27 September, 2018

A look at the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 27.09.2018, 12:52

UN. Romania will promote an
open approach to migration based on identifying consensual solutions among EU
member states during its presidency of the EU Council in the first six months
of next year, president Klaus Iohannis said during a meeting in New York with the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees Filippo Grandi.
At the UN, Iohannis pleaded for Romania to be elected as a non-permanent member
of the Security Council in the 2020-2021 period. In his address before the UN
General Assembly, he said Romania would be a responsible partner in promoting
the UN’s common agenda. He also said that Romania, as a holder of the EU
Council presidency, would consolidate the Union’s partnership with the United
Nations.

Defence. The Romanian
defence minister Mihai Fifor met US defence secretary James Mattis at the
Pentagon, according to a foreign ministry release. Talks focused on priority
issues such as the defence cooperation between Romania and the US, with
emphasis on the security developments in the Black Sea region and the Western
Balkans and the fight against terrorism. The two officials also discussed the
presence of US troops on Romanian territory and the cooperation in the defence
industry and the major programmes for the equipping of the army carried out
with the American side. The Romanian minister reiterated that his country is a
stable and credible ally that fulfils all commitments and responsibilities
deriving from its NATO membership. James Mattis underlined Romania’s important
role in the Black Sea region.

Investigation. Colonel Ionut Catalin Sindile,
the interim head of the Romanian Gendarmerie, today appeared before the General
Prosecutor’s Office in connection to the intervention of the riot police during
the antigovernment protest on August 10th in Bucharest. He is under
criminal investigation, alongside other gendarmerie officials, for complicity
to abuse of office and complicity to abusive behaviour. Military prosecutors have
opened a criminal case into the brutal way in which the gendarmes acted on
August 10th. The General Prosecutor’s Office says 770 criminal
complaints have been filed against the reaction of the security forces, who used
tear gas and water canons to disperse the crowds. The protest was treated as a
possible risk to public order and the security forces’ intervention was legal,
said the interior minister Carmen Dan.

African swine fever. The Romanian agriculture minister
Petre Daea is today having talks in Brussels about the compensations to be granted
to Romania by the European Commission for the African swine fever epidemic.
According to official data, the Romanian state has awarded compensations to
more than 4,000 of the 6,000 cases approved, amounting to around 15 million
euros. Since the outbreak of the virus, some 900 hotbeds have been reported in
a number of counties. On the other hand, the simple motion filed by the
National Liberal Party against Petre Daea was rejected on Wednesday by the
Chamber of Deputies. The Liberals criticised the way in which the situation was
handled, while the agriculture minister said the Romanian authorities have
taken the standard measures established at European level.

Appointment. The Superior
Council of Magistracy has postponed for the 8th of October an
interview with prosecutor Adina Florea, who was proposed by the justice
minister Tudorel Toader to take over the leadership of the National
Anticorruption Directorate. The Council’s opinion, which is advisory, will be
submitted to the minister. Later, the proposal will be sent to president Klaus
Iohannis. In her application, Adina Florea said that, apart from good things,
the activity of the anticorruption prosecutors also contained considerable deviations
from the rule of law. Adina Florea, who formerly worked with the Prosecutor’s
Office of the Court of Appeal in Constanta, has been proposed as head of the
National Anticorruption Directorate after a second selection round. The post
had become vacant in July, when Laura Codruta Kovesi was sacked by president
Klaus Iohannis in keeping with a Constitutional Court ruling.

Romania-Japan.
The Romanian first deputy prime minister Ana Birchall, who is on a visit to the
US, on Wednesday had talks with the Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono about
expanding political and diplomatic exchanges and economic cooperation between
the two countries. The two officials also discussed issues related to the
strategic relation between their countries, such as the continuation of the
security dialogue. Ana Birchall underlined that a series of economic
opportunities may be tapped into in the Brexit context, leading to a boost in
Japanese investments in Romania.

Industrial
action. The Sanitary Solidarity Federation is to begin consultations with trade
union members about a programme of wide-scale protests going all the way to a
general strike, given that the government has not signed the collective
employment contract for the sector, the Federation has announced. Healthcare
trade unions have a list of ten demands, including the awarding of the salary
increases corresponding to 2019 beginning in January for all categories of
employees who have not benefited from an increase in the basic salary. They
also demand taxing the food benefit in the same way as meal vouchers.