July 9, 2023 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 09.07.2023, 19:24

DIICOT The situation in several old people’s homes close to
Bucharest, where prosecutors had identified organized crime groups who were
exploiting and mistreating old and disabled people was being analyzed by the
Romanian government on Sunday. The country’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu,
has summoned several ministers and officials in the field and has announced
that inspections are to be carried out in all the foster centers for children,
the elderly and disabled people across the country. The Prime Minister has
asked for ‘zero tolerance for the crime groups who robbed those helpless
people’ and has announced that jointly with the Minister of Justice he set the
solution to this issue as a top priority. ‘What was happening in these ‘centers
of horror’ have shown us the total dehumanization of some persons that I cannot
call people.’ No resignations or dismissals have been announced. According to
DIICOT prosecutors, besides the poor conditions offered, the victims were
forced to do the most humiliating works. At the same time the abusers used to
be announced beforehand by their accomplices in various state institutions
about the upcoming inspections, allowing them to keep the abuses secret.
According to DIICOT sources, in two years the crime ring under investigation
managed to siphon off roughly 740 thousand Euros from several social assistance
directions in Ilfov and Bucharest. Some of those involved have been placed in
temporary custody for 30 days, whereas others are under house arrest or judicial
control.

SUMMIT Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis will be participating in
the NATO summit in Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday, the presidential
administration in Bucharest has announced. The summit is to include three
high-level meetings of the North-Atlantic Council, in formats, which also
include Ukraine, the European Union as well as NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners. At
the summit, the Romanian president is expected to underline the fundamental
importance of continuing the implementation of the Madrid decisions on
strengthening the allied defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank.
Iohannis will also reiterate the robust support for Ukraine, including its
NATO’s accession, as well as for the most vulnerable partners, especially for
the Republic of Moldova. According to the same sources, the head of the
Romanian state will be also referring to the need for having the importance of
the Black Sea region in the Euro-Atlantic security reflected in the allied
documents and decisions. In Vilnius, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is
expecting that most allies announce their commitment to increasing defence
budgets to over 2% of the GDP starting next year. He said in Brussles that 11
member countries, Romania included, had already fulfilled this commitment.

FAIR The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair ended in Brasov,
southern Romania on Sunday. During the five-day event, the almost 40 exhibitors
put on displays thousands of books for all tastes and ages, music, educational
games and self-development books. The event also included book launches,
conferences and debates attended by local writers and not only by them. Adrian
Lesenciuc, poet, prose and essay-writer as well as literary critic was the
honorary president of the present edition.

POLICE Romanian policemen last week enforced 19 European arrest
warrants and 589 people, who are the subject of alerts in the Schengen
Information System, have been located on Romania’s territory. According to a
Romanian police communiqué, 30 documents and 45 vehicles sought by the Schengen
partners have been seized in Romania to be used as evidence within legal
procedures. At the same time, 199 people wanted by the Romanian authorities
have been identified by foreign partners on their territory, the communiqué also
says.

MEDALS Romania won six medals on Sunday in the World Rowing Cup III
in Lucerne, Switzerland: two gold, three silver and one bronze. In the medal
ranking, Romania came third after Britain and the Netherlands. The Romanian
women’s four and double scull became gold medalists in Lucerne.

(bill)