Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian Parliament

February 1, 2023

Parliament. The Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies are today holding the first parliamentary session this year. The agenda includes the most important bills with regard to the deadlines assumed under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The leaders of the main parties in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, have announced, as legislative priorities, those on education and the reform of special pensions. The Liberals are also particularly interested in increasing the threshold from which pensions are taxed and a bill to merge the local elections with the parliamentary ones, in 2024. In May, according to the coalitions protocol, the rotation of premiers between the Liberals and the Social Democrats will take place. The Social Democrats have announced that they are working on a new government program, and the Social Democrat president, Marcel Ciolacu, who will take over the position of prime minister in this case, set forth the idea of reducing labor taxation and overtaxing companies with very high incomes. From the opposition, the Save Romania Union has announced that it will initiate, on the first day of the parliamentary session, a new simple motion against the Minister of the Interior, Lucian Bode, against the background of accusations of plagiarism regarding his doctoral thesis.

Visit. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, will pay an official visit to Baku, Azerbaijan, on February 2-3, at the invitation of his counterpart, Ilham Aliyev. The two presidents will open the Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council. The visit of the head of the Romanian state takes place in continuation of the very good talks held with the Azerbaijani president, in Bucharest, in December 2022, on the occasion of their participation in the signing ceremony of the Agreement between the Governments of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary regarding the Strategic Partnership in the field of green energy development and transport . In Baku, the state of implementation of regional interconnection projects such as the submarine electricity transmission cable will be assessed and the initiation of similar projects in the digital field will be addressed. Azerbaijan is the first country in the South Caucasus region with which Romania raised bilateral relations to the level of Strategic Partnership in 2009.

Corruption. The Bucharest Tribunal has rejected the National Anticorruption Directorates request for a 30 day custody for the Romarm director Gabriel Ţuţu and Alexandru Piţurcă, the son of the former coach of the Romanian national football team, Victor Piţurcă, in the case related to the purchase of non-compliant protective masks for the Ministry of Defense. The two will be placed under legal restrictions pending trial. Alexandru Piţurcă was detained for 24 hours on Tuesday, being accused of influence peddling, while Gabriel Ţuţu was also detained for a day. In the same case, Victor Piţurcă is also being investigated under legal restrictions for influence peddling. According to the Anticorruption Directorate, against the backdrop of the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, between March 2020 and September 2021, Gabriel Ţuţu, as general manager of Romarm, a state-owned company and the main supplier of defense technology, allegedly concluded with an association of companies, of which one was controlled by Alexandru Piţurcă, under disadvantageous conditions for the company he was running, two public procurement contracts for the purchase of non-compliant equipment for the production of protective masks. Gabriel Ţuţu allegedly received the bribe through an intermediary in the amount of 50,000 lei, the equivalent of 10 thousand euros.

Ukraine. The Russian invasion forces are making small progress on the front in eastern Ukraine – international news agencies report. Their main target remains the city of Bakhmut, which they have been trying to seize for months without success. Both Bakhmut and the neighboring villages of Kliškiivka and Kurdiumivka, located south of the city, came under new Russian fire. According to the Ukrainian military, though, the Russians allegedly got stuck near the town of Avdiivka, the second focal point of their attacks in the disputed Donetsk region. Troop movements are also registered in Lyman, a city recaptured by the Ukrainians in October. In an unusually detailed intelligence update, British Ministry of Defense experts, who are constantly monitoring the situation on the front, note that Russian forces have advanced several hundred meters across a river towards the town of Vuhledar, and recorded made small wins. Specialists say that Moscows troops would like to attract the Ukrainian forces defending Bakhmut to Vuhledar.

Borders. The General Inspectorate of the Romanian Border Police informs that on Tuesday, 56,908 people, including 7,395 Ukrainian citizens, entered Romania through the border-crossing points. According to a press release, since February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian army invaded their country, 3,443,915 Ukrainian citizens have entered neighboring Romania. The majority have continued their way to countries in Western Europe, but around 100 thousand, according to the Bucharest authorities, chose to stay in Romania.

Strike. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs Romanian citizens who are in, transiting or intending to travel to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland that the British Border Force has announced the organization of a strike on Wednesday and Thursday. According to the MFA, all international border crossing points (maritime and airports) in the United Kingdom will be affected, as well as border points in the north of the French Republic: Calais, Dunkirk and Coquelles. People who are going to travel from or to the United Kingdom, during the mentioned period, will face longer waiting times at the border control, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns. The Radio Romania correspondent in London reports that, after the first 100 days of his mandate, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is facing a drastic drop in popularity, against the background of union grievances related to salaries and the governments refusal to accept negotiations, against the background of unprecedented high levels of inflation. Moreover, political scandals abound in the ruling conservative party. (MI)

1 February 2023
Parliament conveys message of support for Ukraine

The
Romanian Parliament has firmly condemned the military aggression of the Russian
Federation in Ukraine, after Moscow previously recognized the independence of
the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk on Ukraine’s territory. On
Monday, in a joint session, Parliament adopted a declaration firmly condemning
Moscow’s irresponsible actions, calling for an immediate and unconditional
ceasefire and for the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine. Nicolae
Miroslav Petrețchi, a representative of the Group of National Minorities, told Parliament:

The
Romanian Parliament reaffirms its full solidarity with Ukraine and the
Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression and expresses its support
for the humanitarian relief efforts addressing the people of Ukraine, including
refugees on Romania’s territory.

Nicolae
Miroslav Petrețchi
is also a representative of the Union of Ukrainians in Romania, and actually
adddresed Parliament from Sighetul Marmației
in northern Romania, which is home to a refugee shelter. Romanians have
mobilized from the first day of the war to support their fellow neighbors,
innocent human beings fleeing a country ravaged by war and choosing to seek
safe haven in Romania. On a visit to Bucharest on Monday, European Commissioner
in charge of home affairs and migration, Ylva Johansson, praised Romanians for
their solidarity. The launch of the Russian invasion on the night of February
24, 2022 is an attack on the lives and destinies of the Ukrainian people who
wanted to choose their own path, a fundamental right in any democracy, the
resolution of the Romanian Parliament reads. Parliament also states that, eight
years since the illegal annexation of Crimea, Ukraine is punished for its
sovereign decision, Russia seeking to rewrite history and to divide the world
in spheres of influence by means of unprovoked and unwarranted acts of
aggression. Here is MP Nicolae Miroslav Petreţchi again:

We
recall that Ukraine is home to a numerous Romanian community, contributing to
the richness and diversity of Ukrainian society and representing a bridge
between our two countries. The members of the Romanian ethnic community have
been loyal and faithful to Ukraine, who understand the obligations deriving
from this status. To a similar extent, just like all other citizens of Ukraine,
they have legitimate expectations that their rights should be fully observed.
The Romanian Parliament expresses confidence that Ukraine’s commitment to
democratic reforms, the rule of law and close relations with Europe will help
fulfill all these objectives.

