February 11, 2017
Interim justice minister Ana Birchall meets with experts in the judicial field/ Moldovan Government not willing to take over Transdniester debt/ Fed Cup to start Saturday
Newsroom, 11.02.2017, 14:26
JUSTICE — The interim justice minister, Ana Birchall, announced she would have a first meeting on Monday with the representatives of the Superior Council of Magistracy, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) and the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) as well as with all the bodies with expertise in the field of the judiciary. The purpose of the meeting is to work out the best solutions to fight corruption and defend fundamental human rights. Ana Birchall said she had no hidden agenda and that she was open to any solutions but the final decisions will be made by Parliament though. Ana Birchall took over the justice minister seat after Florin Iordache resigned against the backdrop of large-scale street protests caused by the adoption of an emergency government decree on the modification of the criminal codes. Although the decree was subsequently repealed and justice minister Iordache resigned, protests against the government coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats continued in Bucharest and other cities across Romania. In another move, protests were also staged to support the government and to blame the way President Iohannis played his role of mediator among state institutions.
MOLDOVA — The Moldovan Government is not willing to take responsibility for the debt amounting to almost 6 billion dollars accumulated by the separatist region of Transdniester for the purchase of Russian gas. The statement was made by the Moldovan PM Pavel Filip at a meeting with the vice-president of Gazprom, Valeri Golubev. Recently the pro-Russian Socialist president of Moldova, Igor Dodon, had given assurances to Moscow that the debt would be paid by Moldova. Transdniester de facto went out of the control of Moldovan authorities in the early 1990s and has since been supported financially by Russia which deployed units of the 14th Army on its territory. Given that the independence of Transdniester is not recognized, Moscow believes that the Republic of Moldova should pay for the gas Russia delivers to that region on credit.
FED CUP — Romania’s Fed Cup team is meeting Belgium this weekend in Bucharest in the first round of World Group II. The first two singles are scheduled for Saturday with Monica Niculescu (36 WTA) playing against Kirsten Flipkens (74 WTA) and Sorana Cîrstea (62 WTA) facing Yanina Wickmayer (60 WTA). On Sunday, also in the singles, Nicluescu will take on Wickmayer and Cîrstea will face Flipkens. In the doubles, the pair Irina Begu (29 WTA)/Patricia Ţig (106 WTA) will be up against Elise Mertens (83 WTA)/Maryna Zanevska (123 WTA). Simona Halep (4 WTA) is not participating in this competition, which is the women’s equivalent of the Davis Cup.
RUGBY – Romania’s national rugby team are making their debut on Saturday on the Offenbach am Main stadium against the German team, in a new season of the Rugby Europe Championship. Officially, this match marks the start of the qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup, due in Japan. As part of the Rugby Europe Championship Romania will take on the Spanish team on February 18, Russia on March 4, Belgium on March 11 and Georgia on March 19. (news translated by L. Simion)
