Radio România Internațional

Tag: Prosecutor General

  • December 27, 2018 UPDATE

    December 27, 2018 UPDATE

    DEFENCE The Supreme Defence Council convenes in Bucharest on Friday to review the request made by the Defence Minister, Gabriel Leş, regarding the filling of high-level vacancies in the Romanian Army, the Presidency announced. The Defence Minister had previously announced he would not extend Gen. Nicolae Ciucăs term in office as Chief of Staff, due to conclude on December 31st. The latest Supreme Defence Council meeting was held on December 19th, when the Armys procurement plan for 2019 – 2028 was approved, along with the forces and equipment that Romania will deploy next year for missions and operations abroad. 1902 Romanian troops will take part in international operations, which is 127 more than this year, while the Interior Ministry will contribute 759 troops and police to EU, OSCE, NATO and UN missions. Romania will continue to take part in NATOs Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan and will maintain its contribution to Allied operations in the Western Balkans. Also, for the first time, a transport and evacuation helicopter unit will participate in the UN mission in Mali.



    JUDICIARY The Prosecutor General of Romania, Augustin Lazar, says his dismissal as requested by the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader disregards the law and the EU recommendations, and is of a strictly political nature. Lazar argues that Minister Toaders statements and measures are liable to undermine the public confidence in the ability of the judicial system to perform its constitutional role. The Justice Minister had announced he would send President Klaus Iohannis the documents to complete Lazars removal from office, initiated in October. The head of state described the measure as a mistake, and the prosecutor section of the Higher Council of Magistracy did not agree with the dismissal. Lazar, accused by the Justice Minister of professional and managerial underperformance, filed a lawsuit against the decision, which is to be tried by the Supreme Court. The Opposition in Bucharest says that the attempt to dismiss Lazar, after this summer the National Anti-Corruption Directorate chief Laura Codruta Kovesi was also sacked, is a form of political retaliation and a move designed to hinder the fight against corruption.



    BORDER Border police from Romania and the Republic of Moldova will set up joint teams to monitor the common state line. The joint patrols will help improve cooperation in view of combating cross-border crime, the authorities of the 2 states explain. A protocol in this respect was signed on November 22nd in Bucharest, during a joint meeting of the 2 national governments. The Republic of Moldova has a similar agreement signed with its other neighbour, Ukraine.



    HANDBALL Romanias mens handball team is playing against the Czech Republic on Friday, in the semi-finals of the “4 Nations Cup held in Poland. In the other semi-final, the host country is facing Japan. On Saturday the 2 winners will play against each other, and so will the other 2 semi-finalists. After New Years the national team, coached by Spains Manuel Montoya and the Romanian Eliodor Voica will be on a training session in Slovakia, followed by a tournament with Croatia and Netherlands also taking part. The Romanians failed to qualify to the World Championship due in Germany and Denmark next month. The Romanian womens team however has already booked its ticket to next years World Championship in Japan, after finishing 4th in the European Championship in France this month.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 2, 2018 UPDATE

    November 2, 2018 UPDATE

    PRESIDENCY -The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, will have a meeting on November 14th in London with the British PM, Theresa May, at the latters invitation, official sources told AGERPRES news agency on Friday. On the same day, Klaus Iohannis will attend a reception at Buckingham Palace, in honour of Charles, Prince of Wales 70th birthday, at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.



    GOVERNMENT- The PM of Romania, Viorica Dăncilă, said in Varna on Friday, that at the 4-party meeting between Romanian, Bulgarian, Greek and Serbian officials she had underlined that more must be done for Europes energy security, especially by diversifying supply sources and stepping up the interconnection process. In the field of transport, she reiterated Romanias interest in the building of new motorways and bridges across the River Danube. Attending the meeting were the PMs of Bulgaria and Greece, Boiko Borisov and Alexis Tsipras, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Prior to the talks, Dǎncilǎ and her Israeli counterpart agreed on the organisation of an economic forum, ahead of the joint meeting of the 2 countries governments. PM Dăncilă presented to her Israeli counterpart the changes operated on the legislation regulating public-private partnerships, which have made the Romanian investment climate more attractive. The Romanian official also reconfirmed Romanias interest in strengthening and deepening relations with Israel in energy and cyber security, healthcare, research and innovation. The 2 prime ministers also discussed means of cooperation between Romania and Israel, in the context of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council as of January 2019.



    BUDGET -The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, which make up the ruling coalition in Romania, convened on Friday for talks on this years budget adjustment and on 2019 budgetary projections. Attending the meeting was also finance minister Eugen Teodorovici. The agenda also included plans for setting up a Sovereign Development and Investment Fund and the companies that should be part of this fund, personnel downsizing measures in certain ministries and governmental agencies, and a possible increase in minimum salaries as of December 1.



    EU FUNDING -The European Commissioner for regional development Corina Creţu reiterated that Bucharest has so far submitted no funding applications for any major project that could be financed by the European Commission, except for the M6 underground line which is currently being analysed. We are long past the deadlines Romania has set itself for applying for EU funds for regional hospitals, for 3 motorways, for the Braila bridge and for the Bucharest ring road, Corina Creţu says. In a social network post, the European Commissioner dismisses the accusations made against her after she had repeatedly warned that the EU fund absorption by the Romanian Government has slowed down. Darius Vâlcov, adviser to PM Viorica Dăncilă, claimed on Thursday that the funding provided by the EU only accounts for 10% of the costs of building a regional hospital, and that the balance must be supplied by the Romanian state.



    LABOUR- Switzerland will lift all labour market restrictions for Romanian workers in May next year. The announcement was made during a visit to Bucharest on Thursday by the president of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, who was received by President Klaus Iohannis. Alain Berset said, on the other hand, that Switzerland supports Bucharests bid for OECD membership, and that, although it is not an EU member, it will stand by Romania during the countrys presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019.



