October 17, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 17.10.2022, 19:48

Justice. The package of justice laws was adopted on Monday by
Parliament, following a final vote in the Senate and favourable reports from a
specialist committee. The opposition criticised the rushed debates and the
content of the legislation, while the parties in the ruling coalition said it
complies with the recommendations of the relevant European institutions. The centre-right
Save Romania Union, in opposition, again called on Parliament to wait for the
opinion of the Venice Commission before going ahead with the vote, saying the judicial
system is still unreformed. The nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians
also criticised the new justice legislation, saying it contains many
unconstitutional elements. In response, the Social Democratic Party said the
new laws guarantee the independence of the judiciary and protect it from internal
and external interference, while the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania
said adopting them was part of Romania’s recovery and resilience plan.

EP. The
European Parliament began a new session in Strasbourg on Monday, with its
agenda including a vote on the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria. The
proposal was debated on October 5, when most MEPs urged Member States to
acknowledge both states have fulfilled the Schengen criteria and must be
allowed to join the visa-free travel area as soon as possible. Bucharest has
repeatedly pointed out it has fulfilled the technical accession criteria and is
de facto a member of Schengen. MEPs are also expected to debate, alongside the
Commission and the Council, the issue of internal border controls at Schengen
level. In April, the European Court of Justice decided to introduce border
controls within EU borders over a period of six months after reported breaches
of border security. The period may be extended only if a new threat is
confirmed. MEPs are expected to call on Member States to observe normal
travel-free regulations. The agenda of the new Parliament session also includes
the war in Ukraine, the EU budget for 2023 and climate change.

Training. A new EU training mission for Ukrainian
military personnel received the green light from EU foreign ministers on Monday
in Luxembourg. The EU
Military Assistance Mission will train the Ukrainian Armed Forces so they can
continue their courageous fight, said the EU foreign policy chief Josep
Borrell in a statement.
The EU ministers agreed on the mission after a new Russian rocket and drone
attack shook Kyiv on Monday morning. Romania’s foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu,
who attended the meeting, condemned Russia’s attacks and voiced support for the
consolidation of EU military assistance for Ukraine. He said it was important
for the EU to also support the Republic of Moldova in the current context.

Visit. The Romanian defence minister Vasile
Dîncu is travelling to Tbilisi on Monday and Tuesday at the invitation of his
Georgian counterpart Juansher Burchuladze. Talks focus on the security situation in the Black Sea area in
the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the stage of bilateral cooperation in
the area of defence within the region and as part of international bodies. The
Romanian official will also have talks with Georgia’s prime minister Irakli
Garibashvili and lay flowers at the monument for the Georgian soldiers killed
in Abkhazia in 1993.

NATO. Belgium
is hosting until 30th October NATO’s annual nuclear deterrence
exercise Steadfast Noon which involves dozens of aircraft conducting training
flights over Belgium, the North Sea and the UK. The exercise also involves 14
allied countries and 60 aircraft, including last generation fighter jets which
will exercise the use of the American nuclear bombs based in Europe. NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO will go ahead with its exercises
despite the tense international situation. Cancelling them because of the war
in Ukraine would send the wrong signal and NATO’s military strength is
the best way to prevent escalation, he said. The drill, which does not
involve live ammunition, is a routine, recurring training activity,
NATO has stressed. (CM)