Tag: scandal

  • Former prime minister, prosecuted

    Former prime minister, prosecuted

    Florin-Vasile Cîţu is not exactly an ordinary politician. Born on April 1, 1972, he graduated from Grinell College, in Iowa, United States at the age of 24. Also in Iowa, caught driving under the influence, Cîțu was sentenced to two days in prison and had to pay a fine of 1,000 dollars. In the US he was also sued for failing to pay a debt of about 6,700 dollars to the Maryland National Bank. For a while, Florin Cîţu held the position of economist at the National Bank of New Zealand, after which he repatriated and entered the Romanian banking system. He was fired, worked for a while as an analyst and financial consultant, after which he entered politics and, since 2016, he has been a National Liberal Party (PNL) senator, now in his second mandate. With the evident support of President Klaus Iohannis he became a party leader and, for less than a year, he was prime minister, leading the governing coalition made up of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). Later he allegedly fell into the president’s disfavor, he quarreled with the USR members, his government was dismissed by a motion of no confidence and his Liberal colleagues removed him from the party leadership.



    And as of Wednesday, Florin-Vasile Cîţu was also put under criminal investigation by the National Anticorruption Directorate, for being accessory to abuse of office in the case of the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. In the same file, the former USR health ministers, Vlad Voiculescu and Ioana Mihăilă, as well as the Secretary of State in the Helath Ministry Andrei Baciu, a PNL member, are also accused of abuse of office. According to the prosecutors, Cîțu and his former subordinates would have approved the purchase of a much larger number of vaccine doses than were needed in Romania and would have created a damage of one billion euros.



    “What I can tell you is that I exercised my duties as prime minister in compliance with the legislation in force. I trust the justice system and I believe that the truth will come out during this investigation” – the former prime minister told journalists. The current health minister, social democrat Alexandru Rafila, stated that Romania ordered a total of approximately 80 million doses of the available COVID-19 vaccines, of which 35 million were supplied. The Romanian state, Rafila added, paid a total of 2.5 billion lei (the equivalent of 500 million euros) for the vaccines it received. The press considers the sums huge and the amounts of vaccine disproportionate for a population of less than 20 million that is very reluctant to vaccination. (LS)

  • Former senior officials face corruption charges

    Former senior officials face corruption charges

    The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are still lingering in
    Romania. After the psychosis around the disease or the subsequent one around
    the vaccines, after the unprecedented restrictions introduced by post-communist
    Romania’s authorities on citizens’ freedom of movement, after the severe impact on the
    economy and on social cohesion, COVID strikes again, this time around in
    judicial and political circles.


    Romania’s Senate is to vote on the National Anti-Corruption Directorate’s
    (DNA) request to lift the parliamentary immunity of the former Liberal prime
    minister Florin Cîţu, in light of an investigation into the procurement of COVID-19
    vaccines in early 2021.


    The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal
    Party announced that the ruling coalition would vote in favour of the request.


    USR party, in opposition at present, says its MPs will also support the
    request. Two USR officials, the former health ministers Vlad Voiculescu and
    Ioana Mihăilă, are also involved in the case, facing charges of abuse of office,
    and president Klaus Iohannis has already agreed with lifting their immunity.


    Another Liberal politician, Andrei Baciu, a secretary of state with the
    health ministry, is also accused of the same offence, but since his position is
    not covered by this form of protection, the immunity lifting procedure is not
    required in his case.


    According to prosecutors, Cîțu and his former subordinates approved the
    procurement of a significantly larger number of vaccine doses than necessary,
    causing the Romanian state losses of EUR 1 bln.


    The incumbent health minister, the Social Democrat Alexandru Rafila,
    said Romania ordered a total of approx. 80 million vaccine doses, 35 million of
    which have been supplied. For the vaccines it has received, Rafila added,
    the government paid a rough EUR 500 mln.


    The mass media argue that the amount of money involved is huge, and that
    the number of vaccine doses was disproportionate, considering that Romania’s
    less than 20 million people were largely reluctant to the shots.


    With a PM term in office just as short-lived as his party leadership, Cîțu
    is rather isolated in the party at present, and says he would battle the
    charges on his own, only helped by his lawyers. USR, on the other hand, are
    closing ranks around their former health ministers and claim the scandal has
    political motives. The head of Save Romania Union, Cătălin Drulă, even argues
    that the case against Voiculescu is a clear example of weaponising public
    institutions against the opposition.


    Observers however find this approach rather odd, given that USR was
    founded precisely as an anti-corruption party, and just years ago it launched a
    quite powerful slogan, I vote for DNA!


    The vaccine scandal, say the media, is only the prologue of a period of severe
    political turmoil, given that next year Romania will be holding elections for
    the European Parliament as well as national local, parliamentary and presidential
    elections. (AMP)

  • New ministers in Romania’s government

    New ministers in Romania’s government

    Nominated early this week by the main partner in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party, to take over the ministries for family and labour, respectively, the Deputies Natalia Intotero and Simona Bucura-Oprescu were sworn in on Wednesday afternoon.



    The seats had been vacant since last week, when Gabriela Firea and Marius Budăi resigned following a scandal concerning grave irregularities in several care homes for the elderly and the disabled.



    More than 2,000 such centres were checked by the authorities in the aftermath of the scandal, and several of these, mostly in Bucharest, were closed down. In scores of other similar institutions, operations have been discontinued and fines totalling some EUR 2 mln have been issued. Criminal investigations have also been initiated, concerning economic offences or crimes against persons, and two inspectors with the Ilfov County Agency for Social Inspection and Payments have been detained for having failed to properly assess the situation in a care centre for people with disabilities.



    And, after talks with PM Marcel Ciolacu, the two relevant ministers also resigned. Ciolacu said at the time that mayors, county council presidents, chiefs of local institutions and police chiefs having connections with the institutions subject to the investigation must also take political responsibility.



    Similarly, the Social Democratic Partys spokesman Lucian Romaşcanu said other officials should step down following the inspections conducted in the care centres for the elderly. “It only makes sense, at present, to conclude that the responsibility here lies not only with the government, but also with the local authorities. Decisions will certainly be made at Cabinet level, but the culprits at political and administrative level should also take a step back. It is a matter of political dignity,” the Social Democratic official argued.



