December 17, 2018 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 17.12.2018, 19:46
Technical revision Tiganesti transmitters – The Tiganesti short-wave transmitters relaying Radio Romania International broadcasts are undergoing technical revision on Tuesday, December 18, between 09.00 and 17.00 hours, Bucharest time (07.00-15.00 GMT), according to schedule. In the aforementioned time span, you can listen to our broadcasts relayed by the Galbeni transmitters on short-wave, online at www.rri.ro, on mobile apps that can be downloaded from Google Play and App Store, on Eutelsat 16A satellite, as well as on your landline or mobile phone.
Government – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Monday conveyed a letter to the PM Viorica Dancila asking for the working agenda of each government meeting, the presidential administration reports. The request comes after the justice minister Tudorel Toader on Monday said they were working on a draft emergency decree for the modification of the Criminal Code and of the Criminal Procedure Code, which is in line with the decisions of the Constitutional Court and which transposes into the Romanian legislation two directives: extended confiscation to be included in the Criminal Code, and the consolidation of the presumption of innocence to be included in the Criminal Procedure Code. Toader also added that amnesty and pardon was, for the moment, a last resort solution to right a series of abuses, but there are other legislative measures that can be adopted. The Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea said Sunday at the national committee meeting of the PSD that the government coalition had the obligation to pass an emergency decree on amnesty and pardon to fix alleged injustices, if no other solutions are found. Recently the Save Romania Union leader Dan Barna asked president Iohannis to participate in all government meetings in December to prevent the passing of an emergency decree on amnesty and pardon.
Oltchim — Romania needs to recuperate state aid worth 335 million Euros granted to the petrochemical works Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea (in the south) following the failed privatization of September 2012, the European Commission decided on Monday. Also the EC concluded that the companies that bought the assets did not benefit from the aid previously granted to the Oltchim company, given that they purchased the assets according to the market conditions. Therefore, the responsibility for reimbursing the aid lies with the Oltchim works. Along the years Oltchim benefited from the cancellation of significant public debts. Following the investigation, the European officials concluded that the respective measures granted the company an unfair economic advantage, infringing the EU norms regarding state aid, an advantage that Romania now has to recuperate. Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea was one of the biggest petrochemical companies in Southeastern Europe and more than 10 years ago it exported products to 80 countries from all over the world. (news updated by L. Simion)
