The Week in Review: 6 – 12 February 2017
Click here for a review of the week's main stories
România Internațional, 12.02.2017, 19:03
Street protests and tensions continue in Romania.
The Romanian Justice Minister, Florin Iordache, considered responsible for the situation created after the Government adopted an emergency decree meant to amend the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes, on Thursday submitted his resignation, although, he claimed, all the initiatives he assumed were legal and constitutional. The decree, criticized by the Romanian President and the main legal institutions in Romania, as well as by foreign partners in the EU and NATO, was repealed, but street protests continued in the capital Bucharest and other cities across Romania and also abroad. People are discontented with just one resignation, saying that they expected a similar gesture to be made by PM Sorin Grindeanu, who gave his approval for the emergency decree by signing the document. In another development, protesters say they do not want to impose another government of a different political orientation. They acknowledge the victory of the Social Democratic Party in last years legislative elections and want them to continue governing the country but in a different formula. They want the Social Democrats to appoint a new government, to restore part of the confidence lost, and in this way protests might end. But the Grindeanu government does have fervent supporters! Pro-government protesters chose to protest in front of the Cotroceni Palace, the presidential administration headquarters, asking the President Klaus Iohannis to step down and for their vote of December 11th to be respected. Meanwhile, President Iohannis on Tuesday spoke before Parliament for the first time after the inauguration of the coalition government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and pleaded for a responsible and sustainable governing act. In reply, the governing parties blamed the president for not exerting his role of mediator.
The Constitutional Court rejects the notifications on the emergency government decree on amending the criminal codes.
The controversial emergency government decree on amending the criminal codes was examined by Romanias Constitutional Court, which on Wednesday rejected the notifications submitted last week by President Iohannis and the head of the Superior Council of Magistracy. They ruled that there was no legal conflict of an institutional nature among the state powers following the adoption of the respective decree. The Court also looked into a notification, submitted, in substance, by the Ombudsman and equally rejected it, because the emergency decree had in the meantime been repealed. The content of the decree was not analysed, although some commentators claim that an analysis was required.
The Grindeanu Government survives a first no-confidence motion.
In power for just one month, the Romanian Government has easily survived a first no-confidence motion submitted by the right-wing opposition. Initiated by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union and supported by the Peoples Movement Party, the motion did not get a majority of votes in Parliament, as was expected. The opposition accused the government of having secretly passed, in the dead of night, the decree amending the criminal codes with a view to saving some corrupt politicians from facing criminal charges. The motion was voted by 161 MPs but it needed at least 233 votes to pass. After the vote, the PM Sorin Grindeanu promised the Government would be open for dialogue in the future, especially regarding issues related to justice and fiscal policies, two domains, which are very sensitive with Romanians.
A Sovereign Fund for Development and Investment to be set up in Romania.
The leftist Romanian Government on Thursday passed a memorandum for setting up a Sovereign Fund for Investment, the Economy Minister, Alexandru Petrescu announced. He explained that the fund is aimed at boosting economic growth and supporting funding and investment in competitive, profitable and sustainable sectors, with a mass economic effect as a result of attracting capital and financing resources. According to minister Petrescu the Fund will be a partner for institutional investors, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, mutual funds and other private investors. The Minister went on to say that a draft law will be adopted regulating the functioning and structure of the fund, adding that the Sovereign Fund for Development and Investment will contribute both to Romanias efforts to gain the status of an emerging market for its domestic capital market by increasing liquidities on the Bucharest stock exchange, as well as to increasing the level of absorption of non-reimbursable EU funds, by means of ensuring the co-funding financial sources of investment projects.
Romania at the 2017 edition of the Berlinale.
The feature film “Ana, mon amour by Romanian director Călin Peter Netzer was selected for the official competition of the 67th edition of the Berlinale, the years first great film festival in Europe unfolding the Berlin between February 9th and 19th. Netzer already holds the 2013 Golden Bear award for his film “Childs Pose. This year Romania is also represented in the “Berlianle Talents section by directors Ilinca Călugăreanu and Ioana Mischie, actor Alexandru Potocean, producer Andra Popescu, operator Carmen Tofeni, film distributor Matei Truţă and scriptwriter Minca Stan. Also Romania is represented in the “Shooting Star program by actor Tudor Aaron Istodor while the project “The Deer by Bogdan George Apetri was singled out for the “Co-production Market section.
