The Week in Review (23 – 29 April)

A roundup of the weeks main stories

Roxana Vasile, 28.04.2018, 11:03

Dramatic developments in Romanian politics

The rightist president of the country Klaus Iohannis and the Social Democratic Prime Minister Viorica Dancila were supposed to have a working meeting on Friday morning, at the invitation of the head of state. Ms Dancila announced she would not take part, and the president told the press he was withdrawing his confidence in the Prime Minister. Moreover, saying that Viorica Dancila was not able to live up to the responsibilities attached to her office, Klaus Iohannis called on her to resign. The last straw for the head of state seems to have been the formal visit that the Prime Minister paid to Israel this week. The president voiced his irritation at the fact that he had not been informed about that visit. Klaus Iohannis:

Klaus Iohannis: “I will certainly ask Ms Dancila why she went on that bilateral visit, without informing or calling me, at least out of mere courtesy, because, even if the Social Democratic Party does not like it, I am the president of the country and I am responsible for the country’s foreign policy.”

Accompanied by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea and the Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu, Viorica Dancila discussed with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the President Reuven Rivlin about appointing a new ambassador to Israel, given that, for more than a year and half now, Bucharest has had no head of diplomatic mission there. Also, the officials talked about strengthening bilateral cooperation, the military field and other strategic issues. At the end of her visit, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said:

Viorica Dancila: “At the meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, we agreed to hold a joint government meeting, in Bucharest, to discuss projects in detail. I also had a meeting with the president of Israel, and we discussed the geo-political situation in the area and also the fact that Romania needs an ambassador to Israel. There is a person nominated for that office, and we are waiting for president Iohannis to endorse the nomination. Also, I had a meeting with the patriarch of Jerusalem and I paid a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher I was very happy to be awarded the Jerusalem Cross and Star.”

Obviously, the agenda of talks included the proposal regarding the relocation of the Romanian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, given that Liviu Dragnea had already announced that the Romanian Government had signed a memorandum on that matter. The announcement stirred rumor and confusion at national level, and president Klaus Iohannis stated that a prospective discussion on the matter is by no means wrong, but only by observing the relevant international law. President Iohannis has also rejected any accusation of anti-Semitism and has stated he did not use any pejorative terms when exclaiming, regarding the presence in Israel, alongside Viorica Dancila, of the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea: “Who knows what secret deals he is striking there with the Jews?”

Romania-Bulgaria-Greece-Serbia meeting

Joint infrastructure projects, participation in the development of the Balkans and close cooperation within the European Union are some of the common goals reconfirmed by the prime ministers of Romania, Greece and Bulgaria, Viorica Dancila, Alexis Tsipras and Boiko Borisov, respectively, and the president of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, who met on Tuesday in Bucharest. This 4-party talks format allows the consolidation of dialogue and identification of the best ways to cooperate between the states in southeastern Europe, particularly in the economic area, Prime Minister Dancila pointed out. She reaffirmed that Romania supports Serbia on its path to the European Union. She assured prime minister Boiko Borisov of support for the agenda of Bulgaria’s EU presidency. Last but not least, Dancila welcomed her Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras on his first visit to Bucharest and said Greece is a key partner for Romania in the region and that she wished to develop bilateral cooperation. The next high-level Romania-Bulgaria-Greece-Serbia meeting will be held in Athens in June.

Protests in the healthcare system

The Romanian deputy prime minister Viorel Stefan on Thursday promised trade unions in the healthcare system that he would come up with a solution on the 2nd of May so that staff salaries should not be reduced. Trade unions, who had staged a big rally in Bucharest on that same day, say they are not giving up protests. Some categories of staff who say their net incomes have dropped after the application of new regulations in the public sector area call for the elimination of a cap on benefits, which can no longer exceed 30% of salaries. The protest in Bucharest will be followed by a warning strike on 7th of May, and possibly an all-out strike on the 11th May in the entire healthcare and social assistance system.

Alternatives to prison sentences

The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest this week adopted a draft law on alternative methods to carry out prison sentences. These include home arrest or special detention centers at the weekend for people who have received convictions of less than 5 years and who have already served a 5th of their sentence. The new measures will not cover re-offenders, people who have been convicted for violent crimes, peddling in influence, corruption and bribe taking and giving. In an annual human rights report published recently, the US State Department recalled that Romania’s prisons are overcrowded and do not comply with the standards established by the Council of Europe. In fact, unless the situation is addressed, the Council threatened Bucharest with considerable fines.