July 19, 2019

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 19.07.2019, 14:35

PROSECUTOR The European Parliament has
reiterated its support for the former head of Romania’s main anti-corruption
agency (DNA), Laura Codruta Kovesi, as their candidate for the position of
European Chief Prosecutor. As the European Parliament president David Maria
Sassoli has explained in a communiqué, it is essential that investigation and
prosecution in cases involving EU budget frauds, corruption or cross-border VAT
frauds be ensured as soon as possible. Sending a letter of support from the
European Parliament was decided upon Thursday at the Conference of Presidents
of the European Parliament (which brings together heads of political groups in
Parliament). We recall that in spring, the European Parliament decided to back
Kovesi to head the European Prosecutor’s Office whereas the EU Council preferred
French candidate Jean-Francois Bohnert. Several rounds of talks between the
delegates of the two institutions have so far ended in a deadlock. Under the
internal regulations of the future European institution the Council and
Parliament must agree upon the nomination of the chief prosecutor for a 7-year
mandate, which cannot be renewed.

CONFERENCE During a ministerial conference in
Washington on promoting religious liberty staged by the US State Department,
Romanian state secretary Maria Magdalena Grigore has said that Romania will
always be a promoter of religious liberty and the spirit of tolerance, the Foreign
Affairs Ministry in Bucharest has announced. ‘We believe that ethnic and
religious diversity are sources of development enriching any culture or society
and the latest visit Pope Francis paid to Romania is proof of the inter- confessional harmony in our country’, the
Romanian official went on to say. The conference has brought together over 100
foreign ministers and high-ranking government officials from all over the world.
Participants have tackled the present challenges to religious freedom as well
as concrete ways of fighting religious persecutions. Hosted by secretary of
state Mike Pompeo, the conference is the largest event of this kind in the
world. Romania has associated to two declarations made during the event, one
referring to the respect for religion and faith and the other to the protection
of worship places, the same communiqué says.

VISIT A delegation of the Romanian
Ministry for Business Environment, Commerce and Entrepreneurship is visiting
Japan over July 19th and 26th in order to attract
Japanese investors in the Romanian economy. According to a communiqué the
Ministry issued on Friday, the Romanian delegation’s agenda includes a series
of talks and meetings in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Tokyo with officials from
Japan’s government institutions and representatives of the business and banking
environment about opportunities deriving from the coming into effect early this
year of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. Also high on the agenda
are talks with representatives of several major Japanese companies. Bilateral
trade between the two countries stood at 710 million dollars in 2018. Romania
exports to Japan tobacco, wood, honey, car parts, clothes, medicine, electrical
equipment and imports cars, industrial machinery and equipment, metal and
chemical products, instruments as well as optical and photo equipment.

FESTIVAL The 11th Histories
and Film Festival kicks off in Rasnov, central Romania today. Film screenings,
theatre shows, concerts of rock and baroque music will be taking place in the
city centre until July 28th. The festival will also host debates on
the anti-communist revolution of December 1989, economic freedom, the liberty of
music, freedom gained and freedom lost 30 years after the demise of the
communist regime in Romania, cinema and freedom. Other issues are to be tackled
during the festival such as Romanian migration, Europe’s future after the
Brexit, the digitization of society or the minorities issue. 50 years since the
first moon landing are to be also marked during the event as well as 70 years
since the foundation of NATO.

FOOTBALL Three Romanian teams will play in Europa League’s second
preliminary round. Winners of Romanian Cup in football, Viitorul Constanta take
on Belgian opponents KAA Gent, straight into the second preliminary round.
Vice-champions FCSB grabbed a two-legged win in the tie against Milsami Orhei
of Republic of Moldova. FCSB will next take on Armenian opponents Alashkert FC,
while CSU Craiova, whose most recent record also includes a double-legged win
in the tie against Azeri team FK Sabail, are up against Hungarian side Honved
Budapest. Romania’s champions CFR Cluj have got through to the Champions
League’s second preliminary round, where they will face Israel’s champion team
Maccabi Tel Aviv.

(translated by bill)