    PROSECUTOR GENERAL – Romanias Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazăr, has demanded in court the suspension of procedures to remove him from office, started by the Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader. Lazar had earlier filed a complaint at the Justice Ministry against the assessment report drafted by Tudorel Toader. On October 24, the line minister started the procedure to remove Romanias Prosecutor General from office, mentioning 20 points against Lazar, among which signing a secret protocol with the Romanian Intelligence Service in 2016 and hiding the truth about this protocol.



    DEFENCE –Romanian defence minister Mihai Fifor said on Friday that Romania has reached the objectives set for this year in terms of the Armys endowment. The official claims that from this point of view, and not only, Romania is one of NATOs trustworthy partners. Mihai Fifor has recalled that this is the second year in a row that the Romanian Government allots 2% of the GDP for defence. The line minister has also said the Romanian military are still present on theatres of operations, and are also dispatched to Poland, under a partnership within NATO.



    VETERINARY The Romanian Veterinary Board has organised a rally at the Government headquarters on Friday, in order to draw attention to the major problems facing this profession and jeopardising public health. Veterinary physicians demand the immediate amendment of the law regulating their profession, which must be brought in line with a ruling of the EU Court of Justice. Otherwise, the protesters warn, public health is at grave risk in Romania, where anybody may open a veterinary dispensary and sell medications, without the need for veterinary physician supervision, and anybody may purchase such medication and give it to animals.



    FARMING Hundreds of companies from 25 countries are taking part in Bucharest, until Sunday, in the international farming trade fair INDAGRA, the largest of this kind in Romania. As part of the trade fair, the Rural Investment Financing Agency has organised a national conference on “Rural Development: A fundamental element of economic competitiveness and cohesion at EU level. Taking part in the conference was the Minister for Agriculture and rural Development, Petre Daea. The participants discussed the elements supporting the transformation of Romanian agriculture and rural communities, so as to be able to contribute to the competitiveness of the national economy.



    PROTEST – Over 100 workers from the ArcelorMittal Hunedoara steelworks in south-western Romania protested on Friday against the delayed negotiations on pay-rises. The protesters claim that most of them will earn next year the national minimum wage, if the Government increases this wage. The president of the “Steelworker Trade Union, Petru Vaidoş, said the trade union will brief the ArcelorMittal European Enterprise Committee, that will convene in Luxembourg next week. This is the second protest started by the steelworkers from ArcelorMittal Hunedoara, after that organised on October 18. The company based in Hunedoara has some 700 employees. (Translated by AM Popescu and D. Vijeu)

  • Reactions after the Prosecutor General’s proposed revocation

    Reactions after the Prosecutor General’s proposed revocation

    The justice minister’s request for Prosecutor
    General Augustin Lazar to be removed from office is totally inadequate,
    Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said, calling once more on the Justice
    Minister to resign. Attempts are being made again to reinforce the idea that
    prosecutors are enemies of society, the head of state has pointed out. Iohannis
    has called on the magistrates not to lose trust in the Romanian society’s
    capacity to resist what he calls a new attack on the rule of law. Justice
    Minister Tudorel Toader on Wednesday initiated the procedure to remove Augustin
    Lazar from office, arguing that the latter has failed to observe his legal
    obligations.

    The 20 accusations leveled at the Prosecutor General range from disregarding
    the management project, to making
    public statements of a political nature. In turn, the Prosecutor General says that the
    Justice Minister’s accusations are ridiculous and exaggerated and are hiding
    vested interests. Lazar has given assurances that prosecutors will further do
    their job in keeping with the Constitution and the human rights. Appointed head
    of the Prosecutor General’s Office in 2016 for a three-year mandate, Augustin
    Lazar is seen by his supporters as the last opponent to the reform of the
    judiciary, undertaken by the left-of-center government but harshly criticized
    by Brussels, which fears that the independence of judges and the fight against
    corruption are put at risk.

    Asked by a Romanian private TV station for its
    opinion, the European Commission has compared Augustin Lazar’s situation with
    that of the former chief of the Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta
    Kovesi, whom President Iohannis had to dismiss in July, in keeping with a
    Constitutional Court’s decision, also at Tudorel Toader’s request. Over 1000
    magistrates are asking the Justice Minister to immediately abandon the
    procedure of dismissing the Prosecutor General.
    Such a procedure, which bypasses the opinion of the Superior Council of
    Magistracy, the hallmark of the independence of justice, as well as the Prosecutor
    General’s right to defense, has been fiercely criticized by the Venice
    Commission, the Groups of States Against Corruption (GRECO) and the European
    Commission, and is jeopardizing Romania’s position within the European Union
    and the Council of Europe and the very existence of the Romanian State, the
    Judges’ Forum has said. Analysts believe that after the Constitutional Court’s
    decision in the case of Laura Codruta Kovesi, President Iohannis has no legal instruments
    to block Augustin Lazar’s dismissal.

  • October 25, 2018

    October 25, 2018

    ARMY DAY — The Romanian Army Day is today celebrated by all garrisons in the country, in the countries where Bucharest has accredited military attaches and in all military bases and theatres of operations where Romanian military are dispatched. Also today, 633 Romanian military who fell in the line of duty in Stalingrad are reburied in the Romanian Memorial Cemetery in Rossoshka, in the Russian Federation. The earthy remains of 1,644 Romanian military who died in the line of duty in the toughest battle of the past century were entombed in this memorial cemetery, laid out in 2015. The Romanian Army Day is an important landmark, not only in the military traditions timetable, but also for the entire nation, Romanian defence minister, Mihai Fifor, has said. According to him, thanks to the ultimate sacrifice made by its heroes, Romania was among the independent states of Europe in the late 19th century, and the descendants of these brave people, made possible the creation of the Romanian unitary state, on December 1, 1918. Mihai Fifor has said the courage of those injured while on international missions or when carrying out actions across the country in the past two decades will never be forgotten.



    PROSECUTOR GENERAL — The prosecutors section of the Superior Council of Magistracy has announced that it will hear Romania’s Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazar, on November 13, before expressing an opinion on the decision made by the justice minister Tudorel Toader, to initiate the procedure to remove Lazar from office. The opinion issued by the Superior Council of Magistracy is only a consultative one, as the Prosecutor General is nominated and sacked by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. Toader is accusing Lazar mostly of failing to comply with his legal duties. Lazar says however that observing constitutional principles and values has always been the underlying principle of all the decisions he has made.



