Tag: the week in review

Romania partially joins Schengen

On March 31st Romania joined the Schengen area, but only with its sea and
air borders. At the 17 international airports, as well as in the 4 ports on the
Black Sea, as of last Sunday, people coming from or going to a country in the
free movement area no longer have their travel documents checked.
However, the police can do random checks in order to identify those who have
fake travel documents, who are prohibited from leaving the country, to track
down wanted persons, to verify compliance with the rules on accompanying
minors, to combat migration and human trafficking.

For the time being, the land routes remain outside Schengen, due to Austria's
veto, attributed in particular to internal electoral calculations. From Brussels,
the European Commission has given assurances that it will make every effort
so that a favorable decision regarding accession with the land borders is
made this year.

In Romania, from politicians to ordinary citizens, the entry, even if partial, into
the free movement area was warmly welcomed. The social-democratic Prime
Minister Marcel Ciolacu has stated that the Government has a clear and firmly
assumed plan for full accession by the end of 2024. This perspective,
however, depends on several factors, including external political

developments and circumstances that are not in Romania’s sphere of
diplomatic intervention, said the Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu.

 

20 years of NATO membership

Romania's 20 years of NATO membership, as well as the 75th anniversary of
the North Atlantic Alliance, were celebrated on Tuesday in Bucharest, through
a solemn joint meeting of the two chambers of Parliament. Deputies and
senators adopted a declaration emphasising that Romania’s NATO
membership is a guarantee for the protection of its citizens, democracy and
individual freedoms.

Senate speaker and leader of the National Liberal Party, reserve general
Nicolae Ciucă said that in its 20 years of NATO membership, Romania has
become a key member of the Alliance. For Romania, entering NATO was the
fulfilment of a historical aspiration and a security imperative, said foreign
minister Luminița Odobescu, who attended the events held in Brussels to
mark NATO’s 75 th anniversary.

A poll conducted by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy
indicates that over 80% of Romanian respondents believe their countries’
joining NATO was a good thing and that its allies would defend it in the event
of a threat.

 

In Bucharest, about the European Union

A working meeting was held this week in Bucharest on the priorities of the
European Union over the next five years, also attended by the prime ministers
of Belgium, Hungary and Croatia and hosted by the Romanian president
Klaus Iohannis and the president of the European Council Charles Michel.
Talks looked at actions to achieve common objectives to consolidate the
Union’s profile, a process to which, according to president Iohannis, Romania
can have a significant contribution.

The European Union last year began a process to define its strategic
priorities, with some of the themes identified including security and defence,
enlargement, resilience and competitiveness, energy and migration. The
Strategic Agenda for the next institutional cycle, 2024-2029, is to be adopted
by the European Council at a meeting at end of June.

 

Anti-deepfake guide
To raise awareness over cyber security risks, the National Cyber Security
Directorate launched a guide to help people in Romania identify deepfake
content. The guide contains detailed information about what deepfake means,
the process of making it and how such materials can be identified. Available
on the dnsc.ro website, the guide also teaches Romanians what to do if they
fall victim to a deepfake.

With Romania holding four types of elections this year, the National Cyber
Security Directorate warns that the digital field can become a complex terrain
of ideological struggle and deepfake technologies, which are capable of

almost perfectly reproducing images and voices, can significantly influence
the opinion and vote of the electorate.

 

The National Bank of Romania and the key interest rate
The National Bank of Romania on Thursday decided to maintain the key
interest rate at 7% per year, at the same level as in the last one year and four
months. It also maintained the levels of interest rate at which commercial
banks can borrow from the National Bank and those received by the latter for
their deposits at the central bank. According to the National Bank’s forecasts,
the annual inflation rate grew in January to 7.41% before seeing a slight
decrease in February, to 7.23%.

According to current estimates, the inflation rate will continue to drop,
although amid the uncertainties and risks related to the fiscal measures taken
recently to support the budget consolidation process and the capping of
markups on basic food products. Further uncertainty about the long-term
evolution of the inflation rate is caused by the war in Ukraine, the conflict in
the Middle East and economic developments in Europe, especially in
Germany.

Romanias president holds top-level talks in Spain

Additional anti-drone defense systems will be transferred to Romania, in the context of the Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Danube, president Klaus Iohannis said on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit and the informal meeting of the Council of the EU, both hosted by Granada, Spain. President Iohannis described the attacks on the Ukrainian ports as war crimes, as they target civilian infrastructure. The central focus of the summit was Ukraine, while the EU Council meeting focused on EU enlargement. Klaus Iohannis said that it is very important for Ukraine and Moldova to make quick progress towards European integration, arguing in favor of accelerating the European accession track of other states in the Western Balkans. The target for the next phase of EU enlargement, slated for 2030, is unrealistic, the president said. On the other hand, president Iohannis co-chaired, jointly with the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, a panel focusing on topics such as energy, the environment and combating the effects of climate change. The Romanian president recalled that the EU decided to open European energy markets to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and grant candidate countries access to the European Platform for joint purchases of natural gas.

Romanias Foreign Minister in Kyiv

The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, on Monday attended the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Kyiv, for the first time held outside community space. Minister Odobescu insisted on continuing multidimensional support for Ukraine for as long as it is necessary. According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, the Romanian official referred to Russias continuous attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, close to Romanias borders, which generate security risks, highlighting the need for a long-term regional strategy that should also include the Republic of Moldova.

“The security situation in Ukraine and around Ukraine is dire. Romania has the longest border with Ukraine. Russias attacks on the civilian infrastructure, including on the ports of Danube, very close to the Romanian border, are war crimes. For us, it is important to continue the support for Ukraine. But what Russia is doing close to our borders is undermining the Ukrainian economy, the food security, including at the global level, and also the civil navigation in the Black Sea. Romania will continue its effort in supporting Ukraine with the transit of the cereals. Until now, more than 25 million tons of Ukrainian cereals have transited Romania via the solidarity lanes. We are working closely with the Ukrainian government, with the European Commission, with our partners, to increase the transit capacity from 2 million tons to 4 million tons by the end of this year”.

As regards Ukraines European aspirations, Luminița Odobescu expressed support for starting EU negotiation talks with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova by the end of the year, and hailed Ukraines progress in implementing the European Commissions recommendations in this respect.

German Unity Day, marked in Bucharest

Germany firmly supports Romanias “well-deserved accession” to the travel-free Schengen area, which would benefit Romania, Germany and the EU as a whole, said Germanys Ambassador in Bucharest, Peer Gebauer, on the sidelines of a cocktail party celebrating German Unity Day and the Reunification of Germany of October 1990. The German ambassador recalled Romania has fulfilled all technical accession criteria to join Schengen. “Let me assure you that the overwhelming majority of EU states support the Schengen accession bid of Romania and Bulgaria and they will all make efforts to come up with a solution to make that happen as soon as possible”, the German ambassador also said. Attending the event in Bucharest, President Klaus Iohannis expressed appreciation for Berlins constant support for Romanias Schengen accession. EU and NATO states should act together to protect their shared values, the president argued. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said opposition to Schengen accession is the last “bastion of division in Europe”.

