Tag: sentence

  • Domestic Events of 2022 in Review

    Domestic Events of 2022 in Review

    War in Ukraine, security crisis at Romania’s borders, prompt allied response



    After two years in which it monopolized the newscasts, the novel coronavirus is outclassed, in 2022, by the new Russian imperialism of Vladimir Putin, with the start of Russias illegal and unjustified war against its former vassal from the Soviet period, Ukraine. Together with its European Union partners and NATO allies, Romania firmly condemned the Russian aggression and coordinated its actions with them to face ‘the most serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security in recent decades, as the aggression is described in the declaration adopted at the end of the NATO meeting of the foreign affairs ministers held in Bucharest in November. Russia, the declaration shows, bears the full responsibility for this war, a blatant violation of international law and of the principles of the UN Charter, and its unacceptable actions, energy blackmail and reckless nuclear rhetoric undermine the rules-based international order. Any attack against the Allies will receive a united and determined response, the NATO states renewed their commitment. The actions that followed the Russian invasion were aimed at consolidating the eastern flank, the most exposed, of which Romania is also a part. The United States has boosted the number of troops sent to the territory of its strategic partner. Around 5,000 allied soldiers are currently in Romania, most of them from the USA, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Canada. A NATO battle group was established a few months after the start of the conflict, by transforming the allied multinational elements within the NATO Response Force, and France took over the role of framework nation.



    Energy crisis, inflation, measures to support the population



    Romania participated, from the very first moment, in the international support effort for Ukraine and continues to advocate for maintaining this support, at all levels. The Romanian authorities were praised for the way in which they acted in relation to the Ukrainian refugees and for the role they played in facilitating the transit of cereals from Ukraine to world markets. On the other hand, the Romanian authorities had to manage internal crises that the conflict generated or amplified. In line and in coordination with the European partners, Bucharest has diversified its energy sources in order to decrease its dependence on Russian gas. The government also adopted measures to compensate and cap gas and electricity bills, as the bills risked becoming unbearable for a population whose incomes were devoured by inflation that rose to 17% and endangered the existence of many companies. The budget for next year maintains the measures for capping energy bills, stipulates aid for the most vulnerable categories and allocates money for increasing pensions and the minimum wage.



    CVM monitoring lifted, Schengen accession postponed



    The European Commission proposed, towards the end of the year, the lifting of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism monitoring for Romania, established upon the country’s EU accession in 2007, in order to monitor the reform of the judiciary. The adoption of the justice laws, repaired, to a good extent, after the damage caused to the legislation in the field by the social-democratic government between 2017-2018, had a big say in this decision. The same European Commission found that Romania meets, like Bulgaria, the technical conditions for joining the Schengen free travel area and recommended the EU states to speed up the accession of the two. The European Parliament, for its part, voted a resolution with a similar message. The support of the community institutions and the member states, including the Netherlands, which, in the past, was an intransigent opponent of Romanias and Bulgarias Schengen accession, was, however, blocked by the unexpected and obstinate refusal of Austria. The fact that Romania is not on the route of the illegal migrants flow, which was confirmed by the official data provided by Frontex Agency, and the reports of the Commission, which attest to Romania’s positive results in protecting the Union’s external border and in controlling illegal migration, did not matter. Vienna’s veto in the Justice and Home Affairs Council in December blocked Romanias Schengen accession which had been waited for 11 years. The gesture led to the souring of diplomatic relations between Bucharest and Vienna. Against the background of frustration and indignation, many people, including some leading politicians, called for a boycott of Austrian companies. President Klaus Iohannis called for calm and disagreed with any such boycott. At the last EU summit in 2022, he made an appeal for unity and solidarity, reiterating that Romania deserves its place into the Schengen Area.



    Sentences in the COLECTIVE file



    After almost 7 years since the fire at the Bucharest club Colectiv, which killed dozens of young people who had come to enjoy a rock concert, the court established the guilt and the punishments. The former mayor of the sector where the club that burned down was located received a 4-year sentence for abuse of office, reduced by half compared to the one received in the court of first instance. In his case, the judges eliminated the aggravated element of the crime of abuse of office. The owners of the club received prison sentences between 6 and almost 12 years, and the firefighters from the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations who checked the Colectiv Club without taking the legal measures regarding compliance with fire regulations, were definitively sentenced to 8 years and 8 months in prison. The court decided that some of the convicts should pay compensation of tens of millions of Euros to the families of the victims and the survivors. The latter say that the main culprit for the lost lives is the Romanian state, with its public systems unable to develop antibodies against corruption, indolence and administrative incompetence.



    Popovici, the new star of world swimming



    2022 in sports was a good year, with successes in rowing, kayak-canoeing, table tennis, athletics and weightlifting. However, in 2022 Romanian sports gave much more, namely a name for history, David Popovici. The high school student from Bucharest was the winner of the Junior and Senior World and European Championships in the 100m and 200m long course swimming events, and in Rome he set a new world record in the 100 meter freestyle. The sports press talks about the Popovici phenomenon, and the famous Swimming World magazine designated him the swimmer of the year. Instead, a former world number one, the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, received, in 2022, the news of a provisional suspension after she was detected positive in an anti-doping control carried out at the US Open. The double grand slam winner, considered a model of integrity in sports, began, according to her own words, the most difficult match of her life, one for the truth, in which she struggles to prove that she is innocent. (LS)

  • A controversial Supreme Court ruling

    A controversial Supreme Court ruling

    The Higher Court of Cassation and
    Justice in Romania on Tuesday made a ruling with major effects on cases
    subjected to a limitation period. Under the court’s ruling this limitation is
    to be applied retroactively according to the most favourable law. The court ruled
    that there were no interruptions in limitation for four years between June
    2018, when the first ruling of the Constitutional Court (CCR) had come into
    effect, and May 2022, when the Penal Code was amended also under a CCR ruling.