    For the time being, the new ministers have taken over their posts. Simona Bucura-Oprescu, 43, currently at her 3rd term in office in the Chamber of Deputies with support from the Social Democrats, is the new minister of labour and social solidarity. In a social media post on Monday, she said the law on special pensions, the pensions law and the salary law are the priorities of her ministerial term, with a view to completing the reforms undertaken under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.



    The new minister for family, youth and equal opportunities, Natalia Intotero, is 47 and is also at her 3rd term in office as an MP. (AMP)

  • Scandal in nursing homes prompts minister to resign

    Scandal in nursing homes prompts minister to resign

    As a consequence of the scandal regarding the ill-treatment of the elderly and the vulnerable people in nursing homes, the Romanian Labor Minister, the Social Democrat Marius Budai, resigned on Thursday, although, a few days ago, he said that this gesture didnt matter. The Deputy Prime Minister Marian Neacşu will replace him and political sources say that the future Labor Minister will be appointed by the Social Democratic Party – PSD (in the governing coalition), next week, when a meeting of the leadership of this political party will be organized.



    The resignation decision was announced by the Social-Democratic prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, who believes this is a normal gesture in a democracy: I had a discussion with the Labour Minister, Marius Budai, who informed me about his decision to submit his resignation at the end of this meeting. From my point of view, it is a gesture of honor for which I thank him and I am convinced that this is the natural reaction of a political decision-maker in such a crisis. It is a natural reaction in any consolidated European democracy.



    The huge scandal of the ‘homes of horror as they are called in the Romanian media broke out a week and a half ago, but the first accusations were first made several months ago. The revelations showed, back then, that more than 100 so-called beneficiaries of these homes were isolated, starved, tortured, exploited and deprived of minimal hygiene conditions.



    In the meantime, the authorities continue the nationwide verification action of residential social centers. In recent days, several such homes have been checked. Of these, over 20 have been closed, most of them in Bucharest. Also, the activity of almost 30 centers has been suspended and fines have been given worth almost 10 million lei (about 2 million Euros). Several criminal files were opened, some of which concern crimes against the person and economic crimes. At the same time, two inspectors of the Ilfov County Agency for Payments and Social Inspection were detained, because they allegedly did not properly evaluate the situation in a care center for people with disabilities.



    The Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu asked the civil society to propose new names for the future leadership of the National Authority for Persons with Disabilities, because he believes that the NGOs have more expertise in presenting competent people for this domain. In turn, the opposition Save Romania Union party demands the organization of an extraordinary parliamentary session, to look into the situation in the social centers. (LS)


  • July 13, 2023

    July 13, 2023

    Resignation — The Romanian Labor Minister Marius Budai has resigned today against the backdrop of the scandal regarding the care centers for the elderly. The Romanian authorities continue checks at residential social centers throughout the country. More than 1,500 centers have been controlled so far, and 15 nursing homes for the elderly, the disabled and children have been closed. The activity of another 26 has been suspended. The authorities issued 60 fines worth almost 800,000 lei (the equivalent of about 160 thousand Euros). A nursing home that was operating illegally was identified and a criminal case was also opened for abuse of office, fraud, false declarations, unlawful practicing of a profession and tax evasion in the case of a commercial company that owns three nursing homes. On the other hand, the Bucharest Court of Appeal will judge on July 20 the appeals made by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) regarding the placement under house arrest, under judicial control or the failure to take any measures in the case of the 20 defendants detained last week in the investigation regarding the nursing homes for the elderly and the people with disabilities from Ilfov county (south, near Bucharest), where the so-called beneficiaries were beaten, insulted, starved, subjected to forced labor and deprived of minimum hygiene conditions.



    Schengen — The European Parliament reconfirmed its support for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area. Through a resolution adopted on Wednesday, with a large majority, the MEPs ask the Council of the European Union to approve the candidacy of the two states by the end of this year. The document shows that Romania and Bulgaria meet all the criteria to join the free travel area and that the exercise of the right of veto, “without having presented any justification of a legal nature related to the accession criteria”, fuels anti-European sentiment and harms the economy. The European Parliament emphasizes that Romanians and Bulgarians are discriminated against, because they face delays, bureaucratic difficulties and additional costs when traveling or doing business abroad, in comparison with the Schengen Area citizens. The European Parliament also asks the Commission to estimate the financial losses, lost gains and environmental damage that Romania and Bulgaria have incurred, since June 2011, due to not being members of the Schengen area and to analyze the possible compensation mechanisms.



    Statistics — The Border Police General Inspectorate (IGPR) informs that on Wednesday, 123,649 people entered Romania through the border points, of whom 16,483 were Ukrainian citizens. According to a press release issued on Thursday, starting on February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian army invaded their country, 4,998,837 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania. The number of Ukrainian citizens who took up employment in Romania after the start of the war reached a new record last month – said the Romanian Labor Minister, Marius Budai. According to him, at the national level, 6,810 employment contracts were concluded for Ukrainian citizens, the highest level since February 24, 2022 until now. All in all, the minister said, 7,972 active contracts of Ukrainian citizens are registered, of which 6,810 were concluded after the start of the Russian invasion. Most Ukrainians employed in Romania, 1,452, work in the manufacturing industry, and 1,181 in the construction industry. Another 737 are employed in the trade domain. From the point of view of the areas in which they chose to work, the most (2,770) found work in Bucharest, and 418 in Timiş county (west).



    Football — Romanias football champions, Farul Constanţa (southeast), defeated, on Wednesday evening, at home, 1-0, Sheriff Tiraspol from the Republic of Moldova, in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the Champions League. The return match takes place next week, in Tiraspol. The qualified team will play in the next round with the winner of the two-legged tie between Maccabi Haifa (Israel) and Hamrun Spartans (Malta). In the first match, the Israelis won 4-0. We remind you that three Romanian teams are participating in the Conference League. In the 2nd preliminary round, the former champions CFR Cluj (north-west) will meet Adana Demirspor, from Turkey. The winner of Romania’s Cup and Supercup, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe (center) will play against CSKA Sofia from Bulgaria, and the runner-up FCSB (Bucharest) with CSKA 1948 Sofia. The first leg takes place on July 27, and the return leg a week later.