Conclusions of the IMF delegation in Romania

The Romanian Government should have as priorities the elimination of remaining exemptions, privileges and loopholes, further VAT streamlining and better tax collection, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation that assessed, until Wednesday, the state of the Romanian economy said in a press release. The recently adopted fiscal package is a step in the right direction but further adjustment is need, the release reads. Also needed are, according to the international experts, new investment in and budget allocations to education and healthcare, to bring them to EU level. The new fiscal package will improve public finances in 2024 and beyond, by about 1 percent of the GDP, resulting in a deficit of just above 5 percent of GDP, in 2024. However, fiscal deficits will need to fall below 3 percent of GDP, as agreed with the European Commission, IMF experts concluded. The National Bank of Romania (BNR) announced, after its own assessment of the Romanian economy, that the package of fiscal measures the Government plans to introduce to balance the budget will also influence the inflation rate. According to BNR, this indicator will continue to decrease until the end of the year. At the same time, BNR announced that it decided to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at 7% per year, a figure that has remained unchanged since January. (VP/EE)

Government takes responsibility for fiscal measure package

The ruling-coalition government in
Romania on Tuesday took responsibility in Parliament over a comprehensive
reform of taxation and budgeting, the most sophisticated of its kind in recent
years. Among other things, the package provides for preserving a small added
value tax for foodstuffs, medicine and firewood as well as for an increase in
the national minimum wage to 660 EUR. At the same time, the law introduces
additional taxes on the profits reported by banks or large corporations. All
goods obtained from illicit activities will be seized, whereas sums that have
no legal justification will be levied an additional 70% tax. According to the
new measures, workers in the IT sector with salaries exceeding 2,000 EUR will
pay taxes, while public sector employees with salaries above 1,600 EUR will no
longer receive holiday vouchers or food stipends. A special tax will be levied
on people owning properties whose market value exceeds 500 thousand EUR,
provided they don’t pay bank installments. The reform also introduces a minimum
tax on turnovers, a reduction of management positions in the public sector or
capping certain bonuses. The Economic and Social Committee has warned that introducing
additional taxes in order to balance the budget deficit could result in adverse
effects. USR and the Force of the Right in the opposition have decided to refer
the law package to the Constitutional Court.

Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă in Ireland

Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă this
week attended the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments representing
Council of Europe Member States, an event hosted by Dublin. In his address, the
Romanian official said that, in the context of the war in neighboring Ukraine,
the role of national parliaments in the reconstruction of Ukraine and the
challenges to representative democracy in times of instability are topics of
great interest for Romania as a member of both the EU and NATO. Romania will
continue to support Ukraine’s process of reconstruction, which should go hand
in hand with reforms designed to strengthen civil rights and liberties, Nicolae
Ciucă went on to say. The topics discussed included the fallout from Russia’s
war of aggression in Ukraine and the role of national parliaments in the reconstruction
of Ukraine and the challenges to representative democracy in times of
instability and equality and diversity in public representation.

Coordination amidst Russian attacks on the Danube

Romania, a country that shares 650
km of border with Ukraine, is in permanent contact with NATO allies, discussing
developments on the border, after discovering several drone fragments, most
likely Russian-made, close to the Ukrainian border in the Danube Delta. Such an
incident occurred earlier this week in the village of Orlovka, where drone fragments
landed close to a ferry transporting Romanian citizens to Isaccea. In the wake
of this incident, the Romanian Defense Staff organized a videoconference with
representatives of public authorities from the counties of Brăila,
Constanţa, Galaţi and Tulcea. The agenda included an overview of
security issues, the army’s public communication processes, initiatives to
prepare the local population, the economy and territory in case of attacks, as
well as the legal responsibilities of various national defense institutions. On
the other hand, the Ministry of Defense called on Parliament to approve the purchase
of 32 F-35 fighter jets from the United States, that should help develop and
maintain Romania’s robust and resilient defense capabilities. The Romanian Army
will have to pay 6.5 billion USD, which will be used to purchase aircraft,
engines, logistic support as well as the training of pilots, auxiliary
personnel and flight simulators. Last year, Romania decided to purchase 32 second-hand
F-16 jets from Norway, which will be added to the 17 F-16s bought from Portugal
in 2016. Romania has increased its defense spending from 2 to 2.5% of the GDP
this year.

IMF experts, on a new mission to Romania

A team of IMF
experts is in Bucharest until October 4 to conduct their annual assessment of
Romanian economy. International experts will discuss economic policies and the
latest developments in this sector with representatives of the Finance
Ministry, the Central Bank and government agencies. On the other hand, the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has downgraded its forecast on
Romanian economy in its latest report. Therefore, Romania’s GDP growth is
expected to stand at 1.8% in 2023, down compared to the previous estimate of
2.5%. Economic growth is expected to stand at 3.2% in 2024. Budget deficit will
reportedly stand at 7% of the GDP this year, higher than the original forecast
of 4.4%, the report also shows. (VP)

Big step towards energy independence

The Chamber of Deputies this week passed the offshore law, allowing for the exploitation of natural gas deposits in the Black Sea. Energy independence has been often debated in the context of the war, and is now closer to reality. This is what government officials have claimed this week. Unlike the previous version of the law, the current one is more investor-friendly and is expected to ensure profits to both companies and the state. Energy Minister Virgil Popescu said the new regulations ensure stability, predictability and an investor-friendly taxing environment, as well as lower gas prices for household users. USR in the opposition voted the law, although it preferred the profits obtained from the exploitation to be directed to the privately administered pension fund. The only party in Parliament that voted against the law was the ultranationalist AUR party. The new law will allow the government to intervene in situations of energy crisis and redirect production to cover domestic consumption.

The economy – under pressure

Romania had the biggest economic growth rate at EU level – 5.2% in the first three months of 2022 compared to the first quarter of last year. The good news came from the Eurostat and confirmed data previously published by the National Statistics Institute. The long-term forecast is however grim. According to the European Commission, after the robust growth reported in 2021, Romanian economy is expected to slow down to 2.6% this year, considering that inflation is cutting available revenues and the war in Ukraine affects confidence in the economy, supply chains and investments. In February, prior to the invasion, the Commission estimated Romanian economy to grow by 4.2% this year. The Commission also downgraded its estimate on economic growth in 2023, when the GDP is expected to grow only by 3.6%. The European Commission has increased its inflation forecast for this year, from 5.3% to 8.9%. Inflation is expected to drop to 5% in 2023. The budget deficit and debt are also expected to go up, the Commission warns. Commission experts use the stagflation to describe the current economic context in Romania, namely a high and persistent inflation rate and unfortunately overlaps with a weak and stagnating economy.

Measures from the support package for Romanians

The increase in pensions and allowances for children, the reduction of social contributions, the scheme for capping energy bill prices for household and non-household consumers, the Support for Romania program, all these could only lead to an accelerated emptying of the treasury. On alert, the Social Democrats in the governing coalition believe that its high time they returned to progressive taxation, but their Liberal partners dont even think about giving up the flat income tax. The topic is currently on the coalition agenda. Until a decision is made, two more measures from the “Support for Romania” program will be implemented. An emergency ordinance adopted on Wednesday allows private companies to voluntarily increase the minimum wage by 200 lei (about 40 Euros). The increase will take effect as of June 1st and will be exempted from tax and social contributions payment. The second measure is aimed at compensating for the increase in the fuel price for road hauliers and passenger transporters. 3,000 companies in the field will benefit from state aid.