    The special limitation allowed
    prosecutors to interrupt its course on the base of new evidence or by bringing
    the offender to court as a defendant. According to some legal sources, the
    Supreme Court ruling is going to affect thousands of cases pending in courts or
    under investigation allowing the culprits to avoid sentences or charges thanks
    to this limitation. The list includes famous cases such as that of former
    minister Elena Udrea, who has been a constant presence in courts for the past 8
    years, since the end of the second term in office of former president Traian
    Basescu, considered her protector.




    Currently serving a prison sentence
    on corruption charges, the former minister has also been involved in another
    two pending cases. The first case concerns the funding of president Basescu’s 2009
    election campaign, when Udrea got an 8 year prison sentence for bribery
    incitement and money laundering. The former president’s eldest daughter, Ioana
    Basescu, has also been given a five year prison sentence in the same file. The court dealing with this pending case
    adjourned until December this year, one month after the Supreme Court ruling. Udrea
    is also being tried in the ‘Hidroelectrica’ file on several charges, such as
    influence peddling and money laundering for having allegedly received five
    million dollars from a businessman. Among
    the offenders benefitting from limitation are the former Liberal president of
    the Chamber of Deputies, Bogdan Olteanu and Adrian Mititelu, owner of Romanian
    football side UCraiova 1948.




    Courts adjourned in many other cases
    until the aforementioned ruling and these cases will probably be closed. Among
    those to benefit the latest ruling on limitation are the former mayor of the
    city of Pitesti, in southern Romania, Social-Democrat Tudor Pendiuc, the ex-PSD
    now Liberal mayor of the city of Iasi, in northern Romania, Mihai Chirica, or
    the former PSD minister Constantin Nita.




    The latest ruling on limitation has
    made some people very happy. These are usually business people, mainly charged
    with embezzlement and misappropriation, as well as leading political figures
    accused of influence peddling, bribery and abuse of office with aggravating
    circumstances. Most of the cases likely
    to be closed after the latest Supreme Court ruling, have been dragging on for
    years. Is this only the merit of lawyers or the consequence of the investigators’
    incompetence?


    (bill)

  • July 25, 2022 UPDATE

    July 25, 2022 UPDATE

    DROUGHT Drought has affected
    106,389 hectares of land in Romania, according to figures published by the
    agriculture ministry. The southern counties of Teleorman, Olt and Dolj have run
    out of water for irrigation because of the significant drop in the Danube’s
    river flow, agriculture minister Petre Daea announced on social media. Waters
    have retreated so much that they no longer reach the pumping stations feeding
    the irrigation system, with part of the Danube’s bed now looking like sandy
    beach. In the areas where irrigation was used, the state of the crops is good.
    Daea said the authorities are speeding up investment works to rehabilitate the
    national irrigation network and to bring Danube water closer to pumping
    stations. The minister recently said there is no reason yet to declare a state
    of disaster over the drought.

    TALKS
    The Romanian state secretary for strategic affairs, Iulian Fota, Monday had
    talks in Bucharest with the US deputy under-secretary for national security Kelli
    Ann Burriesci, who is on a regional tour in Europe. The US official was later
    received by the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu. Talks focused on Romania’s
    participation in the Visa Waiver Program
    and on means to strengthen bilateral cooperation to this end. Bogdan Aurescu reiterated
    that including Romania in the Visa Waiver
    program is a top political goal for Bucharest and a topic of particular
    interest to the Romanian public.
    He also
    highlighted the importance of the successful implementation of a joint
    awareness raising campaign and voiced Romania’s willingness to work together
    with the US to help reduce the visa rejection rate.


    COVID-19 In Romania,
    the number of coronavirus infections is on the rise. Nearly 5,000 new cases
    were reported on Monday for the last 24 hours, most of these in Bucharest,
    Cluj, Ilfov, Constanta and Brasov counties. Around 3,400 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised,
    204 of them in intensive care. Most of the patients in critical condition are
    unvaccinated. Five COVID-related deaths have also been reported.


    CORRUPTION Lucian
    Duţă, the former chief of Romania’s National Health Insurance Agency (CNAS), Monday
    received a final 6-year prison sentence. He was charged by the National
    Anti-Corruption Directorate for receiving EUR 6.3 million in bribe in exchange
    for awarding a public service contract to 2 software companies. The Bucharest Court
    of Appeals upheld the ruling pronounced by the court of first instance in
    November 2020, and the court’s decision to seize the EUR 6.3 million from Lucian
    Duţă.


    ENERGY More than
    3,500 MW of renewable energy will be installed in Romania in the coming period,
    both solar, using photovoltaic panels, and wind-generated, according to data
    provided by a consultancy firm in the field. Almost 700 such projects have been
    submitted on the platform made available by the energy ministry to receive
    funding under the recovery and resilience plan. The secretary general of the
    employers’ association in the field of renewable energy Mihai Verşescu said
    investment is needed in this sector, but that business people are reluctant because
    of frequent legislative changes. He emphasised that while funding sources are
    available, legislation is needed to ensure predictability.


    EMPLOYMENT Five out
    of ten Romanian employees changed their jobs in the last two years, according
    to a poll published by an online recruitment platform. Many job applicants look
    for less stressful jobs and more benefits. Four out of ten people who change
    their jobs were driven by higher pay, 27% because they had lost their jobs a
    result of a wave of redundancies, and 3% because their employers did not agree
    to their working remotely. 35% of respondents said they are currently looking
    and applying for new jobs and only 21% are completely satisfied with their
    current jobs. In conclusion, Romanians seeking new employment want better pay,
    the possibility to work from home, more additional benefits besides their wages
    and the possibility to relocate abroad.


    TENNIS The Romanian
    tennis player Irina Begu won the WTA 250 tournament in Palermo, Italy, worth
    200,000 US dollars in prize money. In Sunday’s final, she defeated Italy’s
    Lucia Bronzetti in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. This is Begu’s fifth WTA title,
    having also won in Tashkent in 2012, Seoul in 2015, Florianopolis in 2016 and
    Bucharest in 2017. Begu also played the finals in Budapest, Marbella, Moscow
    and Cleveland. She is 31 years old and is ranked 45th in the world. Until now,
    Irina Spârlea had been the only Romanian player to win the singles title in
    Palermo, in 1994 and 1995. (CM, AMP)

  • The Udrea affair, once again in the spotlight

    The Udrea affair, once again in the spotlight

    The
    trial of the famous Bute Gala case, named after the former great
    Romanian-Canadian fighter, has reached its end. The High Court of Cassation and
    Justice Thursday dismissed as unfounded the appeals for annulment filed by the
    former minister for development Elena Udrea, and the other defendants.


