August 27, 2017

A new protest movement against top- level corruption is scheduled for this evening in Bucharest/ The Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet country with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, celebrates 26 years since it proclaimed its independence

Bogdan Matei, 27.08.2017, 14:03

PROTESTS – New anti-government protests have been scheduled for today in Bucharest. The organisers, members of civil society, claim the draft designed by the line minister Tudorel Toader to amend the justice laws is a new attempt to undermine the anti corruption fight. Vehemently criticised by the opposition and the media, the draft stipulates, among others, that the countrys president will no longer nominate the chief-prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism, provides for subordinating the judicial inspection unit to the Justice Ministry and increasing the number of years to be promoted as a magistrate. At the start of the year, the governments attempt to amend the criminal codes, by an emergency ordinance, took hundreds of thousands of Romanians, both in Bucharest, in the country or living abroad, to the street. They accused the power of trying to protect and exonerate from criminal liability influential people in politics or the administration.

REP. OF MOLDOVA – The Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet country with a predominantly Romanian speaking population is today celebrating 26 years since it proclaimed its independence. On August 27, 1991, after the failure of the Neo-Bolshevik coup in Moscow, Parliament, picketed by hundreds of thousands of protesters voted the declaration of independence from the Soviet Union of the republic set up on the Romanian territories annexed by Stalin in 1940. On the same day, Romania was the first country in the world to recognise the independence of its new neighbour. Later on, Bucharest was the staunchest and most consistent supporter of the Republic of Moldovas sovereignty, territorial integrity and European integration efforts. After the signing in 2014 of association and free trade agreements between Chishinau and Brussels, Moldovan citizens can travel freely to the EU, and firms can export and sell their products on the community market in advantageous conditions. At present, the coalition government led by PM Pavel Filip continues to be a promoter of Moldovas EU rapprochement, whereas the pro-Russian Socialist president, Igor Dodon, wants the republic to return onto Moscows orbit.

THE ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY – Preparations for the Romanian Language Day, celebrated on August 31, have started in the communities of Romanians living outside the borders of the country. The main organiser of the event is the Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi Institute for the Romanians Around the World, subordinated to the line ministry. The series of events continues until September 6. They are aimed at promoting Romanian language and identity in the historical Romanian communities in neighbouring Serbia, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Initiated in 2013 by the Romanian Parliament, the Romanian Language Day overlaps the national holiday of the Republic of Moldova, and is an homage to the national awakening movement in the neighbouring state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population. On August 31, 1989, during the Soviet regime, the Moldovan Parliament, picketed by some 750 thousand people, accounting for one sixth of the republics population, decided to declare Romanian the state language, also adopting Latin script instead of the Cyrillic one, imposed by the occupiers after the armed annexation of 1940.

MIGRANTS – The Romanian border police have stopped six Iraqi citizens while trying to illegally cross Romanias border with Hungary. They were asylum seekers in Romania and declared their intention to reach a country in Western Europe. According to the Border Police Territorial Inspectorate, a surge in the illegal migration attempts has recently been registered along Romanias western border. This week, border police officers found over 100 migrants, of which 42 children, in a guest house in Timisoara. Most of them came from Serbia and tried to cross the border into Hungary and then to continue their way to Western Europe.