October 10, 2024

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 10.10.2024, 13:55

Corruption. The liberal MP Nelu Tătaru, a doctor and former Minister of Health, was heard today by anti-corruption prosecutors under the suspicion that he took bribes from patients or their relatives at least 100 times. Upon leaving the headquarters of the National Anticorruption Directorate in Iaşi, in northeastern Romania, Tătaru said that he was innocent and that he had “never” requested or conditioned the medical care on money from patients. According to Romanian law, parliamentarians can be investigated, charged and sent to court for breaking the law, but parliamentary immunity prevents investigators from conducting searches or detaining them, without an opinion from the House of which they belong. Nelu Tătaru was Minister of Health from March to December 2020, the first year of the COVID 19 pandemic. As a result of the investigation, Liberal president Nicolae Ciucă announced that Nelu Tătaru was dismissed from the management of the Vaslui branch of the party and from the leadership of the Health Commission in the Chamber of Deputies.

Schengen. The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area in terms of land borders is today on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. The European Commission considers that Romania and Bulgaria have done more than required by the European legislation and better than other states to manage the borders of the Union, so that the two states should enjoy the full advantages of a member state, the RRA correspondent in Brussels reports. On the eve of the JHC council, the European Executive published a survey showing that 83% of the European companies believe that the Schengen Area is good for business and that the elimination of controls reduces their expenses. The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, recalls the benefits of lifting air controls, a measure taken in March, but the effect is incomplete if ground controls persist. Austria is the only state that opposes Romania and Bulgaria’s land border accession to Schengen.

Moldova. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is today visiting the Republic of Moldova for talks with President Maia Sandu, as a sign of support before the presidential elections on October 20 and the referendum on the country’s accession to the EU. Sandu wants to obtain a second presidential mandate in the elections that take place simultaneously with a referendum on the specification of EU accession as a “strategic objective” in the Constitution. “This visit underlines the increasingly close relations between Chisinau and Brussels” – it is stated in a press release from the presidency of the Republic of Moldova. On Wednesday, MEPs adopted a resolution reaffirming their support for the European path of the Republic of Moldova and vehemently condemned Moscow’s malicious activities, its meddling and hybrid operations, constantly trying to change the European direction of the Republic of Moldova. More on this after the news.

Meeting. The Romanian Minister of National Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, had a bilateral meeting with his counterpart from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zukan Helez, in Sarajevo. The discussion agenda included topics regarding the strengthening of cooperation in the field of regional security, with an emphasis on the EUFOR Althea mission, in which Romania assumed a significant role. The bilateral defense cooperation agreement, signed in June 2024, was another important topic on the agenda of the two ministers’ discussions. The document establishes the framework for the deepening of military collaboration between the two states, including aspects of joint training, exchange of experience and logistical support.

Diplomacy. The head of the diplomatic representation of Romania in Rome, Gabriela Dancău, was designated “Ambassador of the year 2024” in Italy by the publication Gazzetta Diplomatica. The prize is awarded annually in memory of the Italian ambassador Giovanni Giannuzzi. The director of the newspaper, Marco Finelli, said that the Romanian diplomat received numerous votes from ambassadors, Italian parliamentarians, representatives of the business environment and the press. He specified that the ambassador carried out “a high-level and very important activity”. The award ceremony will take place on November 14, at the Rome City Hall. (MI)