The
Romanian Parliament has also expressed its full support for Ukraine’s EU and
NATO accession aspirations. (VP)

1 March 2022
The priorities of Parliament’s new session

The first day of autumn will open a new session of the Romanian
Parliament in Bucharest. The number one priority of the ruling coalition is the
law on vulnerable consumers. Already adopted by the Senate, the bill is on the
agenda of the Chamber of Deputies and will provide financial state support to
families with low income, helping them pay one energy bill. The
Social-Democrats in opposition have called for the swift debate and adoption of
the law, claiming it should take effect this cold season, not starting January
2022, as the Government has proposed.

The Social-Democrats also want a
mechanism for capping prices in the event the market reports an artificial
price hike. Coalition leaders are expected
to decide on the way they want to eliminate the Special Section for
Investigating Crime in Justice, which both Romanian and foreign experts claim
it was a useless institution, aimed at intimidating magistrates and blocking
the fight against corruption. All voices within the ruling coalition have
agreed to disband the section, although they have not yet reached a consensus
on how to do that. The Social Democrats also want to debate and swiftly adopt
the bill No more criminals in public office, a topic which for years has been
upheld by the right-wing. The Social-Democrats also plan on filing a
no-confidence motion against Florin Cîţu’s Cabinet. Most pundits say the
Social-Democrats now enjoy a very comfortable position, considering recent
polls.

The frustration and anxiety of Romanian society has become transparent
in surveys as well, as two thirds of respondents say things are not going well
in Romania. In the event of an election, 35% of respondents would vote for PSD,
while only 21% for PNL. AUR would grab the third-largest number of votes,
followed by the USR-PLUS alliance. As always, UDMR is barely meeting the
electoral threshold of 5%. The coalition is far from working smoothly, and is
yet to meet some of the promises made in the election campaign, such as
eliminating the Special Section and returning to the two-ballot system for the
local elections. Finally, this autumn both PNL, as well as the USR-PLUS
alliance, are due to host special congresses to elect a new leadership.
Traditionally, this occasions a fierce infighting, sprayed with blows below the
belt and scandals that often make headlines. (VP)

1 September 2021
August 30, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 -Valeriu Gheorghiţă, the man in charge
of Romania’s vaccine rollout, has told a private TV channel that the daily
number of Covid infections in Romania is expected to go above 2,000 in
mid-September instead of the initial estimates of 1,500 – 1,600. Gheorghiţă expects
the situation to worsen because of the Delta strain, which is to become
dominant even in Romania. According to him, the high degree of mobility and
people interaction largely contribute to spreading the virus. 700 new cases of
COVID-19 were reported by the authorities on Monday in addition to 19 related
fatalities. More than 2,000 patients are being treated in hospitals, 280 people
in ICUs. In spite of these alarming figures, the interest of the Romanians in
getting the vaccine is still low, only 5,600 hundred people got the jab
yesterday. And since the rollout kicked off in late December last year only 5.1
million Romanians have been fully vaccinated. The Government on Monday adopted
a decree providing 20-Euro meal vouchers to people taking the anti-COVID shot
and announced the organization of a vaccination lottery. The decree also
validates the use of European Green Certificates on Romanian territory.

PARLIAMENT -
Romania’s Parliament this week is due to start its autumn session. Attending
the opening sitting on Wednesday will be Moldovan Parliament Speaker Igor
Grosu. Wednesday’s agenda includes the law on vulnerable consumers. Chamber of
Deputies Speaker, Liberal leader Ludovic Orban, recently said the document is
aimed at supporting families with low income pay one energy bill. According to
the said law, vulnerable consumers are defined as people who live alone and
with a monthly income below 1,445 Lei, or families with an average monthly
income of 810 Lei per person. The Social-Democrats in opposition have called
for the debate and swift adoption of the document, saying the law should come
into force by the end of the year, instead of January next year, as the
Government originally proposed. Senators await the ruling coalition to decide
on the way they want to handle the elimination of the Special Section for
Investigating Crime in Justice. All have agreed the section must be disbanded,
although for the time being, no clear solution has been found at coalition
level, despite numerous meetings.

MIGRANTS -
Interior Minister Lucian Bode on Monday said Romania has the capacity of
receiving and accommodating Afghan migrants, provided the check-ups be
conducted by Romanian security structures. Bucharest can receive journalists,
magistrates and students studying in Romania and at-risk people in Afghanistan.
Romania is on the transit route to the Western Balkans, the Romanian official
has recalled. Since January 1, some 47 thousand migrants have tried to
illegally cross into Romania, of whom 10,000 were picked up within the
country’s borders, at the border or trying to leave Romania. 37,000 of them
were turned back.

FIREFIGHTERS -
Romanian Prime Minister, Florin Cîţu, on Monday congratulated the Romanian
firefighters who joined the international efforts aimed at putting out
wildfires in Greece. According to a post on the government’s Facebook page,
firefighters from Romania did an excellent job in Greece. We recall that
Romania had deployed to Greece 142 firefighters, 8 fire engines, three tankers,
a command center as well as equipment and other elements of logistics. The 142
Romanian firefighters got promoted on Monday upon a request by the Interior
Minister Lucian Bode and the head of the Department for Emergency Situations
(DSU), Raed Arafat. They have also been awarded the DSU Honorary Medal. This is
the second squad of firefighters from Romania to intervene in Greece. In early
August, Romania had deployed 100 firefighters to Greece and 23 fire engines.

