GOVERNMENT – The Liberal Government in
\nBucharest on Friday adopted a memorandum of the Justice Ministry calling for
\nthe shutdown of the Special Unit investigating magistrates. Justice Minister
\nCatalin Predoiu said the unit was set up by the previous Social-Democrat
\nGovernment without any public consultations, against the backdrop of negative
\nreactions from several magistrates’ associations, European partners, GRECO and
\nthe Venice Commission. Minister Predoiu said the law regulating the unit is
\nflawed, rendering the special section inoperable. At present, the
\nSocial-Democrats say it is outrageous even discussing the possibility of
\ndisbanding the special unit, claiming abuses are a daily reality in the justice
\nsystem. Recalling that Romanians voted in the May referendum against any
\nemergency decrees being passed in the justice field, interim Social-Democrat
\nleader Marcel Ciolacu suggested a debate in Parliament on this matter and the
\nconsultation of all associations and stakeholders in the justice field. Former
\nSocial-Democrat Justice Minister Ana Birchall, recently excluded from the party
\nranks, has however hailed the adoption of the memorandum, which she labels as a
\nmajor step towards restoring public confidence in the justice system. <\/p>\n
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SURVEY – The labor force crisis, the high inflation rate and the
\npotential negative evolution of the exchange rate are the biggest challenges
\nfacing the business sector in Romania next year, reads a survey titled Survey
\non the state of the economy, published by a consultancy company. According to
\nthe survey, the labor force crisis deepened in 2019, while the import of
\nforeign workers offset under 10% of the needed workforce. Moreover, business
\npeople believe that, beyond boosting consumption, the salary increases in the
\npublic sector have spiked imbalances on the labor market. Asked what measures
\nwould be needed to develop a stable economic framework, companies mentioned
\nfiscal predictability, the digitization of public administration, investment in
\ninfrastructure or a national plan for vocational requalification. The survey
\nwas conducted over December 1-15 on a sample of 450 companies from various
\nfields of activity, from trade to financial services, agriculture, energy,
\ntextiles and IT. <\/p>\n
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NEW YEAR’S EVE – Successful bands from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s
\nwill perform live in Bucharest as part of the 2020 New Year’s Party dubbed
\nDisco Night Fever. 11 bands and artists from Romania, the Republic of Moldova,
\nGermany and the United States will electrify the crowds with live concerts. The
\nlist of performers includes the band O-Zone, which has reunited for this
\nspecial occasion, the famous duo Milli Vanilli, Haddaway or Turbo B, the
\nsoloist of the band Snap! The New Year’s Eve Party will end in Bucharest with a
\nspectacular fireworks show.<\/p>\n
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MONEY – Romania is the second country
\nat EU level in terms of money being wired from outside the country in 2018, a
\nEurostat report reveals. Some 2.7 billion euros were wired to Romanians as
\npersonal transfers, while 89% of it came from people in other EU Member
\nStates. Portugal ranks first, with over 3 billion euros being transferred to
\nthis country. Some 5.6 million Romanians live abroad, Bucharest authorities
\nsay. <\/p>\n
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EUROPALIA – The exhibition Brancusi -
\nthe Transcendence of Form opened in Brussels as part of the Europalia 2019
\nInternational Arts Festival can be visited until February 2, 2020, the Romanian
\nCultural Institute reports. Over 50,000 people have already visited the
\nexhibition, which features 200 of the sculptor’s works, including The Wisdom
\nof the Earth and Prayer, films, drawings and letters to his lover. Romania
\nis guest of honor at the 27th edition of the Europalia Festival, and
\nwill organize over 250 events until February 2020. <\/p>\n
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WEATHER – Meteorologists have issued
\ntwo alerts against extreme weather conditions, in place until Sunday evening. A
\ncode yellow alert against heavy snowfalls and blizzard was issued for six
\ncounties in the east and northeast, as well as for mountainous regions.
\nAdditional snowfalls and strong wind are expected in the center, east and
\nsoutheast. Meteorologists have also announced a drop in temperatures
\nnationwide. On Sunday and Monday temperatures are expected to drop below 0 down
\nto minus 10 degrees Celsius. Highs will predominantly be negative in the
\nnorthern half of the country during the interval, while temperatures in the
\nsouth will go as high as 4 degrees Celsius, which is normal for this time of
\nthe year. <\/p>\n
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(Translated by
\nV. Palcu)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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