    Elena
    Udrea was sentenced to 6 years behind bars, the ex-president of the Romanian
    Boxing Federation Rudel Obreja will have to serve 5 years, and the
    administrator of Udrea’s land, 3 years.


    The
    sentences in this case were suspended in December 2018, when the Constitutional
    Court ruled that the law had not been observed when the 5-judge panels were
    formed, and therefore the final ruling in the Bute Gala trial had been passed
    by an illegal panel.


    In
    dismissing the appeal for annulment, Romania’s supreme court enforced a
    decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union, under which national
    judges may reverse a Constitutional Court ruling in cases involving frauds in EU
    spending.


    The
    Romanian judges thus confirmed the precedence of EU law over the national law,
    by overturning a Constitutional Court ruling.


    In
    the Bute Gala trial, Udrea was accused of having coordinated a system through
    which people close to her would receive money from businesses in exchange for timely
    payments for the services provided to the ministry headed by Udrea.


    According
    to investigators, the money reached Elena Udrea directly, in cash or as
    payments for goods or services, or was given to individuals she designated to
    this end. Udrea was also accused of prompting other ministry personnel to
    overstep their powers while procuring advertising services for the Bute Gala
    event, which caused losses to the ministry’s budget and brought undue benefits
    to Rudel Obreja.


    In
    2018, Elena Udrea received a 6-year prison sentence for bribe-taking and abuse
    of office, but she fled Romania, to be found and incarcerated later on in Costa
    Rica. She tried to do the same this Thursday, when the final ruling was passed,
    but she was caught in Bulgaria. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate had
    requested that she be placed under court supervision precisely because of her
    previous attempt to dodge the law, however the court dismissed the request.


    The
    end of the Bute Gala trial is by no means the end of Elena Udrea’s judicial
    problems. She has also been sentenced by a court of first instance to 8 years
    in prison for the election campaign of 2009, and she is a defendant in a third
    case as well. Ironically, Elena Udrea first rose to power as an advocate of the
    fight against corruption and the chief aide to ex-president Traian Băsescu, himself
    a champion of the fight for the independence of prosecutors until they started
    looking into corruption offences committed by Băsescu’s own inner circle.


    The
    legacy of the Băsescu regime is rather grim: its number one has recently been
    confirmed by Court as a former collaborator of the communist political police,
    while its second in command is someone sentenced for corruption, who tried for
    a second time to evade serving a sentence. (A.M.P.)

  • September 25, 2020

    September 25, 2020

    COVID-19 Romania has had 1,629 new SARS-CoV-2 cases in 24 hours, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Friday at noon. The total number of infections thus reaches 119,683. Also on Friday, another 42 COVID-19-related deaths were reported, taking the total death toll up to 4,633. A total of 7,245 patients are currently hospitalised, with 508 of them in intensive care. Of the Romanians living abroad, 6,693 have so far tested positive for the virus, and 126 of them died.



    ELECTIONS In Romania, today is the last day of audio-visual campaigning ahead of the local elections due on Sunday. The campaign, which started on August 28 and was rather atypical because of the coronavirus pandemic, ends at 7 AM on Saturday. For the first time ever, the campaign took place in a state of alert and under strict healthcare protection regulations, and so will the ballot itself. A total of 18 million voters are expected in polling stations, to elect, in only one round, mayors, chairs of county and local councils and county and local councillors. Analysts say voter turnout will make an important difference in Sundays elections.



    SCHOOLS In Romania, face-to-face teaching in the schools where polling stations are organized for Sundays local elections will be suspended as of today, with classes only to be taught online until September 30. A number of 146 schools in Bucharest, which will not be hosting polling stations, will carry on in-person teaching, according to a scenario approved by the Bucharest Committee for Emergencies.



    RESIGNATION Giorgiana Hosu, chief prosecutor of DIICOT (the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism), Thursday announced she was stepping down. The decision follows a 3-year suspended sentence given to her husband by a court of first instance. Appointed this February, Giorgiana Hosu is the 3rd DIICOT chief to resign in the past 5 years. Dan Hosu, former chief in the Romanian Polices organised crime division, was sentenced for inciting illegal access to a computer system and inciting the use of information not intended for publication, in view of obtaining undue benefits for himself or others. The ruling is not final.



    MILITARY Over 200 troops from Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia and Turkey, with air and land equipment, are taking part in the 2020 Carpathian Eagle multinational exercise of Special Operations Forces, hosted by the Cincu base in Romania. According to the Defence Ministry, the exercise is designed to train military structures in planning, organising, implementing and managing independent special operations, with a view to enhancing regional security.



    BSEC The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu will char today an informal, online meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), held on the sidelines of the 75th top-level UN General Assembly meeting. Romania is the acting president of the BSEC until the end of this year. The special guest of the meeting is the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.



