A review of the week's most important events.
The Superior Council of Magistracy rejects Justice Minister’s request for the dismissal of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate chief Laura Codruta Kovesi.
Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader's formal request for the dismissal of the head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, was rejected on Tuesday by the Superior Council of Magistracy. Chief prosecutor Kovesi said at the meeting that all accusations levelled at her by Minister Toader were ungrounded. She also said that, since taking over the position of chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in 2013, the institution had recorded the best results since its setting up. The Justice Minister accused Kovesi of being excessively authoritarian, of getting involved in cases investigated by the institution, of failing to investigate prosecutors suspected of breaking the law, defying Parliament and contesting decisions of the Constitutional Court. Laura Codruta Kovesi answered all 20 points included in Minister Toader’s report. After deliberation, the Superior Council of Magistracy decided that chief-prosecutor Kovesi should not be dismissed. General Prosecutor of Romania, Augustin Lazar, was on Kovesi's side, joined by a majority of anti-corruption prosecutors. Protests have been held almost daily in Bucharest and in major cities of Romania against the dismissal. The Council's endorsement is consultative, with the final decision lying in the hands of President Klaus Iohannis.
The Anti-Corruption Directorate’s 2017 activity report
The Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, presented on Wednesday the institution’s 2017 activity report. The head of the Directorate also stressed the fact that 2017 was a difficult year for the fight against corruption, a year with numerous challenges. There were, Kovesi said, attempts at changing the legislation by decriminalizing certain acts, by eliminating investigation tools or amending prosecutors’ status. She stressed the fact that the Directorate worked in a transparent manner, always substantiating its decisions. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis says the figures presented are telling of the efficiency of the anticorruption prosecutors and contradict the report on the basis of which the Justice Minister called for the dismissal of the head of the directorate. Last year, anticorruption prosecutors solved more than 3,800 cases, a record since the setting up of the institution. Also, some 1,000 people were sent to court, and, based on the indictments drawn up by the anticorruption prosecutors, the courts gave final sentences for 700 people. The share of acquittals was 12%, of which one quarter following the ruling of the Constitutional Court concerning the meaning of abuse of office.
The European Commission’s First Vice President pays visit to Bucharest
The modification of the justice laws in Romania and the continuation of the battle against corruption were the main topics discussed on Thursday in Bucharest by the European Commission’s First Vice President Frans Timmermans with Romanian officials. After meetings with President Klaus Iohannis, with the speakers of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, with the prime minister, the anti-corruption directorate’s chief prosecutor and the justice minister, Frans Timmermans presented his conclusion in a press conference. The European official said there were no doubts regarding the independence of the judiciary, but pointed out that the public attacks against it created a negative picture of Romania. According to the European official, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism imposed on Romania could be lifted provided that the conditions are met.
The Romanian Prime Minister on a visit to Chisinau
Viorica Dancila on Tuesday paid her first formal bilateral visit to the neighboring Republic of Moldova in her capacity as Prime Minister of Romania. The visit focused mainly on economic cooperation. Alongside her pro-West Moldovan counterpart Pavel Filip, Mrs. Dancila participated in the inaugural meeting of the Romanian Investors’ Association in the Republic of Moldova and the Siret-Prut-Nistru Euroregion Forum. Prime Minister Dancila has stated that Romania wants to increase investments in the Republic of Moldova. The two prime ministers reviewed the stage and prospects of economic bilateral cooperation, with focus on trade and energy. Romania is the Republic of Moldova’s main partner for trade exchanges, and, at the same time, ranks first in terms of investments in that country, said the Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip. According to him, last year, the value of bilateral trade exchanges reached 1.3 billion dollars. The Romanian Prime Minister also had a meeting with the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament Andrian Candu, during which she restated Romania’s constant and firm support for the Republic of Moldova’s European aspirations.
Romania, in the grip of bad weather
The severe weather that has taken Romania in its grip for several days now, is not ready to go yet. The most affected regions have been the south and the east of the country, including the capital Bucharest. Heavy snow hampered traffic on roads all across the country, and two motorways in the south were closed temporarily because of the blizzard that built huge piles of snow on the road. Frost and blizzard also affected railway traffic, and hundreds of trains were cancelled, with many other reporting huge delays. All the four ports on the Black Sea Coast – Constanta Nord, Constanta Sud Agigea, Midia and Mangalia, were closed temporarily. Also due to the bad weather, schools and kindergartens were closed for the entire week in Bucharest and 11 counties in the south and southeast of the country.
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