7 December, 2019

A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 07.12.2019, 13:51

Government. The Romanian prime minister Ludovic Orban has announced that
his cabinet will next Tuesday ask Parliament for a vote of confidence on a
number of important bills, including those on budget caps and the amendment of
the justice laws. The Liberal prime minister says the budget cap law is
necessary to finalise the state and social security budget bill. The amendment
of the justice laws refers to the prorogation of the deadlines for the early
retirement of magistrates, the transition from two to three-judge panels and
the seniority required for becoming a magistrate. In another move, the
government has adopted a bill on the government’s ability to issue emergency
orders while Parliament breaks up for the winter holidays. The government will
thus be able to issue simple orders in areas that are not covered by organic
laws, between Parliament’s final session this year and its first session next
year. The areas in question are public finance, economy, energy and business,
public works, development and administration, home affairs, transport,
infrastructure and communications, culture, European funds and healthcare.

Revolution. A series of events
celebrating the 30th anniversary of the December anticommunist
revolution has begun in Timisoara, in the west of the country. Over the course
of two weeks, marches will be held following the routes of the Revolution, as
well as remembrance services and tributes to those who died, festive
assemblies, conferences, exhibitions, concerts, book launches and events
dedicated to the young generations in order to keep alive the memory of those who
sacrificed their lives to freedom. 17th of December will be a day of
mourning and on the 20th of December the events will feature
festivities and grandiose concerts dedicated to the day 30 years ago when
Timisoara became the first city in Romania to declare itself free of communism.

Colectiv trial. The Bucharest
Tribunal is expected on Monday to issue the first ruling in a trial that began
in the aftermath of a fire that broke out in October 2015 at the Bucharest club
Colectiv and in which 65 people were killed and several hundred wounded. On
trial are the club’s owners, the fire safety people who inspected the club, the
former mayor of the sector where the club was located and representatives of
the company that installed the fireworks that caused the fire. Friday saw the
hearing of the former health minister Nicolae Banicioiu as part of
investigations into how the Romanian authorities acted in the immediate
aftermath of the fire. Baniciou said at the time that the Romanian authorities
did not need help from abroad to treat the wounded. A year later, the parents
of the victims filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor General’s Office
in which a number of government and health officials were blamed for the
authorities’ handling of the situation. The Prosecutor General’s Office opened
a criminal investigation for aggravated manslaughter, abuse of office and
negligence in employment with respect to the authorities’ intervention.

France strikes. French public sector
trade unions continue their strike against the reform of the pension system.
The yellow vests are joining the protests. The biggest disruptions are reported
in the railway and public transport in the Paris region. According to Radio
Romania’s correspondent in Paris, things may complicate even further on Monday,
when refinery workers are planning to join the strike. Air transport and
airport services, on the other hand, return to normal. The government has
contracted a number of bus companies to travel between airports and Paris in
order to reduce some of the chaos faced, in particular, by tourists, during the
winter holidays. The government has invited trade unions and employers’
associations to hold fresh talks on Monday, but the people on strike do not
want to end their protest unless the government completely gives up plans to
replace the current pension system with a point-based one. Trade unions are also
preparing a huge protest for Tuesday, which they already refer to as black
Tuesday.

Handball. The Romanian women’s
handball side on Sunday face Russia after defeating Hungary 28-27 in a dramatic
match on Friday to reach the Main Round of the World Championships under way in
Japan. Romania will next be playing Sweden on Tuesday and Japan on Wednesday. All
matches will take place in Kumamoto. Having previously failed to win any points
against Spain and Montenegro, Romania have zero points thus far in the Main
Round ranking.