February 8, 2024

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 08.02.2024, 13:55

ELECTIONS – The ruling PSD-PNL coalition in Romania is discussing, today, the merger of the European Parliament elections with the local ones and could make a decision regarding a law that would bring forward the election date for mayors and local councils. After a period of negotiations, the statements of the two parties representatives are increasingly clear in favor of the simultaneous organization of the two polls. The Social Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has already rejected the idea that the approach may be undemocratic, arguing that nine other European countries have already taken similar decisions. The Liberals also support the idea, saying that staging the two ballots simultaneously, will ensure a higher voter turnout and consequently enhance the legitimacy the winners legitimacy. The opposition, however, is harshly criticizing the idea, which it deems undemocratic and unconstitutional. The alliance recently forged by the Save Romania Union (USR), the Force of the Right, (a liberal dissidence) and the Peoples Movement Party (PMP) has announced it will challenge in the Constitutional Court any legislative initiative of this sort, while AUR has organized protests in front of the offices of the parties making up the ruling coalition. We remind you that this year, Romania is holding all four types of elections, namely for the national Parliament, for the European Parliament as well as local and presidential elections.

PROTESTS – The demands of the Romanian taxi drivers who protested on Wednesday were met by the authorities, following a meeting at the government offices on Wednesday. Taxi drivers asked for the elimination of unfair competition from alternative transport platforms. They also wanted the authorities to eliminate the possibility of issuing specimens for vehicles owned by transport operators who use car rentals or free loan agreements and to make compliance to E6 fuel emissions standards a condition for certification.

MEMORANDUM – The Chisinau Government has approved a memorandum of understanding with the Bucharest Government regarding the implementation of the projects needed to interconnect the natural gas and electricity networks in Romania and the neighboring Republic of Moldova. The document, signed at the end of last year, provides for to the possibility to increase the natural gas transport capacity, and to extend, by end-2031, the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline. The document also allows for the development of strategic projects such as the Suceava-Bălţi overhead power line.

NATO – The standing bureaus of the Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies took note, on Wednesday, of the letter submitted by President Klaus Iohannis, by which Parliament is informed that the NATO reaction force can enter, station or transit Romania for the purpose of preparing and/or deploying military operations, if necessary, in 2024. In the letter, the head of state said that he took the decision considering the current international context, with overlapping crises and instability as the main element of the new security dynamics, following an analysis of the NATO requests. President Iohannis letter will be included on the agenda of the upcoming joint plenary, so that Parliament is informed. On the other hand, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has said that it is normal for domestic legislation to provide for paid volunteering in the military field. He has specified that no danger looms over Romania, but that “every country must also prepare for the worst”. The Ministry of Defense has announced that it is currently working on a draft law that provides for paid volunteer military training.

COOPERATION – The Romanian government will approve, in todays meeting, a draft law aimed at boosting cooperation with the US in terms of preventing and combating serious crimes. The project aims, among other things, to create, at national level, the mechanisms that will allow for the exchange of information with the US Department of Homeland Security through an IT platform developed and administered by the Romanian Home Affairs Ministry. At the same time, the Romanian Police General Inspectorate, the Border Police General Inspectorate and the General Inspectorate for Immigration will be designated as national contact points for conducting automated inquiries for the purpose of preventing, discovering and combating serious crimes. (EE)