November 19, 2015 UPDATE

For a roundup of domestic and international events, click here.

Newsroom, 19.11.2015, 12:15

CEREMONY – The Slovakian town of Zvolen, which is home to the largest Romanian Armed Forces Cemetery abroad and where over 11,000 Romanian soldiers are buried, on Thursday hosted paying tribute to the Romanian military who contributed to the liberation of Czechoslovakia in the Second World War. The presidents of Romania and Slovakia, Klaus Iohannis and Andrej Kiska respectively, brought floral tributes and awarded decorations to a number of war veterans. On Wednesday in Bratislava, Iohannis said Romania and Slovakia are not destinations for refugees. The Slovakian president said the European states must be united and take measures to prevent events like those in Paris from happening again. Romanias president also had talks with Slovakias Prime Minister Robert Fico and representatives of young Romanian professionals working in Bratislava.

CABINET – The first session of the new Government led by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Thursday focused on the draft budget for 2016, administrative reforms and the rate of absorbing EU funds. As regards the structure of the ministries, Ciolos said that only five of them would be affected by minor changes. The Labour Ministry will also have social dialogue competences, while the new Ministry for Public Consultations will have a structure of its own, being aimed at opening up a dialogue with civil society. Dacian Ciolos is a former European commissioner for agriculture and his ministers are mostly people with no political affiliations and with experience working in the private sector, European institutions and civil society.

JHA – Romanias Interior Minister Petre Toba on Friday is attending the emergency meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, which convenes to address the tragic terrorist attacks in France last week. According to the Romanian Interior Ministry, talks will approach ways of consolidating EU response to the attacks and such topics as strengthening external border controls, weapon trafficking, the European Passenger Name Record (PNR) and terrorism financing.

DEFICIT – Romania had the largest VAT collection deficit in Central and Eastern Europe, standing at 41.1% in 2013, reads a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers release. The smallest deficit at EU level was reported in the Czech Republic, 22.4%. Low collection rates were also reported in Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, informs PwC. According to the consultancy company, in recent years countries like Romania, Slovakia and Poland carried out reforms of their taxation systems and modernization projects aimed at curbing the VAT collection deficit, which accounts for 27 billion euros every year in this region.

PARIS ATTACKS – French MPs on Thursday voted a draft law providing for a 3-month extension of the state of emergency declared shortly after last Fridays terrorist attacks in Paris. Giving increased liberty of action to the riot police, the bill will be debated in the Senate on Friday. The Prosecutor General of Paris on Thursday confirmed the death of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged mastermind behind the Paris attacks, who was killed in Wednesdays anti-terrorist swoop in Saint-Denis, a northern Paris suburb. Two people were killed and eight were arrested in the operation. The Islamic State has warned it had other targets in countries involved in the offensive in areas controlled by the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.

CORRUPTION – The Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Romania on Thursday called on the Senate the greenlight the pre-trial detention and arrest of Senator Dan Sova in a new corruption case for influence peddling. Prosecutors say in the 2011-2014 period, Sova, a former Transport Minister in the Victor Ponta Cabinet, demanded and recieved 100,000 euros in bribes for striking a deal between CET Govora and a law firm. CET Govora Director Miha Balan was also arrested on Thursday by anti-corruption prosecutors. We recall that in March too the Directorate called on the Senate to greenlight the detention and arrest of Sova in a corruption investigation involving the Turceni and Rovinari energy companies. Sova was indicted for corruption alongside former Prime Minister Victor Ponta.

COLECTIV – Another patient who suffered burn injuries in the Colectiv nightclub fire on October 30 in Bucharest died on Thursday in a hospital in the capital city, raising the death toll to 57. The Romanian health minister on Thursday announced that another 44 patients are still receiving specialized treatment in hospitals in Bucharest, of whom 11 are critical and 33 stable. Another 33 patients were transferred to hospitals abroad.

GAUDEAMUS – The Gaudeamus International Book Fair organised by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation is under way in Bucharest. Held until Sunday, the fair brings together over 300 publishing houses and hosts 700 different events. This years guest of honour is the Group of Francophone Embassies, Delegations and Institutions in Romania (GADIF).

TENNIS – The pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Rohan Bopanna of India sustained their first defeat at the ATP World Tour Finals underway in London. The two lost to Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fogninia of Italy in the last group fixture. Mergea and Bopanna have already qualified to the semi-finals, after winning their first two games. In turn, the pair made up of Horia Tecau of Romania and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands have also made headway to the semi-finals. On Friday, the two will play their last group fixture against Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France. Romania for the first time has two representatives at the ATP World Tour Finals, totalling prizes worth 7 million dollars and bringing together the best performing eight players and eight doubles pairs of the 2015 season.

(translated by V. Palcu)