    Inflation – The annual inflation rate slightly decreased in Romania in June 2023, to 10.3%, from 10.64% in May, in the context in which the prices food stuffs rose by 17.88%, of non-foods by 4.84%, and of services by 11.5%, according to data published on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics. In June compared to May, the inflation rate was 0.4%. The National Bank of Romania (BNR) revised upward to 7.1% the inflation forecast for the end of this year and maintained the estimate of 4.2% for the end of 2024, according to data presented in May by Governor Mugur Isărescu. (LS)

  • December 12, 2022 UPDATE

    December 12, 2022 UPDATE

    TALKS The vote in the JHA
    Council is very problematic for all of us in Romania. I was disappointed and
    upset following this vote, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said on
    Monday, after receiving the president of the Swiss
    Confederation Ignazio Cassis in Bucharest. The Romanian president added that he
    would most certainly raise the issue of Romania’s denied Schengen bid at the
    meeting of the European Council due on December 15. Romania should be a part of
    Schengen, the Swiss president said in his turn. The 2
    officials discussed bilateral relations and economic cooperation, with an emphasis
    on boosting investments and identifying new areas of cooperation, and exchanged
    views on the latest international developments, including the war in Ukraine
    and its implications for the energy market and global security.


    FUNDING Romania’s PM Nicolae Ciucă Monday requested all ministries
    and coordinating institutions to give maximum priority to completing the 51 benchmarks
    and targets in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan related to the second
    payment request, amounting to EUR 2.8 bln, which Romania is scheduled to submit
    to the European Commission this month. This amount adds to the EUR 3.7 bln pre-financing
    amount and to a first EUR 2.6 bln instalment already cashed in by Romania. We
    cannot afford to deviate from our commitments, because a lot of elements
    related to reform processes, investments and even economic stability depend on
    us accessing this money, the PM said at a meeting of the inter-ministry
    Committee Coordinating the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Committee
    also reviewed the progress with respect to the 55 targets and benchmarks due
    for the 3rd and 4th quarters of this year, related to the
    3rd payment request that Romania is scheduled to submit to the EC
    this spring.


    BUDGET In Bucharest, Parliament’s specialist committees Monday approved
    the draft budgets of several ministries. The education, transport, development
    and defence ministries will have higher budgets next year, while the energy,
    justice and healthcare ministries will receive less money in 2023. The ruling
    coalition said the budget bill is based on record high investments and accounts
    for 7.2% of GDP. It takes into account an economic growth rate of 2.8% of GDP,
    an annual inflation rate of 8%, a growing number of people in employment and a
    lower unemployment rate of 2.7%. The opposition has criticised the budget bill.
    Both the power and the opposition have submitted amendments. The final vote is
    due on Thursday.


    MOTION Save Romania Union in
    opposition Monday tabled a simple motion against the interior minister Lucian
    Bode, whom they see as responsible for Romania’s failure to join the Schengen free-movement
    area. According to the party, Bode shares this responsibility with the
    president Klaus Iohannis, with the parliamentary majority and the diplomacy in Bucharest.
    USR also invited the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu to give Parliament
    explanations on this topic. Several EU member states voiced their
    disappointment with the denial of Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession bids.
    Moreover, the EU commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, said this would
    be a priority of her term in office.



    EU European democracy is under attack, the head of the European
    Parliament Roberta Metsola said on Monday, voicing her outrage and sadness following
    allegations of corruption in the European Parliament in relation to Qatar. In
    turn, the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, Monday
    called for EU institutions to be governed by the highest standards of
    independence and integrity. The EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep
    Borrell described the EP corruption allegations as being of the utmost
    concern. Eva Kaili, a vice-president of the European parliament from Greece, and
    3 other individuals were detained and charged in Belgium in an international corruption
    investigation related to Qatar. The 4 were charged with participation in a criminal
    organisation, money laundering and corruption.


    FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Romanian diplomacy chief Bogdan Aurescu took part on Monday in Brussels in an informal meeting concerning the future of the Eastern
    Partnership, organised at the initiative of Minister Aurescu and his counterparts
    from Czechia, Sweden and Poland, and in a meeting of the Eastern Partnership
    foreign ministers
    . In
    his addresses, Bogdan Aurescu pleaded for revitalising the Eastern Partnership
    and for adapting it to the new regional context, and reiterated Romania’s firm
    and continuing support for it. He argued that the Eastern Partnership can make
    a significant contribution to strengthening the stability, security and
    prosperity in the Eastern Neighbourhood, by consolidating regional cooperation,
    the security and resilience of partners and through an adequate joint response to
    the challenges facing the region. Mr. Aurescu also emphasised that in the new
    context generated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, a more robust
    and more efficient security dimension of the Eastern Partnership is necessary.



    MEETING The Romanian justice minister, Cătălin
    Predoiu, had a meeting on Monday in Luxembourg with the head of the European
    Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Laura Codruţa Kovesi. According to the
    Romanian justice ministry, the 2 officials discussed the protection of the EU’s
    financial interests, the EPPO human resources issue and the broadening of the
    Office’s powers to include the prosecution of breaches of EU sanctions. I am
    confidence that an in-depth dialogue with the EPPO may lead to ideas and
    solutions to make the cooperation between national and EPPO prosecutors more
    efficient. After all, they all fight crime, which affects both the interests of
    the EU and the national interests of member states, Catalin Predoiu said. (AMP)

  • Résumés and political responsibility

    Résumés and political responsibility

    The Romanian minister for research and digitisation, Liberal Florin Roman, has resigned. He left
    the Nicolae Ciucă cabinet less than a month since taking office, following a
    journalist investigation into his education and qualifications.


    According to journalists,
    Florin Roman’s resume includes a B.A. degree he has not obtained, and a
    plagiarised B.A. thesis. Moreover, he claims to have published a book, which is
    not to be found.


    Roman denies the accusations
    and claims he stepped down to make sure the image of the Cabinet is not
    affected. He argues he is the innocent victim of media and political lynching
    tied to deals of tens of billion euros for the implementation of digital solutions
    for the Government. His office is temporarily taken over by the energy minister
    Virgil Popescu.


    Some of the accusations
    made by journalists are backed by the leaders of the Babeş-Bolyai University
    in Cluj-Napoca, who said Florin Roman never received a degree at this
    university, but only a diploma certifying that he attended a college in Alba
    Iulia, near Cluj.


