June 27, 2024 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 27.06.2024, 20:00
LAW – In Romania, the sentence for slavery and human trafficking can no longer be suspended prison, in keeping with a law promulgated by President Klaus Iohannis. The document also provides for harsher penalties for these crimes, which can reach up to 15 years in prison and the prohibition of certain rights. If the crimes in which minors are involved are committed by a public official, a family member or a person in charge of the child’s upbringing, the penalties reach up to 20 years in prison. The law punishes with deprivation of liberty from 3 to 10 years the production, storage, exposure, promotion and distribution of pornographic materials with minors. Moreover, watching such images will be punished with 5 years in prison and from 1 to 3 years the unauthorized access to pornographic materials with minors through computer systems or other means of electronic communication. According to the document, attempts to commit the crimes of slavery and human trafficking are also punished.
NATO – The Dutch Premier Mark Rutte is officially the future NATO Secretary General. The 57 year-old politician has benefitted from support from all 32 representatives of the North Atlantic Council, the alliance’s main decision-making body and his mandate is to kick off on October 1st. Rutte will replace the Norwegian chief Jens Stoltenberg and is known for his critical position against Russia and for supporting Ukraine in terms of its NATO and EU accession. The Netherlands is supporting Ukraine also militarily, including with F-16 jet fighters, which have been given the permission to strike Russian targets. Besides the war in Ukraine and the tense international political background, Rutte will have the task of negotiating with a possible US administration led by Donald Trump, if the latter wins the upcoming election where he runs against the incumbent president Joe Biden.
BRUSSELS – EU leaders started a two-day summit in Brussels on Thursday, focused on the appointments at the top of European key institutions and the approval of its strategic agenda for the mandate resulting from the European parliamentary elections. The 27 leaders, writes the EFE agency, arrived at the European Council with the nominations for the top positions already agreed between the three pro-European political groups, favorable to the deepening of European integration and the consolidation of the prerogatives of Brussels, respectively the European People’s Party (EPP), the Social Democrats (S&D) and the Liberals (Renew). According to the agreement between the respective three groups, Ursula von der Leyen, from the EPP, will keep her position as president of the European Commission, that of European Council president will go to the former Portuguese social-democratic prime minister Antonio Costa, and the head of the Estonian government, the liberal Kaja Kallas, will be High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy. The summit also marks the end of the Belgian presidency of the Union, which will be taken over by Hungary for the next six months. Romania is represented at the summit by President Klaus Iohannis.
DECLARATION – The United States applauds Romania’s leadership in consolidating the Ukrainian air defense, particularly Romania’s recent decision to provide one Patriot system to Ukraine and it deeply appreciates Romania’s crucial role in promoting Euro-Atlantic security and its leadership on NATO’s eastern flank, according to a statement released by the Governments of the United States of America and Romania on the occasion of the U.S. – Romania Strategic Dialogue. The meeting was held on June 21 and was opened by consultations between the Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. The United States commends Romania on its successful opening of Europe’s first F-16 regional training center this year, the statement also says. The United States and Romania underlined that Russia’s continued aggression has made the Black Sea region host to a number of serious threats. The two sides remain strongly committed to strengthening their efforts to ensure a secure, stable, and prosperous Black Sea region, with the implementation of the United States Black Sea Strategy being an integral part of this effort.
FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football side qualified for the round of 16 of the European Football Championship after a one-all draw against Slovakia in Frankfurt on Wednesday night. Razvan Marin scored the equalizer from a penalty shot and his performance pushed the side coached by Edward Iordanescu on top of the group. Our footballers will be up against the Netherlands on the famous Allianz Arena in Munich. Thousands of fans took to the streets of Romania to express their joy for the performance. (EE)