    FOOTBALL Romanias football champions, CFR Cluj, qualified into the Europa League playoffs, after defeating Thursday night the Swedish team Djurgaarden IF, 1-0 away from home. In the playoff due on October 1, the Romanians will play on home turf against the Finnish side KuPS Kuopi. On the other hand, Romanias Cup winner FCSB (Bucharest), Thursday night lost at home to the Czech team Slovan Liberec, 0-2, and failed to qualify in the Europa League playoffs. FCSB played with a team of substitutes, because of the large number of coronavirus infection cases reported among its regular players. (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 27, 2019 UPDATE

    May 27, 2019 UPDATE

    SENTENCE The former head of the ruling coalition in Bucharest, Liviu Dragnea, was imprisoned on Monday night, after having been sentenced by the supreme court to prison for corruption offences. Dragnea will be quarantined for 21 days, during which he will undergo physical and psychological check-ups, and his prison activities will be decided. The head of the Social Democratic Party in power and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Dragnea was sentenced on Monday to 3 and a half years behind bars for inciting abuse of office. The prosecution proved that while he was the president of the Teleorman County Council, Dragnea had 2 social assistance workers illegally employed with the Teleorman Child Protection Service, although in fact they were working for the local branch of the Social Democratic Party. Liviu Dragnea had also received a suspended sentence for election fraud, involving the 2012 referendum for the impeachment of ex president Traian Basescu. The Social Democrats executive president, PM Viorica Dancila, announced she will be the interim party president until a special congress is held. The Chamber of Deputies will also elect a new speaker.



    ELECTION Sundays election in Romania sends to the European Parliament representatives from 6 political parties, according to the results announced by the Central Electoral Bureau after most votes have been counted. The National Liberal Party, the largest in the right-of-centre opposition, got the most votes, 26.35%, followed by the Social Democrats in power with 23.16%, and the Alliance 2020 USR – PLUS with 21.24%. Three other Romanian parties will be represented in the EP: PRO România – 6.7%, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the Peoples Movement Party with around 5.5% each. Seven other parties that took part in the election were below the 5% threshold. In the diaspora, many Romanians queued for hours to be able to cast their ballots. According to Radio Romanias correspondents in Rome, Madrid and London, people complained about the poor organisation of the vote. The Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu issued a news release apologizing for the problems and saying he ordered an investigation in the countries in question. He also ordered the Foreign Ministry to run an immediate analysis to identify solutions and legislative measures for the development of a voting system adapted to the needs of the Romanian communities abroad. The turnout at the EP election was a record-breaking 49%. On the same day as the EP election, Romanians also voted in a referendum on the judiciary, initiated by President Klaus Iohannis. Over 80% of those who voted in the referendum answered “yes. The referendum turnover was over 41%, above the 30% minimum threashold for the vote to be validated. President Klaus Iohannis said on Monday that Romanians had cast a pro-Europe vote, in a country where thieves and criminals belong in prison, and once again criticised the organisation of the ballot in the diaspora.



    COUNCIL President of Romania Klaus Iohannis takes part on Tuesday in an informal meeting of the European Council in Brussels. The main topic will be an analysis of the results of the elections for the European Parliament, held between May 23rd and 26th. The EU leaders will also have a preliminary discussion on the candidates for the top posts in EU institutions.



    UNIVERSITIES Until May 31st, 24 Romanian universities are presenting their educational offer in Washington, at the annual NAFSA conference and exhibition, the most prestigious in the world in this field, the Romanian Council of Rectors has announced. The conference brings together more than 10,000 participants and 3,500 universities from over 100 countries. “Romania offers a high-quality, adequate and safe learning environment as well as European-standard campus facilities, for more competitive costs than other European countries, reads a news release issued by the Romanian Council of Rectors.



    POPE Online registration for attendance of the religious services held by Pope Francis in Romania continue until Friday. Hundreds of thousands of people have already registered. Besides Romanians, Christians from neighboring countries such as Hungary, Serbia and Ukraine but also from far away countries like Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa, Australia and Israel will come to Romania for the Popes visit. Pope Francis makes a three-day apostolic visit to Romania from the 31st of May to the 2nd of June following an invitation from President Klaus Iohannis and the Catholic Church in Romania. The motto of the visit is “Lets walk together. The pontiff will travel to the capital Bucharest, to Iasi, the biggest city in the east of the country and home to a sizeable Roman-Catholic community, to Blaj, in the centre, the spiritual capital of the Romanian Greek-Catholics and to the Marian shrine in Sumuleu Ciuc, in the centre, in an area with a majority ethnic Hungarian population.



    EU The Council of the European Union Monday adopted a negotiating mandate allowing the Commission to take part in multilateral negotiations on electronic commerce. “The digitalisation of our economy has fundamentally changed the way businesses and consumers do trade. It was high time for international rules to reflect this transformation. The EU is committed to working with its WTO partners to put in place an ambitious and pragmatic framework that will guarantee a safe and predictable environment for online trade, said the Romanian Minister for Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship Ştefan-Radu Oprea, who chaired the formal meeting of the Foreign Affairs (Trade) Council, as part of Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • January 20, 2019

    January 20, 2019

    Berlin — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will participate on Tuesday in Aachen, in western Germany, in the ceremony for the signing of the French-German Cooperation and Integration Treaty upon the invitation of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and of the French President Emmanuel Macron. On this occasion, President Iohannis, in his capacity as president of the country holding the incumbent presidency of the Council of the EU, will deliver a speech. The ceremony will also be attended by the president of the European Council Donald Tusk and the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. The Aachen bilateral treaty is based, from a political and juridical point of view, on the Elysee French-German Treaty of 1963 that set the basis for a historic reconciliation between Germany and France. The Aachen treaty will focus on adjusting the relations between the two states to the challenges of the 21st century, laying emphasis on the cohesion of the two countries’ action at European level.



    Council of the EU — The Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU has finalized the adoption of the first file in the field of economic and financial affairs, namely the regulations on the minimum loss coverage for non-performing exposures, the Romanian Finance Ministry officials announced. Reporting significant progress in the field of financial services is one of Romania’s priorities at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting- said the Romanian finance minister Eugen Teodorovici. He met in Strasbourg with the co-rapporteurs on the file regarding the revision of the European financial surveillance system and with the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Pervenche Beres and Othmar Karas. The Romanian finance minister also talked with Isabelle Thomas, a member in the EP’s Committee on Budgets, about the negotiations on Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027.



    Brussels — On Monday the Romanian FM Teodor Melescanu will participate in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. On the agenda of the meeting are topical issues such as fighting disinformation, cooperation between the EU and the League of Arab States and the relations between the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). According to a press release of the Romanian Foreign Ministry, during the meeting to be presided by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Minister Melescanu will present the participants the main themes in the focus of Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU. On Tuesday he will have meetings on the same topic at the EP’s Foreign Affairs and Development Committees.