FESTIVAL – On the third day of the ‘George Enescu’ Festival,
music lovers enjoyed on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum, the performances
offered by the Baltic Sea Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra with artists
from 10 countries in Northern Europe, such as Sweden, Estonia, Denmark and
Russia. Pianist Maria Joao Pires performed pieces of Mozart at the Athenaeum
accompanied by the Baltic Sea Philharmonic. Under the baton of conductor
Kristjan Jarvi, music lovers listened to Enescu’s second symphony in A major as
well as to his own creation entitled ‘Aurora’. Also on Monday, the Palace Hall
in Bucharest hosted a concert given by London Symphony Orchestra. On Sunday, this
famous orchestra presented Ondrej Adamek’s ‘Where are you’, a piece specially
made for mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena and the great conductor Sir. Simon
Rattle. 32 orchestras from 14 countries are participating in this anniversary
edition of the George Enescu International Festival. (DB & VP)

30 August 2021
December 21, 2020

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA -
Some 2,500 new infections with COVID-19 and 87 related deaths were reported
earlier today by the Group for Strategic Communication. Some 594 thousand
infections with COVID-19 have been reported in Romania since the start of the
pandemic, 84% of people having recovered. The death toll is close to 14,500.
1,255 people are currently in intensive care. The capital city and 8 counties
remain in the red zone in terms of the high infection rate. The highest
infection rate is reported in Ilfov County around Bucharest, 6.7 per thousand
inhabitants. The European Medicines Agency is today expected to approve the
anti-COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, already rolled out on
the markets in Great Britain, the United States, Canada and Israel. A first
symbolic batch of 10,000 dozes is expected to reach Romania on December 26.
Authorities say the first shots will be administered to medical staff working
in the 10 infectious disease hospitals, who are in the first line of defense
against the coronavirus.

MUTATION
– The German Presidency of the Council of the European Union has today summoned
representatives of Member States to an emergency meeting to answer the threat
posed by the latest mutation to the SARS-CoV-2 virus discovered in the United
Kingdom. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also presiding a meeting of
the National Emergency Committee to discuss a possible lockdown as a result as
of a new strain of the virus now spreading across the country. The mutated
virus has also been identified in other EU states as well as in other parts of
the world. Numerous countries, including Romania, have temporarily suspended
air travel connections with the UK.

PARLIAMENT
– The two chambers of the Romanian Parliament will convene today for the first
time after the parliamentary election. Before the new legislative session
officially starts, the two chambers have to elect their leading structures and
the members of specialized committees, which will be interviewing the
candidates eying positions in the new Cabinet. 460 MPs representing the
Social-Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union -
PLUS Alliance, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians and the Democratic Union
of Ethnic Hungarians will officially take office in the Senate and the Chamber
of Deputies today. Also today the
National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance and the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians are expected to sign an agreement
underlying the new center-right governing coalition. The three parties decided
to support a Cabinet led by the current Finance Minister, Liberal Florin Cîţu.
The National Liberal Party will allegedly control nine ministries, six
ministries have been distributed to the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance and
three to the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians. As regards the leadership
of the two chambers of Parliament, the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance will
designate the new Senate Speaker while the Liberals will be appointing the
Speaker in the Chamber of Deputies. The Social-Democratic Party grabbed the
highest number of votes in the December 6 parliamentary election, but couldn’t
build a majority in Parliament. Social-Democrat president Marcel Ciolacu told
his fellow MPs they need to thoroughly prepare for the opposition.

1989
– 31 years ago, the communist revolution started in Timişoara, western Romania,
extended to Bucharest and other big cities, sparking a nation-wide movement
that led to the demise of the communist regime led by dictator Nicolae
Ceauşescu. A day before, Timişoara had become the first city free of communism.
On December 21, Ceauşescu called a large rally, meant to condemn the events in
Timişoara and muster popular support for the party and state leadership. Yet
the reaction of the industrial workers in the capital-city was unexpected.
Târgu Mureş, in the center, became the third city in Romania where people rose
against the communist regime. Dozens of people were killed on this day all over
the country and hundreds were injured. Over a thousand people were arrested at
the time.

BREXIT
– The European Union and Great Britain are today resuming talks for a new trade
agreement, after the initial deadline set by the European Parliament passed
last night. Parliament needs time to analyze the agreement. Last night’s round
of negotiations bore no results, as the EU Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel
Barnier, posted on Twitter We respect the sovereignty of the UK. And we expect
the same. Significant divergences still remain over fishing rights and fair
competition rules. The trade deal comprises all sectors of cooperation between
the EU and the UK. The absence of consensus in any of the sectors would thus
render an agreement impossible. (V. Palcu)

21 December 2020
December 20, 2018 UPDATE

PARLIAMENT The Parliament of Romania on
Thursday rejected the second no-confidence motion filed by the opposition
against the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance
of Liberals and Democrats, and headed by Viorica Dăncila. The motion did not
gather the necessary number of votes to pass, namely 233. Only 161 MPs cast
their votes. The opposition claims the current Cabinet is a threat to Romania’s
national interests, to its economic and political stability. The authors of the
motion criticize the laws on the judiciary and claim the Prime Minister failed
to comply with the governing programme undertaken at the start of her term. In
reply, the PM claimed that the alternative the Opposition offers to the
citizens is to suspend income increases and even to slash salaries and pensions.
Viorica Dancila also defended the justice laws, emphasizing that they were
endorsed by Parliament, rather than by an emergency decree as it was the case
with the Ciolos Cabinet.

STOCK EXCHANGE The Association of Capital Market
Professionals says the prospective endorsement of a recent government decree on
fiscal and budgetary measures is the most brutal and irrational attack against
the Romanian capital market since its re-establishment in 1995. The Bucharest
Stock Exchange opened on a slight increase today, but plunged back down, after
experiencing its worst day so far on Wednesday.
Substantial losses were reported by banks, energy and utilities companies,
after on Tuesday the Finance Minister
Eugen Teodorovici announced that by the end of the year a government decree
would be passed introducing certain fiscal and budgetary measures. These
include a so-called tax on greed charged on banking revenues, and a package
concerning energy companies, such as a 3% of turnover contribution, a cap on
natural gas prices and electricity price control. The business community
in Romania warned against the negative effects of the new taxes announced by
the Government for 2019. President Klaus Iohannis urged the Cabinet to
reconsider the decree, to negotiate it with employers and trade unions and to
endorse a more sustainable version after thorough analysis and review.

EU The President of Romania, Klaus
Iohannis, receives in Bucharest on Friday the Chancellor of Austria Sebastian
Kurz, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council.
Romania will symbolically take over the presidency of the EU Council, which it
will hold as of January 1. The 2 officials will discuss the priorities on the
European agenda, such as the future of the Union, the EU budget after 2020,
Brexit, and the elections for the European Parliament. On Wednesday in a
meeting with the EU ambassadors to Bucharest, President Klaus Iohannis said
Romania’s goal during its presidency of the EU Council is to begin as soon as
possible the negotiations on the future relations between the Union and
Britain, if the withdrawal agreement is ratified by London and approved by the
European Parliament. Iohannis also said that Romania supports a stronger
European Union, which is closer to its citizens and able to guarantee their
security and prosperity. He also emphasized the importance of the informal
meeting of European leaders in Sibiu on May 9, 2019, when the EU strategic
agenda for 2019-2024 will be discussed.

