July 9, 2023

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Newsroom, 09.07.2023, 13:44

POLICE Romanian policemen last week enforced 19 European arrest
warrants and 589 people, who are the subject of alerts in the Schengen
Information System, have been located on Romania’s territory. According to a
Romanian police communiqué, 30 documents and 45 vehicles sought by the Schengen
partners have been seized in Romania to be used as evidence within legal
procedures. At the same time, 199 people wanted by the Romanian authorities
have been identified by foreign partners on their territory, the communiqué
also says.

DIICOT The situation in several old people’s homes in Ilfov County,
close to Bucharest, where prosecutors have identified organized crime groups
who were exploiting and mistreating old and disabled people is being analyzed
by the government today. The country’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is
having talks with several ministers about the measures needed so that suchlike
situations may not repeat. According to the DIICOT prosecutors, the residents
of the aforementioned institutions were forced to do some of the most
humiliating works and the inspections, which could have ended their suffering,
used to be announced beforehand by the defendants’ accomplices in state
institutions. According to DIICOT prosecutors, the group would have siphoned
off 740 thousand Euros from several social assistance directions in Ilfov and
Bucharest. Some of those involved have been placed in temporary custody for 30
days, whereas other defendants in the same file have been placed under house
arrest or judicial investigation. Prime Minister Ciolacu has called for the
resignation of the boards of the National Agency for Payment and Social
Inspection with the Ilfov County Agency and also for checking in old people’s
homes around the country. Prefect offices have already announced the setting up
of committees to do the checking.

SUMMIT Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis will be participating in
the NATO summit in Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday, the presidential
administration in Bucharest has announced. The summit is to include three
high-level meetings of the North-Atlantic Council, in formats, which also include
Ukraine, the European Union as well as NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners. At the
summit, the Romanian president is expected to underline the fundamental
importance of continuing the implementation of the Madrid decisions on
strengthening the allied defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank.
Iohannis will also reiterate the robust support for Ukraine, including its
NATO’s accession, as well as for the most vulnerable partners, especially for
the Republic of Moldova. According to the same sources, the head of the
Romanian state will be also referring to the need for having the importance of
the Black Sea region in the Euro-Atlantic security reflected in the allied
documents and decisions. In Vilnius, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is
expecting that most allies announce their commitment to increasing defence
budgets to over 2% of the GDP starting next year. He said in Brussels that 11
member countries, Romania included, had already fulfilled this commitment.

TENNIS The Romanian pair, Ana Bogdan/Jaqueline
Cristian is today taking on Lidia Morozova of Belarus and Ingrid Martins
Gamarra of Brazil in the second round of the Wimbledon doubles after their
Saturday’s win against Danielle Collins and Alison Riske-Amritraj of the USA. The
Romanian-Ukrainian pair, Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostiuk has also qualified for
the second round and will take on Miriam Koloziejova and Marketa Vondrousova of
the Czech Republic on Monday. Romania is no longer represented in the main
draw, after Sorana Cirstea lost to Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia on Saturday.

FAIR The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair is due to end in Brasov,
southern Romania today. During the five-day event, the almost 40 exhibitors have
put on displays thousands of books for all tastes and ages, music, educational
games and self-development books. The event has also included book launches,
conferences and debates attended by local writers and not only by them. Adrian
Lesenciuc, poet, prose and essay-writer as well as literary critic has been the
honorary president of the present edition.

(bill)