    NATO DRILLS — NATO is today carrying out in Norway the biggest military drills since the end of the Cold War. “Trident Juncture 18 will involve around 50,000 personnel from NATO Allies and partner countries, about 250 aircraft, 65 vessels and up to 10,000 vehicles. It takes place from Oct. 25 to Nov. 7 in central and eastern Norway, the surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, including Iceland and the airspace of Finland and Sweden”, Reuters reports. NATO Secretary General, Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, said the security climate has significantly deteriorated in Europe over the past few years. He said that Trident Juncture will send a clear message that NATO does not look for confrontation, but it is ready to defend all its allies from all threats. The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, criticized in early October what she called the sound of arms.



    BALLISTIC — The European countries which are hosting US missile systems will become Russia’s targets in the event of a war- Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned against the backdrop of the Trump Administration’s announcement to withdraw the US from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The White House leader claims Russia has violated the Treaty. In response, the Putin Administration has repeatedly said that the ballistic systems placed by the US in Europe, including Romania, are violations of the agreement.



    DST — Romania will revert to winter time on Saturday to Sunday night. Clocks will be shifted back, and 4.00 o’clock will become 3 o’clock, local time. Consequently October 28 will have 25 hours and will be the longest day of the year. The move is meant to balance the practice of setting the clocks forward 1 hour from standard time during the summer months, in order to make better use of natural daylight and reduce the consumption of electricity. The passenger division of the Romanian Railway Company, CFR Călători, has announced the train timetable will not be changed, following the clock shift. Considering that the shift is made simultaneously in all the neighboring countries on the same day, October 28, trains will be running according to the timetable between the border stations with the Republic of Moldova, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

  • Justice Minister wants the Prosecutor General dismissed

    Justice Minister wants the Prosecutor General dismissed

    To his supporters, Justice Minister Tudorel Toader has outstanding merits in putting an end to the abuse and human rights violations supposedly committed in courts and penitentiaries, and further to which Romania has lost countless cases at the European Court for Human Rights.



    To his opponents, however, he is the most efficient instrument used by the ruling coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, in its attempt to bring magistrates under political control and to hinder the fight against corruption.



    During Toaders term in office, the chiefs of the main prosecutors offices have been replaced one by one. After the head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, on Wednesday it was the Prosecutor Generals turn, as Toader announced he initiated the procedure to remove Augustin Lazar from office.



    In an activity assessment report, the Justice Minister accuses the Prosecutor General of generating constitutional conflicts between public authorities and of making public statements of a political nature, including unprecedented accusations that targeted public authorities, Parliament and the Government. The Prosecutor General failed to meet his stated objectives, challenged the justice laws after the constitutionality checks had been completed, broke the law by signing protocols with the intelligence services, thus paving the way for a parallel judicial system, Tudorel Toader also claims:



    Tudorel Toader: “The facts presented in this report, which are intolerable in a rule-of-law state, prove that Mr. Augustin Lazars managerial activity comes against his constitutional and legal obligations. Under these circumstances, his holding the leading position in the Public Ministry is no longer acceptable.



    In response, Augustin Lazar says the report includes exaggerations and that it is designed to destabilise the Public Ministry. He argues that freedom of expression must be used against any interference that threatens to affect the independence of prosecutors:



    Augustin Lazar: “All the decisions I have made, ever since I took over the Prosecutor General post, have relied on constitutional principles and values. In my capacity as Prosecutor General, I have also exercised my obligation to stand up publicly, to present the views of the institution, in response to many unwarranted attacks against the judicial system.



    The request to remove Augustin Lazar from office has been submitted to the Higher Council of Magistracy for a consultative opinion, and to President Klaus Iohannis, who has the authority to appoint and dismiss chief prosecutors.



    The Social Democrat Florin Iordache, a former justice minister, says the assessment presented by Toader includes enough examples of regulation breaches for Lazar to be dismissed. The right-of-centre opposition, however, believes the procedure to remove the Prosecutor General is just an attack against the independence of the judiciary.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • October 24, 2018 UPDATE

    October 24, 2018 UPDATE

    DISMISSAL The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, Wednesday initiated the procedure to remove from office the Prosecutor General of Romania Augustin Lazar, whom he accuses of exceeding his duties. Toader presented an assessment of Lazars managerial performance, in which he criticises the latter, among other things, for having overlooked crisis situations, for generating conflicts of a constitutional nature and for making political statements containing unprecedented accusations targeting public authorities, the legislative bodies and the government. Toader announced that he would submit the assessment report and the proposal to dismiss the Prosecutor General to the Prosecutors Section of the Higher Council of Magistrates for an official opinion, and to the President of Romania for a decision in line with his powers. In February the Justice Minister also requested the removal from office of the head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, accused of overstepping her powers. The head of state did not agree with the request, but the Constitutional Court found that a constitutional conflict between Presidency and Government had emerged, and issued a ruling forcing the President to remove Kovesi from office in July.



    CONSULTATIONS President Klaus Iohannis Wednesday held talks with Romanian parliamentary parties on the justice laws recently modified by the governing coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, but fiercely criticized by the opposition and civil society. Ahead of the talks, the President had said the justice laws had to be rethought, modernised and improved, and that the law-making cycle should be resumed. The Social Democratic Party disagrees with resuming the legislation process for the justice laws because a Government order has been submitted to Parliament in this respect, the party president Liviu Dragnea said at the end of the consultations with the head of state. Calin Popescu Tariceanu, president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, in power, said that consensus on the justice laws was necessary, but so were a set of shared assumptions, such as the need to end the abuse in the judiciary perpetrated under the secret protocols. The National Liberal Party, in the opposition, has voiced support for the resumption of parliamentary debates on the justice laws, as suggested by the head of state. Also in opposition, the leader of Save Romania Union, Dan Barna believes the Presidency could be a good mediation platform for debates between magistrates, politicians, civil society and the citizens of Romania who want the judiciary to remain independent and effective. The Peoples Movement Party, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the group of ethnic minorities also took part in the consultations with President Klaus Iohannis. Last week, the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe consultative body for the judicial sector, said in a report that the changes to the justice laws and Criminal Codes are undermining the fight against corruption and organised crime.



