REFERENDUM – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on
\nThursday announced he would call a referendum on May 26, coinciding with the
\nEuropean Parliament election. The topic will be observing the rule of law and
\nthe independence of the judiciary, which the President believes has been under
\nconstant attacks from the Social-Democratic Party in power. During this week
\nthe President talked to representatives of associations of judges and magistrates
\nas well as civil society. Some of them have criticized the organization of a
\nreferendum on the same day as the European Parliament ballot, saying the
\nreferendum might influence the result of the election. Others have voiced the
\nunequivocal support for the President’s decision. <\/p>\n
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DANUBE – The Romanian transport minister
\nRazvan Cuc and the European commissioner for transport Violeta Bulc have had
\ntalks in Bucharest about ways to turn the Danube river into a more attractive
\nEuropean corridor. Razvan Cuc has said his ministry will launch a tender to
\npurchase a modern system to allow own dredging works, not just by third
\ncompanies, and that increasing the river depth would lead to an increase in the
\nshipment of goods via the river. The European commissioner for transport Violeta Bulc has said the Danube has great potential for the transport
\nof goods and has underlined that in some EU member states inland waterways are
\nused extensively. She also emphasised that in the absence of efficient roads
\nand railways, Romania should develop further its Black Sea port of Constanta,
\nin the south-east.<\/p>\n
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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
\nELECTION -
\nPolitical parties and alliances and independent candidates in Romania had until
\nThursday to submit their candidacies for the European Parliament elections on
\nthe 26th of May. The candidate lists were submitted to the Central
\nElection Bureau, accompanied by 200,000 support signatures in the case of
\npolitical parties and 100,000 signatures for independent candidates. The
\nCentral Election Bureau is to decide by the 6th of April whether to
\naccept or reject the candidacies, decisions that can be appealed until the 12th
\nof April. The order of the candidates on the ballot will then be established
\nbased on a drawing of lots. The election campaign begins on the 27th
\nof April and ends on the morning of the 25th of May. <\/p>\n
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EUROPEAN PROSECUTOR – The second round of negotiations
\nbetween the representatives of the Council of the European Union and of the
\nEuropean Parliament to appoint a chief European prosecutor ended without a
\nbreakthrough, Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels quotes European sources
\nas saying. There are two candidates for this position: the former head of
\nRomania’s National Anticorruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi, who has the
\nbacking of the European Parliament, and the French candidate Jean-Fran\u00e7ois
\nBohnert, who is supported by the Council. Further talks will be held on the 4th
\nor 10th of April. The appointment of the future European chief
\nprosecutor must earn the approval of both the Council of the European Union and
\nthe European Parliament for a single 7-year term. The European Prosecutor’s
\nOffice is supposed to take up its functions at the end of 2020. This will be an
\nindependent office responsible for the investigation, prosecution and
\nindictment of fraud against the EU budget.<\/p>\n
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UNEMPLOYMENT – The
\nunemployment rate went up to 4.1% in the last quarter of 2018, up by 0.2%
\ncompared with the previous quarter. According to the National Institute of
\nStatistics, the highest unemployment level of more than 16%, was reported among
\nyoung people aged between 15 and 24. The occupancy rate among the 15-64 age
\nbracket stood at 64.5% in the period looked at, lower compared with the
\nprevious quarter. The employment rate was higher among men and the urban
\npopulation. According to the National Institute of Statistics, Romania’s active
\npopulation stood at almost 9 million people, of whom 8.5 million were in
\nemployment and 368,000 out of work. <\/p>\n
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ROMANIA-FRANCE
\nSEASON
\n– The Romania-France Season, which opens on the 18th of April with
\nSpotlight, an international festival of lights, will feature exhibitions,
\ntheatre and film festivals and concerts held in more than 30 towns and cities
\nacross Romania. The French ambassador to Bucharest Mich\u00e8le Ramis
\nsays the event, which has been held in more than 100 towns and cities in
\nFrance, has enjoyed immense success, with the French public rediscovering
\nRomania and its artists. The Season ends on the 16th of April in
\nParis and on the 18th of April will move to Romania until the 14th
\nof July. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(translated by C. Mateescu &
\nV. Palcu)<\/p>\n
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