JUDICIARY Romania’s Supreme
Court suspended the serving of prison sentences received by several high-level
officials under corruption charges. Among them are the former Minister of
Regional Development, Elena Udrea, the former chief of the anti-terrorism and
anti-mafia directorate Alina Bica, who requested asylum in Costa Rica, the
former head of the tax authority, Serban Pop, and former Social Democratic
ministers and MPs Dan Şova and Constantin Niţă. They have been released, until
final rulings are passed on their appeals. The argument put forth for the
suspension of their sentences was that the membership of the 5-judge panels
passing the rulings had not been correct. The supreme court held drawing of
lots sessions for the 5-judge panels 3 times this year, when the Law on the
organisation of courts was modified, further to a Constitutional Court
decision, at the request of the Government and following an objection by the
Social Democratic Party president Liviu Dragnea, who is tried for corruption at
the Bucharest Court of Appeals.

COMMEMORATION Sirens sounded for 3
minutes in Timisoara on Thursday, in memory of the day of December 20, 1989.
This was the moment when, 29 years ago, Timisoara was proclaimed the first city
free from communism in Romania. The largest plants went on strike back then,
and workers gathered in the city centre, alongside tens of thousands of other
locals. The Army withdrew from streets, the protesters who had been arrested
were released, and the people’s demands were read out from the famous Opera
House balcony. Also on December 20, the first revolutionary committee, called
The Romanian Democratic Front, was set up. Members of the families of the
Timisoara victims travelled to Bucharest to commemorate one of the most
important events in modern Romanian history. They arrived at the place where
the bodies of 44 Timisoara heroes, shot dead on December 17, were cremated. The
uprising that started in Timisoara spread on December 21 to Bucharest and other
Romanian cities. Over 1,000 people died and some 3,000 others were wounded in
the shootings in Romania, the only Eastern Bloc country where the communist
regime was toppled violently and where the communist leaders were executed.

FOOTBALL Romania’s national
football team will end the year on the 24th position in the ranking the
International Football Federation (FIFA) made public on Thursday. Romania
started the year on the 40th place. This year’s 24th
place is the best ranking Romania’s football team has held since 2016. The
team’s future opponents in the EURO 2020 qualifiers are Spain, in 9th
place, Sweden – 14, Norway – 46, Faeroe – 98, and Malta – 182.

(Translated by
A.M. Popescu & Vlad Palcu)

20 December 2018
Incentives for foreign workers in Romania

As the decision-making body on this matter, the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest has passed a bill amending the labor legislation concerning the status of foreigners in Romania. The bill brings amendments and additions to two Government decrees passed in 2012 and 2014, in the sense that it transposes a 2016 Directive of the European Parliament and the European Council into national law. The said directive concerns the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au pairing.

The new law stipulates that foreign nationals coming to Romania to work must be extended their right of temporary residence upon presenting their full-time individual employment agreement, subsequent to its being registered at the general record of employees, which shows that the current salary is at least the equivalent of the gross national-guaranteed minimum wage. In the case of highly-skilled workers, the salary should be at least twice the national average wage.

Foreign workers appointed at the helm of a subsidiary, representation or branch of a foreign company operating on Romanian soil, based on a contract of mandate or any other document of equal judicial value, will benefit from an extension of their temporary work permits without being obliged to present an employment agreement. However, the aforementioned workers need to provide proof of subsistence resulted from said activity, which should be equal to or greater than the gross national-guaranteed minimum wage, the law also stipulates.

In addition, foreign nationals entering Romania to work as au pairs can obtain an extension of their temporary rights of residence upon presenting their part-time individual employment agreements, subsequent to their being registered in the general record of employees, provided normal working hours do not exceed 25 hours per week and the value of the contract is equal to or greater than the gross national-guaranteed minimum wage, estimated based on a working time fraction analysis.

According to other adopted pieces of legislation, the Border Police can now deny entry into the country to any foreign national who has been given a custodial sentence exceeding three years for crimes committed in bad faith on the territory of Romania or any other country. The long-term study permit can be obtained, upon request, by foreign nationals applying for a visa as students, interns, pupils or participants in a student exchange or educational program. In this case, the application must be accompanied by all the supporting documents.

(translated by Vlad Palcu)

11 October 2018
3 September 2018

Parliament. The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate reconvened on Monday
after the summer recess. The legislative priorities of the majority formed by
the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats are the
adoption of a new pension law and amending national security laws and the
adoption law. The opposition wants a return to a two-round voting system to
elect mayors, the elimination of special pensions and a healthcare reform.
Parliament’s agenda also features finalising the justice laws, which have been
challenged in the Constitutional Court, the criminal and criminal procedure
codes and the offshore bill regulating the extraction of natural gas from the
Black Sea.

African
swine fever. Romanian pork exports may be temporarily suspended because of the
African swine fever, former prime minister of Romania and European commissioner
for agriculture Dacian Ciolos has warned. He says the epidemic may destroy the
pig farming sector in Romania and lead to an increase in imports, which would
result in higher inflation rates. Two new cases of African swine fever were confirmed at the
weekend in Romania, where the number of hotbeds is nearing 800. The authorities
continue to take measures to contain the spread of the virus, and in the areas
where the virus has been confirmed, that is a quarter of all counties in
Romania, the pigs are being culled. As a precautionary measure, the authorities
have also imposed restrictions on the sale of pork, and road checks are in
place on the borders with the counties where the virus has been identified.
The government has given assurances that the owners of the culled animals will
receive compensations.

Budget adjustment. The Country’s
Supreme Defence Council is to meet on the 4th of September to
discuss the government’s proposals to adjust this year’s budget of state
institutions with responsibilities in the area of national security. The
meeting has been requested by the government and the date has been established
by president Klaus Iohannis, who has explained that the government could have
made budget adjustments in any field with no need for further approval, with
the exception of national security. He made this comment after warnings from
the government that a possible refusal from the president to hold an emergency
meeting of the Country’s Supreme Defence Council to approve the proposed
adjustments can jeopardise not only the incomes of the most vulnerable
categories, that is pensioners, mothers and children, but also people’s access
to medical services.