    LAW – The Romanian Chamber of Deputies Wednesday endorsed the Offshore Bill, after the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats reached an agreement on it last week. In early August, President Klaus Iohannis did not sign the bill into law and sent it back to Parliament for a review. What is at stake is, first and foremost, the profit that Romania will make from natural gas extraction in the Black Sea. Under the new bill, 50% of the natural gas output will be traded on the Romanian exchange, and the investments made by operators will be deducted from the tax on additional incomes up to a 30% ceiling. The Opposition argues that once again the bill has been passed without exact data and impact analyses regarding the use of the natural gas in the domestic market.



    3-PARTY MEETING President Klaus Iohannis will take part next week in Vienna in a 3-party meeting with the heads of state of Bulgaria and Austria. According to the Presidency, the meeting is aimed at ensuring the continuity of the 3 presidencies of the EU Council. In his talks with Rumen Radev and Alexander Van der Bellen, Klaus Iohannis will emphasise Romanias interest in working together with Bulgaria and Austria to meet the shared goal of promoting the European agenda, to the best interest of the EU citizens. During its presidential term, Romania will focus on promoting a pragmatic approach and feasible objectives, so that European citizens may benefit from concrete results. Romania will hold the rotating presidency of the European Union Council between January 1 and June 30, 2019.



    DEFENCE – The Romanian Government has earmarked 2% of the GDP for defense, for the second consecutive year, and it will keep doing so at least until 2026, Romanian Defence Minister Mihai Fifor said in Bucharest on Wednesday. He also said that this amount allows for one of the most solid army modernisation and development processes in NATOs eastern flank. Minister Fifor has announced that on Thursday, October 25, on the Romanian Army Day, ceremonies will be held in memory of the Romanian heroes who died for the country. A Romanian military delegation will take part on Thursday in the funeral ceremonies for 633 Romanian troops, to be re-buried in the Romanian Honorary Cemetery in Rossoshka, Volvograd region, in the Russian Federation. October 25th was also the birthday of Romanias former sovereign, Michael I who died in 2017 aged 96.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 28, 2018 UPDATE

    August 28, 2018 UPDATE

    JUDICIARY – The US government does not comment on the opinions or conclusions of private US citizens, the spokesperson of the US embassy in Bucharest, Donald Carroll said today. In a comment to Agerpress news agency, he emphasised that until recently, Romania had shown remarkable progress in combating corruption and building an efficient rule of law. This reaction comes after Rudolph Giuliani, a former district attorney and mayor of New York and currently part of Donald Trump’s legal team, sent a letter to president Klaus Iohannis and other Romanian officials recommending the assessment of the protocols between the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Romanian Intelligence Service and calling for an end to what he described as pressure on the judges. The General Prosecutor’s Office said that in December 2016, it signed two perfectly legal collaboration protocols with the Romanian Intelligence Service which were in place for three months. One of them was of a public nature and was concerned with the conditions to access technical systems of the National Centre for the Interception of Communications, while a second, secret, protocol, dealt with cooperation for crimes against national security, namely terrorism and crimes committed by military staff of the Romanian Intelligence Service. Against the backdrop of these debates, the justice minister Tudorel Toader recently announced he would begin an evaluation of the managerial activity of the prosecutor general, Augustin Lazar. On Tuesday, Toader added that the decision to assess the work of the prosecutor general did not rely exclusively on recent circumstances, but added that protocols between judicial institutions and intelligence services are “unnatural in a country governed by the law.



    SWINE FEVER – The largest pig farm in Romania and the second largest in Europe, located in Braila County, south-eastern Romania, Tuesday initiated the slaughtering of all its 140,000 animals, because of the African swine fever virus. A similar operation is under way in another farm in the same county, where some 35,000 animals are being killed. The Agriculture Minister Petrea Daea said on Tuesday that all the farmers who have incurred damages because of the swine fever will receive compensations, after the forthcoming budget adjustment. He added that Romania will receive funding from the European Commission to fight the epidemics. Daea also explained that he requested support from experts from other European countries having faced this situation. One-quarter of Romanias counties are affected by the African swine fever epidemic, with over 700 hotbeds identified by authorities in the south-east and north-west of the country. The authorities estimate that around 300,000 animals will be killed.



    AMBASSADOR – Brexit will not have a negative impact on Londons relations with Bucharest or on the life of the Romanians who work in the UK, said the new British Ambassador to Bucharest, Andrew Noble. In his first press conference, he said Britain and Romania are working on a new strategic partnership, able to respond to the current concerns. The British official returned to Romania after nearly 30 years. According to Radio Romania Current Affairs, between 1983 and 1986 Andrew Noble worked as a secretary in the British Embassy in Bucharest.



    EMERGENCY NUMBER – Romanias National System for the 112 Single Emergency Number will be modernised using non-reimbursable European funds. The Romanian Minister for European Funds Rovana Plumb and the head of the Special Telecommunications Service Ionel-Sorinel Vasilca Tuesday signed a financing contract for the amount of 47.6 million euros. The project will be implemented in 36 months and consists in the upgrading of hardware and software components to ensure a quicker response of emergency agencies to citizens calls. Special telecoms experts will improve the precision of call tracing, will ease the access of people with disabilities, and the waiting time will be reduced by 5 seconds, to 54 seconds. Rovana Plumb said that during its 13 years of operation, the 112 emergency telephone number received more than 64 million calls.



