The Week in Review (8-14 September 2019)

A roundup of some of the main stories in Romania this week.

Corina Cristea, 14.09.2019, 12:56

The Romanian political scene is in
turmoil following the departure of the Liberal Democrats from the government

The withdrawal of the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats from the coalition government has set the political
scene in Bucharest on fire. The disagreements between the prime minister and
the president have deepened over the former’s move to replace the outgoing
Liberal Democrat ministers with other Liberal Democrat MPs who say they wish to
continue alongside the Social Democratic Party the project they begun together
in 2016, when they came to power following parliamentary elections.

President Klaus Iohannis has
rejected prime minister Viorica Dancila’s proposed reshuffle saying it is
unconstitutional and again urging her to put her cabinet to a vote of
confidence in Parliament, given that, he argues, the political make-up of the
government has changed. In response, the prime minister says she is not afraid
to seek a vote of confidence in Parliament and has accused the president of
undermining efforts to ensure a normal functioning of the government. The
Liberal Democrats’ leader Calin Popescu Tariceanu has himself accused Viorica
Dancila of not complying with the constitutional provisions and not respecting
the decision of the Liberal Democrats to withdraw from the government, trying
all kinds of tactics to avoid a vote of confidence in Parliament.

Ggovernment approves the extension
of the registration deadline for Romanian citizens living abroad who wish to
vote in the upcoming elections

The deadline for the Romanian
citizens living abroad who wish to register to vote on the website
votstrainatate.ro has been extended until the 15th of September,
following an emergency order issued by the government on Thursday at the
request of the Permanent Election Authority. The initial deadline was the 11th
of September. The Romanian Postal Service will provide voters with all the
necessary materials, namely envelopes, ballots, stamps, stickers and advice on
how the voting process takes place. Voters living or residing abroad have three
options to send the envelopes containing their ballots, namely: sending them by
post to Romania, sending them by courier to the Romanian diplomatic missions or
consular offices in their countries of residence or taking them in person to
the Romanian embassies or consulates. More than 71,000 Romanian voters had
registered on line by the initial deadline.

The Romanian minister liaising with
the Romanians living abroad pays visit to Italy

The Romanian minister liaising with
the Romanians abroad Natalia Intotero is in Italy to meet members of the
Romanian communities in this country. Discussions focus on the way in which
they can exercise their voting rights in the upcoming presidential elections.
Other topics on her agenda include the coagulation of the associative
environment and identifying the necessary lines of action to preserve and
develop the linguistic, spiritual and cultural identity of the Romanians living
abroad, and monitoring the projects funded by the ministry. Meetings are held
with members of the Romanian communities and the associative environment in
Turin, Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Cagliari, Catania, Cosenza, Bari,
Naples and Rome. Talks also tackle human trafficking and the problems faced by
Romanians in various sectors in Italy. Official data show that Italy is home to
the largest Romanian community abroad, numbering around 1,200,000 people.

Romania nominates Rovana Plumb as EU
commissioner

Romania’s proposal for European
commissioner, the Social Democrat Rovana Plumb will be in charge of transports.
The announcement was made by the president elect of the European Commission,
Ursula von der Leyen, who has nominated her entire team. After the hearings in
the European Parliament’s specialist committees and as soon as Parliament gives
its approval, the European Council will officially appoint the new Commission. Rovana
Plumb has been a politician for 25 years and has always been a member of the
Social Democratic Party, today in government in Romania. She has also served as
an MP and has occupied several ministerial positions, including minister for
the environment, labour and European funds.

The George Enescu Festival is in
full swing in Bucharest and other cities

The 24th edition of the
George Enescu International Festival is under way until the 22nd of
September. Its motto this year is The World in Harmony and its artistic
director is Vladimir Jurowski. Bucharest and ten other cities in Romania as
well as five countries, namely Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the Republic
of Moldova are hosting this year associated events, paying tribute to the
musical heritage of the great Romanian composer George Enescu. The festival
brings together more than 2,500 of the world’s greatest musicians and 84
different concerts and recitals grouped in six main sections: great orchestras
of the world, the midnight concerts, chamber concerts and recitals, the music
of the 21st century, the Mozart Week in Residence and the
International Forum of Composers. Conferences and disc and book launches are
also held.