June 9, 2015
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 09.06.2015, 12:00
Romanian president Klaus Iohanis has today criticized the Romanian MPs decision to reject anticorruption prosecutors’ request for a criminal investigation against the country’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta in a conflict of interest case. According to Iohannis, a Parliament majority’s hindering the legal process and being ready to destroy the institution of Parliament and tarnish Romania’s image in order to save one person, is proof of serious irresponsibility and defiance. The Liberal opposition has also lashed out at the MPs decision. Liberal Party co-chair Alina Gorghiu says that Victor Ponta disdains the law and the Romanians. Both the president and the opposition believe that a solution to the present situation is Ponta’s resignation. We recall that the incumbent Prime Minister is currently facing several charges such as forgery, tax evasion and money laundering in a file also involving former transport minister, Social-Democrat senator Dan Sova.
Romania’s Higher Defence Council (CSAT) has convened in Bucharest under the auspices of president Klaus Iohannis for a new round of talks on the country’s defence strategy, the impact and firm measures against illegal deforestation as well as a programme of fitting the Romanian air forces with multi-role jet fighters. The CSAT members will also be discussing the interconnection of Romania’s and the Republic of Moldova’s gas networks and power grids, the latest developments in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova’s European integration. Yesterday Iohannis briefed Parliament party leaders on the country’s new defence strategy. Iohannis has underlined the obligation of boosting Romania’s strategic credibility both at home and abroad, due to the new challenges and security risks at regional and international levels.
The ex-soviet Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova can default on debt unless it signs a funding agreement with the IMF, Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici has been quoted by Radio Chisinau as saying. The head of the Moldovan government has again pleaded for the dissolution of the three banks involved in the disappearance of a billion dollars out of Moldova’s banking system, which is also an IMF condition for negotiating a loan agreement with the authorities in Chisinau. According to the Moldovan official the agreement has to be discussed after the local election on June 14th, when an IMF delegation is expected to arrive in Chisinau. We recall that yesterday Prime Minister Gaburici was summoned at the National Anticorruption Centre in Chisinau for explanations in a file concerning forgery in his education documents.
Romania’s exports have increased in the first quarter of this year by 5% as compared to the same period last year, whereas imports rose by roughly 6%, according to data issued by the National Statistics Institute today published by AGERPRES. According to the INS survey, Romania’s exports stood at 17.7 billion euros. Between January and April this year the trade balance deficit rose by 255 million euros as against the same period of 2014, exceeding two billion euros. Romania’s exports and imports are mainly consisting of machinery and transport equipment as well as other manufactured products.
A delegation of the National Liberal Party (the main opposition party in Romania) is today meeting several foreign ambassadors accredited to Bucharest for talks on the censure motion tabled by the Liberal opposition against the left-wing cabinet in Romania. The motion was read in Parliament yesterday and the MPs are expected to give their vote on Friday. The Liberals have been calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ponta, whom they accuse of deliberately sabotaging the vote of the Romanians abroad in the last year’s presidential election as well as of freezing local and Parliamentary partial election this year. This is the third no-confidence vote the cabinet has been facing in the past two years.