    MOLDOVA – The Romanian Foreign Ministry is monitoring with close attention and concern the situation at Romanias border with the Republic of Moldova and, in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation that defines the relationship between the two countries, it requested explanations as to why some Romanian citizens were denied access to the country. A news release issued by the Foreign Ministry mentions that the Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Bucharest was invited for additional clarifications. Also, the Romanian Embassy to Chisinau took measures to ensure that the rights of Romanian citizens are respected, as is normal for a country associated to the EU and for a strategic partner of Romania. The Foreign Ministry adds that the Moldovan border police Monday sent back from Albita checkpoint a group of Romanians taking part in the Union March, on grounds that they have disturbed public order in the border area.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 27, 2018 UPDATE

    August 27, 2018 UPDATE

    Diplomats’ meeting — Bucharest is hosting, as of Monday, the annual meeting of the Romanian diplomats, under the motto Diplomacy — a pillar of Centennial Romania”. On the occasion, the Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu stated that the Romanian diplomacy should remain a fundamental bond in society. He said that Romania’s modernization was possible thanks to the consensus of the entire political class over the objectives of Romania’s integration into NATO and the EU. Romania has reached its historic objectives and is now benefiting from an unprecedented level of security and prosperity, minister Melescanu added. The special guest of the meeting is the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. Also attending the meeting are, among others, the Romanian Minister delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu and representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited to Bucharest. The main issues under discussion are Romania’s future mandate as president of the EU Council, bilateral and strategic relations, regional cooperation, the Eastern neighborhood, the UN and the economic diplomacy. The diplomats’ meeting will come to an end on Wednesday.



    Prosecutor’s Office — Romania’s Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar on Monday said that the manipulation of the public opinion is frequently used to destabilize the activity of prosecutors. He added that the Public Ministry’s actions were all transparent and took place in the spirit of truth. Augustin Lazar also said that the justice system and the rule of law are currently going though difficult times and made public the correspondence the Public Ministry had with the Justice Ministry and the Superior Council of Magistracy on the issue of the protocols concluded with the Romanian Intelligence Service. He made these statements after on Saturday the justice minister Tudorel Toader announced the start of procedures for the assessment of the prosecutor general’s managerial activity in the context of the protocols concluded with SRI. Previously, the General Prosecutor’s Office had informed that in December 2016 it had concluded two cooperation protocols with SRI that were in force for only 3 months. One of them was made public and set the conditions for access to the technical systems belonging to the National Centre for Interception of Communications, while the other, which was classified, was related to cooperation regarding crimes against national security, terrorism as well as crimes made by the military staff within the Intelligence Service.



    Paris — The French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday announced in Paris that, in the coming months, he would present a project for the consolidation of security in Europe, which can no longer rely on the US alone. He said he wanted to launch a new dialogue, mainly with Russia, on several topics, among which cyber security, chemical weapons, conventional weapons, territorial conflicts and space security. The European security and defense architecture needs to be reconsidered, Macron also said in his speech delivered on the occasion of the annual conference of French ambassadors. (news update by L. Simion)

  • April 2, 2018 UPDATE

    April 2, 2018 UPDATE

    Prosecution — Romania’s Prosecutor General Augustin Lazăr on Monday conveyed to the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis a request for completing the criminal prosecution in the Revolution Case, which investigates the events that led to the collapse of the Communist regime in December 1989. In the Revolution Case, the highest-ranking officials of the leftist power that took power immediately after the fall of Communism, namely Ion Iliescu, a former president, Petre Roman, a former prime minister, and Gelu Voican Voiculescu, a former deputy prime minister, are accused of crimes against humanity. According to prosecutors, the armed incidents that took place after December 22 in many localities across Romania show that they were prepared in advance, according to a well-established plan, aimed at giving the power to the new leaders and legitimizing them. We recall that the European Court of Human Rights condemned Romania for postponing a resolution in the Revolution Case. According to the Court, the importance of this case for the Romanian society should have motivated the authorities to solve the case urgently. According to official statistics in December 1989 over 1,100 people were killed and as many as 3 thousand were wounded.



    EU Funds — The Romanian Minister for European Funds Rovana Plumb announced Monday that Romania attracted almost 47 billion Euros worth of European funds in 10 years of EU membership. According to Minister Plumb in the current funding program Romania intends to have an absorption rate of 100% by 2023. Rovana Plumb added that in April several calls for projects would be made, including projects related to the continuation of support for big companies.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is the leader of the WTA world classification made public on Monday, with more than 1,300 points ahead of the 2nd ranked player Danish Caroline Wozniacki. All in all, Simona Halep has been the leader of the WTA ranking for 21 weeks. The other 5 Romanian tennis players in the Top 100 are Sorana Cîrstea, 34th in the WTA classification, Irina Begu ranked 38th, Mihaela Buzărnescu on 39th position, Monica Niculescu ranked 65th and Ana Bogdan on 90th position. (news updated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • March 1, 2017

    March 1, 2017

    BUDGET DEFICIT — The difference between the estimates made by the European Commission and those made by the Romanian Government on the country’s budget deficit in 2017 is the result of applying different estimation methodologies, the Romanian Finance ministry writes in a communiqué. The line ministry has given assurances that the Romanian authorities have assumed responsibility for a governing program which will observe the 3% budget deficit target. The communiqué has been issued shortly after the European Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Pierre Moscovici sent a letter to the Romanian Finance Ministry, following the European Commission’s issuing country reports on the economic and social situation of the member states. According to the winter economic forecast made public in mid February, the public deficit in Romania might reach 3.6% of the GDP in 2017, as compared to 3.2%, the figure estimated in autumn, to go up to 3.9% of the GDP in 2018.



