March 2, 2016 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 02.03.2016, 12:30
In a message released on March 2nd 2016, Romanias former sovereign, king Mihai l, 94, says that in the past few weeks he received the news of a severe diagnosis, which comes right in the year his family and country celebrate 150 years since the foundation of the royal dynasty and the modern Romanian state.
“I am sure my daughter, Margareta, the Crown Custodian, will find the wisdom and strength to represent me and carry out all my public duties, reads a statement signed by the king himself. Assembled in Morges, Switzerland, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Royal Council has issued a statement acknowledging the kings medical condition, who has been recently operated on and diagnosed with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma and chronic leukaemia. Born on October 25th 1927, Mihai l was the last king of Romania. He was forced to abdicate on December 31st 1947 and leave the country. He returned to Romania after the anti-communist revolution of 1989.
The European Commission on Wednesday proposed that the EU countries most affected by the refugee crisis benefit from 700 million euros in aid for a period of three years. They are to receive 300 million euros this year and 200 million in each of the following two years. EU governments and the European Parliament are expected to endorse the proposal shortly. The European Commissions proposal comes after the European Council session over February 18th and 19th, when governments invited the Commission to set up the mechanism of providing emergency assistance at domestic level. The new project could benefit member states whose response capabilities may prove insufficient in dealing with emergency situations and extreme circumstances, such as a sudden inflow of refugees or other severe disturbances.
An IMF mission is in Bucharest as of today, for an annual assessment of the Romanian economy. Until March 15, the mission, headed by the new IMF chief for Romania, Reza Baqir, will have meetings with central authorities, political parties, trade unions, the business community, the academia and the banking system. The so-called “Article IV consultation is a compulsory surveillance procedure for all member states. After looking at each national economy, the IMF experts make general recommendations with respect to the monetary, financial and economic policies to be implemented in order to ensure stability and positive economic trends. At present Romania does not have an ongoing loan agreement with the IMF.
Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors on Wednesday ordered the prosecution of the former deputy PM Gabriel Oprea for abuse of office. According to the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, in July 2015, then Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea and two former chiefs of the directorate for intelligence and domestic protection, also indicted in this case, caused nearly 92,000 euros in loss to the public budget. They approved the purchase of a luxury automobile for the protection of high-ranking public officials from the budget of the Interior Ministry, although under the law, the Ministry may only purchase vehicles used in the investigation of corruption-related crimes. Gabriel Oprea has also been prosecuted for two other abuse of office offences, in a case file concerning his use of a motorcade. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate initiated the investigation in October 2015, after the death of a police officer in the motorcade that accompanied Oprea.