Tourism. The tourism ministry in
Bucharest has established a number of measures to improve the sector. These
include a reduction in the 5% VAT rate in areas such as: accommodation in the
hotel sector and sectors with a similar function, including rental of camping
sites, and restaurant and catering services with the exception of alcoholic
beverages, others than beer, and sports, recreational and entertainment
activities. Tourism will thus have the lowest VAT rate of all economic sectors.
Another measure aims at stimulating spa tourism by applying no charges for
geothermal and natural mineral water for public use in designated public
places. According to the government’s estimate, the development of spa tourism
requires investments of at least 1 billion euros worth of projects over the
next ten years. A third of Europe’s thermal and mineral springs are to be found
in Romania.

Festival. More than 100 singers and
musicians are participating this week in the World Experience Festival which
goes under way today in Bucharest. The events, held under the theme The Music
of the World, include many workshops, such as those dedicated to Irish dance,
the tea ceremony and the art of wearing a kimono in the Japanese style.
Presentations are held of instruments from 30 different countries in the
Orient, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The festival also features a
food section. The main stage is located in one of the Bucharest’s parks.

Weather. The national weather service has issued a yellow code alert for
unstable weather in 13 counties in Romania beginning this afternoon until
tomorrow night. Torrential rain, thunder storms, powerful winds and hailstorms
are expected in the west and centre. The amount of precipitation is expected to
exceed 25 litres per square metre, and even 40 litres in some areas. In
Bucharest, the noon reading showed 30 degrees Celsius, but the temperature is
expected to hit 34 degrees.

3 September 2018
March 27, 2018

CELEBRATION – The two chambers of the Romanian Parliament have today gathered in solemn session to mark 100 years since the union of Bessarabia with Romania. In the presence of Romanian officials and other figures such as Princess Margaret, Custodian of the Crown, the Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Iurie Leanca and the President of the Moldovan Parliament Andrian Candu, the Romanian deputies and senators adopted a solemn declaration which pays homage to the authors of the historic act carried out 100 years ago. A province with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population within the Tsarist empire, Bessarabia joined Romania at the end of WWI, on March 27th, 1918. Years later, in June 1940, the Soviet Union re-annexed the province under an ultimatum, and the present-day Republic of Moldova was created on part of that territory. On Sunday, at a meeting organized in Moldovas capital Chisinau, dozens of thousands of citizens of the two Romanian states called for the re-unification between Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

RUSSIA – Romanias decision to expel a Russian Federation diplomat, in response to the poisoning in Great Britain of the former Russian spy Serghei Skripal is “a manifestation of collective political madness” reads a message of the Russian Embassy in Romania. On Monday, the Romanian Foreign Ministry notified the embassy that one of its diplomats would be declared persona non-grata and forced to leave the Romanian soil. Romania thus joined other EU nations, which, just like the US and other countries such as Ukraine, Canada, Norway or Australia have been expelling Russian diplomats. The US alone will expel 60 Russian diplomats, in what has been dubbed “the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history.” Moscow has denied its involvement in the poisoning on March 4th of the former double-spy and his daughter, in the first known nerve agent attack in Europe after WWII and has announced similar responses to the measures taken in the countries that have expelled Russian diplomats.

JUSTICE – On Monday, the Romanian Senate, the decision-making forum in this matter, adopted the controversial modifications of the justice laws, namely those concerning the status of the magistrates, judicial organization and the functioning of the Superior Council of the Magistracy. The majority made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, supported by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania have again stated that the changes, previously endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies, were formulated in keeping with the rulings of the Constitutional Court. The right-wing opposition, however, has criticized the modifications and stated there is ground for challenging them in court again. We recall that some of the changes initially brought to the justice laws triggered the largest street-protests in post-Communist Romania.

PROTESTS – Trade unionists from the Romanian health-care sector are today picketing the headquarters of the line ministry in Bucharest and on Thursday they will protest in front of the Labour Ministry. The are demanding, among other things, pay rises as of March 1st, for the entire healthcare and welfare staff, the elimination of the 30% cap for bonuses and the recovery of income losses following the implementation of the latest salary regulations, as of January 1st. For years, against the background of a severe under financing of the health-care sector in Romania, Romanian health specialists have left abroad in large numbers, in search for better paid jobs. Since last year, the net incomes of the health-care personnel have grown significantly. However, they are still unhappy with their salaries and bonuses and have threatened with protests that might culminate in an all-out strike. The current minister Sorina Pintea, however, has stated that they have no reason to protest.

GOPO AWARDS – Bucharest is today playing host to the Gopo Awards Gala, an event held every year, which celebrates the best cinema productions of the previous year. This year, “One Step Behind the Seraphim” by Daniel Sandu, boasts the largest number of nominations – 15 – , followed by “6.9 on the Richter Scale” by Nae Caranfil and “The Anniversary” by Dan Chisu. Other films on the galas shortlist are “Ana, mon amour” by Calin Peter Netzer, “Breaking News” by Iulia Rugina and “Fixeur” by Adrian Sitaru. The life achievement awards will be granted to actors George Mihaita and Vladimir Gaitan. The name of the festival is a homage paid to the Romanian film-maker Ion-Popescu Gopo, who years ago won the Palme dOr for best animated short.

FOOTBALL – Romanias national football squad is today taking on in Craiova, southern Romania, the Swedish team, in a friendly game. This is the first meeting between the two teams since the game played in 1994, when the Romanians lost to the Swedish team, in a penalty shoot-out, in the quarter finals of the World Cup hosted by the US. On Saturday, also in a friendly game, Romania defeated Israel 2-1. In another move, also today, on home turf, Romanias Under 19 team is playing against Ukraine the decisive match for qualification to the European Championship due in Finland, in July. After the victories scored in the first two matches, against Serbia 4-nil and Sweden 2-1, the young Romanian footballers need at least a draw to win the preliminaries.

27 March 2018
February 1, 2018 UPDATE

PARLIAMENT – A new parliamentary session started in Romania on Thursday. The Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition, intends to adopt the law on the establishment of the Sovereign Fund for Development and Investment, the Administrative Code and the Pensions Law, while its partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, will focus on the countrys economic development. The rightwing opposition has announced that, in the current parliamentary session, they intend to block all the ruling powers initiatives to amend the justice laws.