    PROSECUTOR GENERAL — The Higher Council of Magistracy has decided not to start disciplinary investigation against Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar and not to check out in what conditions the National Anti-Corruption Directorate decided to investigate the way in which the controversial emergency decree no.13 was drafted. The emergency government decree amending the criminal law was later repealed by the government and rescinded by Parliament. According to Lazar, the decision by the Higher Council of Magistracy is tantamount to a vote of confidence in the Prosecutor General and comes as a proof that the judiciary is independent. He said the investigation on the way in which the government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats issued the emergency decree will continue even after the Constitutional Court’s issuing a ruling on the matter. On Monday, the Court noticed the existence of a legal conflict between the state powers generated by the fact that the National Anti-Corruption Directorate reportedly assumed prerogatives to check on the opportunity and legality of issuing the ordinance, prerogatives which belong only to Parliament and the Constitutional Court. The Court has said however that investigation into possible direct criminal acts is possible. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate, which sent the file to the General Prosecutor’s Office, has law infringement suspicions in this case, such as aiding the offender, destroying documentary evidence and the ill-intended presentation of imprecise data.



    WASHINGTON — In his first speech before Congress, the US President Donald Trump said he supports NATO but he underlined that the partners should meet their financial obligations. Donald Trump said his mission is not to represent the world, but the United States of America, which will further defend the vital security interests that it shares with its allies around the world. Accordign to Radio Romania’s correspondent to Washington, Trump approached issues that he also mentioned last year, promising he will make America great again, will create millions of jobs and that American citizens will be protected from illegal migrants and Islamic terrorism.



    THE FUTURE OF THE EU — The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, is today presenting the MEPs with his vision of the EU’s future after Brexit. The document, the so-called “white charter” is to include four or five options regarding the EU’s development. One of the ideas that have been taken into account is that some of the member states should develop together faster, without forcing the rest of the community bloc to follow the same pace. This idea has raised concern in the East, including Romania.



    LABOUR — The Romanian Labour Ministry has today announced that the minimum guaranteed social pension has been increased, as of March 1, from some 90 Euros to 115 Euros. Over one million pensioners will benefit from this. The measure will have a budgetary impact of over 225 million Euros, data released by the Fiscal Council show. In exchange, a series of fiscal measures which should have been taken effect today, have been postponed. These include zero VAT for advertising and for selling dwellings whose market values is less than 100,000 Euros. A VAT cut for raw materials and services provided in agriculture is no longer enforced and healthcare employees will not receive a series of payment bonuses.



    FUEL PRICE — The Competition Council in Romania has started a sectoral investigation on the fuel market, to see why their price has exceeded the EU average price. The president of the Competition Council, Bogdan Chiritoiu, says the evolution of prices is surprising and clarifications should be made to see whether there are legislation-related problems, if there are errors made by the Romanian state, or problems caused by the conduct of companies, which might lead to sanctions. Romania is among the few countries in Europe which extract oil, boasts big refining capacities and exports fuels to the neighbouring countries. In exchange, on the Romanian market, the price of gas and diesel exceeds the EU average, although the extra excise duty on fuel was eliminated at the start of the year, and the VAT has been cut.



    FOOTBALL — The best known Romanian football teams, Steaua and Dinamo, both based in Bucharest, are today playing each other in the second round of the League Cup semi-finals, a competition destined exclusively for the teams playing in the first division. In the first round, Dinamo defeated Steaua 4-1 on home turf. On Tuesday, ACS Poli Timisoara (in the west, outperformed ASA Targu Mures ( in the centre), 3-1, in the second round of the other semi-final and secured qualification to the finals. Timisoara also won the first round match, 4-2.



    SPRING CELEBRATION — The Romanians are today celebrating the “martisor”, a symbol of spring. Small amulets, tied to a white and red thread are offered to the beloved ones. The word “martisor” is of Latin origin and is the popular name given to the month of March. According to the old Roman calendar, March 1 was the first day of the year, when the God Mars was celebrated. Martisor is a tradition kept in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and the neighbouring regions inhabited by Romanians and Aromanians. Similar customs are also observed in Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia. (translated by D. Vijeu)

  • February 3, 2017 UPDATE

    February 3, 2017 UPDATE

    EMERGENCY ORDINANCE— Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis will address Parliament on the 7th of February on the subject of the government’s changes to criminal laws and the events sparked as a result. The president challenged the government’s move at the Constitutional Court invoking a legal conflict of a constitutional nature between the Government, on the one hand, and the judiciary and Parliament, on the other. After the Superior Council of Magistracy and the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ombudsman is now also contesting the government ordinance. In turn, Romania’s Prosecutor General will challenge the ordinance in court. On Tuesday night, the government passed a bill on prison pardon and issued an emergency ordinance to amend the criminal codes. Tens of thousands of people again took to the streets on Friday for the fourth day in a row to protest against the government’s decree that would partly decriminalise some forms of corruption. Despite unanimous condemnation by the country’s judicial institutions, the Social Democratic government has decided to go ahead with the changes. The Social Democratic Party on Thursday reaffirmed its support for Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu. The leader of the party Liviu Dragnea says a disinformation campaign is being waged on the subject and believes that any attempt to undermine the activity of the government is in fact an attempt to destabilise the rule of law.



    BUDGET — Parliament’s specialist committees on Friday debated the 2017 budget bill, greenlighting most of the budget allocations to state institutions and ministries. Finance Minister Viorel Stefan said the budget observes the main guidelines, such as cutting the VAT from 20% to 19% or eliminating the income tax for pensions lower or equal to 2,000 lei. This year’s budget is based on a 5.2% economic growth rate and a deficit of maximum 3% and will allow Romania to comply with its commitments to allocate 2% of its GDP to the defence ministry. The government expects an inflation rate under 1.4% and an unemployment rate of 4.3%. On the other hand, the opposition claims the revenue forecast underling the bill is hyped.



    SUMMIT — Heads of state and Government adopted new measures to stop the flow of migrants into the EU at Friday’s informal meeting of the EU Council where Romania was represented by its president Klaus Iohannis. The 28 EU leaders discussed in particular the migration from Libya and the central Mediterranean routes. Attending the summit, Klaus Iohannis stressed the importance to tackle the root causes of migration and to support the countries receiving the highest number of arrivals. Another topic was EU-US relations. European Council President Donald Tusk said relations remain an absolute priority for the EU, as one of the major pillars of the free world. In turn, Klaus Iohannis said Romania favors a strong EU-US relationship, pointing out that the Strategic Partnership with the US is vital for Romania.



