PROTEST About 200 judges and prosecutors have today protested in front of
\nthe Court of Appeal in Cluj, north-western Romania, calling for the
\nindependence of the judiciary. A judge has announced that as of Monday, legal
\nactivity will be suspended in city courts and trials postponed with the
\nexception of the urgent ones. Judges in Cluj have called on their colleagues to
\njoin the protest as negotiations with the central authorities have failed. The
\nprotest comes after the latest emergency ordinance of the PSD-ALDE government
\nin Bucharest, which is amending justice laws. Among other things, the new
\namendments also address the appointment of high-ranking prosecutors and even
\nthe prerogatives of the head of investigation teams. The ordinance has
\nattracted a lot of flak from Brussels and from magistrates associations in
\nRomania as well as from the right-wing opposition in this country. <\/p>\n
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MINISTERS Romania’s new ministers of Regional Development and Transport,
\nDaniel Suciu and Razvan Cuc respectively, have today been sworn in. Daniel
\nSuciu, who has been a PSD MP since 2002 is also leader of the Social Democrats’
\nParliament group in the Chamber of Deputies. Alexandru-Razvan Cuc was elected a
\nPSD MP in 2016. He used to be transport minister in the PSD-ALDE governments
\nheaded by Sorin Grindeanu and Mihai Tudose. The first nominees, Olguta
\nVasilescu and Mircea Draghici have withdrawn their candidacies after having
\nbeen rejected by president Klaus Iohannis a couple of times. <\/p>\n
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\nBUDGET Romania’s president
\nKlaus Iohannis has today announced he will notify the Constitutional Court
\nabout the state budget on 2019, the budget it was submitted for his promulgation.
\nIohannis has said the budget is ‘unrealistic and overestimated’, and described
\nit as one of ‘national shame’. There are unconstitutional issues in the present
\nbudget – it fails to meet Romania’s EU obligations while some fundamental
\nrights are violated – the Romanian president explains. Iohannis has lashed out
\nat the Social-Democrats, Romania’s main ruling party (PSD), which he described
\nas unable to rule for the country and which is only trying to push the agenda
\nof its leader, Liviu Dragnea. Iohannis has also added that political parties
\nare getting more money whereas the country’s education system is underfunded
\nand Romania remains confused particularly after the ordinance issued at the end
\nof last year on amending justice laws. In his opinion the PSD ruling was an
\nonslaught against the rule of law in Romania. In turn, Senate speaker Calin
\nPopescu Tariceanu from the ruling ALDE, has described the president’s move to
\nnotify the court over the budget as inopportune and unjustified, adding that
\nthe head of state is hindering the activity of the government trying to block
\nit.
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MEETING Trade ministers from EU countries are today tackling in Bucharest
\nseveral major issues, such as the process of modernizing the World Trade
\nOrganization and the EU’s relations with the USA. The ongoing EU’s trade
\nnegotiations are also high on the agenda. The event, which is being chaired by
\nStefan-Radu Oprea, Romania’s Minister for Business, Trade and Entrepreneurship,
\nalso involves the participation of Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU Commissioner for
\nTrade. The EU official on Thursday opened the informal meeting of the trade
\nministers, an event taking place during the Romanian presidency of the EU. Also
\non Thursday Malmstrom and Oprea participated in a round of talks with the
\ncitizens. <\/p>\n
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TENNIS Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (WTA 72nd) today
\ntakes on Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals of the
\nWTA tournament in Budapest, a competition with 250 thousand dollars in prize
\nmoney. Begu defeated Russian Evgeniya Rodina on Thursday in two sets, 6-2, 6-3.
\nAlso in Budapest, Romanian Sorana Cirstea is playing Russian Anastasia Potapova
\nin the quarters after a 6-3, 6-3 win on Wednesday against fourth-seeded
\nAleksandra Krunic of Serbia.<\/p>\n
(translated by bill)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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