September 20, 2018 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 20.09.2018, 18:55
EU COUNCIL MEETING – President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday attended the informal meeting of the European Council held in the Austrian city of Salzburg. The President argued in favour of closer post-Brexit cooperation with London authorities in terms of foreign security and policy. Bucharest also wants the European Union to maintain a unitary and coherent voice in the negotiations with the UK in order to arrive at a Brexit agreement that is fair to all sides. Romania’s priority is protecting the rights and interests of its citizens who live in the UK and a close as possible a relationship between the EU and the UK after Brexit, the Romanian president also said. In terms of internal security, President Iohannis said Romania wants to strengthen European borders, both by means of regulations and by increasing FRONTEX personnel.
MEETING — The leaders of the main ruling party in Romania, the Social-Democratic Party, will convene on Friday after an open letter signed by leading members of the party call on Liviu Dragnea to step down, both as party leader and as Chamber of Deputies Speaker. Cosigners claim Liviu Dragnea’s run-ins with the law have weakened the party’s position, particularly ahead of the European Parliament election of 2019 and the legislative election of 2020. They also want Prime Minister Viorica Dancila to be interim party president pending the organization of the next congress.
REPATRIATION — Romanian Minister of Defence Mihai Fifor and US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm on Thursday attended a special ceremony in Campulung Muscel, southern Romania, hosted to welcome back the 30th Carpathian Eagles battalion. The mission of the Romanian military was to secure an important area around the military air base in Kandahar, in Afghanistan. They also provided training to the Afghan army. The battalion is mostly made up of military from the Dragoslavele 30th Mountain Troops Battalion who have also taken part in missions in theatres of operation in Kosovo, in 2005 and Afghanistan, in 2008. In April, the Mountain Troops from Campulung was the target of a car bomb attack. Eight military were initially believed to be injured, but in the end only one needed more thorough medical investigations at a hospital in Germany.
EBRD — The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Suma Chakrabarti, has called on Bucharest authorities to step up reforms aimed at facilitating the development of infrastructure. Chakrabarti claims the EBRD is interested in funding investment projects in road and rail infrastructure and help privatize state enterprises. The statement follows after the EBRD president earlier this week attended the Three Seas Initiative summit in Bucharest. So far the EBRD has invested over 8 billion euros in Romania.
RULING — The Constitutional Court of Romania has postponed for October 16 the debate on the notifications filed by president Klaus Iohannis and opposition parties regarding the administrative code. The president claims the draft law was passed by the Chamber of Deputies in an unconstitutional extraordinary session. Several articles are vague and the code eliminates an integrity criterion for appointing members of Government. In turn, the notification filed by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union claims special pensions for local officials stipulated under the administrative code are in breach of the principle according to which all citizens are equal before the law.
TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu on Thursday advanced to the quarterfinals of the Seoul tournament totaling 250 thousand dollars in prize money. Begu brushed aside Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in straight sets. This is Begu’s first win against the Polish player. On Friday, Begu will take on Maria Sakkari of Greece.
(Translated by C. Mateescu & V. Palcu)
