3 May, 2019

Romanian president attends 9th edition of State of the Union held by the European University Institute in Florence./ World Press Freedom Day celebrated on 3rd May.

Newsroom, 03.05.2019, 13:48

Klaus
Iohannis. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis today attends as a guest of honour
the State of the Union conference organised by the European University
Institute in Florence. According to the president’s office, Iohannis will have
talks with the Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte on the sidelines of the
conference. The participation of the Romanian president in the State of the
Union conference is connected to Romania’s holding the presidency of the
Council of the European Union, the upcoming EU summit in Sibiu on the 9th
of May and the 10th anniversary of Romania’s signing the convention
on the establishment of the European University Institute in Florence. Now in
its 9th year, the conference this year discusses 21st
century democracy in Europe, with emphasis on the European electoral context.
European politicians, journalists, members of the academia and representatives
of civil society are debating topical issues related to the challenges facing
the Union.

Presidency. The Romanian economy minister Niculae Badalau today chairs
the informal meeting of the competitiveness council (internal market and
industry). Attending are the ministers of economy, industry, the internal
market and SMEs in the 28 EU member states plus two members of the European
Free Trade Association, Switzerland and Norway. The European Commission is
represented by the European commissioner for internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs Elzbieta Bienkowska. The internal
market is the common responsibility of the European Commission and the member
states, and its consolidation is one of the sectoral priorities of the Romanian
presidency of the Council of the EU, according to the economy ministry in
Bucharest.

Press award. Journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who are currently
serving a 7-year prison sentence in Myanmar, share the Guillermo Cano World Press
Freedom Prize awarded by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation. The two were working for the Reuters news agency and
reporting on the repression of the Rohingya
Muslim community by Myanmar’s army. They were found guilty of violating the official secrets act and
sentenced on 3rd September 2018 to seven years in prison in Myanmar.
The United Nations and other human rights
organisations have accused the government in Myanmar of ethnic cleansing and
genocide against the Rohingya community. The Guillermo Cano award was
established in 1997 to reward journalists with notable contributions to the
defence and promotion of the freedom of the press. World Press Freedom Day is
celebrated on 3rd of May.

Press freedom. Recent threats against Romanian investigative reporters have no place in
a democratic, Western civilisation, writes a statement by the US embassy in
Bucharest on World Press Freedom Day. The American embassy expresses solidarity
with responsible
and brave Romanian reporters who resist pressures and threats in Bucharest as
well as in various counties. Media and judicial freedom are at the heart
of the NATO alliance, the American diplomats also say. The statement emphasises that a free press ensures citizens are more
informed and is a key component of democratic governance and economic success
for all countries. Recently, a journalist investigating cases of plagiarism at
the Police Academy has received threats, an incident the authorities are
looking into.

Prosecution.
The military prosecutors of the Romanian prosecutor
general’s office have expanded criminal investigations for several crimes,
including abuse of office, in connection to the violence that took place at an
anti-government protest on 10th August last year. Senior gendarmerie
officers and a state secretary in the interior ministry have been indicted in
this case. Prosecutors have received hundreds of criminal complains from
persons who suffered from the intervention of the gendarmes, which was deemed
disproportionate. A separate criminal investigation has been opened for
assault, after several gendarmes were wounded by violent protesters.

Unemployment. Romania’s unemployment rate in March stood at 3.8%, similar compared with
the previous month, while the number of persons without a job has dropped to 350,000, according to official statistics. The unemployment rate is 0.6%
higher among men compared with women.