On Finlands and Swedens NATO accession and the consolidation of the eastern flank

Romania hailed the wish of Finland and Sweden to join the North-Atlantic Alliance. President Klaus Iohannis said he would support them in the accession process and expressed his conviction that, once the two states join the NATO family, the Alliance would be stronger. In his turn, the PM Nicolae Ciucă said that the current context, in which Russia violated any norm of international law and resorted to armed aggression against a sovereign and independent state, made the two countries decide to become members of an alliance that has proved its defensive character, its spirit of solidarity, its unity, solidity and determination to do everything possible to defend every inch of the territory of the member states. After the two northern states join NATO, the most exposed Allied flank remains the eastern one, especially its southern part. Prime Minister Ciucă and his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa discussed this flanks consolidation in Bucharest. The two visited a training battalion in southern Romania where about 200 troops from Portugal are being trained. They have been deployed this year to strengthen NATOs South-Eastern Flank. The Allies have sent a strong message to Russia: an attack against an ally is seen as an attack against all of us, Prime Minister Costa underlined. The Romanian and Portuguese Defense Ministers signed a bilateral agreement on defense cooperation in Bucharest on Thursday.

Romanian filmmakers in Cannes

The Romanian director Cristian Mungiu returns to Cannes with the film “R.M.N.”, which will compete for the Palme dOr Prize in the official competition. Mungiu received the big trophy in 2007, for his film 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days, alongside two more awards, for best script and best director, respectively. Another two Romanian films will be presented, for the first time, at the 75th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, which is underway, but in different sections: “Metronome”, by Alexandru Belc and the short film “The Potemkinists”, directed by Radu Jude. Also involved in this edition of the festival are the producer Diana Păroiu and the actress Cosmina Stratan, who 10 years ago, received the best actress award for her performance in Mungius film Beyond the Hills. (VP&LS)

Gloves-off
politics – crisis in the ruling coalition

After a number
of harsh verbal exchanges and several setbacks in the functioning of the local
administration, the center-right ruling coalition on Wednesday reached a
deadlock after the unexpected demise by Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu of the USR-PLUS Justice
Minister, Stelian Ion. The head of government says his decision was based on
Ion’s refusal to greenlight the Anghel Saligny infrastructure project, where
Ion claims to have identified several constitutional and illegal issues. In
response, the USR-PLUS alliance announced it withdraws its political
support for Florin Cîţu and filed a no-confidence vote agaisnt him jointly with AUR. On
Thursday, the leadership of the National Liberal Party adopted a resultion
reasserting its support for its own Prime Minister. UDMR, the third-largest
ruling coalition partner, supports the need to implement the said projecta and said the coalition must move foward.
Political pundits and some politicians say the current crisis may have other,
more problematic reasons, such as issues pertaining to the reform of the
judiciary and the leadership of key judicial institutions. From the opposition,
PSD and AUR say the
Cîţu Cabinet must be removed. President Klaus Iohannis signed the decrees
dismissing Stelian Ion and appointing Interior Minister Lucian Bode as interim
Justice Minister.

The politics
of autumn – a new Parliament session

The first day
of autumn also marked the beginning of a new Parliament session. According to
MPs, the number one priority of the ruling coalition, announced before the
crisis, is the adoption of the so-called law on vulnerable consumers. Already
adopted by the Senate, the bill stipulates state aid to low-income families,
helping them pay one energy bill. At Senate level, coalition leaders are
expected to come up with a new solution to disband the Special Section
investigating Crime in Justice, another bone of contention in the ruling
coalition. PSD wants to swiftly debate and adopt the bill titled No criminals
in public office, a topic which for years had been championed by the
right-wing. President Klaus Iohannis said a number of reforms are still needed,
and that Parliament still has unsolved business to attend to, calling on MPs
to show Romanians some respect through their actions. The president also said
people’s confidence in Parliament is not at its highest right now, representing
an acute issue, which has heightened over the years against the backdrop of
the huge gap between promises made by politicians during election campaigns and
the results reported at the end of their term in office. For this very reason,
returning to citizen-oriented policies should be the new line of action for
Parliament’s next session, the president added. Klaus Iohannis also said the
new session starts at a very difficult time, both nationally and
internationally, with the world still struggling to deal with the fallouts of
COVID-19.

Politics and
the pandemic – resurge in the number of COVID infections

The
epidemiological context has again taken a turn for the worse, every day more
and more cases of the new Delta strain of COVID-19 being reported across
Romania. The country has seen an increase in the number of infections, patients
being treated in hospitals as well as fatalities, at the end of a summer
without restrictions. Romania is now under the fourth wave of the pandemic, and
it seems to be paying the price of vaccination hesitancy. Romania and
neighboring Bulgaria are the EU countries with the lowest vaccination rates
right now. In a last effort to boost vaccination, the Government this week
announced 100-lei meal vouchers will be given to people who complete the
vaccination scheme, as well as the organization of a lottery. The health system
is again reporting difficulties in certain areas of the country, and experts
expect things to further worsen.

Politics and
education – a new school year starts on September 13

A new school
year is set to start on September 13, a situation that last year resulted in a
resurge of the number of COVID infections across the country. This time, the
politicians decided to ease restrictions – in towns and villages where the
incidence rate is below 6 per thousand inhabitants, classes will be held with
full physical attendance for nursery schools and elementary schools. That, of
course, with the full observance of health safety measures. Where the incidence
rate exceeds 6 per thousand, nursery schools will remain open to physical
attendance in class until quarantine is introduced, where necessary, the Prime
Minister announced.

No politics – the
George Enescu International Music Festival

A new edition
of the George Enescu International Music Festival kicked off this week in
Romania, marking 140 years since the birth of the great Romanian composer. The
festival’s artistic director, Russian conductor Vladimir Jurowski, says the
most prestigious artists have come to Bucharest this year. 3,500 Romanian and
foreign musicians, 32 orchestras from 14 countries are taking part. The 25th
edition of the festival brings us one step closer to society as we k new it, a
society of crowded concert halls, which makes us regain trust that together we
can celebrate quality, Minister of Culture Bogdan Gheorghiu has said. (VP)

Vaccination – ups and
downs

For weeks, the number of
COVID-19 infections in Romania has been decreasing by the day. In equal measure,
the authorities are speaking about the possibility of a fourth wave of the
pandemic starting this autumn, which is why vaccination remains the best
pre-emptive measure. People’s interest to get vaccination is below expectations,
which has led to Romania having a surplus of vaccines right now. Accordingly,
Bucharest has asked that the delivery of anti-COVID doses from the European Commission
to be halted. Some immunization centers will temporarily close while others
will see their working hours reduced. The Government adopted an emergency
decree whereby it charges the Health Ministry to sign contracts on behalf of the
Romanian state with other countries for the reselling of vaccines that can no
longer be used at home. At the same time, since immunization has been largely
unsuccessful in rural areas, central and local authorities are coming up with
ways to boost vaccination, with initiatives such as The town vaccinates the
village. In Romania, under 5 million people have so far got immunized with one
or both of the anti-COVID jabs.

