The Week in Review November 2 – 6

Click here for a roundup of the week's main stories.

Corina Cristea, 07.11.2015, 14:00

Tragedy at a Bucharest nightclub

Tens of young people died and nearly two hundred others were injured in a fire that took place almost a week ago in a nightclub downtown Bucharest. Organized in an inappropriate venue, the concert of the metal band “Goodbye to Gravity ended tragically when the sound insulation material on a pillar accidentally caught fire, and the flames spread rapidly to the ceiling. Hundreds of people, five times more than the club capacity, according to the authorization documents, were caught under the burning pieces of ceiling falling down. The thick smoke and the combination of toxic gases resulting from the blaze, along with the inadequate number of exit ways, turned the nightclub into a death trap. An impressive number of intervention teams were mobilised, and they were helped by passers-by, by the nurses working at a nearby maternity hospital and by those who had managed to get out in time from the club. The victims were taken to several hospitals, and desperate parents started to look for their children, who had come to the concert. Underage kids were also attending, although the law does not allow the presence of minors in nightclubs. From the first statements in the media, the Secretary of State with the Interior Ministry Raed Arafat, who was in charge of the crisis together with the Health Minister Nicolae Banicioiu, emphasised that the nightclub did not have a proper operation permit from the fire inspectors. The tragedy shocked the entire Romanian society as well as the international community, which sent condolences and offered support to the injured.

Measures after the tragedy, ongoing investigation

The tragedy brought to light legislative flaws and raised many questions regarding the way operation permits are granted. President Klaus Iohannis called on the relevant authorities to make sure the investigation takes place with the utmost efficiency, firmness and swiftness in enforcing the law. The head of state also urged the authorities to make sure that such tragic events cannot ever take place again. Klaus Iohannis:

“We can no longer tolerate the incompetence of some authorities, the inefficiency of some institutions, we can no longer allow corruption to spread and suffocate us. Each and every one of us must act as engaged and active citizens, able to work together because they care about the society and country in which they live.

Concurrently with the efforts to rescue those injured, the authorities have mobilised to remedy the shortcomings brought to light by this tragedy. Inspectors have started to carry out thorough controls of restaurants, clubs, discos, cinema theatres, bars and malls which venue events, to see whether legal functioning conditions are met or not. The checkouts have a pre-emptive role, with the inspectors verifying operation permits and other documents allowing owners to organise shows with pyrotechnical and flammable stuff. The laws regulating the functioning of such venues are being significantly changed and will further be toughened. Fines have also been increased significantly. The club owners who infringe rules and regulations in the field can now be accused of criminal offences and can have their clubs closed down.

The government resigns, following large protests

Deeply affected by the loss of innocent lives because of corruption, the Romanian society has joined forces in an unprecedented humanitarian effort, organised a march of silence on one of the three days of national mourning, and then on Tuesday evening, people took to the streets and organised a huge peaceful rally. Over 20,000 protesters in Bucharest called for the resignations of Prime Minister Victor Ponta, Interior Minister Gabriel Oprea, and of Cristian Popescu Piedone, the mayor of Bucharests fourth district where the Colectiv nightclub is located. They were considered the representatives of a political class, which bears the blame for the tragedy, which occurred on Friday night. The protest has also produced effects. The Prime Minister handed in his mandate, and implicitly the mandate of his cabinet, a gesture that was shortly followed by the resignation of the mayor of Bucharests fourth district. However, tens of thousands of anti-system protesters in Bucharest, other big cities across the country and in the Diaspora took to the streets again in the following days, saying they will continue to protest until the whole political class is reformed. There is a wide-range of requests and demands, but the most chanted slogans are those anti-system, like “All parties, the same filth. Romanias president has designated education minister Sorin Campeanu interim prime minister. He will lead the cabinet until a person is designated to form a new government, following consultations with the parliamentary parties, and, as a premiere, with representatives of civil society. The Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition, stands for establishing a package of economic, social and political objectives, to be reached in the ensuing period of time, and designed to meet the major demands made by people in the street. The National Liberal Party, the main opposition party, believes the best solution would be to hold early election.