said the strategic agenda adopted by the EU leaders on Thursday fully reflects the 10 commitments included in the Sibiu Summit Declaration in May. He also voiced his satisfaction with the fact that, at his request, the EU leaders agreed to include the consolidation of support for the Republic of Moldova.

HACKERS The perpetrators of the recent cyber-attacks on Romanian hospitals might be Chinese, experts with the Romanian Intelligence Services Cyberint Centre announced on Friday. The suspicion is based on the time when the hackers were active and on clues in the ransom messages. Four hospitals, in Bucharest, Husi, Dorohoi (in the north-east) and Alba (centre) were affected by Bad Rabbit 4. The attacks caused problems in the activity of the targeted hospitals, with delays in patient admission and discharge and in the issue of prescriptions.

5G Romania joined the 12 developed states that have introduced 5G strategies in mobile telephony, which greatly increases rates of data transfer for mobile devices. A decision to this end was made in Thursdays government meeting, upon proposal by the Ministry of Communications. The ministry said in a press release that the 5G strategy for Romania had been the object of wider public debate, including proposals from industry and experts. In principle, Romania wants to launch such networks next year, with 5G coverage of all urban centres and the main roadways by 2025. It is estimated that this new technology will create over 250.000 jobs in Romania, with benefits amounting to 5 billion Euro.

EUROPEAN GAMES The 2nd edition of the European Games began in Minsk, Belarus on June 21st. Until June 30th, 4,000 athletes from 50 countries will compete in 15 sports. Romania is represented by 123 athletes. The results in athletics, badminton, cycling, judo, karate, table tennis, archery and shooting will count towards qualification in next years Olympic Games in Tokyo. In the first edition of the European Games, held in Baku in 2015, Romanias Olympic team won 12 medals: 3 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze.

HANDBALL Lots were drawn in Tokyo on Friday for the four groups of the Worlds Women Handball Championships due to unfold between November 30th and December 15th. Romanias national side has been included in Group C together with Hungary, Spain, Montenegro, Senegal and Kazakhstan. The top three sides in these groups will qualify for the two main groups of the competition. Japan, as a host country, France, the world defending champions, Romania, Russia and the Netherlands (thanks to their good results in the European Championships) have directly qualified for the final tournament.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

21 June 2019
June 4, 2019 UPDATE

REFERENDUM President Klaus Iohannis initiated consultations with parliamentary parties on implementing the outcome of the May 26 referendum on the judiciary. On Tuesday the head of state had talks with the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. The Liberals announced they support any other initiatives required for the decision expressed by citizens in the referendum to be put into practice. The Liberal leader Ludovic Orban believes public debates on the justice laws should be resumed. The Save Romania Union leader Dan Barna emphasised that the constitutional reform should be broader, and include additional aspects to the ones covered by the referendum. The head of the Union of Ethnic Hungarians, Kelemen Hunor, also supports amending the Constitution to ban emergency ordinances in this field. On Wednesday, the President will have meetings with the Peoples Movement Party, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the national minorities group and the Social Democratic Party. Over 80% of the participants in the justice referendum, held concurrently with the EP elections, agreed that corruption offences must no longer be subject to amnesty and pardon, and that the Government must no longer pass emergency orders in the justice field.

EU The PM of Romania Viorica Dăncilă had talks in Brussels on Tuesday with the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and first vice-president Frans Timmermans about the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU, which comes to an end within a month. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Government, Juncker thanked the Romanian official for the excellent work of the Romanian presidency, which closed over 100 dossiers, including the ones on the European Border Police and Coast Guard, the European Labour Authority, the Copyright Directive and the EU Gas Directive. The two EU officials also appreciated the Romanian Governments commitment not to move on with the controversial reforms in the judiciary and to resume dialogue under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. The outcome of the May 26 elections for the European Parliament was also discussed during the meeting.

AGRICULTURE The Romanian Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, chaired on Tuesday in Bucharest an informal meeting of the EU agriculture and fisheries ministers. Petre Daea told a press conference at the end of the meeting that research and bio-economy are key priorities in agriculture, because they enable EU farmers to meet the increasingly tough standards introduced by the Common Agricultural Policy, especially in terms of environment protection and climate. In turn, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan says the new CAP will earmark more money for small and medium farms in the EU, and the endorsement of a bio-economy strategy will help create around 1 million jobs in the next 10-12 years in the EU. On Monday in Bucharest Phil Hogan had a meeting with PM Viorica Dăncilă, the agenda including a legislative package aimed to reform the CAP as of 2020. According to Hogan, the European Commission has earmarked 10 billion euros for bio-economy and the development of natural resources for 2021 – 2027.

