November 18, 2013
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Ştefan Stoica, 18.11.2013, 11:05
Today is the last day for members of parliament to introduce proposed changes to the bill that would decentralize public administration in Romania, introduced by the executive in Parliament. The government will call for a vote of confidence on the bill on Tuesday, which would decentralize agriculture, education, culture, health, the environment, tourism, and other areas. The institutions which are now directly run and financed by the central government would thus be run by county or local councils. Deputy PM Liviu Dragnea said that the process would not cause additional spending. The opposition Liberal Democratic party said it would attack the bill in Constitutional Court, while the Democratic Union of Hungarians said it would support it.
EU foreign ministers are meeting for two days in Brussels to discuss preparations for the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, to take place towards the end of the month. The Republic of Moldova hopes to sign an association agreement with the EU at the summit. The foreign ministers are also scheduled to meet member state defense ministers to discuss common security and defense. Romania is represented at the two meetings by its foreign minister, Titus Corlatean, and its defense minister, Mircea Dusa.
Romania’s national football team plays on Tuesday at home against Greece in the return leg of the play-offs for qualification to the World Championships of 2014, hosted by Brazil. In the first leg, played last week in Piraeus, Greece, the host country won 3 to 1. Romania hasn’t played in a world championship since 1998, and its last qualification play-offs were in 2001. In the preliminaries of the World Championship in Brazil, Romania finished second place in Group D, behind world vice-champions Holland, but ahead of Turkey, Hungary, Estonia and Andorra.
In 2004, Romania became the first country in Europe to pass a law for the protection of people who blow the whistle in cases of corruption and other illegalities, as indicated by a report issued by Transparency International. Luxembourg, Slovenia and the UK are also on the list of countries with such laws. 16 of the states analyzed in the report grants protection to whistleblowers, but that was deemed insufficient, while 7 other countries are quoted as being dangerous for them. According to the report, whistleblowers are essential for democracy, and should be granted protection, even though most European countries do not do so, as shown in the case of former NSA employee Edward Snowden.