Manslaughter

Romanian magistrates this
week decided to place under house arrest two employees of the Victor Babeş Infectious Disease Hospital
in Bucharest, a hospital employee and the head of the Technical Service, both facing
manslaughter charges. In April this year, three patients being treated for COVID-19
in a mobile unit located in the courtyard of the hospital died. According to
preliminary reports, the tragedy occurred after a sudden rise in pressure in
the oxygen tanks, which cut off oxygen supply to the eight patients inside. The
incident is not isolated. In November 2020, a fire broke out at the ICU ward at
the Piatra Neamț Emergency County Hospital. Another fire burned down an a COVID
war at the Matei Balș Hospital in Bucharest. Multiple people were
killed in both fires. So far, no one has been held accountable.

Ombudsman gets sacked

On Wednesday, the Romanian Parliament removed Renate Weber
from the position of Ombudsman. Ruling coalition parties claim Weber overstepped
her prerogatives and breached the Constitution. PNL, USR-PLUS and UDMR accuse
madame Weber of having served the interests of those who appointed her, namely
the Social-Democrats in opposition. USR MP Andrei Lupu:

I am absolutely confident that you are a competent
person, but lately your activity has shown a major flaw: you have been carrying
out your duties selfishly, serving the interest of yourself and the people who appointed
you.

The Social-Democratic Party in Opposition, who did not
take part in the vote, accuse, however, the power for wanting to nominate an
Ombudsman that would meekly comply with the Government’s decrees. Senator Titus
Corlăţean:

You want the string of abusive emergency decrees to no
longer be challenged by the Ombudsman. You don’t want people to say that the Government’s
measures restricting fundamental rights and liberties are unconstitutional, and
prefer to work with institutions that generally fall in line.

The Social-Democrats have appealed Renate Weber’s
dismissal at the Constitutional Court. On Thursday, the Court also decided that
the appointment of interim presidents of the public radio and television broadcasters
is unconstitutional.

NATO Summit in Brussels

Russia and China are the top concerns for NATO,
alongside cyber threats, terrorism and the rise of totalitarian regimes. Monday’s
summit in Brussels concluded with a declaration whereby NATO allies have drawn
a number of security red lines. From Romania’s perspective, president Klaus
Iohannis expressed satisfaction that the Alliance continues to consolidate its
eastern flank, also reiterating that NATO’s anti-ballistic missile shield
hosted by Romania is purely defensive:

We have no intention of attacking anyone with this
shield. We are very determined to defend our countries, which is why we
accepted the deployment of elements of this shield in Romania as well.

Also in Brussels, leaders of NATO member states
decided to launch the process of devising a new Alliance strategy. Finally,
Klaus Iohannis extended an invitation to US president Joe Biden to visit
Romania.

EURO 2020 kicks off in Bucharest

Romania’s largest stadium, National Arena in Bucharest,
hosted matches in the EURO 2020 championship. Matches were played with 25%
crowd attendance. On Sunday, Austria defeated North Macedonia 3-1 in Group C.
Earlier this week, Ukraine defeated North Macedonia 2-1. On Monday, on June 21,
National Arena will be hosting the match pitting Ukraine against Austria, also
in Group C. On June 28, a round of 16 match will be played in Bucharest.
Romania failed to qualify to the 2020 edition of the European Football
Championship. (VP)

State of alert extended

The Government has extended the state of alert in Romania by another 30 days starting June 12. Several restrictions have been eased. The number of people now able to attend private events has increased to 200 people inside. The condition is that all participants provide proof of vaccination, a negative test for COVID-19 or that they had the disease. Additionally, the number of people attending cultural, artistic and entertainment events outdoors has increased from 500 to 1,000 people. In this case as well, attendants must provide proof of the abovementioned certificates. The capacity of gyms, indoor pools or fitness centers has also increased from 50% to 70%, and the number of people can increase, again, provided they are vaccinated. The wearing of face masks remains compulsory in shared areas.

Infection rates and vaccination

Romania is now in the green scenario, with the overall incidence rate dropping in addition to the number of COVID patients. In terms of vaccination, since the start of the campaign in 2020, over 8.4 million doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to over 4.5 million people, of whom most have taken both shots. Medical doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă pointed out that Romania is one of the countries that provides the simplest access to vaccination, where people can opt for the type of vaccine and can go to vaccination centers without prior appointment. Romania also organizes vaccination marathons, and businesses can opt for mobile vaccination teams for their employees, the Romanian official pointed out.

New pension law

The center-right Government in Romania on Wednesday adopted the bill that eliminates the aggregation of pensions with state-paid salaries, a bill that is due to be debated by Parliament. The new law provides for a gradual increase in the retirement age. Employees can thus opt whether to remain employed until 70 years of age, but are forced to choose between receiving either pensions or salaries. There are, however, categories exempted from this rule: high-ranking officials, teaching staff earning hourly pay, home or maternal nurses or members of the Romanian Academy. Social-Democrat vice-president, Sorin Grindeanu, said PSD believes some provisions in the new law violate the constitution and his party will challenge it at the Constitutional Court.

Report under the CVM mechanism

The European Commission has announced it will continue to monitor Romanias reforms of the judiciary and the fight against corruption under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. The Commission notes that, right now, Romania is a on an upward trend, hailing the boost to reforms this year and the reparation of backward steps taken in the 2017-2019 period by the former Social-Democrat administration. The European Commission on Tuesday published its report on Romanias progress under CVM. The mechanism was introduced in 2007, when our country joined the European Union, with the purpose of signaling any irregularities in the field of the judiciary and bringing corrections. The European Commission is also critical of the appointment last year of the prosecutor general and the head of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) despite a negative opinion from the Superior Council of Magistracy. The Council is also reprimanded in the Commissions report, for its ambiguous position about eliminating the Special Section charged with investigating crime in justice, whose existence and functioning represent a concern for Brussels.

Israeli president visits Romania

The president of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin paid a three-day visit to Romania in the context of marking 73 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries on June 11. During the first two days of his visit, the Israeli president had meetings with president Klaus Iohannis, delivered a speech before Parliament and opened the works of the Romania-Israel Business Forum, alongside Prime Minister Florin Cîţu. President Klaus Iohannis pointed out Romania and Israel enjoy privileged, strategic relations. On the other hand, both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to peace and security, the president said. President Rivlin, in turn, recalled that Romania was the only country in the former communist bloc that never broke ties with Israel and that our country strongly supports the EU initiative to define a strategy against anti-Semitism across the community bloc. At the same time, economic cooperation between Romania and Israel has extraordinary potential of bringing benefits to both sides, president Rivlin went on to say. On Thursday, together with representatives of Israeli and Romanian Air Forces, Reuven Rivlin attended the ceremony commemorating the military, both Israeli and Romanian, who lost their lives in ta 2010 helicopter accidents in Bucegi Mountains.