    REACTION — The United States has expressed its deep concern with the Romanian Government’s recent measures undermining the rule of law and curbing accountability for financial and corruption offences, Spokesperson of the US State Department Mark Toner told Radio Romania. The US official said that by withdrawing the ordinance, the Government can support Romania’s credibility at international level, keeping it on track towards investment and economic growth. The US official said the United States is committed to supporting Romania in its efforts to consolidate the rule of law and to combat corruption.



    ARREST — The Romanian Intelligence Service has confirmed the arrest of a Romanian national in Germany, suspected of planning a terrorist attack in this country. The Romanian Intelligence Service said it contributed important information to the investigation carried out by their German partners, which led to the arrest of the Romanian citizen. According to the Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe, the 21-year-old Romanian was detained on Frankfurt Airport. He is suspected of being tied to an Islamist organization and of having been exchanging online message with various people with a view to staging a terrorist attack in Germany. The man was getting ready to travel to Romania and was arrested on Thursday. The Baden-Wurttemberg Police has searched the man’s home in the Heidelberg region and seized digital data and documents.



    TENNIS — Romania and Belarus are tied 1-all after day 1 of the Davis Cup match counting towards Group 1 of the Europe-Africa zone. Adrian Ungur, 313 ATP, defeated Ilya Ivashka, 175 ATP, while Marius Copil, 129 ATP, lost to Egor Gerasimov, 341 ATP. In the doubles, Horia Tecau and Nicolae Frunza on Saturday face Max Mirnyi and Egor Gerasimov. In the final single matches on Sunday, Romania’s Marius Copil faces Ilya Ivashka, while Adrian Ungur plays against Egor Gerasimov. In other news from tennis, Romania’s highest ranked player in the women’s ranking, world no. 4 Simona Halep, who was due to play Russia’s Natalia Vikhlyantseva in the quarterfinals, has withdrawn from the Saint Petersburg tournament worth more than 700,000 dollars in prize money due to a knee injury. (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • The Week in Review 24-30.04.2016

    The Week in Review 24-30.04.2016

    Local Elections in Romania

    May 1 is the deadline for challenging the candidacies for the June 5 local elections in Romania. Political parties, election alliances, ethnic minority organisations and independent runners had until Tuesday to submit their candidacies. After May 4 the lists of candidates will remain final, and the election campaign is scheduled to start on May 6 and end on June 4. This is for the third time in post-communist Romania that elections are organised by a Cabinet of non-affiliated experts, after the governments headed by Theodor Stolojan in 1991-1992 and Mugur Isarescu in 1999-2000.

    Augustin Lazar – the New Prosecutor General of Romania


    President Klaus Iohannis approved the appointment of Augustin Lazar as Prosecutor General of Romania. Previously endorsed by the Higher Council of Magistrates, the nomination had been sent to the head of state by the Justice Minister, Raluca Pruna. Augustin Lazar said his priorities included fighting crime in vulnerable fields, curbing corruption in local administration, furthering investigations into money laundering, tax evasion and crimes against humanity, as well as the investigation into the circumstances of the anti-communist Revolution of 1989.

    Talks at the Labour Ministry


    The Romanian Labour Ministry this week had talks with trade union representatives regarding a new government order on salaries in the public sector. The new line minister, Dragos Pislaru, said the authorities were working on several versions of the document, whose core principle is to do away with imbalances in the system. The representatives of major union federations demanded that all public sector salaries be raised, instead of only the smaller ones, as the Government intends, and warned that otherwise protests would be organised. According to Pislaru, the order might be finalised by May 15. The text will be subject to public debate for two weeks, and might be passed by the Government on June 1. Six months before general elections is the deadline by which any government order can be endorsed in Romania.

    US Fighters in Bucharest


    US F-22 Raptor fighter jets, considered the most advanced in the world and invincible in air-to-air combat missions, have landed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base close to the city of Constanta, in South- Eastern Romania, for the first time in South-Eastern Europe, as part of the Operation Atlantic Resolve. The operation was drawn up by the USA after the conflict had broken out in Ukraine in 2014, with a view to protecting the states on NATOs Eastern flank. F22 Raptor aircraft are fifth-generation, all-weather stealth aircraft, with a speed that can reach two times the speed of sound. Such an aircraft costs 143 million dollars, has a range of 3,000 km and the capacity of fighting even anti-aircraft defence systems. On a visit to Bucharest, where he met with president Klaus Iohannis and Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc, the NATO deputy secretary general Alexander Vershbow commended Romanias active role within the Alliance, pinpointing the significant participation of the Romanian armed forces in the efforts to prevent and combat security risks and challenges. On the day when the two American F-22 Raptor fighter jets landed in Romania, US president Barrack Obama insisted in Hanover on the need for NATO to support its front-line allies, namely Poland, Romania, and the Baltic countries, which are the most exposed to the tensions generated by Russia.




    6 months since the Colectiv tragedy



    Half a year since the devastating fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, the case has finally reached the court. 139 people, 11 hospitals and 5 institutions have claimed damages in the case. The owners of the club and representatives of the company that organised the fire show, more precisely the owner, the manager and the employee who set up the fireworks show, are charged with manslaughter and bodily harm arising out of negligence. They are also accused of failing to take the necessary health and safety measures. Also on trial are two legal entities, the firm that owns the club and the fireworks company. According to prosecutors, the fire extinguishers had long expired and the materials used to renovate the club were not fireproof. The fire burnt at temperatures of up to 900 degrees centigrade and reached the ceiling in 33 seconds. 64 people died in the fire, and over 100 were injured.

  • April 21, 2016

    April 21, 2016

    Romania is staunchly supporting the
    sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Romanian
    president Klaus Iohannis has today said in Bucharest at the end of his meeting
    with Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. The Romanian official has also said
    that Bucharest supports Kiev in the process of implementing the domestic
    reforms needed in the EU-association programme. The Ukrainian president is
    expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos and with Valeriu
    Zgonea, president of the Chamber of Deputies. We recall that last year president Iohannis went on
    an official visit to Kiev where he voiced support for Ukraine’s coming closer
    to the EU. On that occasion president Iohannis said he agreed with Poroshenko that
    the two states provide more support to the communities of Romanians living in
    Ukraine and to the communities of Ukrainians living in Romania.