GOVERNMENT – One of the Governments priorities is the development and extension of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US in several fields, including the protection and promotion of human rights and the fight against human trafficking, said the Romanian PM Viorica Dancila in a message she conveyed at a debate on human trafficking organized by the US Embassy in Bucharest. Also, the Interior Minister Carmen Dan stated that Romania takes part in all the efforts made by EUROPOL, INTERPOL, EUROJUST, FRONTEX and SELEC to fight cross-border crime and curb the negative effects of human and children trafficking, the fight against human trafficking being one of the Interior Ministrys priorities. The event brought together magistrates and officials representing authorities specialized in fighting human trafficking from the US, Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

POLAND – On Thursday, the Romanian Foreign Minister Tedor Melescanu had a meeting in Bucharest with his Polish counterpart Jacek Czaputowicz. The Romanian minister stated that a potential vote on suspending Polands EU voting rights would not benefit anybody. He stressed that Poland had not called on Romania to take a stand against suspension. In turn, Czaputowicz stated that his country had signals from other countries in the region that they would not favour the activation of article 7 of the EU Treaty. As a first in the EU history, the European Commission has decided to trigger article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty against Poland, saying there is a clear risk of a serious breach of the rule of law in that country, after the Polish Parliament adopted two laws under which the countrys judiciary is now under the political control of the ruling majority.

MOLDOVA – The Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila had a phone conversation on Thursday with her Moldovan counterpart Pavel Filip, focusing on the strategic partnership between Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The two officials agreed that joint projects must continue. Dancila reiterated Romanias firm commitment to supporting the Republic of Moldovas European path and its efforts to implement reforms for the benefit of its citizens. In turn, Filip said that the Chisinau Government would remain a reliable partner to the Bucharest authorities.

EBRD – Romania must adopt a different economic model, if it wants to avoid a crisis triggered by the current boom, based on consumption, the Regional Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Matteo Patrone has stated. After stimulating growth by reducing taxes and increasing salaries in the public sector, the Bucharest Government should take a more sustainable path, Patrone has also said. In his opinion, Bucharest officials can do that by increasing investment in infrastructure and improving the rate of absorption of European funds.

EU COUNCIL PRESIDENCY – The Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu has officially launched the presentation site of the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. The interactive portal can be accessed at www.romania2019.eu and includes information about the EU Council Presidency, preparations for the mandate, a forum of ideas and opportunities for volunteers. According to minister Negrescu, the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council is designed so as to ensure transparency and focus on the citizens.

(translated by Mihaela Ignatescu)

1 February 2018
Divergences over the justice laws

The special parliamentary committee in charge with amending the laws in the judicial sector has drawn up new articles concerning the liability of magistrates. They stipulate, among other things, that judges and prosecutors are subject to civil, disciplinary and criminal liability for possible professional misperformance. However, an amendment introducing pecuniary liability for the damages caused by the magistrates has been dismissed.

The Liberal Deputy Catalin Predoiu, in opposition, explained: “We enter this discussion without preconceptions, and we share the view that there must be proper liability provisions concerning magistrates, just like in all other professions. On the other hand, we are concerned that this instrument may be used as a means to pressure magistrates, and with this in mind we will come up with further proposals. Some of these proposals are of a general nature, they are a matter of principle and should be developed in a separate legislative instrument.”

On behalf of the parliamentary majority, made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the chair of the Senate’s judiciary committee Robert Cazanciuc denied that some of the more controversial amendments had been dropped as a result of a news release on this topic issued by the US State Department.

Robert Cazanciuc: “We have changed nothing from our original initiative. The talks so far have concerned very technical aspects, as you have noticed, and although some political statements have been made, the arguments put forth concerned concrete aspects, such as how to make sure that the new provisions will be actually implemented by judicial institutions. This was what it was all about, not what the US State Department said.”

The American diplomats had expressed concerns with Parliament preparing legislation that might jeopardise the fight against corruption and weaken the judicial sector’s independence from political pressure. The statement caused irritation in the ruling coalition, and delighted the Opposition. The Justice Minister Tudorel Toader said Parliament cannot be prevented from legislating, while the leaders of the 2 chambers, the Social Democrat Liviu Dragnea and the Liberal Democrat Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, issued a joint news release saying that “the debates, decisions and votes in Parliament are held in the name of the sovereignty of the people and cannot be subject to any form of pressure.”

The president of the National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, welcomed the position of the American diplomacy and called on the majority coalition to give up the changes to the laws on the judiciary. In turn, the head of Save Romania Union Dan Barna accused the Social Democratic Party of sacrificing the rule of law in order to protect Dragnea, who has already received a suspended sentence in a criminal case and is probed into in 2 others.

According to commentators, the American reaction comes after the European Commission had also said the global pace of reforms in the Romanian judiciary is slowing down, and the challenges to its independence are a major source of concern.

29 November 2017
September 17-23

Extreme weather phenomena- prevention measures

The Romanian Government on Thursday decided to grant an 8 million Euro aid to cover the damages produced by violent storms in several counties in western, northern and central Romania. The funds will be used for repair works on schools, hospitals, police stations, churches and other public buildings. Last Sunday, a storm, which lasted only 15 minutes, left behind some 8 people dead and over 140 people injured, blew away roofs and street billboards, and damaged cars. Power outings were reported and localities were left without running water. Roads have been temporarily blocked. Railways have been severely affected. In the wake of Sundays storms, PM Mihai Tudose has announced its high time Romania had a modern warning system to alert the population against disasters, just like those in other European states. Just a couple of days later, bad weather has again taken parts of the country in its grip, sweeping Bucharest and 38 other localities. The storm took a toll of 3 lives. Gusty wind blew away roofs, and traffic was temporarily disrupted because of trees that fell on the roads.

Romanias President Klaus Iohannis attending the UN General Assembly

Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, had a busy agenda during his six-day visit to the US, where he attended the UN General Assembly meeting. In a speech he delivered in a plenary session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Romanian President underlined the need to strengthen the UN and to render it more effective, in order to be able to face current challenges. He said that Romania hails the reform of the UN mechanisms against terrorism and its demarches of making of the fight against terrorism a key element of its terrorism-prevention agenda. Iohannis also pleaded for setting up an international court against terrorism. The Romanian President also attended high-level meetings organised by Romania together with other countries as well as a series of bilateral meetings with the UN Secretary General, the President of the UN General Assembly and with a number of heads of state. On Thursday, Klaus Iohannis met with ethnic Romanians living in Philadelphia, and asked them to consoldiate the relationship between the Romania and the US. He told the ethnic Romanians that the Strategic Partneship between Romania and the US has gained a new dimension, after the visit he paid to Washington earlier this year. Iohannis said the US President Donald Trump appreciates very much the Romanian community in the US. Also on Thursday, the Romanian President announced that he cancelled his visit to neighbouring Ukraine, scheduled for early October and the meeting with the Chairman of the Supreme Rada, Andriy Parubiy, due in Bucharest, at the end of the month. The Romanian President made these decisions after the Ukrainian Parliament adopted an education law that infringes upon the rights of 400 thousand ethnic Romanians living in Ukraine of having access to education in their native langue.

