Radio România Internațional

Tag: supreme

  • Supreme Defence Council discusses Ukraine crisis

    Supreme Defence Council discusses Ukraine crisis

    Romania’s
    Supreme Defence Council (CSAT) once again convened on Tuesday in the context of
    the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Measures have been decided in several
    respects. First among these were steps to substantially consolidate the
    deterrence and defence posture in the eastern flank in the forthcoming period,
    through the deployment of Allied forces and the accelerated set-up of the
    battlegroup in Romania.


    In
    the near future, Romania will host 2,300 US
    troops, 500 French, 300 Belgian and 170 Portuguese troops, as well as an
    enhanced police unit. Moreover, the number of NATO aircraft in the country is
    set to increase.


    The CSAT also decided to provide support to
    neighbouring Moldova, and to set up a logistics centre to
    collect and ship international donations to Ukraine.


    Klaus
    Iohannis: In the general context created by the regional security situation,
    support for the Republic of Moldova is necessary in several respects, because
    the country is facing significant refugee inflows and possibly other
    difficulties as well. In this respect, the CSAT decided Romania will take a
    number of support measures. As for Romania’s contribution to the international
    efforts to support Ukraine, we decided to set up a logistics facility, a hub for
    centralising and transporting international donations and humanitarian aid to
    Ukraine and to the Ukrainian people. We also decided to step up measures to
    help the refugees from Ukraine and to manage the massive inflow of people to
    Romania.


    The
    number of Ukrainian nationals coming into Romania is growing by the day. The authorities
    say they have ready accommodation, food and clothing for half a million people.
    Furthermore, based on an agreement among EU member states, Romania has shipped
    fuel, bulletproof vests, helmets, ammunition and military equipment, water,
    food and medicines to Ukraine.


    In
    the same CSAT meeting, the Romanian president said that in the current security
    context Romania must take new consolidated measures in at least 2 respects:


    Klaus
    Iohannis: We need to enhance the defence capacity of the Romanian state. To this
    end, we must increase the share of defence expenditure in the GDP from 2% at
    present to 2.5%. Secondly, Romania must secure its energy independence, mainly
    by developing renewable energy sources and civilian nuclear facilities.


    The
    president emphasised that for these strategic goals to be achieved, political
    decisions must be agreed on and concrete action plans must be implemented by
    relevant institutions. (A.M.P.)

  • Talks on the reform of the judiciary

    Talks on the reform of the judiciary

    ‘The independence of the justice system is and must remain a principle from which nobody can depart,’ president Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday, at the release of the annual report for 2020 of the High Court of Cassation and Justice. A year ago, the head of state had praised society for standing by magistrates and giving the appropriate response to attempts at making the Romanian justice system subordinated to political interests. But now, the president reiterated that the judiciary needs several reforms, in line with EU guidelines.



    Klaus Iohannis: “In 2020, with their votes, citizens clearly expressed their support for reforms and the strengthening of the rule of law. In this context, revising the Justice Laws cannot be postponed any further. I trust that in the forthcoming period, the framework that regulates the work of Romanias justice system will once again be predictable and in line with the standards of an EU member country.



    Klaus Iohannis pointed out that 2020 was a difficult year for all public institutions, which needed new and innovative ideas, solutions and practices. The crisis entailed by the COVID-19 pandemic required immediate response, including from the judiciary, which is why digitisation processes were stepped up, he explained. He also emphasised:



    Klaus Iohannis: “Large-scale discussions are needed in Parliament, with the participation of not only stakeholders in the judicial system, but also academia and human rights activists. I hope this dialogue will help address the controversial legislative acts passed in recent years and adopt solutions in keeping with the new judicial and social circumstances.



    In turn, the president of Romanias supreme court, judge Corina Corbu, said that in spite of the pandemic and of challenges like excessive workloads, retirement issues and a lack of office space, her colleagues finalised more cases than in 2019.



    Corina Corbu: “Being a supreme court judge is not easy. The emotional toll, the need to maintain the highest level of professionalism at all times, the possibility of criticism—sometimes harsh criticism—coming from the public, all come with the job. The issue of supreme court judge retirement remains for me a reason for sadness. The High Court is now losing judges, through retirement, at an age when everywhere else in the world one is believed to only acquire the wisdom and judicial refinement required in trying last-instance cases, in a supreme court.



    The High Court president also added that this year she would like a supreme court that is more forward-looking, more efficient and more focused on citizens needs, but she also said she wished public institutions were more open to the issues facing the judiciary. (tr. A.M. Popescu)