June 22, 2017 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 22.06.2017, 19:38
CONSULTATIONS — President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday said the future Prime Minister of Romania should be a man of integrity without a criminal record and backed by Parliament. On Monday parties represented in Parliament are expected by the head of state to designate a new prime minister. Former head of government Sorin Grindeanu was voted out on Wednesday by the coalition his cabinet represented. Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea said that the measure was needed because an executive capable of carrying out the ambitious governing platform that got the Social Democrats elected in December 2016 is a necessity. The opposition did not take part in the vote.
EUROPEAN COUNCIL — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is attending a two day session of the European Council in Brussels. The head of state will be informing European leaders on the conclusions of his recent visit to the United States. According to his staff, the president will meet his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to talk about bilateral relations and European affairs. The main points on the agenda of the meeting are security and defence, jobs, economic growth and competitiveness, migration, and climate change. As part of discussions on the EUs trade policy, Klaus Iohannis will emphasize the fact that the Union has to consolidate its global leadership role in sustainable free and equitable trade, economic growth, jobs, and innovation. The Romanian President will also support European strategy regarding the single digital market, promoting innovation, competitiveness and sustainable growth in the EU, as well as easing access for people and businesses to new digital means.
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT — The Constitutional Court of Romania on Thursday decided that the provisions of an article referring to the prevention, detection and sanctioning of acts of corruption with respect to abuse of office, go against the Constitution. On Wednesday the Court ruled that legal provisions in force regulating abuse of office are vague and ambiguous. In another development, the Justice Ministry on Thursday announced the timetable of public debates on the modification and amendment of the Criminal Code regarding the abuse of office, as per the Court’s decision. On June 28 the civil society and the business sector will be consulted, while on July 3 the debate will include representatives of institutions in the judiciary, magistrates’ associations, academia and liberal judicial professionals. Debates will hosted by the Ministry of Justice.
DEFICIT — Romania’s budget deficit in the central public administration will stand at 3,25% of the GDP this year, according to the Strategy on managing the Government’s public debt in the 2017-2019 period, made public by the Ministry of Finance on Thursday. Also this year, economic growth is estimated to stand at 5,2%, the current account deficit at 2,4% and the inflation rate will stand at 1,9%. Calculated against the international economic context and the economic and financial developments in the Eurozone, Romanian economy is estimated to report an annual average growth of 5,5% in the 2017-2019 period.
PROTEST — Over a million EU citizens have signed the campaign #StopTheTrucks against the export of live animals, including from Romania, according to the initiators of the protest, Eurogroup for Animals. The campaign was launched after the Eurobarometer indicated that 94% of Europeans believe that protecting the welfare of farm animals was important. According to official data, each year, over a billion poultry, as well as 37 million sheep, pigs and horses are transported alive to the EU and third party countries. Gabriel Paun, EU director of Animals International, pointed out that Romania is the country that exports the most sheep and calves to the Middle East and North Africa, with over a million a year. (Translated by C. Cotoiu & V. Palcu)