    Florin Roman was also, for
    a while, speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, and is one of the most influential
    members of the National Liberal Party. He believes the leader of USR party in
    opposition, Dacian Cioloş, has coordinated the attacks against him, and
    threatened to sue. In response, Dacian Cioloş, who was a prime minister in
    2015-2017, said he was not impressed by the threat, and emphasised that Roman’s
    resignation was a necessary step. Florin Roman is
    no victim. Florin Roman is the representative of a political class
    that destroyed the best Romania had, Dacian Cioloş also said.


    Several high-ranking
    Romanian politicians have been accused of plagiarism in recent years. Perhaps
    the most tale-telling image of this phenomenon came in 2016 from the former
    Social Democratic deputy and Bucharest sector 3 mayor Robert Negoiță, accused
    of plagiarism in his Ph.D. thesis and prosecuted for it at the time, who said, Everybody
    was doing it, so I did, too. Robert Negoiță graduated high-school at the age
    of 31, in 2003, and one year after completing his second university programme
    in 2009 he was already enrolled in a doctoral programme.


    But
    the most resounding plagiarism case in Romanian politics involved the former
    Social Democratic leader, Victor Ponta, who eventually resigned as prime
    minister in 2015, although for different reasons. He was probed into for
    copyright infringements in his Ph.D. thesis, but the Prosecutor General’s
    Office closed the case.


    Other
    politicians accused of plagiarism include ex-PM Mihai Tudose, former deputy PM and
    defence minister Gabriel Oprea, the ex-interior minister Radu Stroe, and former
    defence minister Mihai Stănișoară.


    In
    2020, Romania ranked 69th in the Transparency International’s
    Corruption Perceptions Index. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Paedophilia scandal in the Romanian Police

    Paedophilia scandal in the Romanian Police

    The plot is as simple as it is sordid. On January 5, cameras in the elevator of an apartment building in Bucharest recorded the sexual assault of a middle-aged man against two children, brother and sister, aged 5 and 9 respectively. The horrified children told their parents the entire story as soon as they got home, and the parents filed a complaint with the police. All television stations and websites aired images of the suspect, and on January 9 the attacker was identified and detained. The public outrage and repulsion were instantly augmented by general perplexity: the paedophile is a policeman. Aged 45, he has been a driver with the Road Police Brigade since 2010, and previously he had worked for the gendarme corps for 20 years. Himself a father of two, the policeman had been accused of sexual assault before, but the cases had been dropped for insufficient evidence.



    In a first stage, the Social Democrat Interior Minister Carmen Dan ordered an immediate, all-encompassing assessment of all senior officers in the Romanian Police, and thorough psychological testing of the staff of public order services. She voiced her discontent with the way in which police chiefs handled the two cases involving sexual assault against children, in which the policeman had been previously involved.



    Carmen Dan: “I feel that we are facing the same superficial approach and the same lack of responsibility on the part of the leaders of the Romanian Police. I haven’t seen, these days, any of the chiefs of the Police services to present explanations to the public with respect to this case.”



    The Minister wondered how serious and strict the psychological testing of the Road Police agent had been, what his recent ratings were in terms of professional performance, and how it was possible for none of his superiors to have noticed his conduct since 1990, when he was employed in the police system. Carmen Dan took a firm stand: starting with the Police Chief Bogdan Despescu, all those senior police officers must go.



    The Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea says, in his turn, that a thorough analysis is necessary with respect to the management of the Romanian Police, and that the way in which the agent’s psychological testing was conducted must also be looked into. On the other hand, the right-wing Opposition mentions that Mrs Dan has been at the helm of the Interior Ministry for a year now, and she should be the first to resign. As for the media, analysts believe that one of the senior officers that the Minister wants to sack, the head of the Murder Investigation Service with the Bucharest Police, Radu Gabris, is actually a persona non grata because he publicly criticised the criminal law changes that the Social Democratic Party plans to introduce.

  • Scandalul Hexi Pharma

    Scandalul Hexi Pharma

    Un scandal de proporţii demonstrează cât de şubred este sistemul medical din România. O investigaţie jurnalistică dezvăluia, cu ceva timp în urmă, că substanţele dezinfectante furnizate de compania Hexi Pharma unităţilor sanitare ar avea o concentraţie chiar şi de zeci de ori mai mică decât normele. Sunt acuzaţii grave, ţinând cont de faptul că viaţa pacienţilor depinde de cât de sterile sunt sălile de operaţii, instrumentarul şi, în general, spitalele.



    Controalele efectuate în zeci de unităţi sanitare au confirmat concluziile investigaţiei jurnalistice. Gravitatea situaţiei a dus chiar la sistarea operaţiilor, pentru câteva zile, în unele spitale. Depăşit de situaţie, ministrul Sănătăţii a demisionat. Parchetul General a început urmărirea penală împotriva companiei Hexi Pharma, acuzată de zădărnicirea combaterii bolilor şi falsificarea de produse.



    Preşedintele Klaus Iohannis şi premierul Dacian Cioloş au discutat despre scandalul dezinfectanţilor şi au decis că este nevoie de modificarea rapidă a legislaţiei achiziţiilor publice în domeniul sanitar, pentru a asigura un control mai eficient asupra produselor achiziţionate în spitale. Astfel, standardizarea achiziţiilor va conduce la dotarea unităţilor sanitare cu materiale conforme, care nu pun în pericol viaţa oamenilor.



    De cât timp se folosesc în spitale dezinfectanti diluaţi? Ancheta Parchetului General va stabili acest lucru. Serviciul Român de Informaţii susţine că, în ultimii cinci ani, a trimis informări, în mod constant, despre calitatea proastă a dezinfectanţilor folosiţi în unităţile medicale beneficiarilor legali: preşedintele României, primul ministru, miniştri, prefecţi, consilii judeţene.



    În acest sens, preşedintele Comisiei parlamentare de control al activităţii SRI, Georgian Pop, a declarat că va primi, în următoarele zilele, situaţia informărilor cu privire la infecţiile intraspitaliceşti transmise de Serviciu beneficiarilor legali:


    Ce beneficiari legali au fost informaţi şi când? Acestea sunt aspectele de bază în ale controlului şi e foarte normal, e un subiect care interesează opinia publică. Acest fenomen nedorit şi negativ al infecţiilor intraspitaliceşti este un aspect cu interes de nişă pentru SRI pentru că, până la urmă, este dreptul constituţional la sănătate, a fost cunoscut acest fenomen şi beneficiarii legali au fost informaţi.



