January 30, 2018

EU commissioner warns Romania it may miss out on European funding. Romania's Constitutional Court debates objections against proposed changes in judicial legislation

Mihai Pelin, 30.01.2018, 13:47

BUCHAREST — European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu met in Bucharest the newly appointed Romanian PM, Viorica Dancila. In a statement after the meeting she said that Romania has made progress over the last few months, absorbing over one billion Euro. She warned that Romania stands to lose important amounts of money earmarked by the European Union if efforts to this end are not kept up. At the same time, the European official said she was confident that the new government in Bucharest will come up with the best solutions to speed up implementation. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said that she called on all relevant ministries to submit within two weeks solutions they identified in order for Romania to not miss out on the funding. At the same time, the new PM admitted there were delays in the construction of three new regional hospitals, a new branch of the metro system in Bucharest, and the Campia Turzii- Tg. Mures motorway.

LEGISLATION — Romanias Constitutional Court is analyzing today complaints filed by the High Court of Cassation and Justice, as well as by the opposition led by the Liberal Party, against the changes brought to the legal framework of the justice system by the ruling coalition. The changes are aimed at the standing of judges and prosecutors, as well as the organization of the Supreme Council of Magistracy. One week ago, the Constitutional Court ruled unconstitutional by unanimous vote the changes in judiciary law on judicial organization, rejecting the other objections brought by the Liberal opposition. These sweeping changes in judicial law sparked concern among Romanias western partners and criticism from President Klaus Iohannis, but more importantly brought to the streets hundreds of thousands of protesters, who claimed that the people in government are trying to undermine the fight against corruption. The ruling coalition claims that the changes they are pushing through are meant to harmonize that legislation with previous Constitutional Court and European Court of Human Rights rulings.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis stars Sorana Carstea, 36th seeded, and Irina Begu, 37th seeded, are competing today in the tournament in Sankt Petersburg, in Russia, with prize money amounting to 750,000 dollars. Carstea plays against Slovak Dominika Cibulkova, 26th seeded, while Begu will face off against German Andrea Petkovic, 98th seeded. The clear favorite in the competition is Danish star Caroline Wozniacki, who this week replaced Romanian player Simona Halep as leader in the world standings, defeating her in the finals of the Australian Open, the years first Grand Slam. Also today, in Taipei, Taiwan, Romanian Ana Bogdan, 103rd seeded, crushed Chinese player Shuai Peng, 27th seeded 6-4, 6-1. Monica Niculescu of Romania, 85th seeded, will play against Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, 97th seeded, in the opening round.

BUCHAREST — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is scheduled to meet on Wednesday in Brussels European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and the European Council President, Donald Tusk. On the agenda are the contentious changes brought to Romanian judicial rules by the governing coalition, as well as the Romanian presidency of the European Council in the first half of 2019. Recently, the Commission expressed concern with the situation in Romania of late, and called on the Romanian Parliament to reconsider its stance regarding the changes to judicial law. The leadership of the European Commission said that the independence of the judiciary and its ability to fight corruption were fundamental for Romania as part of the EU.

DEFENSE — Romanian Chief of the General Staff General Nicolae Ciuca takes part on Tuesday in Bratislava, Slovakia, in the Conference of the United States European Command. According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, the heads of armies in Central Europe and their American partners are debating NATOs response to global security threats and challenges. Other topics on the agenda are challenges on NATOs southern and eastern flanks, increasing interoperability, and ways in which NATO partners can better contribute to joint initiatives.

RADIO DAY – February 13 is UNESCO Radio Day. Radio Romania invites you to bring your contribution to our World Radio Day show by telling us what sports topics you prefer hearing about in our programs. To celebrate World Radio Day, we invite our listeners on air and on-line to send us brief messages by e-mail, at www.rri.ro.