    This weekend Romania will be seeing a series of events devoted to
    the Ground Forces Day, whose spiritual patron is Saint George. This day is
    celebrated every year on April 23rd. A series of exhibitions,
    documentary films, military ceremonies or shows will be presented in army units
    and centers all over Romania as well as among its troops deployed to
    Afghanistan. The events are to end on the night of April 23rd, when
    troops will return to their barracks carrying torches.








    Augustin Lazar, a prosecutor proposed by the Justice Minister for
    the position of Romania’s prosecutor general, has today been unanimously
    endorsed by the Higher Council of Magistrates, CSM. His priorities include the
    fight against crime in vulnerable sectors, the fight against corruption in
    local administration, stepping up investigations in cases of money laundering
    and tax evasion as well as in those involving crimes against humanity, such as
    the file of the anti-communist Revolution of 1989. The prosecutor general is
    appointed by the Romanian president, upon a proposal from the Justice minister
    with CSM approval. The prosecutor general has a three-year mandate and is
    allowed only two mandates.








    French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has announced that his country
    will be keeping the terror-threat level high during the European Football
    Championship over June 10th and July 10th. 2.5 million
    spectators are expected to attend the tournament’s 51 games. France is on high
    terror alert after the November attacks, which left 130 dead in Paris. At that
    time terrorists tried to enter Stade de France, the stadium, which will be
    seeing the opening game pitching Romania against France. 1200 security agents
    will be permanently deployed to the stadium, while 900 security agents, 200
    volunteers and 80 doctors are to be deployed to the other stadiums hosting
    games during this edition of the European Football Championship.







  • April 1, 2016 UPDATE

    April 1, 2016 UPDATE

    NUCLEAR SECURITY – US President Barack Obama on Friday warned that the nuclear terrorist threat by jihadist groups continues to loom over the international community, despite global counteraction. In the opening of the nuclear summit in Washington, Obama said that although the risk has been significantly lowered, nuclear terrorism continues to evolve. Terrorist will find it harder and harder to obtain nuclear material, much owing to a key treaty ratified in over 102 states. Representing Romania in Washington was president Klaus Iohannis.



    NOMINATION — Romanian Justice Minister on Friday nominated Augustin Lazar for the position of Prosecutor General of the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The proposal has been submitted to the Superior Council of Magistracy. Under the law, the Romanian President appoints the Prosecutor General, after being proposed by the Justice Minister and green-lighted by the Superior Council of Magistracy. Augustin Lazar is at present Prosecutor General with the Alba Iulia Prosecutor’s Office. The office of prosecutor general has been left vacant after Tiberiu Nitu resigned on February 2, 4 months before his mandate expired, against the backdrop of an investigation into the illegal use of motorcades.



    PROTEST – Family doctors in Romania are protesting again, unhappy with the fact that medical services cannot be reimbursed, as the framework agreement with the National Health Insurance Agency was not extended. Doctors have announced they will not issue any subsidised prescriptions and medical letters. They are unhappy with the under funding of their sector and with the fact that they are forced to pay from their own pockets the errors produced by the health card. Doctors threaten that if their claims are not solved, within 10 days they will start a warning strike. Last week, family doctors picketed the headquarters of the Health Ministry.



    ELECTIONS IN MOLDOVA — Presidential elections will be held on October 30 in the Republic of Moldova under a draft law voted on Friday by the Moldovan Parliament. The election campaign will start on July 30. The mandate of the current head of state, Nicolae Timofti will expire on March 23, but he will remain interim president until the elections. The next president will be voted directly by Moldovan citizens, after the Constitutional Court last month nulified a 2000 provision stipulating that Parliament must elect the head of state.



    COMMEMORATION — The village of Fantana Alba in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, paid an homage to the victims of the April 1, 1941 massacre, when over 2,000 Romanians were executed by Soviet troops for wanting to take refuge in Northern Bukovina, in Romania at the time. Attending the event, Minister Delegate for Romanians Worldwide Dan Stoenescu said this painful moment would linger in the collective memory of Romanians and Ukrainians. Stoenescu went on to say that history decided that important communities of the two countries shoud live on both sides of the border. Dan Stoenescu said it was the duty of Romania and Ukraine to work together to create the premises of a good cohabitation, respect and trust, contributing to the much-needed increase of stability in this part of Europe.



    INVESTIGATION — A criminal investigation was opened in Bucharest after two Muslim young girls wearing the Islamic veil were assaulted on a street in District 2. According to the local police, the young women, aged 16 and 18, were assaulted by a group of five unknown individuals, who pulled off their veils and physically assaulted them. The victims didn’t need medical care and didn’t file a complaint, but the police have referred the matter to itself. Romania is home to over 65,000 Muslim people, most of whom are of Tartar and Turkish origin.



    CURRENCY – In January — March 2016, Romania’s national currency, the leu, managed to appreciate against 13 currencies out of the 16 most important in the region, but also against the Euro, the USD and the Swiss Franc. The Romanian currency thus registered its best January — March period in the last years. Euro lost 1.1% to the leu, from 4.52 lei, the reference rate established by the National Bank of Romania in its last session in December 2015, to 4.47 lei, as set on Thursday. The USD lost 5% to the leu in the first quarter of the year, after depreciated against the EU against the background of cautious expectations regarding the monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve, the most powerful central bank in the world.



    TURKEY – The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, currently on a visit to Washington, has made an appeal to the European countries to support his government’s fight against the Kurdish separatists. On Thursday, Turkey was hit again by a suicide attack, the third in less than three weeks, claimed by the PKK. A car bomb exploded in the town of Diyarbakir, in the south-east, killing 70 policemen and wounding 27 people, half of them also policemen.