    Legat de acelasi scandal, Uniunea Naţională a Judecătorilor a cerut Consiliului Superior al Magistraturii să sesizeze Inspecţia Judiciară cu privire la modul în care Parchetele din ţară au folosit informările trimise de SRI privind dezinfectanţii diluaţi din spitale. Pentru că, spun judecătorii, valorificarea acestor informaţii ar fi putut evita îmbolnavirea a mii de români.

  • Retrospectiva săptămânii 8.05- 14.05.2016

    Retrospectiva săptămânii 8.05- 14.05.2016

    Moment istoric în România



    La Deveselu a fost
    inaugurat, joi, sistemul de apărare antirachetă în prezenţa, între alţii, a
    secretarului general al NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, şi a adjunctului secretarului
    american al Apărării, Robert Work. Prin amplasarea acestui sistem în sudul
    României se urmăreşte întărirea securităţii euroatlantice, el urmând să
    completeze capacităţile NATO de apărare antirachetă, deja, existente – radarul
    de înaltă performanţă din Turcia şi sistemul de comandă şi control din
    Germania. În Polonia va începe construcţia unei baze similare cu cea din România,
    care ar urma să devină operaţională în 2018. Facilitatea de la Deveselueste proiectată să răspundă
    eventualelor ameninţări cu rachete care ar putea veni în special din Orientul
    Mijlociu. Aceasta nu reprezintă o ameninţare la adresa cuiva – a spus premierul
    Dacian Cioloş: ‘Este un mijloc destinat exclusiv legitimei apărări
    împotriva ameninţărilor cu rachete balistice. Întăreşte totodată capacitatea
    NATO de apărare antirachetă şi extinde aria de acoperire şi protecţie pentru
    statele aliate sudice şi centrale din Europa, reducând semnificativ riscul unor
    eventuale atacuri cu rachete balistice din afara spaţiului euroatlantic.’
    Considerându-se ameninţată, Moscova a condamnat instalarea scutului în România şi
    a anunţat că îşi va întări capacităţile militare.


    Scandalul dezinfectanţilor diluaţi



    Guvernul tehnocrat de la Bucureşti, instalat în urmă cu aproximativ şase
    luni, se confruntă cu o nouă criză. La începutul săptămânii, ministrul
    Sănătăţii, Patriciu Achimaş-Cadariu, şi-a dat demisia pe fondul unui scandal de
    amploare privind folosirea în spitale de dezinfectanţi diluaţi. Declarând Sănătatea o
    prioritate a mandatului Executivului, premierul Dacian Cioloş a preluat
    interimatul. El a declarat: ‘Vreau să folosim următoarele şase luni şi
    pentru a lua şi alte tipuri de măsuri structurale care, chiar dacă nu vor
    reforma din temelii sistemul de sănătate, cel puţin vor scoate la lumină
    probleme şi le vor clarifica. Şi vreau să-i asigur pe toţi că n-o să ascund
    nimic, că n-o să neglijez nimic.’
    Potrivit premierului
    Cioloş, în ultimii şase sau şapte ani, la Sănătate, în România, s-au succedat
    cel puţin zece miniştri. Niciunul pare că nu a fost capabil să o reformeze,
    astfel încât, de câteva luni, scandalurile se ţin lanţ.



    Recomandări ale FMI pentru Bucureşti


    Conducerea executivă a Fondului
    Monetar Internaţional a analizat raportul ultimei sale misiuni, din luna
    martie, din România şi a făcut, miercuri, recomandări autorităţilor de la
    Bucureşti. FMI pledează pentru continuarea reformelor care au condus la
    echilibrarea economiei şi pentru atragerea investitorilor. Fondul estimează că România va avea o creştere
    economică de peste 4% anul acesta şi de 3,6 procente în 2017. Experţiispun că economia este pe un trend
    crescător ciclic, sprijinită de recentele măriri ale salariilor din sectorul
    public şi de reducerea TVA, care au impulsionat consumul privat. În concluziile
    transmise Guvernului de la Bucureşti, Fondul semnalează că păstrarea acestor
    circumstanţe favorabile de creştere nu se poate face în absenţa reformelor.
    Experţii recomandă autorităţilor şi să nu mai cedeze presiunilor sociale.În prezent, România nu are în derulare un acord cu FMI.



    150 de ani de Monarhie românească



    Marţi, pe 10 mai, în
    România a fost aniversată Ziua Regalităţii, care a devenit, de anul acesta, sărbătoare
    naţională. Trei sunt semnificaţiile acestei zile importante în istoria României
    şi toate au legătură cu Monarhia: la
    10 Mai 1866, Carol I devenea domnitor al României, 11 ani mai târziu, statul
    român îşi oficializa independenţa, iar la 10 Mai 1881 România devenea regat. Evenimente
    dedicate sărbătoririi Coroanei Române la 150 de ani au avut loc la Bucureşti şi
    Sinaia, staţiune din Carpaţii Meridionali. Principele Radu a vorbit, la Radio
    România, despre imporanţa monarhiei în istoria României: ‘Au
    fost ţări care au mers mai bine decât noi în acea perioadă, dar, dacă te uiţi şi
    compari şi cu dificultăţile enorme pe care noi le-am avut de trecut în ultimele
    secole, faptul că după 150 de ani ne găsim, astăzi, împreună, membri în Uniunea
    Europeană, Coroana alături de naţiune şi bucurându-se de atâta respect şi de atâta
    încredere, este un miracol. Este unul din motivele pentru care fiecare dintre
    noi are de ce să se simtă mândru.’



