Simple motion against the interior minister \n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The scandal
\ntriggered by the way in which the gendarmes reacted during the anti-government
\nprotest of August 10th in Bucharest is far from dying out. Early
\nthis week, the Chamber of Deputies rejected the simple motion filed by the
\nopposition National Liberal Party against the Interior Minister Carmen Dan. The
\nLiberals called for the minister’s resignation invoking the way in which the
\nintervention of the gendarmes was managed, describing it as excessive and
\ndamaging Romania’s image abroad. Carmen
\nDan has explained that the protest was approached as an event threatening
\npublic order, and the intervention as legal. Nevertheless, the explanations
\ngiven by the minister are far from convicting the opposition. On the other
\nhand, the ruling Social Democratic Party has called on the state institutions
\nto urgently investigate the information carried by the media with regard to a
\npotential foreign funding of the street protests and planning of the violent
\nactions that occurred on that day. In the meantime, the Army Prosecutor’s
\nOffice continues its investigations into the August 10 events. Some 770 people
\naffected on that day have filed criminal complaints.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Top level visits to Romania <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
This week has
\nbeen marked by a number of top level visits to Bucharest. Given the upcoming
\nRomanian presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019, the Dutch
\nPrime Minister Mark Rutte has held talks with prime-minister Viorica Dancila
\nand the country’s president Klaus Iohannis. The latter has stated that Romania
\nwishes to join the Schengen area as soon as possible. The relation with the
\nNetherlands, the head of state said, has a major economic component, but also a
\nsocial one, given that some 30,000 Romanians are living in that country. Klaus
\nIohannis and Mark Rutte have also agreed that, although their countries stands
\ndo not match on all matters, they are both interested in strengthening the EU.
\nAlso visiting Bucharest was the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini.
\nOn the occasion, prime-minister Dancila stated that, during its term as
\npresident of the EU Council, Romania will pay special attention to the
\nnegotiations concerning the future multi-annual financial framework 2021-2027.
\nAs regards bilateral relations, a cooperation agreement was signed in the field
\nof labour inspection, benefiting Romanian workers in Slovakia, as well as a
\ncooperation program in education, which extends the already existing
\ncooperation framework. Also this week, the Romanian capital has hosted an
\ninformal security meeting of the foreign ministers of Romania, Poland and
\nTurkey, Teodor Melescanu, Jacek Czaputowick and Mevlut Cavusoglu respectively.
\nIt was the fifth trilateral meeting held in this format. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The spread of the African swine fever virus
\ncontinues <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
African swine
\nfever keeps spreading in Romania. According to the National Sanitary Authority,
\nmore than 200 villages and towns in 12 counties have been affected, and the
\nnumber of outbreaks has reached 900. So far, 232,000 infected pigs have been
\nculled. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has announced that the government will
\npass an emergency ordinance according to which all employees who have lost their
\njobs because of the fever will get financial compensations for up to six
\nmonths. The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil
\nHogan, on a visit to Bucharest, has stated that 75% of the pigs bred in EU
\nhouseholds are from Romania. He has also stated that the European Commission
\nintends to provide the affected farmers with financial support. The Romanian
\nIntelligence Service has warned of the risk of another virus spreading across
\nthe country, this time affecting goats and sheep. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A new school year in Romania<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Some 3 million
\npupils in Romania started school on Monday. The system is marked by both good
\nand bad things. There are many schools that have not been refurbished, many do
\nnot have sanitary or fire safety authorizations and some textbooks include
\nmistakes. Even so, children were happy to meet their mates and teachers after a
\nlong summer. In keeping with tradition, political figures attended the start of
\nthe new school year. President Klaus Iohannis, for instance, attended the
\nopening ceremony at the Horea, Closca si Crisan National College in Alba Iulia,
\ncentral Romania, which next year will celebrate its 100th
\nanniversary. In Constanta, the Black Sea port city in south-eastern Romania, the
\nDefense Minister Mihai Fifor attended the festivities occasioned by the
\nreopening of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza Military College, after a 20-year break.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Referendum for traditional family <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
A referendum on
\nredefining the concept of family in the Romanian Constitution is to be held on
\nOctober 7th, after the Senate has this week endorsed a bill on that
\nmatter. According to the new draft Constitution, family is based on the
\nmarriage between a man and a woman, not between spouses, as the Constitution
\nreads today. The decision to hold a referendum on this issue started from a
\ncitizen’s initiative, which gathered three million signatures from all across
\nthe country. Signed including by representatives of religious denominations in
\nRomania, the initiative is similar to those in Croatia and Slovenia a few years
\nago. The ACCEPT Association, which defends the rights of sexual minorities, has
\nreacted, saying that the Senate’s vote is a violation of the right to respect
\nfor one’s private and family life, which is an unalienable right of all people,
\nirrespective of their gender and sexual preferences. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A roundup of the weeks main stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":124454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40944],"tags":[29276,28945,29972,33035],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-124602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-week-in-review","tag-croatia","tag-klaus-iohannis","tag-referendum","tag-viorica-dancila"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n