January 25, 2016 UPDATE

The European Counter Terrorism Centre has been opened in Amsterdam / EU countries ask for extension of border controls in the Schengen area

Newsroom, 25.01.2016, 12:15

European Union countries have asked the blocs executive to prepare for the extension of temporary border controls in the Schengen area for up to two years, Dutch Migration Minister Klaas Dijkhoff said on Monday. “Currently, the temporary border measures can be aken only for a limited period of six months. But the unprecedented influx of asylum seekers, which compelled member states to take these measures nationally, have not decreased yet,” Dijkhoff, who chaired the EU ministerial meeting in Amsterdam, told a news conference. Romania was represented at the meeting by its Home Affairs Minister Petre Toba.

The European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) has been opened in Amsterdam within the current organisational structure of Europol – the European Union law enforcement agency. The centre will improve information sharing among national police forces whose performance is under scrutiny after the jihadist attacks in Paris in November. “Our ambition is for the European Counter Terrorism Centre to become a central information hub in the fight against terrorism in the EU, providing analysis for ongoing investigations and contributing to a coordinated reaction in the event of major terrorist attacks,” said Europol’s Director Rob Wainwright. According to Wainwright, alongside counter-terrorism coordination, the centre will also monitor the way in which Islamic State (IS) and other extremist groups are abusing the Internet and social media, in particular for their propaganda and recruitment purposes.

Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations envoy for Syria has announced that peace talks are scheduled to start on January 29 and might take around 6 months. UN talks on Syria will begin later this week, despite the continuing failure to agree who will represent the rebels fighting to overthrow Bashar al-Assad and a lack of agreement on other key issues, the organisation has announced. Staffan de Mistura also said on Monday that the names of the people invited at the peace talks will be made public on Tuesday.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that Ukrainian authorities signalled a swine flu outbreak in the country, a respiratory disease, caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1. Ukrainian officials have introduced a number of urgent measures to prevent the spreading of the virus, such as temporarily closing schools and banning some public gatherings. The Romanian Foreign Ministry strongly recommends Romanian citizens to avoid travelling to Ukraine in the upcoming period. H1N1 is the same strain that causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis. Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu – fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and chills.

The Romanian Anti-Corruption Directorate has requested approval from the Senate for the prosecution of former Minister of the Interior, Gabriel Oprea, for abuse of office. He is suspected of illegally using the resources of the ministry when travelling on ministry business. He is also accused of illegally signing a protocol by which the same illegal benefits were granted to the general prosecutor with the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The Anti-Corruption Directorate started the investigation after a motorcycle police escort to the minister lost his life on duty in his official column. The lack of reaction after the incident and the lack of justification for that assignment sparked public outrage.

The new PM of the Republic of Moldova, Pavel Filip, is paying a visit to Romania on Tuesday, invited by Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos. The two will be discussing joint projects and the reform agenda that Chisinau has committed to under the Association Agreement with the EU. This is the first official visit of the new Moldovan Prime Minister, while the situation in Chisinau is volatile. Over 20,000 protesters, pro-Russian political forces and representatives of civil society took to the streets on Sunday in Chisinau, condemning endemic corruption.

(Translated by Elena Enache)