    Românii, din nou la
    Cannes


    Cinematografia românească străluceşte din nou la Festivalul internaţional
    de la Cannes, văzut de publicaţia franceză Télérama drept un joker
    pentru români, care pe Croazetă sunt preţuiţi şi premiaţi. Reputatul ziar
    Le Monde aplaudă filmul lui Cristi Puiu, Sieranevada, văzând
    în el un balet casnic, o simfonie a mişcării. Pelicula, aflată în
    selecţia oficială, deci în cursa pentru Palme d’Or, a fost deja proiectată joi.Cinematografia românească va fi
    reprezentată şi de Cristian Mungiu, aflat la a treia participare în competiţia
    oficială, cu filmul Bacalaureat. Încă trei filme ale regizorilor
    români concurează la Cannes la alte secţiuni: Câini de Bogdan Mirică
    – în secţiunea Un Certain Regard; 4:15 p.m. sfârşitul lumii de Cătălin
    Rotaru şi Gabi Virginia Şargă – la scurtmetraje şi Toate fluviile curg în
    mare de Alexandru Badea – în secţiunea Cinéfondation.



    Handbalul românesc la cote înalte


    Duminica trecută, campioana României – CSM Bucureşti – a scris istorie la
    Budapesta. La prima participare în Liga Campionilor, echipa a câştigat cel mai
    important trofeu intercluburi, după o finală dramatică, tranşată în urma
    aruncărilor de la şapte metri. Deşi considerate outsidere, româncele au luptat
    şi au câştigat meciul în faţa echipei maghiare Gyor, favorita gazdelor, cu 29 -
    26. CSM Bucureşti este a treia echipă din România care cucereşte Cupa
    Campionilor, aşa cum se numea competiţia în trecut, după performanţele reuşite
    de Stiinţa Bacău (1960 – 1961) şi Rapid Bucureşti (1963 – 1964).

  • May 11, 2016

    May 11, 2016

    HEALTHCARE – Hexi Pharma, the company involved in the Romanian hospital disinfectant scandal, applied for insolvency with the Bucharest Tribunal. Following inspections checking the quality of the disinfectants used in public hospitals, in tens of Romanian healthcare units non-compliant samples were found. The checks were triggered by a journalist investigation that revealed that the substances provided by Hexi Pharma were even ten times diluted compared to the standard concentration. The General Prosecutors Office initiated an investigation in the case. The PM Dacian Cioloş has said that as of today the first concentration reports concerning the Hexi Pharma samples will be available.




    IMF – The International Monetary Fund will make public today the conclusions of the Board on the latest mission report in Bucharest, of March 2016. The IMF team stated at the time that Romania had made significant progress in addressing the imbalances and resuming economic growth, but that the tax relaxation at a time when consumption is already on the rise and the adoption of legislative initiatives like the debt discharge law jeopardise these accomplishments. International experts advised Romanian authorities to maintain prudent policies and resume structural reforms so as to keep the budget deficit under control, to ensure the efficiency and restructuring of state-owned companies and to improve administration. Romania does not have an on-going agreement with the IMF at present.




    ANTI-CORRUPTION – Romanias deputy PM Costin Borc and the Justice Minister Raluca Prună are taking part on Wednesday and Thursday in London in the Anti-Corruption Summit and the conference that precedes it. According to the Romanian Justice Ministry, taking part in the Summit hosted by the British PM David Cameron are international leaders and representatives of civil society and the business community. The participants will discuss topics like governmental transparency, the international enforcement of anti-corruption laws, means to strengthen international institutions and corporate data confidentiality.




    BREXIT – The GDP of the European Union without the UK is estimated to drop from over 14 trillion euro, as it was in 2015, to 12.1 trillion, according to DPA. Exports will likely drop from 1.8 to 1.56 trillion euro, whereas imports — from 1.7 to 1.47 trillion euro. Also, the EU budget is estimated to fall from nearly 144 billion euro, earmarked for 2016, to around 124 billion euro. The number of official languages in the EU would stay at 24. On June 23 Britons are to vote, in a referendum, on the countrys EU membership, DPA says.




    CANNES – Five Romanian films are taking part in this years International Film Festival in Cannes, which begins today accompanied by exceptional security measures, following the terror attacks in Paris. Graduation by Cristian Mungiu and Sierra Nevada by Cristi Puiu, both of the two directors already awarded in Cannes, compete for the Palme d’Or, whereas “Dogs, the feature film debut of Bogdan Mirică, was selected in the “Un Certain Regard section. In the short film section the Romanian directors Cătălin Rotaru and Gabi Virginia Şarga have entered the film “4:15 P.M. The end of the world. Finally, this years Cinéfondation selection includes the short film “All Rivers Flow into the Sea by Alexandru Badea.




    TENNIS – The top ranking Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, no. 5 ATP, is playing today against Russias Daria Gavrilova, in the second round of the tournament in Rome. In the same stage of the competition, the Romanian Irina Begu (no. 35 WTA) takes on Viktoria Azarenka, of Belarus. On Saturday, Halep won the final of the WTA tournament in Madrid, after defeating the Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-4. In the quarter-finals she had defeated Irina Begu.

  • Sistemul medical, o urgenţă

    Sistemul medical, o urgenţă

    În sfârşit, sistemul medical din România a devenit o prioritate pentru guvernanţi, în condiţiile în care calitatea serviciilor din domeniu se degradează de la an la an, iar autorităţile păreau să asiste impasibile la acest fenomen. Deşi este unul dintre cei mai importanţi piloni pe care se dezvoltă ţara, sănătatea a fost subminată constant prin finanţare insuficientă. Dar sistemul medical se confruntă şi cu alte disfuncţionalităţi, care slăbesc încrederea pacienţilor în spitale şi, mai mult, pot pune în pericol viaţa pacienţilor.



    Ultimul scandal din domeniul sanitar este legat de substanţele dezinfectante folosite în unităţile sanitare. Totul a pornit după ce, recent, o investigaţie jurnalistică a dezvăluit că substanţele companiei care furniza aceste produse ar avea o concentraţie chiar şi de zeci de ori mai mică decât normele, iar controalele făcute în zeci de spitale au arătat că au fost depistate probe neconforme privind calitatea dezinfectanţilor.



    În urma acestui scandal, ministrul Sănătăţii, Patriciu Achimaş Cadariu şi-a dat demisia, pentru că, a explicat, el, în Comisia pentru soluţionarea problemei dezinfectanţilor au existat diferenţe de abordare. Preocuparea principală a guvernului este siguranţa pacientului, a subliniat fostul ministru:


    Pacienţii nu cred că trebuie să fie traşi într-un joc în care să li se inducă panică, pentru că este singurul sistem pe care îl avem şi actul medical trebuie să fie făcut corespunzător. Dezinfectanţii reprezintă o parte din problemele sistemului sanitar şi o parte a problemelor infecţiilor nosocomiale, care au reprezentat o prioritate a mandatului meu.”



