17 October, 2017

The Countrys Supreme Defence Council to discuss EU's PESCO permanent structured cooperation programme.

Newsroom, 17.10.2017, 13:47

PESCO. The Country’s Supreme Defence
Council is to meet today in Bucharest to analyse the PESCO programme for the
consolidation of common defence in the European Union and of the European
defence industry. The Council will look at recent developments related to the
activity of this body and its effects as far as Romania is concerned and will
consider taking a political decision with respect to Romania’s possible
involvement in the permanent structured cooperation format. The Council’s
meeting is held two days before a European Council summit in Brussels, whose
agenda also includes matters related to common defence.

Government. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis is analysing the proposals submitted
by prime minister Mihai Tudose for a new cabinet membership, with Paul Stanescu
proposed to take over the development ministry, Felix Stroe the transport
ministry and Marius Nica the ministry for European funds. They would replace
Sevil Shhaideh, Rovana Plumb and Razvan Cuc, who have resigned. Shhaideh and
Plumb are under investigation by the National Anticorruption Directorate as
part of a corruption case, while Cuc was accused of underperformance. The
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the junior partner in the ruling coalition,
says it will not withdraw support for its minister Viorel Ilie, who is
responsible for the relationship with Parliament and who is under investigation
for peddling in influence.

Immunity vote. The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest today rejected,
through a secret ballot vote, a request by the National Anticorruption
Directorate to start the prosecution of the former minister delegate for
European funds and Member of Parliament Rovana Plumb. 99 of deputies voted in
favour of lifting her parliamentary immunity and 183 against. Plumb is accused
of complicity to abuse of office while serving as minister for the environment
and climate change, as part of a corruption case that also involves the former
deputy prime minister Sevil Shhaideh. The National Anticorruption Directorate
claims that, through the concerted action of persons holding public offices,
parts of the Danube’s Belina Island and Pavel Branch were illegally transferred
from state property to that of the Teleorman county and under the management of
the Teleorman County Council before being leased, again illegally, to a private
firm a few days later. Prosecutors argue that the property in question belongs
to public domain and could not become the property of a county council through
government order but only by law.

Ukraine education law. The leaders of Romanian cultural associations in the Cernauti area, in
western Ukraine, plan to hold a rally today in front of the Regional Administration
headquarters and stage what they called the burial of the Romanian language.
They will thus protest against Ukraine’s new education law that drastically
restricts the access of ethnic minorities to education in their languages.
Under the law, ethnic minority children can only study in their languages up to
secondary education. Almost half a million ethnic Romanians live in the
neighbouring state, mostly in the Romanian territories annexed by the former
Soviet Union in 1940 through an ultimatum and inherited by Ukraine in 1991 as a
successor state. The Romanian foreign minister Teodor Melescanu, who met his
Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin last Friday, said Bucharest understands the
concern and discontent of the Romanian ethnic minority in Ukraine caused by the
new education law.

Travel warning. The foreign ministry in Bucharest has issued an alert for the Romanian
citizens currently in Portugal and Spain or who plan to transit or travel to
these countries, warning of wildfires. Another warning was issued for Ireland,
which is affected by Storm Ohelia. Today, Portugal has declared three days of
national mourning in memory of the almost 40 persons killed in wildfires. 3
people have also been killed in north-western Spain. In Ireland, Storm Ophelia
caused the death of 3 people. Wind speeds of up to 150 km/hour were reported in
the west of the country, felling trees and leading to power cuts.

Car-making sector. The car industry in Romania, which accounts for a quarter
of the country’s exports, has called for transparency from the government. The
head of the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dragos Anastasiu
told a conference in Bucharest that insufficiently prepared fiscal and economic
measures can damage the sector, with its almost 600 companies and around
200,000 employees. Government advisor Florin Vodita said the government has
taken measures to stimulate innovation, research and development in the sector
by exempting companies from paying profit tax in their first ten years of
activity.