The Week in Review October 10-14

Click here for a roundup of the week's main stories

Mihai Pelin, 15.10.2016, 14:00

Slovakian President Andrej Kiska on visit to Romania

Romania and Slovakia serve as models for the EU, both states reporting a major economic growth, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis and his Slovakian counterpart Andrej Kiska said in Bucharest. The two reviewed the prospects for developing bilateral relations and agreed on a strategic approach to the Eastern Partnership, especially as regards the Republic of Moldova. The two officials also underlined the need to support democratic reforms in this country, so that Moldova can further pursue its European track. Klaus Iohannis and Andrej Kiska also tackled Romanian-Slovakian political and economic cooperation as well as the fight against corruption. The Slovakian official also met with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos and discussed the development of rural areas, social inclusion policies and supporting job mobility. The Slovakian President also met with representatives of the Slovakian and Czech minorities in Romania, which represent a good model of integration in Romanian Society.

EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation visits Romania

EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas visited the ELI-NP research center in Magurele, close to Bucharest, hosting the worlds largest high-power laser. Carlos Moedas said this project should be given more visibility both at European and at global level, so as to attract more people to carry out experiments and showcase the importance of making the invisible world visible. In turn, Education Minister Mircea Dumitru, who accompanied the EU Commissioner during his visit to Magurele, said the project represented a remarkable achievement. Funded by the EU, the laser is to be rendered operational by 2019 and is designed to contribute to the advancement of such fields as medicine, pharmacy, astrophysics or nuclear physics. Some 50 researchers are already working on the project, many of whom are Romanians settled abroad.

The Senate rules on the withdrawal of PhD degrees

The Senate has decided that from now on a PhD diploma can be withdrawn only by the university that originally granted it, while the National Council for the Certification of Diplomas, an institution set up particularly to investigate cases of plagiarism, would only play the role of an appeal forum. Senators also rejected president Klaus Iohanniss request to re-examine the education law, pointing to the general distrust in the analysis of any plagiarism notification. In turn, State Secretary with the Education Ministry Laurentiu Vlad pointed out that, although at a declarative level the new draft law was aimed at decentralizing the PhD decision with respect to granting and withdrawing PhD degrees, in fact it threatened to undermine the quality of higher education. The decision follows heated debates in Bucharest regarding the authenticity and value of PhD theses of some public figures, such as former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, former Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea, former Interior Minister Petre Toba and the acting head of the National Anticorruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi.

The state to purchase the Wisdom of the Earth.

Constantin Brancusis sculpture the Wisdom of the Earth will be purchased by the Romanian state. The Government said the state will pay the outstanding 4,8 million euros, after a public subscription campaign ended last month managed to raise only 1,27 million euros of the total purchase price of 11 million euros. Of this amount the Government originally pledged to pay 5 million euros and to raise the remaining 6 million euros from private donations. The Wisdom of the Earth will soon be on display at the “Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum in Bucharest, the Ministry of Culture has announced. Ministry officials also decided to set up a so-called “Brancusi Fund, aimed at raising funds for the purchase of other works of art to be included on Romanias list of cultural assets.

Drug prices to drop over the coming period

The Health Ministry has announced a drop in the prices of most subsidized drugs. Under a Government Ordinance to be submitted for public debate, prices for unpatented drugs will be slashed by 10% the first year, by 10% the coming year and by an additional 15% the third year. Drugstores and distributors will have to submit daily reports of their subsidized drug supplies via a digitized system. Additionally, patients can check the shelf availability of a drug online. The Ministry has pledged to deal with any irregularities within 7 days of notification.

Massive floods in Romania

The heavy rainfall this week has prompted floods in most areas across Romania, damaging households and leaving 1,000 people without a home. The floods also affected several county and national roads. Due to the strong wind, blackouts were reported in several counties.

(Translated by V. Palcu)