VISIT The US President Donald Trump, who is on a state visit to London, had talks with PM Theresa May on Tuesday. Trump promised that the UK may get a “phenomenal trade agreement with the US after Brexit, and praised Mays handling of the Brexit negotiations. On Monday the US President took part in a banquet at the Buckingham Palace, given by Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen emphasised the importance of the relations between the USA and Britain, and mentioned the cooperation during World War II, when British and American soldiers fought side by side to free Europe from the Nazis. The visit ends on Wednesday, with Donald Trump scheduled to attend a ceremony in Portsmouth to mark the D-Day landings, when on June 6, 1944, 160,000 British, American, French and other Allied troops landed in Nazi-occupied Normandy. Donald Trump will then fly to Ireland and France.

WEATHER Meteorologists have extended an alert for unstable weather and heavy rainfalls valid across the country until Thursday night. Thunderstorms and strong wind are also expected, and precipitation amounts will reach up to 25 l per square metre, and up to 50 l per square metre in some parts of the country.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

4 June 2019
3 May, 2019

Klaus
Iohannis. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis today attends as a guest of honour
the State of the Union conference organised by the European University
Institute in Florence. According to the president’s office, Iohannis will have
talks with the Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte on the sidelines of the
conference. The participation of the Romanian president in the State of the
Union conference is connected to Romania’s holding the presidency of the
Council of the European Union, the upcoming EU summit in Sibiu on the 9th
of May and the 10th anniversary of Romania’s signing the convention
on the establishment of the European University Institute in Florence. Now in
its 9th year, the conference this year discusses 21st
century democracy in Europe, with emphasis on the European electoral context.
European politicians, journalists, members of the academia and representatives
of civil society are debating topical issues related to the challenges facing
the Union.

Presidency. The Romanian economy minister Niculae Badalau today chairs
the informal meeting of the competitiveness council (internal market and
industry). Attending are the ministers of economy, industry, the internal
market and SMEs in the 28 EU member states plus two members of the European
Free Trade Association, Switzerland and Norway. The European Commission is
represented by the European commissioner for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs Elzbieta Bienkowska. The internal
market is the common responsibility of the European Commission and the member
states, and its consolidation is one of the sectoral priorities of the Romanian
presidency of the Council of the EU, according to the economy ministry in
Bucharest.

Press award. Journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who are currently
serving a 7-year prison sentence in Myanmar, share the Guillermo Cano World Press
Freedom Prize awarded by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation. The two were working for the Reuters news agency and
reporting on the repression of the Rohingya
Muslim community by Myanmar’s army. They were found guilty of violating the official secrets act and
sentenced on 3rd September 2018 to seven years in prison in Myanmar.
The United Nations and other human rights
organisations have accused the government in Myanmar of ethnic cleansing and
genocide against the Rohingya community. The Guillermo Cano award was
established in 1997 to reward journalists with notable contributions to the
defence and promotion of the freedom of the press. World Press Freedom Day is
celebrated on 3rd of May.

Press freedom. Recent threats against Romanian investigative reporters have no place in
a democratic, Western civilisation, writes a statement by the US embassy in
Bucharest on World Press Freedom Day. The American embassy expresses solidarity
with responsible
and brave Romanian reporters who resist pressures and threats in Bucharest as
well as in various counties. Media and judicial freedom are at the heart
of the NATO alliance, the American diplomats also say. The statement emphasises that a free press ensures citizens are more
informed and is a key component of democratic governance and economic success
for all countries. Recently, a journalist investigating cases of plagiarism at
the Police Academy has received threats, an incident the authorities are
looking into.

Prosecution.
The military prosecutors of the Romanian prosecutor
general’s office have expanded criminal investigations for several crimes,
including abuse of office, in connection to the violence that took place at an
anti-government protest on 10th August last year. Senior gendarmerie
officers and a state secretary in the interior ministry have been indicted in
this case. Prosecutors have received hundreds of criminal complains from
persons who suffered from the intervention of the gendarmes, which was deemed
disproportionate. A separate criminal investigation has been opened for
assault, after several gendarmes were wounded by violent protesters.

Unemployment. Romania’s unemployment rate in March stood at 3.8%, similar compared with
the previous month, while the number of persons without a job has dropped to 350,000, according to official statistics. The unemployment rate is 0.6%
higher among men compared with women.

3 May 2019