October 19, 2018 UPDATE
President Klaus Iohannis participated in the 12th ASEM summit, Venice Commission criticizes Romanian justice laws
Newsroom, 19.10.2018, 18:57
Brussels – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis participated on Thursday and Friday in Brussels in the 12th summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), whose theme was “Global partners for global challenges”. In his speech, president Iohannis said that Romania would continue to actively and responsibly promote the strengthening of cooperation between Europe and Asia including during Romania’s presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. In another development, president Iohannis said that for Romania, the shipping routes on the Danube and the Black Sea represented essential transport corridors and encouraged their inclusion into larger intra-regional transport networks and in the Europe-Asia networks. The main topic of debates was connectivity at all levels: political, economic, cultural, digital, institutional and inter-human. The Asia-Europe Meeting ASEM was set up in 1996 as a forum for dialogue and cooperation between the two continents. The ASEM summit is held every two years, alternately in Asia and Europe.
Venice Commission — The Venice Commission on Friday recommended to the Romanian authorities to completely modify the amendments brought to the criminal and criminal procedure codes by means of a comprehensive consultative process. The Commission claims that the Romanian authorities should come up with coherent and solid legislative proposals in the field of justice that should have the support of the Romanian society and that should observe the European standards and the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Romania. The Venice Commission adopted, with certain amendments, the preliminary report communicated in July in relation to the three justice laws regarding the status of judges and prosecutors, the organization of the judiciary and of the Superior Council of Magistracy. These laws will affect the efficiency and the independence of the act of justice, and will have negative effects on the anti-corruption fight, the Venice Commission says. Friday’s debates were also attended by the president of the special parliamentary committee for the justice laws in Romania’s parliament, Florin Iordache, a member of the ruling Social Democratic Party. After the critical opinion issued by the Venice Commission, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stated that the justice minister Tudorel Toader definitively compromised his credibility and consequently should present his resignation. In turn, minister Toader claimed that the President’s request is inadmissible arguing that it was not the justice minister the one who promoted the modifications brought to the criminal and criminal procedure codes.
CESAER — The European Commissioner for Regional Development Corina Cretu said Friday in Bucharest that innovation and research had to have a central role in the future EU fiscal period of 2021-2027. She made this statement at the 31st edition of the CESAER General Assembly- the Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research — the most important European association that represents universities of science and technology. The event hosted by the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest is being attended by representatives of more than 50 universities, and personalities from the research and higher technical education fields. The CESAER General Assembly is held for the first time in Romania to celebrate 200 years since the setting up of the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest. The meeting is also occasioned by the anniversary of 100 years since the creation of the Romanian unitary state and by Romania’s future presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019.
Sports — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep who will finish the year 2018 on the first place of the WTA classification was designated on Friday the best WTA player of the year, the WTA officials announced Friday. Halep has had the best season of her career in 2018 winning her first Grand Slam title in Roland Garros. Halep also won the tournaments of Shenzen and Montreal and played in the finals of the Australian Open, of the Rome and Cincinnati tournaments. Halep, 27, ends the year with a record of 46 wins and 11 defeats and will top the WTA ranking at the end of the season for the 2nd consecutive year.
Reshuffle — The leftist Social Democratic Party — PSD, the main party in Romania’s ruling coalition, announced Friday that the internal report on the activity of the party’s ministers was completed. On Wednesday the president of PSD Liviu Dragnea had said that the current makeup of the executive could not be maintained. He added that the details of the future reshuffle would be decided upon at the future meeting of the party’s executive committee. Last month the education minister Valentin Popa announced his resignation, and his position was taken over by the minister for European Funds Rovana Plumb. This is the 2nd resignation from the cabinet led by Viorica Dancila after the research minister Nicolae Burnete resigned in August. (news translated and updated by Lacramioara Simion)