    Scandalul legat de concentraţia slabă a dezinfectanţilor a arătat şi că nu există, în România, un laborator acreditat care să ofere rezultate oficiale în ceea ce priveşte substanţele respective. Iată de ce premierul Dacian Cioloş, care a afirmat că va asigura interimatul la ministerul Sănătătii, a anunţat modificări legislative:


    Am cerut secretarilor de stat din ministerul Sănătăţii, cu atât mai mult cu cât o să-mi asum, în următoarele zile, direct această responsabilitate la ministerul Sănătăţii să vină, până miercuri, cu proiectul de ordin de ministru prin care să definim şi acele proceduri pe biocide. Am în vedere, în zilele urmatoare, mai multe astfel de acte normative care pot fi decise imediat şi care să completeze sau să clarifice, cumva, cadrul normativ pe aceste subiecte.”



    În urma ultimelor dezvăluiri din sistemul medical, Dacian Cioloş a afirmat că acest domeniu reprezintă o prioritate absolută pentru guvern şi a decis constituirea unui grup de lucru al cărui scop, pe termen lung, este reformarea reală a sistemului de sănătate. Deja a avut loc o întâlnire a specialiştior care au convenit că este momentul ca situaţia reală din sistemul sanitar românesc să fie adusă în dezbatere publică.

  • May 3, 2016 UPDATE

    May 3, 2016 UPDATE

    State secretary Corina Şuteu, former director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, was nominated on Tuesday by PM Dacian Cioloş as the new culture minister, after Vlad Alexandrescu was discharged, reads a news release issued by the Government of Romania. The dismissal comes against the backdrop of a scandal at the Romanian Opera House in Bucharest, triggered by discontent with the successive appointments for the director post as well as with the substantial imbalances between the salaries paid to the Romanian and the foreign dancers. Protests led to the cancellation of three shows, and PM Ciolos asked for Vlad Alexandrescus resignation. In messages posted on Facebook or published in the media, Vlad Alexandrescu says he was forced out because he upset various interest groups. The head of government said he had not been informed of the problems Vlad Alexandrescu claimed to have been facing and added that the nomination of Corina Suteu is intended to help carry on the reform process.




    Romania will see an economic growth peak this year, before a moderate growth rate next year, the European Commission estimates. According to its spring forecast, the high growth rate is due to the increase in revenues and to the tax relaxation. The European Commission warns Romania, however, that new legislative initiatives in the financial sector pose macroeconomic risks. According to Brussels, the domestic macroeconomic risk has deepened, as a result of the uncertainty induced by the debt discharge law, which may have a negative impact on investor confidence. This year, Romania is expected to have an economic growth rate of 4.2%, and next year 3.7%. In March the inflation rate dropped substantially, after the VAT was cut down, and it will likely remain negative midway through the year, with an expected increase afterwards triggered by planned salary raises.




    The European Commission has warned Turkey that the prospective lift of visa requirements for Turkish citizens may be quickly suspended in case Ankara fails to meet the criteria set by the European bloc. Turkey, which wants its citizens to be able to travel freely in the EU in exchange for enforcing the migrant deal, must meet 72 criteria set by Brussels. Early this week, Turkey agreed to cancel the travel visas for all EU citizens, including citizens of Cyprus, which is one of the requirements, but, as a Turkish official stated, this is not an official recognition of Cyprus by Turkey. The European Commission will decide on Wednesday whether these criteria are complied with, and should the report be positive, it will draft a legislative proposal to be endorsed by the European Parliament and the EU member states.




    On World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on May 3, the Council of Europe Secretary General, Thorbjorn Jagland, called on the 47 member countries to make sure that their national legislation on defamation does not silence the media and does not weaken public debate. The Council of Europe says it is critical for democracy that the media carry on its monitoring and criticising of those in power. In Romania, some people continue to abuse the journalist profession in order to intimidate, blackmail or trade influence, and some public authorities have attempted to block the access to information on major topics in the recent history of Romania – the 1989 Revolution, the miners riots of June ’90 or the Colectiv tragedy, reads the latest FreeEx report released by ActiveWatch. The document also reveals that the global Press Freedom Index worked out by Reporters without Borders puts Romania in the 49th place in the world, up three positions since the previous year.




    The Romanian Simona Halep (no. 7 WTA) Tuesday qualified to the eighth-finals of the Premier WTA tournament in Madrid, with 4.7 million USD in total prizes, after defeating Karina Knapp (Italy) (6-1, 6-1). Halep is the third Romanian to reach the third stage of the tournament in Madrid this year, after Patricia Ţig (134 WTA) and Irina Begu (34 WTA). Halep played the final of this tournament in 2014, when she lost to Russias Maria Sharapova.

  • May 3, 2016

    May 3, 2016

    The Prime Minister of Romania, Dacian Cioloş, is to submit to President Klaus Iohannis today a request to discharge Vlad Alexandrescu as Culture Minister and a nomination for his replacement. According to political sources, one of the favourites for this appointment is Corina Şuteu, former head of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, and currently a state secretary in the Culture Ministry. The dismissal comes against the backdrop of a scandal at the Romanian Opera House in Bucharest, triggered by discontent with the successive appointments for the director post as well as with the substantial imbalances between the salaries paid to the Romanian and the foreign dancers. Protests led to the cancellation of three shows, and PM Ciolos asked for Vlad Alexandrescus resignation. In messages posted on Facebook or published in the media, Vlad Alexandrescu says he was forced out because he upset various interest groups. The head of government said he had not been informed of the problems Vlad Alexandrescu claimed to have been facing and promised he would urge the new minister to carry on the reforms initiated by Alexandrescu.



    The second International Light Festival, Spotlight 2016, will take place in Bucharest between May 5 and 8. Apart from captivating shows, including 15 art installations, building lighting and video-mapping sessions prepared by the guest artists will transform representative buildings in Bucharest, such as the CEC Building, the National History Museum building and the National Military Society buildings. This year, Spotlight is part of the events supporting the candidacy of Bucharest for European Capital of Culture in 2021.



