March 8, 2015
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Mihai Pelin, 08.03.2015, 12:00
Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected to arrive in Bucharest on Monday for a visit, which has high on the agenda talks with president Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Victor Ponta and his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu. According to sources with the German embassy in Bucharest, Steinmeier is expected to be granted the honorary citizenship award from the city of Sibiu, in central Romania, where he is to participate in a festivity staged by the Democratic Forum of the Germans in Romania, which is celebrating 25 years of existence. The head of the diplomacy in Berlin will deliver a speech on the German minority in Romania and the policy on minorities.
European Central Bank is expected to unleash its 1.1 trillion euro stimulus programme mainly aimed at boosting economic recovery in the eurozone and avoiding deflation in the EU. According to Central Bank president Mario Draghi as of Monday the bank will start buying 60 billion euros a month in government and corporate bonds. The ECB purchases are aimed at driving down market interest rates stimulating lending and growth and raising the rate of inflation, which is dangerously low at minus 0.3%.
Romania’s tennis team is taking on Israel in their last two games of the Davis Cup’s Euro-African group one in Sibiu, central Romania today. Adrian Ungur will be playing Israeli Dudi Sela, while Marius Copil will meet Bar Tzuf Botzer. Romania has already qualified for the second round after winning the first three matches against Israel and will be playing Slovakia in the second round. The decisive point was obtained on Saturday by the Romanian pair made up of Horia Tecau and Florin Mergea who outperformed Bar Tzuf Botzer and Edan Leshem 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. On Friday in the two single matches, Adrian Ungur clinched a win against Bar Tzuf Botzer while Marius Copil defeated Dudi Sela.
Romania’s Justice Ministry is to launch next week a public debate on a draft law on regulating the process of recovering damage in various corruption files. Field Minister Robert Cazanciuc has reently said that the new provisions have already been drawn up and will be discussed with justices and prosecutors. In his opinion, the recovery of prejudices and damage is being hindered at present by the way in which the National Fiscal Administration Agency is handling goods seized in various corruption files. Anti-corruption chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi has called into attention the small rate of recovery in corruption cases of only 10%. The Agency for Damage Recovery in Corruption Cases will be subordinated to the Justice Ministry.
