March 3, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 03.03.2024, 19:20

MOTION – The Romanian MPs will debate, on Monday, the simple motion tabled by the opposition against Finance Minister, Marcel Boloş. USR and the Force of the Right blame him, among other things, for having initiated the 10% tax to additionally to medical leaves. The vote is scheduled for Tuesday. Also on Monday, the draft law that allows holding presidential elections sooner, in September, will be debated by the expert committees of the Chamber of Deputies, as a decision-making body. In the form adopted by the Senate, the document provides that presidential elections can be held no later than 90 days before the month in which the head of state’s mandate expires. The law establishing tougher punishments for drug traffickers will also receive the final vote in the Bucharest Parliament. Drug production and trafficking are the biggest criminal business in the European Union, said the Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, the initiator of this project.

CELEBRATION – The celebration of the Romanian-Polish Solidarity Day on March 3rd is proof of the historical friendship between Romania and Poland and of the joint commitment to deepening the Strategic Partnership and strengthening cooperation within the EU and NATO, a post by the Romanian Government, on a social network, reads. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Romania and Poland issued a joint press release on the occasion of the celebration. The Romanian-Polish Solidarity Day proves the partnership between the two nations, united by common historical experiences and the will to strengthen bilateral relations, the press release says. As EU member states and NATO Allies, Romania and Poland remain firmly committed to supporting Ukraine in its efforts to counter Russia’s armed aggression, as well as to restoring the international order based on the principles of international law. 2024 marks 105 years of bilateral diplomatic relations, 85 years since Romania offered shelter to the Polish government, which, outside its borders, began the fight against the Nazi German occupiers, 35 years since the fall of communism and 15 years of strategic partnership.

JAI – The EU home affairs and justice ministers are meeting, on Monday and Tuesday, in Brussels, at the Justice and Home Affairs Council. The meeting’s agenda includes the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, the security situation in the context of the conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and a legislative proposal regarding the fight against the illegal introduction of migrants. On Monday, European home affairs ministers will have an exchange of views on the general situation of the Schengen area and on the evaluation of the EU legislative act establishing Frontex. Another important topic is the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime. The second day of the meeting is dedicated to the justice component, the agenda including, among other things, a recently approved directive on the minimum standards for preventing and combating the illegal introduction of migrants. Its objective is to increase the effectiveness of criminal prosecution of migrant smuggling networks by clarifying the definition of the crime of smuggling and harmonizing sanctions.

POLICE – The Interior Ministry in Bucharest will increase the number of Romanian policemen who cooperate with Italian policemen in order to identify organized crime members operating in Romania, the head of the relevant Romanian ministry, Catalin Predoiu said. In a video post on the Interior Ministry’s website, Predoiu says that he has recently decided with his counterpart, Matteo Piantedosi, to develop police cooperation to combat organized crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking by exchanging information and by joint operative actions. Predoiu says that, for the Bucharest authorities, the connection with the national police of other EU member states, such as the Italian one, represents an investment in the ability of the Romanian Police to fight organized crime. The two ministers also discussed the practice of some convicted citizens who avoid final prison sentences by fleeing Romania and finding loopholes in Italian law not to observe court rulings.

JERUSALEM – Thousands of people took to the streets again, Saturday evening, in several cities in Israel, against the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to demand the release of the hostages held by the Palestinian terrorists from Hamas, dpa reports. The agency reports that Netanyahu’s popularity dropped drastically after the attack, with critics accusing him of failing to protect the border with the Gaza Strip in order to prioritize his own political survival, at the expense of the country’s interests. (EE)