    May 3 is the World Press Freedom Day. On this occasion, the Council of Europe Secretary General, Thorbjorn Jagland, called on the 47 member countries to make sure that their national legislation on defamation does not silence the media and does not weaken public debate. The Council of Europe says it is critical for democracy that the media carry on its monitoring and criticising of those in power. In Romania, some people continue to abuse the journalist profession in order to intimidate, blackmail or trade influence, and some public authorities have attempted to block the access to information on major topics in the recent history of Romania – the 1989 Revolution, the miners riots of June ’90 or the Colectiv tragedy, reads the latest FreeEx report released by ActiveWatch. The document also reveals that the global Press Freedom Index worked out by Reporters without Borders puts Romania in the 49th place in the world, up three positions since the previous year.



    In Romania, companies that pay less than roughly 280 euros per month, the new national minimum wage for full-time employees, will be fined. Under a government resolution endorsed late last year, more than 1.1 million employees benefit from this increase, which took effect on May 1. The raise is intended to bring national minimum wages up to nearly 60% of the national average salary. Still, salaries in Romania remain some of the lowest in the EU, only higher than in Bulgaria, but below those in other former communist states. At the opposite pole, the highest national minimum wages are paid in Luxemburg, 1,923 euro/month, followed by Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Ireland, where national minimum wages are around 1,500 euro per month.



    The European Commission has warned Turkey that the prospective lift of visa requirements for Turkish citizens may be quickly suspended in case Ankara fails to meet the criteria set by the European bloc. Turkey, which wants its citizens to be able to travel freely in the EU in exchange for enforcing the migrant deal, must meet 72 criteria set by Brussels. The European Commission will decide on Wednesday whether these criteria are complied with, and should the report be positive, it will draft a legislative proposal to be endorsed by the European Parliament and the EU member states.



    Norway, as part of a US-headed international coalition with operations in Syria and Iraq, will deploy 60 troops to train Syrian rebels fighting against the terrorist groups in that country, the Norwegian PM, Erna Solberg announced, according to Le Figaro. The Norwegian troops selected into this special task force will be sent to Jordan, and the name of the groups they will train has not been disclosed. Norway is already present in areas where the international coalition is fighting against the IS group, particularly in Erbil (Iraq), where soldiers are training peshmerga fighters for countering terrorist groups.



    The Romanian Irina Begu (no. 34 WTA) managed a surprising win against Spains Garbine Muguruza (4 WTA), 5-7, 7-6, 6-3, in the second round of the WTA tournament in Madrid, with 4.7 million USD in prize money. In the eighth-finals, Irina will be facing the American Christina McHale (59 WTA). Also qualified in the eighth-finals is another Romanian player, Patricia Ţig (134 WTA). Two other Romanians have qualified into the second round of the Madrid tournament, Simona Halep, no. 7 WTA, and Sorana Carstea (no. 127 WTA). Halep played the final of the Madrid tournament in 2014, when she lost to Russias Maria Sharapova.

  • Scandal la Operă

    Scandal la Operă

    La împlinirea, în această lună, a 95 de ani de la instituţionalizare, cel mai mare teatru liric românesc – Opera bucureşteană – este în prim-planul unui scandal de amploare, traversând o criză fără precedent marcată de anularea a trei reprezentaţii şi care a condus la demisia ministrului Culturii, Vlad Alexandrescu.



    Conflictul a început după ce dirijorul Tiberiu Soare a fost numit director general interimar al Operei Naţionale din Bucureşti în locul fostului titular, actorul George Călin, demis în urma unor neconcordanţe în documentele instituţiei descoperite de Curtea de Conturi. O zi mai târziu, coordonatorul trupei de balet, danezul Johan Kobborg, anunţa că va demisiona, invocând scoaterea de pe site-ul instituţiei a funcţiei sale de director al Baletului Operei. Tiberiu Soare şi-a motivat decizia, criticată de corpul de balet, prin faptul că Johan Kobborg ar fi ocupat un post care nu corespundea organigramei de funcţionare a instituţiei, deţinând o titulatură incorectă din punct de vedere legal. Retrogradarea în funcţie a lui Kobborg a avut ecou internaţional în lumea dansului, unde acesta este un nume respectat, iar o parte dintre balerini au ameninţat că nu vor mai dansa sau chiar vor părăsi Opera. Între timp, Soare a fost numit director adjunct, iar postul de director general interimar a fost preluat de un alt dirijor, Vlad Conta.



    Alături de manifestaţiile de susţinere inclusiv ale partenerei de viaţă a lui Kobborg, Alina Cojocaru – desemnată în 2010, la Moscova, balerina deceniului, decizia de a pleca luată de Johan Kobborg a fost asezonată cu proteste din partea unor angajaţi ai Operei, care au spus că există discrepanţe mari între salariile lor şi ale colaboratorilor străini.



    Renumirea în funcţie ca interimar pentru trei luni a lui George Călin, în încercarea de aplanare a conflictului, nu a făcut decât să amplifice şi mai mult tensiunile, ministrul Culturii, Vlad Alexandrescu, fiind acuzat că a cedat presiunilor.



    Soluţia propusă a fost găsită ca urmare a unei negocieri cu Johan Kobborg şi Alina Cojocaru, purtată din dorinţa ca ei să-şi continue activitatea la Operă, negociere în care a fost pusă drept condiţie această numire. În faţa protestului de la Operă şi a împotrivirii manifeste a artiştilor, este însă evident că George Călin nu-şi poate exercita funcţia, aşa încât am decis să îl retrag de la conducerea Operei. În zilele următoare voi face o nouă numire”, anunţa, apoi, într-un mesaj publicat pe pagina sa oficială de Facebook, ministrul. Pe aceeaşi reţea de socializare, Vlad Alexandrescu îşi anunţa, ulterior, propria demisie.



    Miercuri seară, în mijlocul a circa 200 de persoane care au manifestat în stradă în sprijinul lui Vlad Alexandrescu, premierul Dacian Cioloş a declarat că speră ca decizia acestuia să-i convingă pe toţi artiştii de la Operă că vor putea găsi la Ministerul Culturii acel pol de stabilitate de care au nevoie.