    High Court — The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Monday will hold a new hearing in the trial in which the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of the Social Democratic Party is accused of corruption. He was already sentenced in a court of the first instance to 3 years and 6 months in prison for having instigated to abuse of office. The prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate accused Dragnea that, during his term in office as president of the Teleorman county council he ordered the fictitious hiring of two party members at the Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection. The two were paid from public money although they worked exclusively for the party. In 2016 Dragnea received a definitive two year suspended sentence for attempted electoral fraud.



    Tennis — The Romanian pair Irina Maria Bara/Monica Niculescu was defeated on Sunday by the pair Raquel Atawo (USA)/Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in Melbourne, in the eighth finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, the year’s first grand slam tournament. Also on Sunday, all of Romania’s three representatives were eliminated from the doubles competition of the Australian tournament. Romanians Irina Begu and Horia Tecau were defeated 6-1, 6-3 by American Nicole Melichar and Brazilian Bruno Soares, while Mihaela Buzarnescu and Austrian Oliver Marach had to abandon the match after 25 minutes, at the score of 4-1 for the pair Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)/Jamie Murray (the UK), due to Marach’s leg injury. In the singles, Simona Halep will take on Serena Williams on Monday, in the eighth finals, after she eliminated Venus Williams on Saturday 6-2, 6-3. (translation by L. Simion)

  • June 21, 2018 UPDATE

    June 21, 2018 UPDATE

    Sentence – The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Thursday sentenced the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea to 3 and a half years in prison for abuse of office. In the same case he was acquitted for intellectual forgery. The decision is not definitive and can be appealed. Last month, the prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate asked for a sentence of 7 years and 5 months imprisonment for abuse of office and of 2 and a half years for intellectual forgery. They accuse Dragnea that in his capacity as president of the Teleorman County Council he ordered the fictitious employment of two Social Democratic Party members with the Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection. They were paid from public money although they worked exclusively for the PSD. Liviu Dragnea denied the accusations. In 2016 Dragnea received a definitive 2-year suspended sentence for attempted electoral fraud. The Court cancelled, through Thursday’s decision, the sentence he had previously received in the Referendum case as sentences cannot be cumulated.



    Motion — The censure motion filed by the opposition parties in Romania will be read on Monday in the plenum of Parliament and on Wednesday it will be debated and voted on, according to the decision of the joint permanent bureaus of Parliament’s two chambers. The initiators of the motion claim that the current government destroyed the Romanian economy and the judiciary through the measures they took.



    Cyber threat — 9 EU members including Romania will set up rapid reaction teams to respond to potential cyber threats, the Lithuanian officials announced on Thursday, as Lithuania is leading this project. The Lithuanian foreign minister Raimundas Karoblis said that his counterparts from Croatia, Estonia, the Netherlands and Romania would to Luxemburg on Monday to sign this agreement, while Finland, Poland and Spain will do that later this year. The rotating teams of experts will be ready to assist national authorities in case of a cyber attack, Raimundas Karoblis also added. Cyber force is among the first projects implemented as part of the European Defense pact signed last year, in a context created by the doubts of the American President over the role of NATO and by Brexit, France Press reports.



    Chisinau — The invalidation of the elections in Chisinau was one of the issues on Thursday’s agenda of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. According to a communiqué of the EP, the Committee shows deep concern with the decision of the court in Chisinau, that decided not to confirm the legality of the recent local elections for the mayor of Chisinau, invoking dubious and non-transparent reasons. The communiqué also shows that political interference in the judicial system and the elections runs counter to the European standards which the Republic of Moldova decided to adopt as part of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement. The court in Chisinau declared the elections for mayor null. They were won by one of the leaders of the pro-European opposition, Andrei Nastase. Previously he had been found guilty of having broken the electoral code, as he allegedly urged the citizens to go to the polls on the very day of the vote. The mayor elect labeled the decision arbitrary and said he would contest it in Court.



    London — NATO will survive despite current tension between the US and Europe, said Thursday, in London, the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. According to him, the bridge between Europe and the US will survive despite any differences over trade, climate change and the Iranian nuclear deal. He added that it was more important than ever before that NATO should maintain its unity.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Mihaela Buzarnescu, 30 WTA, will take on the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (5WTA) on Friday in the quarter finals of the Birmingham tournament which has total prizes worth 850 thousand dollars. Buzarnescu has already won a 25 thousand dollar check and 100 WTA points. In their latest match, in the 3rd round of this year’s edition of Roland Garros, Buzarnescu defeated Elena Svitolina 2-0 in the sets. (news translated and updated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • March 5, 2018 UPDATE

    March 5, 2018 UPDATE

    Mock exams — Unionists in the public education sector on Monday called for a boycott of the first test in the mock exams taken by 8th graders ahead of middle school graduation, namely the Romanian language and literature test. Several schools in Romania boycotted the test. Some of the problems pointed out by teachers are the effects of the new salary scheme on their incomes, the method of calculating bonuses and the scarce funds for equipment purchases. On the other hand, the Education Ministry reminded trade union leaders that the employees in the system received a 20% pay raise on March 1 and that the collective bargaining agreement is being renegotiated. Trade unions promised not to initiate a labour dispute.



    Motion — The Romanian Chamber of Deputies on Monday debated a new simple motion tabled by the opposition. The motion is targeted against the education minister Valentin Popa whom the Liberals accuse of lack of professionalism in dealing with the problems of the education system. The Liberals have drawn attention to the delays in paying salaries, to the lack of money for investments, which could result in the merger and closure of certain schools. Minister Popa has rejected all accusations. The vote on the motion will take place on Friday.