Bucharests reactions to the new education law in Ukraine

On Wednesday, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, gathered in a plenary session, adopted a declaration on the new education law in Ukraine, which- they say- drastically limits the right to education in the native language of national minorities, including the ethnic Romanians. The Romanian Parliament calls on Kiev to reassess the law, which should only be promulgated by President Petro Poroshenko in order to take effect. The Romanian Parliament also calls on the Ukrainian side to ensure the adequate protection for the linguistic, cultural and religious identity of approximately half a million ethnic Romanians in the neighbouring country. Parliament also voted on the structure of a delegation that will go to Ukraine to support the cause of the Romanian ethnic minority. Romanias delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly will also calls on this body to organise in October a debate that should end with the adoption of a resolution on monitoring Ukraines human rights record.

Romanian defence minister Mihai Fifor, on a visit to Washington

The Romanian defence minister, Mihai Fifor, paid a working visit to Washington earlier this week. During the talks he had with the American officials minister Fifor reiterated Bucharests commitment to further be a staunch, predictable and trustworthy partner and to contribute to regional security and stability. He presented the Romanian governments priorities in the field of defence, among which allotting 2% of the GDP for defence. The agenda of talks also covered such issues as strengthening the Romania-US Strategic Partnership and bilateral cooperation in the military field. The Romanian minister has also met with representatives of US defence industry companies. Fifor underlined Bucharests firm commitment to step up the process of modernising the Romanian Armed Forces and has recalled that the Romanian Parliament has already started a series of endowment programs, among which those of purchasing Patriot missiles and Himars systems.

The simple motion on education has been rejected

The simple motion requesting the resignation of the education minister, Liviu Pop, was rejected on Monday in a plenary session of the Romanian Senate. Dubbed “Romania without high quality education is a poor country”, the motion had been tabled by the main opposition parties, the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union. The signatories blame minister Pop for the school year having started without textbooks for fifth graders, the lack of functioning permits in the case of most schools and for the dropout rate, which reached a record high.Liviu Pop said in the plenary session of the Senate that he had compiled a report on the real situation of the Romanian education system.

23 September 2017
August 8, 2017 UPDATE

PARLIAMENT– The two chambers of the Romanian Parliament convened in a special session on Tuesday. The agenda included the emergency ordinances that the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania passed last week, and which need to be endorsed by Parliament before they can take effect. These legislative acts concern the capping of special pensions in the defence, public order and judicial sectors, as well as of child allowances, and the raise of police staff salaries. The Liberals, in the opposition, argue that the legal requirements for the Chamber of Deputies to convene were not met, and threaten to notify the Constitutional Court in this respect.

UNIONS– The Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader had a meeting on Tuesday with representatives of penitentiary trade unions. He said he would personally coordinate the National Penitentiary Agency and would have weekly meetings with the representatives of prison personnel to find solutions to their demands. Trade union leader Sorin Dumitraşcu said the Justice Minister promised to have a meeting this week with the Prime Minister, in order to discuss the granting of up to 15% bonuses to penitentiary personnel, who have not been included in the categories of public sector staff benefiting from pay raises. Unionists also demand the improvement of work standards, solutions to the issue of personnel shortage, the reorganisation of prisons and the building of new ones. Penitentiary employees intend to stage street protests next week, over inadequate working conditions. They have been on a work-to-rule strike since August 1. We recall that the improvement of detention conditions in Romania is a requirement set out by the European Court for Human Rights.

DIPLOMACY – On Tuesday, the Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose met with the US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm. The two officials discussed bilateral cooperation and the situation in the region. According to governmental sources, the two dwelled on the role that Romania is playing on NATOs eastern flank, the US companies growing interest in our country and the situation in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova. Also, the two tackled the Romanian officials decision to spend 2% of the GDP on army equipment.

INFLATION– The National Bank of Romania adjusted the inflation forecast for end-2017 from 1.6% up to 1.9%, the central bank governor Mugur Isarescu announced on Tuesday, when he presented the Inflation Report. For next year as well, the National Bank raised its inflation forecast to 3.2%, up from the previously estimated rate of 3.1%.Isarescu explained that the changes were triggered by the fiscal policy, by the increase in foodstuff prices as well as by the political tensions in June, which temporarily affected the exchange rate for the national currency.

FUEL TAXATION – The Romanian Government wants to amend the Fiscal Code again, proposing, among other things, an increase in excise duties, a measure which would resume fuel prices valid in late 2016. According to a fresh draft decree, diesel taxation will go up by 24.9%, while duties on led-free petrol will grow by 22.8%, as of September 1st. Authorities say that the measure is necessary, given that collections have dropped and the prices in Romania are among the lowest in the EU. Transporters are extremely unhappy with this decision and threaten with protests. The Governor of the National Bank of Romania Mugur Isarescu has warned that such an increase in fuel taxation will trigger a growth in the inflation rate.

DEFENCE– The Romanian Defence Minister, Adrian Ţuţuianu, and Gen. Nicolae Ciucă, General Chief of Staff, had talks in Bucharest with the head of the Alabama National Guard, Major Gen. Sheryl Gordon, who is on a visit to Romania. The talks approached the regional security environment, particularly in the Black Sea region, the strategic partnership between the US and Romania, and the planned equipment spending for the Romanian Army. Ţuţuianu has recently announced that the Plan for military equipment procurement has been approved, and reiterated that Romania was committed to earmarking 2% of the GDP to the defence sector, as it has undertaken in its capacity as a NATO member state. During his visit to Romania, the recently appointed chief of the ANG, Major Gen. Sheryl Gordon, will take part in an exercise of the Romanian mountain troops and will visit the “Getica” Joint Training Centre in Cincu, Brasov County.