EURO 2020 kicks off

Postponed a year due to the COVID pandemic, the 2020 European Football Championship kicks off this week, the first match being played in Rome, Italy. Matches are hosted by 11 cities in several UEFA members. Bucharest for the first time will be hosting 4 matches, 3 in the group phase and one in the round of 16. In Bucharest, Austria will play North Macedonia on Sunday, Ukraine will play North Macedonia on June 17 and then Austria will go up against Ukraine on June 21. (VP)

Local election of September 27

On Sunday,
September 27, Romanians will hit the polls to vote in the first local election
organized with the strict observance of health safety regulations. Candidates
are vying for one of the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3,200
mayor seats, 1,300 county councilmen and 40,000 local councilmen positions. Due
to the coronavirus pandemic, the mandates of local officials had been postponed
by another six months. There will be a single round of elections, which means
voter turnout will be key, analysts have argued. In previous years, the voter
turnout average was 50%. This year, the percentage might be even lower, amidst
fears of infection. Authorities say all the necessary measures are in place,
allowing people to cast their votes safely.
The parties leading opinion polls are the Social-Democratic Party in
opposition, which won most mandates in the previous local election, and the
National Liberal Party in power. The
Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance is gaining ground, its voters disgruntled
with both aforementioned parties. This Sunday’s election is seen as a test for
the December 6 legislative election.

COVID-19

September has
presented the authorities with numerous challenges: the start of a new school
year, the reopening of theatres, cinemas and restaurants and people generally
returning to work after the summer holidays. This week the authorities
continued to raise public awareness as to the importance of strictly observing
health safety measures. Wednesday saw a new record-high number of infections
reported within the span of 24 hours: 1,767 against 25,000 tests. The national
infection rate has gone up to 0.8%. However, this rate is higher in many
counties and cities. Overall, the number of infections is close to 120,000.
Some 95,000 patients have recovered and 4,600 people have died to the virus.
According to official estimates, there are under 20,000 active cases presently
at national level.

Resignation

The head of
the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT),
Giorgiana Hosu, stepped down on Thursday night after her husband, Dan Hosu, the
former chief of the Department for combating the trafficking of migrants, was
handed a suspended prison sentence of three years. He was charged with
incitement to the illegal use of a computer system and the use of classified
information. The Justice Ministry announced that the Superior Council of
Magistracy has already taken notice of Mrs. Hosu’s resignation. The Council had
issued a negative opinion when interviewing Giorgiana Hosu for the position.
Giorgiana Hosu said her stepping down is meant to safeguard the credibility of
DIICOT from a situation unrelated to its activity. In other news, the head of
the Romanian Gendarmerie, Bogdan Enescu, has been indicted by anti-corruption
prosecutors in a case where he is accused of abuse of office.

Controversial
measures

The political
fight between the Liberal Government and the Social-Democrat-controlled
Parliament continued this week in Bucharest. The Constitutional Court this week
ruled in favor of a notification filed by Parliament, which means the
Government will have to double child benefits, based on a piece of legislation
the Social-Democrats passed in 2019. The measure was supposed to take effect in
January. At the time the Government said the budget cannot sustain the measure,
so it passed an emergency decree postponing its implementation. This summer the
Government announced the increase of child benefits would be spaced-out in five
stages until 2022. Despite the Court’s decision, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
said his decision still stands. Another bone of contention this week was the
40% increase in pensions, which was supposed to take effect on September 1. The
Liberals have promised they would use all legal means at their disposal to
block this law, as the economy cannot sustain this burdening measure. The
Social-Democrats claim the money is there to help, and the increase in pensions
will not deepen the budget deficit. Parliament therefore this week passed a
budget adjustment law which is fundamentally different from what the Liberals
had submitted, based on a 14% increase in pensions.

Halep wins Rome tournament

Simona Halep,
world no. 2, this week won her first Internazionali BNL d’Italia title after
defeating Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, the defending champion in
Rome, who withdrew due to medical problems in the second set. Halep had won the
first set 6-nil. This is Simona’s 22nd title of her career, with
wins reported in Doha, Shenzhen, Dubai, Indian Wells, Madrid, Montreal,
Wimbledon and Roland Garros. The win in Rome has prompted bookmakers to dub
Halep favorite to win the Roland Garros Grand Slam this year. Matches in the
main draw in Paris are due to start on September 27. Simona Halep is seeded
first in the women’s singles.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

The NATO Summit in
London

NATO ended its anniversary summit marking 70 years of
existence with a message of unity, solidarity and cohesion despite divergences
reported in some Member States. In its final declaration, NATO reaffirmed its
defensive nature and its deterrence efforts, pointing out it will remain a
nuclear alliance for as long as such weapons still exist. NATO underlined it
will continue to strengthen its deterrence capabilities and will continue to defend
using an adequate mix of nuclear, conventional and anti-ballistic systems that
will be continuously adapted to changing realities. Attending the Summit in
London, President Klaus Iohannis said the summit was a success both to the
Alliance and for Romania, arguing NATO is the strongest alliance of all times,
having endured for 70 years with strong future prospects as well.

We’ve all agreed NATO needs a reflection process that
should identify a good strategy for the future of NATO. We need to identify who our enemies are,
where threats are coming from, how NATO should relate to the new world powers,
China for instance. We need to decide whether we need to change our approach to
Russia. Such questions were discussed and will undoubtedly lead to the elaboration
of an improved strategy.

The president said participants also tackled issues
pertaining to the Black Sea region, as well as intervention plans for the
eastern flank. President Iohannis announced cosmic space will be part of NATO’s
concerns for allied security.

President Klaus
Iohannis meets with EU Ambassadors in Bucharest

President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday met with ambassadors of
EU Member States in Bucharest. Talks focused on the agenda of the European
Council meeting of December 12-13, hot topics on the international agenda as
well as interior policy, the presidency reports. The President said he wants to
contribute to identifying solutions that should deal with the great challenges
facing the EU, such as combating climate change, migration, multilateralism or
citizen security. Klaus Iohannis also pointed out he wants solid and effective
European institutions, capable of generating results to the benefit of all EU
citizens. The President said the new European Commission will have to carefully
deal with the expectations of EU citizens by coming up with an action plan that
should implement the common priorities laid out in the 2019-2024 Strategic
Agenda of the EU, and that should ensure balance, unity and equity between
Member States. As regards the upcoming EU budget, Klaus Iohannis said the
priority is to reach an agreement so that the budget should be balanced,
respond to the new priorities of the EU as well as to the need to properly fund
traditional policies, such as cohesion and the Common Agricultural Policy.

The compensatory
appeal law has been repealed

The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest on Wednesday voted to
repeal the compensatory appeal law. Originally designed by Justice Minister
Raluca Pruna, the law was passed in 2017 by the Social-Democratic ruling power.
It was meant to do away with the harsh sanctions Romania was handed down by the
European Court of Human Rights for its improper detention facilities. According
to the National Penitentiary Administration, some 23 thousand felons were
released from prison under the new law, of which 19,000 on probation. 2,300
reoffended and were sent back to prison, some of them having committed criminal
offences shortly after their release, others because they were being investigated
in other criminal cases at the time of their release. Justice Minister Catalin
Predoiu recently said the faulty elaboration of the law has endangered
citizens’ safety, adding that the Ministry he runs will be drafting a temporary
norm that will apply starting next year in all penitentiaries, whose precarious
situation has generated complaints at the European Court of Human Rights.
Authorities mainly want to improve the quality of detention facilities.

