August 19, 2016

The Romanians confidence in justice and the legal system has decreased by 13 % as compared to 2015, a Eurobarometer issued by the European Commission shows/ Romanian road carriers go on a token strike in protest to the high cost of insurance premiums

Ştefan Stoica, 19.08.2016, 12:00

EUROBAROMETER – The Romanians confidence in justice and the legal system has decreased by 13 % as compared to 2015, the Eurobarometer issued by the European Commission shows. Figures show that 60% of the respondents say they tend not to take confidence in the judiciary in Romania, thus registering a 12% increase as compared to 2015. 72% of the respondents say they have confidence in the Army, 4% less than in 2015. Some 50% of the respondents trust the police, registering 1 percentage point more than in the fall of 2015. Higher percentages are also being registered in the case of political parties, amounting to 13%, one percentage point more than in the fall of 2015. The poll was conducted between May 21 and 31, 2016.

ROAD CARRIERS – Romanian road freight carriers go on a token strike and will run every day at a speed of 30 km/hour anywhere in Romania, until the car insurance premiums are reduced to 4,907 lei per year, that is 1,100 de euros, a communiqué issued by the National Union of Road Carriers in Romania and made public by the AGREPRES news agency on Friday, shows. Apart from the token strike, the Union, together with the other employers associations in the field of road transportation will organise a big protest movement, at national level, on September 15, 2016. Most commercial carriers are brought to the brink of bankruptcy after insurance premiums for commercial freight and passenger transportation have increased by over 300% as compared to the previous year and by over 500% as compared to 2014. The union also considers that the insurance companies are not interested in reducing risks, but to conceal their inefficiency and place the burden on carriers.

DROUGHT – Prolonged drought in Romania, in recent times, has affected over 350,000 ha of farm land, but it is only at the end of the year that the relevant authorities can made public the exact surface of the affected area, because they are still receiving notifications from the field, agriculture minister Achim Irimescu has said. He has added that the ministry he runs has taken into consideration an assistance plan to compensate the debts accumulated by farmers who no longer managed to pay electricity and water bills. In another move, farmers protested again yesterday in front of the Government headquarters, being discontent about the delayed payment of subsidies in agriculture. Some of them have gone on hunger strike and claim they will continue this extreme form of protest until the government makes all payments. They have rejected any invitation to negotiations by the agriculture minister, who has been reproached for failing to comply with the commitments he has made.

BORDER SECURITY – The Romanian Interior Ministry has increased the number of border police officers and gendarmes deployed along the border with Serbia, after two illegal border crossing attempts by small groups of migrants have been registered this week, a communiqué issued by the Romanian Interior Ministry writes. Furthermore, the already deployed troops are now accompanied by thermovision cars, canine border patrols and additional ground troops. These ground missions will be backed by a helicopter. These actions are aimed at maintaining public order and fighting cross-border crime on Romanias south-western border.

TENNIS – Romanian Simona Halep, the worlds no. 4 tennis player, qualified on Thursday to the quarter-finals of the WTA tournament in Cincinnati, totalling 2.5 million dollars in prize money. In the round of 16, Halep knocked out Daria Gavrilova of Russia, 47th WTA. In the next round, Halep will go up against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, 5th WTA. Halep is seeded 2nd in Cincinnati and may win her third consecutive tournament, after Bucharest and Montreal.

​RIO OLYMPICS – On the 14th day of the Olympics, Romanian athletes are competing in the womens 20 km race walk, the mens 50 km race walk and the womens 4×400 m relay team events, as well as in wresting and rhythmic gymnastics. So far, Romania has grabbed only four medals: the gold obtained by the women’s epee team, the silver obtained by the pair Florin Mergea/ Horia Tecau in the men’s tennis doubles, and two bronze medals, obtained by Gabriel Sincraian in weightlifting, and by the women’s coxed eight rowing team.

(Translated by Diana Vijeu)