    Corruption — The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Monday acquitted, through a definitive sentence, the president of the National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban. He was accused of using his influence for obtaining undue benefits. Last month Orban was acquitted in a trial court after the National Anti-Corruption Directorate accused him that in 2016 he allegedly contacted a businessman to ask for financial help for the election campaign in the run up to the local elections when he had been appointed by the Liberal Party to run for the position of mayor of Bucharest. Also on Monday the High Court of Cassation and Justice postponed for March 22 ruling a definitive sentence in the case of the former president of the Prahova county council Mircea Cosma and his son, a former MP, Vlad Cosma, who were sentenced in a court of first instance at 8 years and 5 years in prison respectively. The two Social Democrats were prosecuted by the anti-corruption prosecutors for bribe taking, abuse of office and influence peddling. Subsequently, Vlad Cosma accused the prosecutors of having used him to fabricate evidence against several Social Democratic leaders, which caused a huge political and media scandal in Bucharest.



    Drills – Over 1,700 Romanian and foreign troops will take part, as of Monday until March 15th, in a large-scale multinational exercise, organised by the Romanian Navy, in Dobrogea (south-eastern Romania) and in the international waters of the Black Sea. Spring Storm 18 is based on a unique training concept which brings together the navy, air and land forces, as part of a NATO immediate assurance action plan adopted at the 2016 Summit. Romanian troops are training jointly with fellow military from the US, France and Bulgaria, and from partner countries like Georgia and Ukraine.



    Rome — In Italy, the leader of the Five Star Movement, Luigi Di Maio, on Monday claimed he had the right to govern Italy after voters did not return a majority to any single party. His anti-establishment party got 32% of the votes cast on Sunday. The coalition made up of the right wing Forza Italia and Lega Nord- the North League (far right) obtained almost 37% of the votes, while the leftist bloc, in power, got almost 23% of the votes. Italy is heading towards a Parliament without majority, after Sunday’s parliamentary elections in which the voter turnout was almost 73%. Italian analysts expect lengthy negotiations for the formation of a new government. They have remarked the failure of the center-left ruling coalition and the advance of the populist and Xenophobe parties. The European Commission expressed confidence that a stable government would be formed in Italy.



    Flu — The number of people killed by the flu in Romania reached 79, the National Center for Monitoring and Controlling Transmissible Diseases announced on Monday. According to the aforementioned source, the victims were suffering from chronic diseases and had not been vaccinated against the flu.



    Tennis — Romanian Simona Halep maintains the first position in the WTA ranking made public on Monday. Halep, 26, who has been holding the top position for 18 weeks, has an advance of 440 points compared to 2nd ranked Caroline Wozniacki. Third in the WTA ranking is Garbine Muguruza of Spain. Another 6 Romanian tennis players are in the WTA Top 100. Romania has two players in the WTA Race top 10: Halep on 2nd position 700 points away from the leader Caroline Wozniacki and Mihaela Buzărnescu on 10th position. (news translated and updated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • April 24, 2017

    April 24, 2017

    SENTENCE — The Supreme Court in Bucharest today will issue a definitive ruling on the two year suspended prison sentence issued against the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea. The latter attacked the sentence on technical issues, such as the fact that the decision was not issued within 30 days at the latest from the pronouncement, and that the head justice who presided over the court was no longer a judge at the time, as he had retired. The Social Democratic chair got condemned in April 2016 for rigging the 2012 referendum to impeach then Romanian president Traian Basescu. At the same time, Dragnea said yesterday that he did not rule out setting up a Parliament committee to investigate the 2012 referendum, which was declared null and void for a lack of quorum. A similar committee was set up to investigate the 2009 presidential elections, after claims of fraud appeared in the public space.



    PARIS — The leader of the French center movement En Marche!, Emmanuel Macron, won Sundays first round of presidential elections in France with 23.75% of the ballot. On May 7th, he faces off against the extreme right National Front leader Marine LePen, who gathered 21.5% of votes. The defeated candidates of the traditional right and left announced they support Macron. During the campaign, the latter stood out by running on mostly economic matters, such as corporate tax cuts, flexibility on the duration of the work week, reducing unemployment, investing in vocational conversion, support for renewable energy and modernizing infrastructure. This first round of elections was held under the shadow of increased security measures against fears of terrorism. In spite of that, presence at the polls was almost 80%.



    MOSCOW — The head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini is today in Moscow for the first time in her term, which began in 2014. She will be talking with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The visit comes against deteriorating relations between Russia and the EU, after the former annexed Crimea and fomented conflicts in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Brussels slapped tough sanctions on Moscow for its alleged support for pro-Russian rebels in the east of neighboring Ukraine. On Friday, commenting on the visit, Minister Lavrov said that continued sanctions against Russia were the main reason for the difficulties in Russias relationship with the EU. Also mentioned were supposed Russophobia in the EU, as well as what were called unfounded accusations that Russia is trying to destabilize the Union and influence elections in certain member states.



    MCV — In Bucharest, Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar, head of anti-corruption Laura Codruta Kovesi, and European Affairs Minister Ana Birchall, are discussing with European experts the evaluation mission as part of the Mechanism of Cooperation and Verification. The Justice Minister will issue a progress report aggregating data provided by all institutions under monitoring by the Mechanism, in preparation for the evaluation mission of May 2017. The Mechanism has been put in place right after Romania joined the EU alongside Bulgaria in 2007, in order to rectify issues with the judicial system and corruption in both countries. The latest reports in those areas have been largely positive with regard to Romania. EC First Vice President, Frans Timmermans, came to Bucharest last week to talk to PM Sorin Grindeanu and Minister of Justice Tudorel Toader. After the meetings, he said that Brussels would not hesitate to acknowledge any progress made by the country under the requirements of the Mechanism of Cooperation and Verification.



    SALARIES — The unified pay scale bill will be introduced officially in Parliament today. The announcement was made by Social Democratic chair Liviu Dragnea, leading the main ruling coalition party. He said that so far a few dozen amendments have been proposed in the two weeks that the bill has been posted on his partys website. The government promised that the bill, if passed, would come into effect on July 1st, and hopes that it would pass in a speedy manner. The opposition has criticized the bill, accusing the Social Democrats of passing the buck to a future government on raising state employee wages.