The Romanian Foreign
Minister attends the OSCE meeting in Bratislava

Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu attended the 26th
meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on which occasion he reaffirmed Romania’s key
interests referring to security and cooperation. On the sidelines of the event
Bogdan Aurescu met with the Moldovan Minister for Foreign Affairs and European
Integration, Aureliu Ciocoi. Minister Aurescu pointed out Romania’s financial
assistance would not continue in its agreed form and will be adapted depending
on the concrete actions of the new Government, based on the bilateral Strategic
Partnership for the European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, as well as
on the democratic development and the country’s efforts towards European
accession. Romania’s support will continue to seek the interests of Moldovan
citizens and will focus on continuing the implementation of bilateral strategic
interconnection projects.

(Translated by V.
Palcu)

Referendum to be held along with elections for the European Parliament

On Thursday,
president Klaus Iohannis announced the two topics for the referendum that he
will call for on May 26th, on the very day when elections for the
European Parliament are also scheduled: banning amnesty and pardon for those
indicted on corruption charges, and banning the passing by the Government of
emergency decrees in relation with judicial crimes, correlated with the right
of other constitutional authorities to directly notify the Constitutional Court
about such decrees. Also, the head of state has called on the current
Government, formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals
and Democrats to refrain from issuing any decree concerning the justice system
in Romania until the referendum. The best way to carry on the fight against
corruption is zero tolerance for this scourge, said the president, who also
voiced his dissatisfaction with the way in which the justice laws are handled
by the Social Democrats. In turn, government representatives have accused the
head of state of having a hidden, electoral agenda. Calin Popescu Tariceanu,
the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the junior partner in the
ruling coalition, has stated:

The
president is concerned not so much about justice, as he is about making sure he
is reelected president, so he wants to use the referendum as a launching pad
for him to jump into this political dance, because otherwise he would not be able
to participate in the European Parliament elections, and he wants to steal the start
in the presidential race.

The president of
the opposition National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, has stated:

The
president is doing a very good thing by calling this referendum, to put an end,
once and for all, to the attempts made by those who have robbed Romania in the
past 30 years to escape the law.

International warnings to Romania

The Romanian
justice system is right in the eye of the storm, and this has become even more
clear this week, when 12 embassies in Bucharest of partner and allied
countries, including those of France, the US and Germany, have voiced worries
about the rule of law in this country and have called on the parties involved
in drafting emergency decrees on justice to refrain from making changes that
would weaken the rule of law and the country’s capacity to fight against crime
and corruption. Also, the European Commission and the European Parliament have
warned that the Bucharest authorities must resume the fair path of reform of
the judiciary and to abstain from any measures that would affect the rule of
law in a bad way. In reply to this warning, the Romanian Prime Minister Viorica
Dancila has stated that by no means ambassadors can draw up the
prime-minister’s agenda. The Justice Minister Tudorel Toader too has commented
on the European officials’ concern:

Just
like you, I see how European officials are voicing concern, but such concern is
actually precaution, which however has an important electoral power. As the
minister of justice, I would like to formulate a simple and courteous request,
which I have actually repeated several times at national level, namely to know
ourselves, to respect our competences, to respect our dignity and national specificity.

Problems facing the former head of the National Anticorruption
Directorate and Romania’s Prosecutor General

As of Wednesday, the former head of
the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi is no longer
under judicial supervision, in relation to a case in which she is accused of
bribe taking, abuse of office and false testimony. Under these circumstances,
she can now travel to Brussels, where negotiations are under way between the European
Parliament and the Council of the EU on appointing the first European chief
prosecutor, a post for which Ms. Kovesi is a candidate. The irrevocable
decision to lift judicial supervision was made by the High Court of Cassation
and Justice, in the context in which the First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans,
had stated that Laura Codruta Kovesi had to be allowed to defend her candidacy
and the European Parliament, through its president, Antonio Tajani, had called
on the Romanian authorities to place no obstacles in the way of the candidacy
of the former head of the Anticorruption Directorate, who is actually the
European Parliament’s favourite candidate. The Judge Department of the Superior
Council of Magistracy reacted promptly and said pressure was being put on the
judge designated to analyse the challenge filed by Ms. Kovesi. Here is what the
Romanian PM Viorica Dancila has stated about this issue:

We are asked not to
intervene when it comes to justice being made and this sounds fair to me. But
the European officials are calling on us to stop criminal investigations. What I am telling
them loud and clear is that the Romanian PM has not and will never try to
influence justice.

In another development, on Thursday,
the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives decided to
conduct another verification of the Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazar,
following information carried by the media, according to which he was involved
in actions of political policing during the Communist regime. Also, when he was
a member of the commission in charge of making proposals for release from the
high-security penitentiary in Aiud, one of the toughest such facility
established by communists, Augustin Lazar allegedly denied parole for an
anti-Communist dissident, Iulius Filip. The prosecutor general has denied the
accusations.

15 years of NATO membership

During a solemn session devoted to
the anniversary of 15 years of NATO membership, it was declared that Romania would
continue to be a trusted ally, a promoter of NATO values and a pillar of
stability and security in the Black Sea region. The Romanian Parliament adopted
a declaration reaffirming their commitment to the values and goals of the
Alliance, but also concern over the diversification and intensification of the
security threats faced by the allies.

The government reshuffle is postponed

The new ministers for labour, defence, economy,
culture, communications and youth and sport were sworn in on Tuesday before
president Klaus Iohannis, who issued the reshuffle decree taking into account
the proposals of the Social Democratic Party, the main force in the ruling
coalition. Iohannis postponed however making a decision on the changes proposed
by the Social Democrats for the posts of transport and development ministers.
The president said the changes earlier this week won’t be followed by others,
at least not until after National Day on 1st December. He said he
was not pleased with the fact that in two years since it came to power, the
ruling coalition has replaced about 70 ministers, which in his opinion is too
much. Klaus Iohannis:

There won’t be another change of
ministers this week, and this new proposed reshuffle, coming after another
reshuffle, won’t be analysed until after the celebrations dedicated to the
Centenary and the National Day, at the earliest.

President Klaus Iohannis has also rejected the
proposal of the justice minister Tudorel Toader to appoint Adina Florea as
chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate. Florea has also
earlier received a negative opinion from the Superior Council of Magistracy.
The Council’s opinion is advisory. The post of chief prosecutor of the National
Anticorruption Directorate has been vacant since July, when the president dismissed
its former occupant, Laura Codruta Kovesi, in keeping with a Constitutional
Court ruling.

