February 24, 2017 UPDATE

For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here.

Newsroom, 24.02.2017, 19:41

LAWS — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday promulgated two laws passed by the Chamber of Deputies early this week, through which the government’s controversial emergency decree 13 was repealed. We recall that the government’s move to change the criminal law by an emergency ordinance brought hundreds of thousands of Romanians into the streets. The anti-government protests started on January 31, when decree no. 13 was passed, and have continued daily ever since, even after it was repealed by means of decree no. 14.

EU — Romania’s Agriculture Minister Petru Daia on Friday said a committee has been setup to identify cases of double quality standards for foodstuffs imported from Western Europe. The Committee is made up of representatives of the Agriculture Ministry, the National Health and Food Safety Authority and the National Agency for Consumer Protection. Over the last period consumer protection associations and several Romanian MPs criticized the lack of EU legislation regulating this sector, and have referred this matter to the European Commission. Leaders of four central European countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, will meet in Warsaw next week to urge the EU to act against food companies which put low-grade ingredients in branded products destined for sale in poorer member states, Reuters reports. Consumer groups and governments have complained that some foodmakers use cheaper ingredients in products for central and Eastern Europe than in identically branded goods to be sold in western countries.

CETA — Romania will directly benefit from the cutback on fees for some of its most competitive export-bound products once the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the European Union and Canada is implemented, reads a Canadian Embassy release. The CETA will also boost the export of services and investments between Canada and Romania, allowing for the mutual recognition of professional degrees, increasing the competitiveness of Romanian businesses on the Canadian market and lowering costs companies incur when exporting goods, without endangering standards on environment protection and employees’ rights. On February 15, in Strasbourg, the European Parliament officially adopted the agreement. It needs to be ratified by the Parliaments of all EU Member States and Canada before coming into force.

BECHTEL – The contract for building the 415-km long Transylvania-Bors highway, awarded by the Romanian Government led by Adrian Nastase to the American group Becthel in 2003, caused the Romanian state budget 526 million euros in damages, according to a Finance Ministry report from December 2016. The contract had an initial value of 2.2 billion euros and the highway should have been completed in 2012. However, works on the highway were delayed and the contract was modified several times. The Romanian Government cancelled the contract in 2013 after paying some 1.2 billion euros to Bechtel. The American group only finalized a 52-km segment of the highway. The Finance Ministry says that the Romanian National Highways Company is to blame for the situation, for having signed the contract, the addendums and for paying penalties of 37 million euros to Bechtel. The National Highways Company disagrees with the Finance Ministry and has taken the case to Court.

US – The United States’ commitment towards Romania will not change, irrespective of how the relationship between Washington and Moscow unfolds, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Hoyt Brian Yee has recently told the students of the University of Constanta. Hoyt Brian Yee spoke to the students about the importance of the Romanian-American Strategic Partnership and hailed the Romanian troops’ participation in NATO missions across the world. The American official pointed out that the recent deployment of 500 troops at the Mihail Kogalniceanu military base near Constanta is proof of his country’s commitment to maintaining stability in the area.

MOLDOVA – The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, the pro-western Pavel Filip and the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed over the phone about the measures that would facilitate the opening of a NATO liaison office in Chisinau. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Chisinau, Filip gave assurances that his government would grant all its support for the good functioning of the NATO office. In turn, Stoltenberg said that procedures for the accreditation of the head of the NATO office in Chisinau would be initiated the following month. The talks between the Moldovan and NATO official were held against the background of Moldovan President Igor Dodon’s reluctance to the idea of his country hosting a NATO representative office.

VISIT — Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu is on Monday expected to pay an official visit to Budapest, responding to the invitation extended by his counterpart, Peter Szijjarto. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the agenda includes talks with the Foreign Minister, a meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and a speech at the annual meeting of Hungarian diplomacy, marking a first for a Romanian Minister. Minister Melescanu wants to boost political and diplomatic dialogue and step up economic cooperation, particularly in such fields as energy and infrastructure. Additionally, talks will tackle the rights of national minorities. Teodor Melescanu will also meet with representatives of the Romanian community, tackling their concerns to maintain their ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity, as well as ways to provide them with state support. (Translated by V. Palcu)