December 8, 2016

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 08.12.2016, 12:00

DECISION The National Council for the
Validation of University Titles, Diplomas and Certificates in Romania has today
decided that the head of the country’s National Anti-corruption Directorate,
Laura Codruta Kovesi isn’t guilty of plagiarism in her doctoral thesis. Council
members decided there are no severe irregularities in Kovesi’s thesis and
proposed that she keep her doctoral title. The plagiarism notification has been
filed by an NGO. In mid-November, the Committee for Ethics with the
Timisoara-based West University announced that 564 rows in Kovesi’s doctoral
thesis were similar with other texts. Experts said the notification was partly
grounded and justified. A series of public personalities in Romania, including
politicians and high officials, have lately been involved in plagiarism
scandals.

HANDBALL The women’s
national handball side of Romania on Wednesday night
secured a 22-17 win against Olympic champions Russia in their second D group
match of the European championship underway in Sweden. The Romanians, who lost
their first game 21-23 to defending European and World champions Norway, will
be taking on Croatia on Friday in a decisive game for qualifying for the main
group phase. We recall that Romania is being coached by Spanish selector Ambros
Martin who replaced Tomas Ryde, under whose guidance our handballers won bronze
at the World Championship held in Denmark last year.

OSCE Today and tomorrow
the Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu will be attending the 13th
OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Hamburg. This is the main annual event
bringing together heads of diplomacy and high officials from the 57 participant
countries as well as representatives of OSCE partners. According to Foreign
Ministry sources, the Hamburg Council is taking place against the background of
a complex political environment characterized by major challenges to regional
security and stability, the lack of progress in settling prolonged conflicts,
intensifying terror threats in the OSCE area and the refugee crisis.
Participants will be tackling and making decisions on topical issues on three
key dimensions: political-military, economy & environment as well as human.
The ministerial meeting in Hamburg marks the end of the German presidency of
the OSCE, which will be taken over by Austria.

COUNCIL The EU’s Justice
and Home Affairs Council is to convene In Brussels on Thursday and Friday for
talks over ways of combating EU budget frauds, a strategy for the single
digital market the reform of the common European asylum and counter-terrorism
fight. The latest JHA session took place on November 18th 2016 and
had high on the agenda the European information system and travel permits.
Justice and Interior Ministers have called on experts to start examining the
Commission’s proposal, which they consider a proper instrument aimed at
strengthening the EU’s security policy and border control.