European
Parliament officials paid visit to Bucharest

We want Romania’s first-time presidency of the
EU Council to be a success not only for Romania but for the whole Union, said
in Bucharest the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani. At the
meeting of the EP Conference of Presidents with the Romanian government, held
in the run-up to Romania’s taking over the rotating presidency of the EU
Council on January 1, 2019, the European official stated that Romania’s Schengen
accession should be accelerated. Brexit, the post 2020 multiannual budget,
preparations for the future summit to be held in Sibiu (central Romania) that
will set the guidelines for the Union’s future, the elections for the European
Parliament are some of the issues Romania will have to deal with as president
of the EU Council. The Romanian authorities presented the four big themes of
its six-month mandate: a cohesive Europe, a Europe with a bigger global role, a
safe Europe and a Europe of values. They have given assurances that Romania is
ready to take over the EU Council presidency, have reiterated their openness to
dialogue and cooperation with the European institutions and have pointed out
that Romania wants to contribute to promoting the common European agenda in a
constructive spirit based on consensus.

Joint
government meeting

The governments of Romania and the Republic of
Moldova Thursday held a joint meeting in Bucharest, attended by the Moldovan PM
and ministers in charge of mutual interest sectors. The parties signed several
cooperation agreements in the field of tourism, environment and telecoms, and
discussed means to encourage Romanian investments in the Republic of Moldova.
The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila discussed ministry-level cooperation and said
the Romanian ministers’ participation in events or talks in Chisinau would
bring the 2 countries a lot closer together. Dăncilă reiterated that European
accession was the only solution for the Republic of Moldova and for the
prosperity of its citizens. In turn, the Moldovan PM Pavel Filip believes
statements regarding the Union of Moldova and Romania are a new trend in Chisinau,
and cautioned that the topic must be approached in a pragmatic manner. Pavel
Filip pleaded instead for a common energy, transport, defence and security, and
cultural space. The Moldovan official also announced that on December 1,
Romania’s National Day, Moldovan citizens will not be charged for mobile
roaming calls to Romania, and thanked Bucharest for the plans to sign an
agreement reducing mobile roaming fees.

RadiRo
in Bucharest

RadiRo, the only festival of radio orchestras in
the world is running in Bucharest until Sunday. Eight symphonic concerts, and
as a premiere for the RadiRo Festival, four jazz concerts, have been given this
week. The guests of the fourth edition of the festival have been outstanding
international orchestras and prominent conductors and soloists. The oldest European radio orchestra, MDR
Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra (Germany) has returned onto the stage of the
festival this year, and three other famous orchestras are performing at the
Radio Concerts Hall for the first time: the BBC Philharmonic (Great Britain), L’Orchestra de la Svizzera Italiana
(Lugano, Switzerland) and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (Ireland). All
concerts given during the festival have been broadcast live by Radio Romania, recorded
and later broadcast by the Romanian
Television Company as well as by other radio broadcasters that are EBU members.

President Klaus Iohannis at the UN

President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday during the general debate
at the UN General Assembly that Romania is ready to strengthen the EU-UN partnership
during its presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019. When I speak about engagement
I don’t just mean politicians and diplomats. We have to reach out to our younger
people, representatives of civil society, journalists, business people. We need
them all for the cause of multilateralism and global leadership, the Romanian President has said. Klaus
Iohannis has also militated for Romania’s getting elected as a non-permanent
member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 period. In the speech delivered
during the UN General Assembly, the president has said peace, development and
justice are the basis of the country’s multilateral strategy. President Klaus
Iohannis has given assurances that Romania will be a responsible partner in promoting
the common agenda of the UN. He has also said that the UN member states have
the duty to better explain to their citizens what the current challenges to
peace, social equitability and sustainability are and to talk about the role
played by the UN in tackling them.

The Romanian Prime Minister’s visit to Brussels

Romanian
Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă has paid a visit to Brussels this week, where
she presented the political situation in Romania to the leaders of the main
political groups in the European Parliament. The talks were held ahead of a debate
in the European Parliament, scheduled for next week, on the August 10
anti-governmental protest in Bucharest, marked by the gendarmes’ violent
intervention. The Prime Minister has mentioned the economic and social measures
that have been taken, that were meant to do social justice, defend the citizens’
rights and liberties and balance the state powers, reads a communiqué issued by
the Government. Referring to the reforms in the field of justice, the Prime
Minister showed they were aimed at harmonising the Romanian legal system with
European practices and recommendations made by the Venice Commission. The Prime
Minister has presented the government’s stand in order to make our European
partners clearly understand that the Social-Democratic government takes
justified decisions, in agreement with the domestic legislation and the
European values, MEP Gabriela Zoană said fresh from the debates in the European
Parliament. Euractiv recalls however that the European Social-Democrats have
reproached Prime Minister Dăncilă that the ruling Social Democratic Party is
distancing itself from the European progressive line. According to the same
source, Socialist MEPs have asked for more clarity on a series of issues, from
major corruption cases to the referendum of the 6th and 7th
of October, when Romanian voters are expected to say if they agree to revise
the country’s Constitution to redefine the concept of family as being based on
the marriage between a man and a woman. Euroactiv cites a Socialist MEP who
recalls that the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union states
explicitly that people have the right to get married without being discriminated
against based on their sexual orientation. In a Twitter post following talks
with the Romanian Prime Minister, the leader of the European People’s Party
Manfred Weber said he was worried about the situation in Romania, saying the
independence of the judicial system is under pressure.

Government decisions

The government has adopted this week an emergency decree to amend the
legislation regulating the insolvency procedure. The new provisions are aimed at
halting certain abusive practices, such as repeated insolvency, and to ensure
equal chances for the development of businesses. More than 6,000 companies
employing over 64,000 people are in insolvency at the moment in Romania, which
called for urgent measures, says the Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici. The
latter also said that the changes were the result of a series of dysfunctions
that have appeared during the application of the previous versions of the
insolvency law. The new emergency order provides for the conversion of the
debts owed by companies into shares that will be taken over by the state. The
tax authority will come up with a clear procedure in this regard, the finance
minister has said. The business community has criticized the changes, speaking
about masked nationalization. In another development, the government has
established that the Romanian language subject in primary schools with tuition
in the language of ethnic minorities will be taught by the form teacher.
Education Minister Valentin Popa, who was opposed to this decision, resigned on
Thursday. The change to the emergency decree was made at the request of the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, which has a collaboration
agreement with the ruling coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party and
the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. The outgoing education minister said in
his resignation letter that the Romanian language and Romania are
non-negotiable and that all of the country’s children must speak the Romanian
language in order to have a chance to live and work in Romania.

(Translated by D. Vijeu & C. Mateescu)

The leftist Government in Romania survives no-confidence vote

The government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats this week easily passed the test of a no-confidence motion initiated by the National Liberal Party and backed by the Save Romania Union and the People’s Movement Party in opposition. The Cabinet was criticised, among other things, for the changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure, for reducing the powers of the country’s president and for its negative economic record. According to the document, the current Government brought the inflation rate up to 5.4%, a 5-year high, while the frequent changes of the Fiscal Code damaged the fiscal policy. Moreover, the Government failed to build motorways, as it had promised. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila is in fact viewed as a puppet of the Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea. Here is Save Romania Union’s senator Radu Mihail:

“Since the beginning of the year, when you were sworn in as Prime Minister, you have done nothing but continue to harm the national economy, generate panic and distrust, and further deepen negative economic developments.”

