April 27, 2017
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 27.04.2017, 14:05
Constitutional Court — Romania’s Constitutional Court will analyze on May 4 the Ombudsman’s notification regarding the law that forbids a person with a criminal sentence to be a member of the government. It is the 4th time that the Romanian Constitutional Court postpones making a decision, as they invoke the complexity of the case, claiming that the issue should be analyzed from a political point of view. The Law that forbids people with a criminal sentence to be part of the government is the law that prevented the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, to request the position of prime minister after the elections the Social Democrats won in December 2016. In 2016 Dragnea received a 2-year suspended sentence for attempting to rig the referendum of 2012 on the impeachment of the then president Traian Basescu. The Ombudsman made the notification in early January.
Cooperation — The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, underlined Georgia’s contribution to euro-Atlantic security, including through its participation in NATO missions, during a meeting, in Bucharest, with the Georgian prime minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili. The Georgian official has previously met with his Romanian counterpart Sorin Grindeanu with whom he signed a political declaration of cooperation. Romania and Georgia cooperate in such domains as tourism, economy, agriculture, sea trade, culture, science and sports. In the first quarter of 2017, the volume of trade exchanges between the two countries stood at more than 44.3 million dollars. PM Grindeanu has also given assurances to his Georgian counterpart that Romania supports the European aspirations of his country. In turn, the Georgian PM thanked Romanian authorities for the support provided also for the elimination of visas to the EU for the Georgian citizens.
Defense ministers meeting — The Romanian defense minister, Gabriel Leş, has reiterated Romania’s commitment to actively contribute to the consolidation of the Security and Defense Policy of the EU. He made this statement at the meeting he had in Malta with the Chief Executive of the European Defense Agency, Jorge Domecq. In turn, the European official thanked Romania for its involvement in the Agency’s programs. The talks were held on the sidelines of the informal meeting of the defense ministers of EU states.
Vaccines crisis — The Romanian PM Sorin Grindeanu on Thursday said the resolution of the vaccines crisis was essential for Romania. He said he was determined to take all necessary measures in this respect, following consultations with the institutions in the field. The statements was made at the conference “The European Week of Immunization- Vaccination: a public health issue. Children beyond figures” organized in Bucharest.
US — North Korea — The US will toughen sanctions against North Korea and will intensify diplomatic efforts meant to persuade the regime in Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and ballistic program. The strategy of President Donald Trump was announced after a special meeting at the White House with all the 100 American senators. In another development, according to France Press, the US is looking into the possibility of reintroducing North Korea on the list of countries that support terrorism. The list currently includes Iran, Syria and Sudan, as North Korea was eliminated from the list in 2008 during the term in office of president George W. Bush. (translation by L. Simion)
