July 13, 2022 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 13.07.2022, 20:00

NATO The
government of Romania approved Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession protocols,
signed in Brussels on July 5. The accession of the 2 countries, which are firm
supporters of the values of the Euro-Atlantic community and have substantial capacity
to strengthen the Alliance, will be a valuable strategic benefit for NATO and
implicitly for Romania, thanks to the security guarantees that it provides, reads
a news release. The Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marcel Ciolacu announced a week
ago that Parliament will complete the ratification process speedily, with a
special Parliament sitting to be organised to this end. Ciolacu added that the illegal
and unjustified war started by the Russian Federation against Ukraine has fundamentally
altered security parameters.

REPORT The European Commission recommends that Romania take measures
to address the remaining concerns regarding the investigation and prosecution
of offences in the judiciary and to make sure that the amendments to the
justice laws consolidate the guarantees of judicial independence, including by
means of reforms in the disciplinary rules for magistrates. These are some of
the conclusions of a report on Romania’s compliance with the rule of law, made
public on Wednesday. Brussels also calls on Bucharest to regulate lobby
activities in Parliament and to address the operational challenges faced by the
National Anti-Corruption Directorate, including in terms of recruiting new
prosecutors. Another recommendation has to do with efficient public
consultation before endorsing bills, enhanced transparency with respect to the
funding of political parties, and the improvement of the norms and mechanisms
to consolidate the editorial independence of public media. As far as the mass
media are concerned, the European Commission warns that there is not enough
transparency with respect to the broadcasting of content paid by political
parties, with the exception of election campaigns, and journalists’ access to
information remains difficult.

COVID-19 Over 3,000 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported over
the past 24 hours in Romania, 267 fewer than in the previous day, the health
ministry announced on Wednesday. Overall, since the start of the pandemic,
nearly 3 million coronavirus infections have been reported in Romania.

REFUGEES According to the Romanian Border Police Inspectorate, 9,808 Ukrainian nationals
crossed into Romania on Tuesday, a 10% drop compared to the previous day.
Starting February 10, 2022, some 1.5 million Ukrainian citizens have entered
Romania.

WHISTLEBLOWERS The Constitutional Court of Romania Wednesday ruled against a notification
submitted by USR party in opposition regarding the law on the protection of
whistleblowers. USR claims the bill passed by the government considerably reduces
the protection offered to people who report irregularities in public
institutions and raises major obstacles in securing Recovery and Resilience
(PNRR) funds. The notification mentions elements that come against the
Constitution of Romania, including the violation of certain commitments Romania
pledged to observe upon joining the EU and the lack of clarity and
predictability of some provisions.

JUDICIARY A cooperation agreement between the European Public
Prosecutor’s Office and the General Prosecutor’s Office of the R. of Moldova
was signed in Chişinăuon
Wednesday by the heads of the 2 institutions, Laura Codruţa Kövesi and Dumitru Robu.
The document is designed to facilitate the exchange of information and judicial
cooperation in criminal matters. Dumitru Robu pointed out that a priority is to
carry on investigations in corruption cases and financial offences against state
assets. In turn, Laura Codruţa Kövesi said that the European Public Prosecutor’s
Office would support the work of Moldova’s General
Prosecutor’s Office as much as its powers would allow it. (AMP