April 11, 2018

The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) voices deep concern about certain aspects of the justice laws that have recently been adopted by the Romanian Parliament/ French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is currently on a two day visit to Romania

Newsroom, 11.04.2018, 14:00

GRECO – The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the Council of Europe anti-corruption body, voices deep concern about certain aspects of the laws on the status of magistrates, the organisation of the judicial system and the functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy, respectively, that have recently been adopted by the Romanian Parliament. In a report issued on Wednesday, GRECO also expressed concern about the draft laws amending the criminal codes, that have been discussed by the Romanian Parliament. GRECO has drafted this report based on a decision adopted by the Council of Europes plenary session of December 2017, on the urgent evaluation of reforms in the Romanian judicial system, given that they might entail severe violations of anti-corruption standards. Regarded as an attempt by the ruling coalition made up of the Social-Democratic Party- the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania to subordinate magistrates and to put an end to the fight against corruption, the initiatives to amend the legislation in the field have been vehemently criticised by the right wing opposition, the media and civil society and prompted hundreds of thousands to take to the streets. In response, power representatives say the modifications of the legislation are in line with the rulings issued by Romanias Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

FRENCH DIPLOMACY – French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, is currently on a two day visit to Romania, the French Embassy in Bucharest writes on its website and mentions that Le Drian will have several top-level meetings in Bucharest. According to the embassy, Jean-Yves Le Drian will give a press conference on Thursday, jointly with his Romanian counterpart, Teodor Meleşcanu. The visit to Bucharest by the French foreign minister is part of a regional tour carried out between April 11th and 14th, which also take him to Serbia, Albania and Slovenia.

2018 EUROPEAN SEMESTER – The paradox of social inequality and poverty is still present in Romania, in the context in which the countrys economic growth rate exceeds the EU average, Angela Cristea, the Head of the European Commission Representation in Romania has today told a press conference. She has also added that unemployment has reached the lowest level over the past 20 years. The budget deficit is close to the alert level of 3%, whereas the structural deficit continues to plummet, Angela Cristea has also said. The European Commission Representation in Romania is today organising a conference titled “2018 European Semester: Country Report- Romania. The plenary session devoted to this event will make public the main conclusions of the country report for Romania, as well as the Romanian authorities stand on the latest economic developments at national level.

ROMANIAN-ISRAELI RELATIONS – Romanian PM, Viorica Dăncilă, has today received Tzipi Hotovely, deputy foreign minister of the State of Israel, who is currently on an official visit to Romania. During the meeting, the two officials underlined the special dynamics of the bilateral relations, both at political and at sectoral cooperation level. They also mentioned the significance of the year 2018, when the State of Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary, the two countries mark 70 years of uninterrupted Romanian-Israeli relations, and Romania celebrates the Great Union Centennial. In this context, the Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă underlined that boosting relations with Israel is a priority of the Romanian Government. On Tuesday, Romanian foreign minister Teodor Meleşcanu, had a meeting with the Israeli official. Special heed was paid to ways to fight anti-Semitism and promote education in that respect.

LONDON BOOK FAIR – Romania is participating for the 11th year in a row in the International London Book Fair, one of the largest events of its kind in the world, now in its 47th edition. The event is running between April the 10th and 12th. Over 600 new titles, in Romanian and English, books of fiction, volumes of science and art brought out by over 20 publishing houses are put on show. The Romanian events, held under the motto Writing and Making History: Remembering the Great War Generation, evoke, first of all the participation of the Romanians in WW I and the Great Union, by means of literary and artistic echoes of those crucial historical moments, the Romanian Cultural Institute in London says. (Translated by D. Vijeu)