The Week in Review (15-21.01.2017)

A look at the main headline-grabbing stories this week.

Corina Cristea, 21.01.2017, 14:00

Pardoning and protests

Two initiatives by the new government on pardoning and the amendment of the Criminal Code have prompted thousands of people to take to the streets in Bucharest and other big cities across the country. Already published on the Justice Ministrys website and sent to the main institutions involved for consultation, the drafts of the emergency ordinances in question provide for the pardoning of people serving up to and including 5 years in prison. A move is also being considered to halve the prison sentences of people over the age of 60 who have in their care minors below 5 years of age and of pregnant women. Under the planned bill, the condition for pardoning is the payment, within a year of release, of compensations established by court. Also, the pardon does not apply to multiple offenders and persons convicted of violent crimes, crimes against national security, graft and grand corruption. The ordinance amending some of the provisions of the criminal codes stipulates that denouncers will no longer be exempt from criminal accountability unless they file their denunciation within 6 months of the moment the crime was committed. Moreover, abuse of office will be considered a crime only if the damage caused as a result exceeds the equivalent in lei of some 45,000 euros and if the aggrieved party files a complaint. Justice Minister Florin Iordache says these amendments are necessary to solve the problem of prison overcrowding and to harmonise the legislation with the decisions of the Constitutional Court. Those opposing the proposals warn, however, that corrupt politicians as well as dangerous criminals would thus be pardoned, and the acts of abuse of office and conflict of interest would be decriminalised. Magistrates say the proposed legal changes do not help the justice system and the fight against corruption. The US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, also considers these measures inappropriate and leading to a weakening of the rule of law.

Priorities of Romanias foreign policy

President Klaus Iohannis has presented foreign ambassadors accredited to Bucharest the priorities of Romanias foreign policy in 2017. The Romanian president has given assurances that the main coordinates remain the same, namely expanding the strategic partnership with the US and consolidating the EU and NATO. According to the Romanian President, combating illegal migration and terrorism continues to be a priority. In another move, Klaus Iohannis has reiterated Romanias readiness to take part in the negotiations over Britain leaving the European Union, highlighting the fact that the result of these negotiations should fully guarantee the rights of the Romanian people who work in Britain. The president also referred to boosting strategic relations with Germany, France and Italy. Cooperation with Poland must also expand, said the president, in particular with respect to security and at a regional level. To an equal extent, the president insisted on expanding the strategic partnership with Turkey, which he sees as an indispensable ally in maintaining stability in the region. Closer cooperation with Baltic States and supporting the European and Euro-Atlantic integration efforts of states in the Western Balkans should also be part of Romanias foreign policy agenda in 2017, as should the relationship with Ukraine. Klaus Iohannis also said Romania should lay emphasis on the economic aspect of its ties with the states in Central Asia and the Middle East, calling for a more active promotion of the relationships with the states in Asia, Latin America and Africa. The Romanian President also referred to the countrys relationship with the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, giving assurances that this countrys irreversible course towards the EU remains Romanias goal.

The Coldea case

The number two in the Romanian Intelligence Service, general Florian Coldea, has been suspended from office and placed into reserve earlier this week, after serving as first deputy director of the Service for the last 12 years. The decision was made after the former MP Sebastian Ghita, a fugitive with a criminal record who is wanted internationally, made some serious accusations against Coldea, inferring that the secret services interfered with the activity of the judiciary. Although an internal inquiry committee absolved Coldea, the latter took a step back and gave up his position. Amidst public debates on the so-called Coldea case, president Klaus Iohannis conveyed a political message to the new parliamentary majority in which he said the latter would have the opportunity to prove its maturity in how it handles the legislative changes in the field of national security and justice. The president explained that in order to have strong and efficient secret services, Parliament must exercise real but unbiased control of the activity of the secret services.

Budget adjustments inquiry

The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies have agreed, in a joint session, to start an investigation regarding the budget adjustments made in 2016 by the technocratic government headed by Dacian Cioloş. They will look into the procedure and data that underlay the positive budget adjustments made by the Cioloş Government in August and November 2016, at a time when, according to the Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea, budget revenue were dropping from one month to the next. The move was criticised by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romanian Union, who are against this initiative. The Chamber of Deputies passed a decision requesting the Court of Accounts to conduct a similar investigation. The former technocratic prime minister Dacian Cioloş replied in a Facebook post to all the accusations regarding the budget execution in 2016. In his opinion, the investigation initiated by Parliament is nothing but a diversion from those who are now unable to fulfil promises made during the election campaign. The former prime minister explained that Romania received a record 7 billion euros worth of EU funds and that given the performance of the Romanian economy in the first 6 months of 2016, a positive budget adjustment was justified in the second half of the year. (Translated by D. Vijeu)