  • Sentence in “Bute Gala” case

    Sentence in “Bute Gala” case

    For Elena Udrea, a former Minister of Development in the right-of-centre Cabinet in 2008-2012, legal trouble got serious with the sentence she received in the court of first instance in what is known as the “Bute Gala case. The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest handed Udrea a six-year imprisonment sentence, also forcing her to pay damages of 3 million euros. Indicted in April 2015, Udrea was found guilty for bribe taking and abuse of office, while charges of forgery of documents under private signature for unlawfully obtaining European funds were dropped.



    Also prosecuted in the case were the former president of the Romanian Boxing Federation, Rudel Obreja, who got a five-year prison sentence, and former Economy Minister Ion Ariton, who was acquitted. Prosecutors accused the two of unlawfully using public funds to organize a boxing gala for the former world champion Lucian Bute. The other people indicted in the case admitted to their wrongdoings and got off with suspended prison sentences. Elena Udrea said the sentence is not just unfair, but an abuse and a “masquerade.



    The case once again confirms that the National Anticorruption Directorate, the object of constant praise by the European Commission as part of its annual reports on Romanias progress in the field of the judiciary, continues to do its job undisturbed. The conviction of Elena Udrea, a close political associate of former President Traian Basescu, is the latest in a series of investigations of high-profile officials from Romania, commonly seen as one of the most corrupt EU Member States. The special relation with president Basescu acted as a springboard, helping Udrea secure her seat in the Cabinet. Some political pundits even say that her influence with the President made her say weigh heavier than that of the acting Prime Minister back then, Emil Boc, at a time when Romania was struggling to emerge from economic recession.



    In 2008-2012 the Romanian media was permeated with stories of the huge leverage Udrea was holding as Minister of Development, overseeing the spending of hefty budgets. Udrea gave the green light to a number of smaller- or larger-scale projects, which more often than not were to the benefit of local elected officials from the ranks of her own party, the Liberal-Democratic Party, which in the meantime merged into the National Liberal Party. In recent years, Elena Udrea has taken a step back from politics, seemingly trying to cope with the legal consequences of her term in office.


    (translated by: Vlad Palcu)

  • November 16, 2016 UPDATE

    November 16, 2016 UPDATE

    ARREST — The former head of the Permanent Electoral Authority in Romania, Ana Maria Patru, on Wednesday was taken into custody, pending trial, in a file in which she is accused of influence peddling and money laundering. According to the anti-corruption prosecutors, she allegedly demanded and received over 200,000 euros in bribe, in exchange for implementing IT procurement contracts with a particular company, and tried to conceal the source of the money by setting up a fictitious circuit. Ana Maria Patru announced her resignation as head of the Permanent Electoral Authority.



    VERDICT — The ex-MEP Adrian Severin on Wednesday was sentenced to four-year imprisonment, in a final ruling issued by the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest. Anti-corruption prosecutors requested penalties of 6 and a half years for bribe taking and 5 years for influence peddling. Adrian Severin was accused of having accepted the 100,000 euros per year promised by two journalists from “The Sunday Times”, who were running an undercover investigation, in exchange for submitting amendments in the specialised committees of the European Parliament. Two other MEPs, from Slovenia and Austria, also accepted to sell their services to The Sunday Times journalists. Unlike Adrian Severin, they resigned following this corruption scandal.



    ECONOMY – In Romania, the hard-won macroeconomic balance must be preserved, the governor of the National Bank of Romania Mugur Isarescu warned once again. The central bank official says that in spite of Romania’s economic growth, encouraging demand and consumption has created jobs in other countries rather than in Romania, given that the demand has been primarily met by imports, which are going up at a much faster rate than exports. Financial-banking analysts estimate that Romania needs a 5% annual growth rate for a long period if it is to recover its development delays compared to Western Europe.



    DIPLOMACY — US acting president, Democrat Barack Obama, on Wednesday reiterated the United States’ commitments to its European allies, amidst fears that his successor, right-wing populist Donald Trump, is a threat to democracy, international news agencies report. In a speech delivered in Athens, President Barack Obama said he and President-elect Donald Trump “could not be more different” but he added that American democracy is bigger than any one person. He also said that now, more than ever, the world needs a democratic Europe. In the following days, Obama will meet German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president, Francois Hollande, and the Prime Ministers of Great Britain and Italy, Theresa May and Matteo Renzi, respectively. Afterwards, Obama will travel to Peru, to attend the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Summit. His successor at the White House, Donald Trump, will take over his mandate on January 20, 2017.



    INVESTIGATION — Romania’s technocratic PM, Dacian Ciolos, on Wednesday sacked state secretary Adrian Sanda, the head of the Secretariat for recognising the merits of the fighters against the communist regime, in the 1945-1989 period. Also on Wednesday, prosecutors and police conducted more than 20 house searches in several counties in Romania, in a case concerning the status of fighter with a determining role in the 1989 Revolution. The investigation is conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, and targets offences like aggravated abuse of office, influence peddling, and forgery of private documents. According to official statistics, in the December 1989 anti-communist revolution, 1,100 people died and over 3,000 were wounded.



    SURVEY – 29% of the Romanian household owners choose to give bribe in order to have easier access to public services, this being the highest percentage registered in the whole of the EU, a report issued by Transparency International shows. According to the survey, young people in Romania are mainly requesting a social organisation of the public and business environments, so that access to services and careers no longer be conditioned by the existence of a mechanism of relations. In another move, the report also underlines that public institutions and private companies do not generate a real integrity environment. Civil society in Romania should move on to a new type of approach, in order to enjoy the support of the public at large in the fight against corruption, the report also shows.