WEATHER– A new heat wave is expected to hit Romania on Wednesday. Meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert for nine counties in the west, north-west and south-west. Also, on Thursday, a code orange alert for heat and thermal discomfort will be issued, for six counties in the west and south west. Another 13 counties in the western half of the country will be under code yellow alert for severe heat. For the next two weeks, weather experts expect the weather to alternate between highs of 34 degrees Celsius and rainfalls in most regions.

8 August 2017
The first meeting of the new Parliament in Romania

The
two chambers of the new Parliament in Bucharest met for the first time on
Monday. Chairing the meeting were its most senior members, the Liberal MP Leon
Danaila in the Senate and Miron Ignat, from the group of ethnic minorities, in
the Chamber of Deputies. In his opening remarks, Leon Danaila said Romania’s
Senate had in time demonstrated its vocation as an engine of democracy and a
forum for political debate of all problems in society.

Leon Danaila: A strong state is unconceivable without an authentic democracy and an
authentic democracy is unconceivable without a strong and respected
Parliament.

In the
Chamber of Deputies, Miron Ignat spoke about the parliamentarians’
responsibility towards the people who elected them. Miron Ignat:

We, the members of the new Parliament, must perfect the legislation in the
field of education, healthcare and public administration so that the laws we
will pass in this Parliament will benefit the people who have elected us.

At
this stage, the parliamentary parties have divided among themselves the
chairmanship of the specialist committees. The Social Democrats, who have
categorically won the elections with 45% of the votes, will chair most of these
committees, both in the Senate and in the Chamber of Deputies. They will thus
chair 10 Chamber of Deputies committees, including the legal, budget, defence,
employment and healthcare committees.

The National Liberal Party, the second
largest party in Parliament, will chair four committees. The Save Romania Union
and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats will chair two each, while the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians and the People’s Movement Party one each.
In the Senate, the Social Democratic Party will chair 11 committees and the
Liberals five. The parliamentary parties have also established some of the
details of their future strategy.

The leader of the Social Democratic Party,
Liviu Dragnea:

We will never support legislation that provides for benefits or special
advantages for elected officials. When we manage to raise the living standard
in Romania, only then will we also think of ourselves.

The
interim secretary general of the National Liberal Party Marian Petrache spoke
about his party’s priority at this point:

Choosing the best people for the positions allocated to the National Liberal
Party, people with experience, who are familiar with the parliamentary customs
and who are able to make constructive opposition to the Social Democratic Party
in the best interest of all: ours, as a party, and the citizens of Romania.

It
remains to be seen if the promises made now will be backed by actions.

21 December 2016
December 19, 2016 UPDATE 2

BREAKING NEWS – A lorry ploughed into shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12people and injuring over 50 others. According to the German local media, there are suspicions of a deliberate act. The German police confirmed the driver of the lorry has been arrested. Apparently, the co-driver has died in the incident.

PARLIAMENT –President Klaus Iohannis has announced that he will convene the new Parliament on Tuesday, and will hold talks with the parliamentary parties on Wednesday and Thursday. This week the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, which together hold 54% of the seats in the new parliament, will announce their proposal for the new prime minister. After the President has appointed the PM, the latter will have 10 days to put together a cabinet and the governing program, after which he is to request Parliament’s vote of confidence.

COOPERATION — Social-Democrat and ALDE leaders Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu Tariceanu and Daniel Constantin respectively signed the cooperation protocol between the two parties making up the governing coalition for development and democracy. The coalition will have three main objectives: ensuring sustainable economic growth and making new jobs available, observing citizens’ rights and liberties and increasing financial welfare and living standards. The governing program compiles the two parties’ election programs. The cooperation protocol also shows the two parties will nominate a single candidate for the position of Prime Minister. Liviu Dragnea said the president will be notified in a letter regarding the protocol and the fact that the two parties will come for consultations on Wednesday, when they are also expected to nominate a Prime Minister candidate.

COMMEMORATION – The western Romanian city of Timişoara on Monday commemorated the fourth day of the anti-communist revolution of December 1989, with a conference organised by the Romanian Academy. Twenty-seven years ago, protesters were killed and wounded, and on December 20, Timişoara became the first Romanian city free from communism. Sparked by the locals’ opposition to an abusive measure of the city authorities, the protests quickly spread across the country, culminating on December 22nd in Bucharest, when the protesters stormed the headquarters of the central committee of the Romanian communist party. This is when dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife attempted to flee by helicopter. They were caught and executed on December 25, after a summary trial. Over 1,000 people died and nearly 3,400 were wounded in the clashes, and Romania remains the only Eastern Bloc country where the communist regime was brought down through violence and the communist leaders were executed.

ASSASSINATION — The Russian ambassador to Ankara Andrey Karlov died on Monday in a hospital in the Turkish capital after being shot while attending a photo exhibition opening at the Contemporary Art Centre. According to the Turkish media, the attacker impersonated a member of the ambassador’s security detail. The attack comes ahead of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoglu’s visit to Moscow, where he is expected to hold talks with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.

RSF — This year 57 journalists have been killed around the world, especially in countries affected by war, according to a report made public by Reporters without Borders, an NGO based in Paris. The largest number of deaths, 19, was reported in Syria, followed by Afghanistan, Mexico, Iraq and Yemen. Most journalists lost their lives in their own countries, and one-third of them were targeted by deliberate attacks. Apart from the 57 journalists, 9 bloggers and 8 media collaborators were assassinated. As for the journalists incarcerated or detained this year, their number has increased particularly because of the situation in Turkey, where more than 100 media workers are currently imprisoned.

UN — The UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for deploying UN observers in rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Observers will oversee the evacuation of civilians and combatants. The US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, called on the immediate implementation of the resolution and for overseeing the evacuation from eastern Aleppo, currently host to tens of thousands of people. Some 50 children, blocked in an orphanage, were among to the first to be evacuated, BBC reports.

HANDBALL — Norway’s women’s team Sunday won the gold medal at the European Handball Championship in Sweden, after having defeated the Netherlands, 30-29 in the final. Norway thus won the 7th European champion title in 12 editions of this competition. In the match for the 3rd place, France beat Denmark, 25-22. Romania came out 5th in this edition of the European championship. The national team had a good performance overall, but failed to qualify into the semi-finals after losing the match against Denmark. In this competition the Romanian players defeated the Olympic champions Russia, as well as Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic, and lost a tightly contested match against the European and world champions, Norway.

(Translated by V. Palcu, updated by D. Vijeu)

19 December 2016