<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Protests
\nby magistrates in Romania <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Unprecedented protests by magistrates,
\nprosecutors and judges in Romania have been staged after the adoption by the
\ngovernment of a new emergency ordinance changing the justice laws. The activity
\nof several prosecutors’ offices has been suspended this week in token of
\nprotest. The Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism,
\nDIICOT, has decided for the first time to suspend its activity over February 26
\n-March 8, with only emergency cases being solved during this time span. Judges
\nfrom the Bucharest Tribunal have suspended their activity, too, until March 7,
\nin token of protest, all ongoing cases, with the exception of emergencies,
\nbeing postponed. The magistrates also demand that Ordinance no.7 be repealed
\nand ask for measures to suspend the activity of the Section for the Investigation
\nof Criminal Offences in the judiciary until the EU Court of Justice issues a
\nruling on the challenges against this special section. Meanwhile, the justice
\nminister, Tudorel Toader, has announced he has
\ndrafted a new emergency ordinance, which repeals several provisions of
\nOrdinance no. 7, which has stirred a wave of protests. The changes are meant to
\nabrogate the article which stipulates that judges, alongside prosecutors, may
\nbecome top level prosecutors. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The
\nformer head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Romania, favourite
\nto become the European Union’s Public Prosecutor <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The formerhead of the Anti-Corruption Directorate in Romania, Laura Codru\u0163a Kovesi,
\nhas got the largest number of votes following hearings in the European
\nParliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), in
\nthe race to become chief prosecutor of the future European Public Prosecutor’s
\nOffice. Earlier she had got the best result in the European Parliament’s
\nCommittee on Budgetary Control (CONT). Ranking on the second and third
\npositions were French Jean-Fran\u00e7ois
\nBohnert and German Andres Ritter. Laura Codru\u0163a Kove\u015fi says the vote in
\nthe European Parliament is more than a personal victory to her: <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
This vote is not only for me, but for the
\nRomanian justice system as a whole. This vote is for all the citizens in
\nRomania who over the past few years have supported the fight against corruption
\nand the rule of law. It is a vote for all the prosecutors and judges in Europe
\nwho work under pressure. I had no support from the Government of Romania, I
\nhave neither asked for it nor expected it.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
In Bucharest, the
\nright-of-centre parliamentary opposition has hailed the remarkable achievements
\nby the former DNA chief prosecutor and criticised the ruling coalition made up
\nof the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats,
\nsaying it has betrayed Romania and has orchestrated a denigration campaign to
\ntarnish the image of the Romanian candidate. The negative vote cast by the MEPs
\nof the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and
\nthe reactions of the left-of-centre power in Bucharest are edifying. The Social-Democratic senator Claudiu Manda has said
\nthe Social-Democratic MEPs voted against appointing Laura Codru\u0163a Kovesi at the
\nhelm of the European Union’s Public Prosecutor’s Office, claiming she has
\ncommitted abuses during her tenure at the DNA. The future chief prosecutor of
\nthe European Prosecutor’s Office will be appointed following negotiations
\nbetween the European Parliament and the EU Council. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
European
\nCommission recommendations for Romania <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The Romanian economy
\nis facing higher risks, the European Commission warns, in the half-yearly
\nreport on each member state. The EC mentions in the document released on
\nWednesday, among other things, that the emergency ordinance no.114 issued by
\nthe Government, as well as a law adopted by Parliament which retroactively caps
\ninterest rates for mortgage loans might severely impact the normal functioning
\nof the financial sector. The European
\nCommission report shows the measures stipulated by the emergency ordinance no.
\n114 weaken the second pillar of pensions based on defined contributions, which
\nis privately administered. Experts say the measures have a negative impact on
\nthe Romanians’ future pensions and will hamper the development of the capital
\nmarket and future investment, will increase uncertainty and make Romanian
\neconomy less attractive for both domestic and foreign investors. The high risks
\nrun by the Romanian economy are stemming from the increase in the current
\naccount deficit and higher costs with the labour force, following the increase
\nin the minimum wage in economy and in the salaries of public sector employees.
\nThe European Commission draws attention to the weak performance in the field of
\neducation and research. The EC underlines, in its analysis, the need to promote
\ninvestment, to pursue responsible budgetary fiscal policies and to implement
\nwell designed reforms. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis,
\nattended the Bucharest Format (B9) Summit in Slovakia<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has
\npleaded in Kosice, Slovakia, for a more consistent NATO presence to the Black
\nSea, during the Bucharest Format (B9)
\nSummit, which is made up of EU and NATO member states on the eastern flank of
\nthe Alliance. The B9 leaders agreed, in the final declaration, that the
\nEuropean Union and NATO are stronger together. The focal points of the talks,
\nattended by the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, too, included
\nsecurity evolutions in the eastern neighbourhood and in the Black Sea region.
\nKlaus Iohannis has expressed concern with the evolution in the Black Sea
\nregion, in the context in which Russia further threatens regional stability. He
\nunderlined that the evolutions in the Black Sea region show that the allied
\ncountries should do more, for a robust land, air and sea defence. President
\nIohannis says NATO’s eastern partners, such as Ukraine and Georgia, should be
\nsupported more, to enhance their capacity to defend themselves from any type of
\nthreats, be they military, cyber or purely propagandistic threats. Launched at
\nthe initiative of the heads of state of Romania and Poland, B9 Format Summits
\nwere first held in November 2015 in Bucharest and then in Warsaw, in June 2018.
\n<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A roundup of the week’s main stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40944],"tags":[33260,31550,34474,29053,32472,28945,29799,32766,29437],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-124639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-week-in-review","tag-b9","tag-emergency-decree","tag-european-chief-prosecutor","tag-european-commission","tag-justice-laws","tag-klaus-iohannis","tag-laura-codruta-kovesi","tag-magistrates","tag-protest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n