In response, the Prime Minister said the no-confidence motion is riddled with false statements, lacking rational arguments, and is a mere political trick of the right-of-centre opposition. Viorica Dancila:

“I had not expected the entire motion to be an enumeration of untruths, a presentation of a different reality made in bad faith. You will not even acknowledge the most obvious good things that have happened under this government.”

Thousands of people protested near Parliament during the debates and vote on the motion, in solidarity with its initiators.

Reactions to the changes of criminal legislation

The special parliamentary committee in charge with the justice laws decided, during debates on the Criminal Code, that the statute on criminal liability should be reduced for certain offences. For instance, offenders sentenced to less than 10 years in prison will be able to get out after serving half the time, as opposed to two-thirds at present. Another change refers to extended confiscation, which would no longer be applicable for money laundering and organised crime offences.

The Government says the changes brought to the Criminal Codes, which have been heavily criticised by the Opposition, civil society and some of the magistrates, are in line with the rulings of the Constitutional Court of Romania and of the European Court of Human Rights, and are aimed at preventing human rights violations and slips in the judicial system. Critics however accuse the Power of seeking to help the politicians who have problems with the law. The embassies of 12 Western countries on Thursday called on all the parties involved in amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to avoid changes that would weaken the rule of law or Romania’s capacity to fight corruption and crime in general. President Klaus Iohannis and the Opposition believe the concerns voiced by these embassies are justified. Conversely, the head of the special committee in charge with the justice laws, the former Social Democrat justice minister Florin Iordache, vowed that the changes to the Criminal Codes are in line with all relevant regulations. The Foreign Ministry said it took note of the views expressed by the 12 states and added that strengthening the rule of law and fighting corruption are among the priorities of the Government.

President Iohannis at the summer European Council meeting

President Klaus Iohannis took part in the recent meeting of the European Council in Brussels, focusing on migration. The Europeans have decided, among other things, to build migrant processing centres outside the EU, so as to deter people from jeopardising their lives by trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. The Council also decided to extend sanctions against Russia for annexing Crimea by another six months. The topics discussed by the participants also included the Brexit talks and the Union’s economic and monetary reform. President Iohannis called for maintaining an attractive investment climate in the European Union, and said Romania supported an efficient and fair corporate taxation system, adapted to the new business models specific to the digital economy.

Romania’s objectives at the NATO Summit

Romania’s Supreme Defence Council met in Bucharest to analyse and approve Romania’s objectives at the NATO Summit to be held on July 11 and 12 in Brussels. From Romania’s perspective, the Summit in Brussels is highly important, aimed to boost the projects of consolidation of the defence and deterrence postures on NATO’s Eastern flank and ensure stability in the eastern neighbourhood, especially in the Black Sea region. The Country’s Supreme Defence Council also approved the number of armed forces to be made available next year for missions and operations outside Romania’s borders. As compared to 2018, their number has been increased by 11%.

Ex-president of Romania Ion Iliescu might be prosecuted in the 1989 anti-communist revolution case

Romanias president Klaus Iohannis has submitted to the Justice Minister a request to start the criminal prosecution of the former head of state Ion Iliescu, ex-PM Petre Roman and the former deputy prime-minister Gelu Voican Voiculescu, in the 1989 Revolution case, in which the events that led to the fall of the communist regime are being investigated. All three of them are accused of crimes against humanity. According to prosecutors, the incidents that took place after December 22nd, in several towns and cities across Romania, are indicative of the fact that there had been a pre-established plan, through which the new leaders aimed to take over power and secure their legitimacy. Because of the delays in the Revolution Case, Romania has received a sentence from the European Court of Human Rights. According to the Court, the special importance of this case for Romanian society should have motivated the authorities to build the case faster. Official statistics show that, in December 1989, more than 1,100 people were killed and some 3,000 were wounded, most of them after the arrest of dictator Ceausescu.

The European Commission presents its report on Romania

The European Commission Representation in Romania on Wednesday held a conference titled ‘2018 European Semester: Country Report Romania. According to the Commission, limited progress has been made with regard to observing fiscal obligations and tax collection, education, outpatient treatment, public administration and public investment. No progress has been made in terms of minimum wages, retirement age and fiscal policies. On the other hand, though, some progress has been made in terms of public procurement, as well as the fight against illegal employment and informal pay in the healthcare sector.

Romania still has an economic growth rate above the EU average, but mainly because of the rise in consumption, said the head of the European Commission Representation in Romania Angela Cristea: “This growth trend has been maintained, but also has social inequality and poverty, especially among disadvantaged categories. This growth is based on consumption rather than on investment. It is also based on loaning, and the budget deficit is dangerously approaching the alarm threshold of 3%, while the budget deficit continues to stray away from the 1% goal.

Angela Cristea has also stated that the unemployment rate has reached the lowest level in the past 20 years, but there are still problems in terms of availability of labour force, because of Romanias ageing population.

In turn, the Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has said he was confident Romania will not exceed the budget deficit target set for this year: “Romania will submit a response to this country report by the end of April, and the document will highlight a number of carefully planned and quantifiable measures, which clearly show how we are maintaining the deficit below 3%.

According to data provided by the National Statistics Institute, the annual inflation rate has reached the highest level in the past 5 years, growing to 5% in March, from 4.7% in February, against the background of food products, non-food products and services becoming more expensive. In February, the National Bank of Romania revised upwards the inflation forecast for the end of this year, from 3.2% to 3.5%.

GRECO, the Group of States against Corruption, is worried about the Romanian justice laws

The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the Council of Europes anti-corruption monitoring body, is deeply worried about certain aspects relating to the laws on the status of magistrates, the functioning of the judiciary and of the Superior Council of Magistracy, recently passed by the Romanian Parliament. In a report published on Wednesday, GRECO expresses concern over the amendments to the criminal laws, discussed in the Romanian Parliament. GRECO has drawn up the document on the basis of a decision adopted at the December 2017 plenary session of the Council of Europe devoted to an emergency assessment of the reforms of the Romanian judiciary, given that such reforms might entail serious violations of anti-corruption standards. Perceived as a an attempt by the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats to bring magistrates under their sphere of influence and to put an end to the fight against corruption, the initiatives to amend the justice legislation have been harshly criticized by the right wing opposition, the media and civil society. Also, many people have protested in the street against these initiatives. In turn, representatives of the power have stated that the changes brought to the justice laws are in line with the rulings of the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

The French Foreign Minister pays a visit to Bucharest

On Thursday, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis received the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian. During the meeting, the Romanian president highlighted the importance that Romania attaches to its joining the Schengen agreement and voiced hope that France will support a decision to that end. Minister Le Drien stated that there is no reason why France would hamper Romanias Shengen accession prospects. He also said that, in the coming period, the dialogue between Romania and France will focus on European issues, defense and economic development. In turn, Klaus Iohannis highlighted the excellent Romanian – French relations, especially this year, which is marked by events of great significance such as the celebration of 10 years since the two countries signed the Strategic Partnership Declaration, the launch of the Romania–France cultural season and Romanias celebrating the centennial of the Great Union, to which France had a significant contribution.