    BOOK FAIR — Bucharest is hosting until Sunday the 23rd Gaudeamus International Book and Education Fair, the longest-lived and most dynamic book fair in Romania, organised by Radio Romania. The highlights of this year’s fair include events devoted to the Romanian film industry, attended by the directors Cristian Mungiu and Radu Jude, and some of the most recent international releases launched in their Romanian version. This year’s guest of honour is China. During its 96 editions in various Romanian cities in 20 years of existence, the fair has brought together more than 2,600,000 visitors and some 10,500 special events. (Translated by D. Vijeu)



  • 30.03.2016 (mise à jour)

    30.03.2016 (mise à jour)

    Nucléaire — La Roumanie est en première ligne des Etats qui tiennent leurs engagements en matière de sécurité nucléaire, ayant un programme nucléaire bien articulé et une conduite responsable. C’est qu’a déclaré aujourd’hui le président roumain Klaus Iohannis avant son départ pour Washington où il participera à un sommet de la sécurité nucléaire. Le chef de l’Etat a ajouté que la Roumanie confirmait une fois de plus son statut de membre actif et responsable du groupe restreint des pays qui détiennent l’entier cycle du combustible atomique et qui sont fermement engagés dans les efforts de promouvoir l’architecture globale de sécurité nucléaire et de combattre le terrorisme nucléaire. Par ailleurs, à l’occasion de cette visite aux USA, le président Klaus Iohannis se rendra au Mémorial de l’Holocauste et s’entretiendra avec des représentants de la communauté roumaine.



    Corruption — Le plénum de la Chambre des députés du Parlement roumain a refusé, ce mercredi, d’avaliser linterpellation et le placement en détention provisoire par les procureurs anti-corruption du député social-démocrate Sebastian Ghiţă. La demande darrestation avait cependant été acceptée par la Commission juridique de la Chambre basse. Proche de l’ancien premier ministre social — démocrate Victor Ponta, Sebastian Ghiţă est enquêté pour prise de pots-de-vin, chantage et trafic dinfluence, des accusations que le député rejette en bloc, affirmant que le principal visé est en fait l’ancien premier ministre Ponta. Mercredi, également, la maire de la ville de Craiova (sud), Lia Olguta Vasilescu, a été arrêtée par les procureurs anti-corruption pour prise de pots-de-vin et blanchiment d’argent. Jeudi, le Tribunal de grande instance de Bucarest décidera de son placement en détention provisoire pour 30 jours.



    Pourparlers — Le secrétaire d’Etat en charge de l’analyse politique et de la relation avec le Parlement au ministère roumain des affaires étrangères, Alexandru Victor Micula, a été reçu, ce mercredi, à Budapest, par le ministre hongrois de la défense, Istvan Simicsko. Les pourparlers ont principalement abordé la coopération bilatérale dans le domaine militaire et au sein des Nations Unies et de l’Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE), la crise des réfugiés et les conflits gelés dans la zone de la mer Noire, précise un communiqué du MAE roumain.



    Condamnation — En Roumanie, Ioan Ficior, ancien commandant du camp de travail de Periprava (sud-est) entre 1958 et 1963, a été condamné, ce mercredi, à 20 ans de prison par la Haute Cour de Cassation et de Justice pour crimes contre l’humanité. La sentence n’est pas définitive. Ion Ficior a été accusé d’avoir instauré et coordonné un régime de détention répressif, abusif, inhumain et discrétionnaire contre les prisonniers politiques, ayant provoqué la mort d’une centaine de personnes. Ioan Ficior est le deuxième ancien tortionnaire communiste jugé à Bucarest. Le mois dernier, un ex-commandant de la prison de Ramnicu Sarat (est), Alexandru Visinescu, a été reconnu coupable de «crimes contre lhumanité» et condamné à 20 ans de prison.


  • 6.04.2015 (mise à jour)

    6.04.2015 (mise à jour)

    Bucuresti — Le MAE de Bucarest continue les opérations pour évacuer les ressortissants roumains du Yémen, pays en proie à une guerre civile qui a fait plus de 500 morts des deux dernières semaines. Six Roumains ont été rapatriés à la fin de la semaine dernière, tandis que 17 autres avaient regagné la Roumanie fin mars. La cellule de crise mise en place au MAE continue à fournir de l’assistance et de la protection consulaire aux compatriotes touchés par la détérioration grave de la situation sécuritaire au Yémen. La diplomatie roumaine collabore avec les organisations internationales impliquées dans les opérations d’évacuation et avec les Etats qui agissent pour le rapatriement de leurs ressortissants de ce pays africain. Les miliciens chiites houthis, fidèles à l’ancien président Ali Abdallah Saleh et appuyés par l’Iran, contrôlent une grande partie du territoire yéménite, y compris la capitale Sanaa. Leurs adversaires sont les Comités populaires et les forces loyales au président légitime Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.



    Justice- La Haute Cour de Justice et de Cassation doit se prononcer mardi sur la rêquete avancée récemment par l’ex ministre des Finances, Darius Valcov, d’annulation de son détention provisoire et son remplacement par la sentence d’assignation à résidence. Darius Vâlcov est accusé d’avoir accordé des contrats privilégiés en échange pour 2 millions d’euros en 2008 — 2009, lorsqu’il était maire de la ville de Slatina, dans le sud de la Roumanie. La semaine dernière, le Sénat a accepté d’élargir l’enquête dans le cas de Valcov, accusé cette fois -ci, de trafic d’influence. Selon les procureurs anticorruption, ces quatre dernières années, pendant ses mandats de ministre et de sénateur, Darius Vâlcov a effectué des opérations financières incompatibles avec les fonctions qu’il détenait.



    Cyber-sécurité — La loi sur la cyber- sécurité est impérieusement nécessaire, a déclaré lundi le ministre pour la Société informationnelle, Sorin Mihai Grindeanu. Dans une interview à Radio Roumanie, celui-ci a précisé que dans le courant de l’année dernière, le monde a recensé plus de 80 millions de cyber alertes, de 30% de plus qu’en 2013. Le Parlement roumain a adopté fin 2014 la loi de la sécurité cybernétique que la Cour constitutionnelle a par la suite déclarée contraire à la loi fondamentale du pays. Selon la Cour constitutionnelle, le texte était contraire aux dispositions de la Constitution concernant l’Etat de droit et le principe de la légalité, ainsi qu’aux celles concernant la vie personnelle, familiale et privée, ainsi que le secret de la correspondance.