April 25, 2018
Romanian PM visits Israel; President Iohannis talks to National Bank high officials
Roxana Vasile, 25.04.2018, 14:00
TEL AVIV — Romanian PM Viorica Dancila starts on Wednesday a two day official visit to Israel, invited by her counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. The visit is part of the celebration of 70 years of official diplomatic relations, as 2018 marks 70 years since the creation of the state of Israel, 70 years of continuous diplomatic relations, and 100 years since the creation of the modern Romanian state. During her visit, PM Dancila will hold a working lunch with Mr. Netanyahu, will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, will meet President Reuven Rivlin, and will also hold talks with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. According to Radio Romanias correspondent to Israel, Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea, speaker of the lower chamber of the Romanian Parliament, is also in Israel, due to hold a separate meeting with the head of the Israeli government.
BANKING — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis meets on Wednesday the governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu, and the deputy vice-governor, Florin Georgescu. On Friday, the head of state will meet PM Viorica Dancila and Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici. According to the Presidency, the head of state hopes that the two sides will meet in direct dialog soon. On Monday, President Klaus Iohannis stated that he will try to act as a mediator between the Government and the National Bank, assessing that negative statements had gone too far, after ruling coalition representatives had made tough statements against National Bank representatives.
PRISONS — The lower chamber of the Romanian Parliament passed today a bill on alternative ways of serving prison time. They include house arrest and weekend detention in special centers for inmates with sentences less than five years who have already served a fifth of their sentence. Excepted are repeat offenders, violent offenders, as well as people with convictions for influence peddling, corruption, and bribery. Late last week, the annual human rights report issued by the US State Department stated that Romanian prisons are overcrowded and do not comply with Council of Europe standards. The latter institution threatened with fining Romania in relation to that same issue. In related developments, Romania has already passed a law reducing prison sentences for people who are not jailed in proper conditions.
PRESS – The Reporters Without Borders organization accuses the Romanian media of being over-politicized in its 2018 freedom of the press ranking, published on Wednesday. The Paris based organization alleges corrupt financing, partisan coverage, and infiltration by intelligence organizations. The report states that the press being turned into a political propaganda instrument has been more visible than ever in Romania, especially during political campaigns. Reporters Without Borders ranks Romanian 44th of 180 in its world freedom of the press ranking.
MOLDOVA — A recent poll in Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, reveals that 55% of Moldovans want to unite with Romania. 80,000 people participated in the research. March 27th was the 100th anniversary of the union of Bessarabia and Romania. Bessarabia was a Czarist Empire province with a majority Romanian population, later annexed by the Soviet Union in June 1940, creating on its territory the present Republic of Moldova.
MILITARY — Four British Eurofighter Typhoon fighters landed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase in southeast Romania for missions on NATOs eastern flank, as announced by the Romanian Defense Ministry. The four warplanes, with a crew of around 160 specialists, will be in the country until the end of August, accompanied by Romanian MiG-21 Lancer R aircraft. They are part of a NATO joint defensive mission to ensure the security of allied airspace and to bolster speed of reaction and deterrence.
