April 3, 2014
For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here.
Ştefan Stoica, 03.04.2014, 12:00
ACTIVITY REPORT – The activity of Romania’s judicial institutions last year reached an all time high, the latest report of the Superior Council of Magistracy reads. The judiciary reported an increase in the number of criminal investigations and a drop in restitutions and acquittals. The document also signals a drop in the number of referrals against the Romanian State at the European Court of Human Rights. According to the report, Romanian courts and prosecutor’s offices believe the mass-media, the Government and Parliament were the main sources of pressure and threats against the Romanian judiciary in 2013.
MOLDOVA – Moldovan citizens who own biometric passports will no longer require a visa to travel in the Schengen Area as of April 28, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Kurkulas announced. In turn, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom said that this prospect would strengthen economic, social and cultural ties between the EU and the Republic of Molodva. The EU official went on to say that a strong political commitment and an efficient implementation of reforms can lead to concrete results, which might serve as example to other countries in the region.
NATO – The Pentagon has suspended all talks with Moscow regarding the US anti-ballistic shield in Europe following this country’s armed intervention in Ukraine, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO policy Elaine Bunn told RIA Novosti news agency. At the 2010 Lisbon Treaty, Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate regarding the US anti-ballistic shield in Europe, although talks subsequently collapsed after Moscow demanded guarantees the project would not affect its nuclear capacity. Elements of the US anti-ballistic shield will be deployed in Deveselu, southern Romania, aimed at shielding Europe against short- and medium-range tactical ballistic missiles.
IMF – IMF director Christine Lagarde has said in Washington that global economic recovery is too weak at present. The world is confronted with the worst economic recession in the past 100 years and is now at a critical crossroads, Lagarde has warned. The IMF official considers that although global economy has stabilized, it might still be heading for years of sub-part growth. Christine Lagarde has called on the world’s governments to restructure their economies, to curb their unemployment and foreign debt levels in order to boost investor trust. In January, the IMF estimated a global economic growth of 3.7% this year, as compared to 3% last year.
EXCISE DUTY ON FUEL – In an open letter to Romanian MPs, president Traian Basescu calls on them to vote against the Government’s Emergency Ordinance for the introduction of an additional 7 eurocents excise duty on fuel. The president sees this tax as extremely abusive and detrimental to the economic environment and the population. Rail freight carriers have also challenged this supertax on fuels, which they consider discriminatory.
AGRICULTURE – EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos and Agriculture Minister Daniel Constantin are today attending discussion panels as part of the UN Conference on Food Waste and Imbalances in Europe and Central Asia. Some 1.3 billion tons of food ware wasted at global level every year, accounting for one third of total production and for a cost of nearly 750 billion dollars. Romania is currently wasting 5 million tons of food, while the overall amount of food that ends up in the trash bin at EU level stands at some 90 million tons.
ARRESTS – Several public servants at the Mehedinti County Council in southwestern Romania, including the Council Social-Democrat president, the chief of the County Police Inspectorate and the head of the Social Democratic Party branch in Orsova have been arrested by anti-corruption prosecutors as part of an investigation of the selling and leasing of properties that belonged to local authorities. Prosecutors have started criminal proceedings against them for abuse of office, influence peddling, using confidential information to obtain undue benefits and forgery in deeds by private signature.
AWARDS GALA – The British film “The Selfish Giant”, directed by Clio Barnard, has won the Grand Prize of the 10th edition of the Bucharest International Film Festival (BIFF). The British feature also grabbed the Prize of the Young Jury, of which three high school students were part. “The Selfish Giant” looks at the British working class from a social perspective, against the backdrop of the story of two kids who try to make a living through any means necessary. The Prize for Best Directing went to Sarah Polley for her feature “Our Stories”, while the award for best image went to Romanian Oleg Mutu for the Georgian production “In Bloom”.
SHOOTING – A shooting at the US military base Fort Hood in Texas killed three soldiers and left 16 wounded. A US soldier opened fire on his colleagues then committed suicide. According to official sources, the US soldier fought several months in Iraq and was stationed at Fort Hood in February where he was being treated for depression and anxiety. The shooting took place in the same location where five years ago a radical Muslim officer killed 13 soldiers and wounded another 32.
