March 12, 2024 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 12.03.2024, 20:00
CANDIDACY The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis Tuesday announced he would run for the NATO secretary general post. He says Eastern Europe has a valuable contribution to the Alliance, and believes NATO needs to renew its outlook on its mission, with strong representation in this region. Iohannis concludes his second presidential term in December. This February, Romania notified NATO of its intention to nominate Klaus Iohannis for the position for whichthe US, Britain and France announced they would back the Dutch PM Mark Rutte. As a rule, Romania’s nominations for top international posts are decided by the presidency, government and the foreign ministry. The term of NATO’s current secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has been extended by one year, until October. He has been leading the Alliance since 2014. NATO’s deputy secretary general, the Romanian Mircea Geoană, appointed in 2019, also completes his term in October. Romania joined NATO in 2004.
OECD The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Tuesday released its 2024 Economic Survey of Romania in Bucharest, in the presence of PM Marcel Ciolacu and of the OECD secretary general, Mathias Cormann. PM Ciolacu said the OECD membership remains Romania’s most important strategic goal after the NATO and EU accession, and the government is fully committed to further the required reforms. The survey examines Romania’s recent economic performance and assesses policy options to strengthen recovery and sustain the green transition. The OECD Council decided to launch accession negotiations with Romania on 25 January 2022.
LANGUAGE The Constitutional Court in Chișinău ruled that the phrase “Romanian language” is maintained in all the legislation of the Republic of Moldova, including in the Constitution. The Court thus rejected a move submitted last year by a group of socialist and communist MPs following Parliament’s implementation of a 2013 court ruling on the name of the country’s official language.
COUNCIL The Romanian Finance Minister Marcel Bolos Tuesday took part in the Economic and Financial Affairs Council in Brussels. The agenda included the recovery and resilience mechanism, and the economic and financial impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Presidency and the Commission informed the participants of the main results of the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors held on 26-29 February 2024. The ministers of economic and financial affairs also discussed investments and social reforms for resilient economies with the ministers of employment and of social affairs.
PROTESTS Hundreds of local police are picketing the headquarters of the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration for the second day in a row on Wednesday, the National Trade Union Bloc announced. The main demands are full compliance with the law regulating weekly rest days and public holidays and the provision of mandatory food allowances. The unionists also want Parliament to review the draft POCA (Administrative Capacity Operational Program) drawn up by the Ministry of Development, as well as the status of the local police. According to the National Trade Union Bloc, in December 2023, the National Federation of United Local Police Unions started a public campaign to raise awareness on the importance of local police officers in society.
TRIAL The Bucharest Court of Appeals Tuesday postponed the extradition of Andrew and Tristan Tate to the UK, until the case in Romania has been tried. The British-American citizens were detained on Monday night, under European arrest warrants issued by the British authorities for sexual exploitation offences in UK. Last June, the two brothers and two Romanian nationals were charged with forming an organised crime group and continuous human trafficking and rape offences, in a case that made the headlines in Romania. In early 2021, the defendants formed an organised crime group trafficking people in Romania, the US and UK. (AMP)
