January 23, 2014 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 23.01.2014, 20:02
Romanian Interior Minister, the Liberal Radu Stroe, resigned on Thursday, in a growing uproar over a plane crash rescue mission that many criticised as being too slow. Nevertheless, Radu Stroe said that locating the plane and the victims was not the job of the Interior Ministry but of other state institutions. Prime Minster Victor Ponta announced that the deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea will be interim Interior Minister until February 1st, when the a new minister will be nominated. We remind you that a plane carrying a group of doctors to harvest organs for a transplant, crashed on Monday in the Apuseni Mountains in Western Romania. The pilot and a young intern were killed, while the co-pilot and four other doctors were injured. Romania’s Prosecutor General Tiberiu Nitu considers opening an investigation into the way in which Romanian authorities handled the situation, pointing out that another investigation, into the circumstances of the plane crash, is already under way.
The Romanian Justice Minister Robert Cazanciuc is attending in Athens a 2-day informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. On Thursday, the first day of the meeting, ministers focused on dossiers related to Justice matters, such as procedural rights and international aspects of the data protection regulation, while on Friday they will tackle issues related to home affairs and particularly terrorism and border security. Moreover, the European Commission will present the new legislative proposals regarding the protection of some vulnerable categories, the presumption of innocence and legal assistance within criminal procedures.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich on Thursday called for an emergency session of Parliament. Parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Rybak said the proposed emergency session of parliament could consider the oppositions call for the government to step down. Thousands of Ukrainians have taken to the streets again in Kiev on Thursday, in protest at the authorities’ decision to strengthen ties with Russia and suspend the European accession process. For over two months now, Ukraine has been facing large-scale protests, and on Wednesday the clashes between protesters and the riot police left five people dead. The EU warned it might cut off official relations with Ukraine, if the police are proven to have used firearms against protesters. The EU lays responsibility for the spiralling violence on the enforcement of legislation that toughens sanctions against protesters.
As many as 24 athletes will represent Romania at the Winter Olympic Games in Socci, Russia, between February 7 and 23. Romania will take part in 8 competitions out of the total 15. The biathlon athlete Eva Tofalvi will carry Romania’s flag.
