THE WEEK IN REVIEW

August 28- September 1, 2023

Ştefan Stoica, 02.09.2023, 14:00

A (new) Romanian tragedy

The commune of Crevedia, near Bucharest, was put, on the evening of August 26, on the map of Romanian tragedies that could be avoided. The devastating explosions produced at an LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) station in the locality left people dead, and dozens more injured, most of them firefighters who intervened after the first deflagration. Although the circumstances and the number of victims are different, the comparison with the tragedy at the Bucharest club Colectiv, in which more than 60 young people died, is justified, especially if the investigations will confirm the abuse and illegalities that would have allowed the fuel station to operate, despite the fact it it no longer had an operating license since 2020. Four investigations were launched: the first, by the General Prosecutors Office, aims at the causes of the explosions, the second, by the Military Prosecutors Office, analyzes how the firefighters acted, and two investigations, by the Anti-Corruption Directorate, investigate possible abuse of office on the part of some civil servants who had to check the license of the LPG station. As always in such cases, the authorities are mobilized and have extensive controls, at the national level. As a result, irregularities were discovered at fuel stations in Romania. And, because nothing seems to be by chance, the media found out that one of the shareholders in the company that owned the LPG station where the explosions took place is the son of a PSD mayor from another county, a generous donor to the party. In 10 years, the turnover of the company, which has dozens of contracts, including with the state, would have increased almost 500 times.

Reorganization of the Romanian Police

The heads of Constanţa Police, the county in the south-east of the country where a tragic road accident caused by a young drug addict recently took place, called for their own dismissal, in the week when the Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu, presented the conclusions of the Control Office in case of accident. Predoiu promised a complete reshuffling of the entire law enforcement apparatus in the structures of his ministry, the MIA, a reset that will start with the Constanța Police Inspectorate. There, according to his own words, the battle with crime has been lost in recent years. We remind you that a 19-year-old driver under the influence of drugs killed two young people and injured three others near the commune of 2 Mai. He had been stopped in traffic by the police about three hours before the road accident and taken to the station, where, after he was tested for alcohol and the result came out negative, he was let go. Predoiu announced that a preliminary investigation was ordered for negligence in the case of several officers involved in the faulty management of the case. He also said that he intends to militarize all the educational institutions of the MIA, and that he will redesign the National Anti-Drug Agency, in relation to the evolution of consumption in Romania. The Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, stated, on the other hand, that the fight against drugs requires a joint effort, and that the number of prosecutors currently dealing with such cases is very small. Almost 4,700 cases related to drugs were solved this year in Romania, although only 14 prosecutors are active in the department for combating drug trafficking.

Diplomacy meeting

Organized, traditionally, around Diplomacy Day, which is marked on September 1, the general meeting of Romanian diplomacy had, this year, the theme of managing challenges in the Black Sea area and maximizing opportunities. Romania will continue to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary, and will stay on the side of the Republic of Moldova through financial assistance, expertise, and political support, for an irreversible European path and in the construction of a safe and prosperous state, President Klaus Iohannis firmly stated at the meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions and directors of cultural institutes. On the other hand, it is Romanias duty to continue to be an authentic provider of security in the region, so that the Black Sea becomes a region where peace and prosperity can no longer be subject to any threat, the president emphasized. A painful delays in the process of full integration into the Union, Romanias accession to the Schengen area remains a priority for the next period of time, Iohannis promised. The diplomatic meeting represents an opportunity to update priorities in a context dominated by Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, an unprecedented threat to peace, security and international rules based order, Foreign Minister Luminiţa Odobescu said. She declared that efforts will be intensified to strengthen Romanias profile within the European Union, NATO, and internationally.

ENESCU Festival at the 26th edition

Until September 24, Bucharest will be the musical capital of the continent. 3,500 artists will perform in 90 concerts at the George Enescu International Festival, now in its 26th edition, one that takes place under the motto Generosity through music. The 2023 edition is the first with a new artistic director, master conductor Cristian Măcelaru. He dedicated Rhapsody no. 2 by George Enescu, on the first day of concerts, to those in need of comfort after the tragedy in Crevedia. Among the important orchestras participating in this years edition are the Vienna Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, the National Orchestra of France, the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. First-class international conductors will take the stage during the festival: Cristian Măcelaru, Zubin Mehta, Sir Simon Rattle, Wilson Hermanto, Delyana Lazarova, Lawrence Foster, Vladimir Jurowski. Four of Radio Romanias six musical ensembles were invited to perform on the festival stage: the National Radio Orchestra, the Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Radio Academic Choir, and the Radio Childrens Choir.