March 7, 2018
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Mihai Pelin, 07.03.2018, 14:05
PUBLIC MINISTRY– Romanias Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazăr, has today presented the 2017 activity report of the Public Ministry. The major coordinates of the prosecutors activity is the big volume of cases they should solve, the special complexity of files and the large number of the people involved, the prosecutor general has said. According to the data released by Lazăr, prosecutors processed some 1,750,000 files, solved over 550 thousand of them and approximately 60,000 people have been brought to justice. 35% of them violated road legislation, the main two causes behind this being the poor road infrastructure and the drivers behaviour. He said a spike in the number of domestic violence cases has been reported lately as well as an increase in the number of minors taken to court, namely up to 4,000. Attending the meeting, President Klaus Iohannis has said that although the idea that prosecutors are the enemies of society is falsely inoculated, they are on the same side with the law enforcers. Attending the event were also representatives of the main judicial institutions.
JUSTICE LAWS – The parliamentary group of the Liberal deputies, in opposition, call on the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, to request the opinion of the Venice Commission on the changes brought to the justice laws and to suspend talks in the special commission until the opinion is issued. In support of their request, the Liberals recall the recommendation of the latest report issued by the European Commission on the CVM, as well as the public stands recently taken by the EC officials. They also recall the fact that the magistrates professional associations have, in their turn, said an opinion should be requested from the Venice Commission. The draft justice laws are currently being re-examined, following a ruling issued by the Constitutional Court, according to which some changes are partially unconstitutional. Some changes to the justice laws have been vehemently criticised by civil society, the magistrates associations, as well as by the EU.
PRESIDENCY – Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, will receive in Bucharest on Thursday his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucici, who is currently on an official visit to Romania. According to the Presidential Administration, the two heads of state will approach bilateral cooperation issues, at political, economic and sectoral level. The two sides will also discuss ways in which Romania can support Serbia in its effort to join the EU, also in the run up to Bucharests taking over the rotating presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019. The two presidents will also discuss issues related to the national ethnic minorities in the two countries, aspects of common interest regarding cooperation in the West Balkans and the main developments in the “Kosovo file.
MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies has today rejected the simple motion tabled by the main opposition party, the National Liberal Party, against Education minister, Valentin Popa. The Liberals accuse him of showing a lack of professionalism in solving systemic problems. The National Liberal Party draws attention, among other things, to the delayed payment of salaries, the lack of money for investments, which might lead to mergers of schools or even to some of them being closed down. The education minister has rejected all accusations.
ECONOMIC GROWTH – Romania registered, in the last quarter of 2017, the highest growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of all the 28 EU member states, namely 7%, as compared to the same period of 2016, the revised estimates issued by the statistical office of the European Union, Eurostat, show. The figures also show however that the growth rate of the Romanian economy in the last quarter of 2017 decreased from 8.5% in the previous quarter, to 7%. The highest growth rates across the EU in over October-December 2017 were reported alongside Romania, by Slovenia (6.2%), Estonia (5.3%) and the Czech Republic (5.2%). The National Statistics Institute reconfirmed Romanias 7% growth rate registered last year. Industry, followed by trade and agriculture had the most significant contribution to this growth rate.
FLU SEASON – The number of flu-related deaths in Romania stands at 84, the National Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control has announced. According to the institution, the last four victims, aged between 59 and 93, had not been immunised and suffered from comorbidities. The Health minister Sorina Pintea, claims that the conditions are not met to declare the outbreak of an epidemics. (Translated by D. Vijeu)
