December 18, 2017 UPDATE
Timisoara commemorates 28 years since the anti-communist revolution
Newsroom, 18.12.2017, 19:46
1989 REVOLUTION — Events continued on Monday in Timisoara, western Romania, to commemorate the heroes fallen 28 years ago, during the 1989 revolution that took down the communist regime. The schedule of events started on Saturday, and will end with the celebration of Victory Day, 20th December, the day when Timisoara was declared the first city free of communism. The revolution was triggered by a revolt of Timisoara citizens as a protest against abuse by the authorities. It quickly spread across the country, causing the dictator couple Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu to attempt to flee on December 22nd. Between December 16 and 25, more than 1,000 people died and 3.400 were injured. Romania was the only Eastern Bloc country where the transition from communism was violent. Top military prosecutors said on Monday in a press conference that the main cause of violence, death and injuries was a military diversionary campaign started on the night of December 22nd.
MINORITIES — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis issued a message on National Minority Day, emphasizing the special role they had in developing modern Romania. According to the head of state, himself an ethnic German, national minorities are a living, vibrant part of Romanian society, contributing not only to preserving their own ancestral heritage, but to the development of society at large. In his message, President Iohannis recalled that he recently endorsed the law proclaiming December 18 National Minority Day, an expression of the fact that Romania recognizes, respects, protects and values the common cultural heritage that knits the nation together.
BUDGET — The Parliament in Bucharest on Monday adopted, on articles, the 2018 budget bill. Also green lighted were the amounts earmarked for the Presidency, Senate, Chamber of Deputies and the Government’s General Secretariat. Works will continue on Tuesday when the addendums will be debated, with the final voting being scheduled for Thursday. Romania’s budget next year is based on a 5.5% economic growth and a budget deficit of 2.97% of the GDP.
FUNDING — European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu met on Monday in Bucharest with PM Mihai Tudose. The head of government said that the executive had met its commitment to attract European funding, considering that orders for payment have been filed covering as much as 5.2 billion Euro. According to the PM, the target for next year is at least 6.3 billion Euro. The declaration was made after the European commissioner and the head of the government in Bucharest signed financing contracts. Commissioner Cretu, who stays in Romania until Tuesday, is scheduled to attend various events related to European funding.
JUSTICE — On Monday hundreds of judges and prosecutors protested outside Courts in the capital Bucharest and several other cities, over planned modifications to the legal system they say will hamper prosecutions. The changes are proposed by the ruling coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. It is for the first time in years that judges and prosecutors express in this manner their disapproval with the measures passed by the legislative power. Thousands of people took to the streets in protest on Sunday in Bucharest and other cities across the country against proposed changes to the legislation regulating the judicial system. The special parliamentary committee that studies proposed changes met on Monday to discuss the amendments introduced to modify the draft law, which will be debated by the Senate as a decision making body. These are related to the status of magistrates and the laws on judicial organization and the functioning of the National Council of Magistracy.
(Translated by Elena Enache)
