December 24, 2019

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 24.12.2019, 13:55

BUDGET – The Constitutional Court of
Romania announced it has received the notification filed by the
Social-Democratic Party regarding the manner in which the Government adopted
the state budget for 2020 and the modifications operated to the emergency
decree no. 114. The Court expects opinions by January 10 from all parties, and
will issue a date for the subsequent debate. The Government has passed the
budget law in Parliament without a debate and a vote, arguing it needed a
balanced budget that could be adopted by the year’s end. The Government
accepted several amendments, although none tabled by the Social-Democrats.

CONVICTIONS – Former Liberal Chamber of
Deputies Speaker, Bogdan Olteanu was earlier today sentenced by the Bucharest
Tribunal to seven years in prison for influence peddling, in a case where he
was charged with receiving 1 million euros from a businessman. The court also
ordered the seizure of an equivalent in local currency of the peddled sum. In
another move, former Social-Democrat deputy Viorel Hrebenciuc was sentenced to
three years in prison in a case where the former head of the National
Audio-Visual Council, Laura Georgescu, was also sentenced to 4 years and 4 months
in prison. In the same case, Gheorghe Stefan, the former Liberal mayor of
Piatra Neamt, and Narcisa Iorga, a former member of the Audio-Visual Council,
were also handed down prison sentences. The rulings can be appealed.

RATIFICATION – Romania’s President
Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday signed the decree ratifying the law on declaring
November 1 National Radio Day. Central and local authorities can organize
cultural and scientific events to mark this special day or provide logistic or
financial support to NGOs and other institutions that organize similar events,
the law stipulates. The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation and the
Romanian Television Station can include in their programmes shows and excerpts
from events dedicated to this day as public broadcasters. In 2019 the Romanian
Radio Broadcasting Corporation celebrated 91 years of uninterrupted public
service.

FUNDS – The European Commission has
disbursed some 16 million euros to Romania. The funds are non-refundable and
serve as compensations for the losses incurred this year due to the African
swine fever virus. The president of the National Sanitary, Veterinary and Food
Safety Authority, Robert Chioveanu, says the authorities have presented the
Commission with all the measures taken to combat the virus, as well as the
challenges the authorities were faced with in their efforts to eradicate it.
The Romanian official said that, in the last two weeks, some 10,000 checks were
carried out in traffic in order to limit the circulation of livestock,
especially pigs. Fines were handed out, dozens of pigs were seized in addition
to some 2 thousand kg of meat products.

CHRISTMAS EVE – Orthodox,
Eastern-Catholic and Roman-Catholic Christians in Romania today celebrate
Christmas Eve, making all the final preparations ahead of the celebration of
the Nativity of Christ. On Christmas Eve people go caroling, which involves singing
ceremonial songs, accompanied by various dances and gestures. Romanian Orthodox
Church Patriarch Daniel has highlighted the importance of family, which is
often confronted in present-day society with a series of challenges and crises,
determined by poverty, migration, depression and alcohol and drug consumption.
In turn, His Holy Father the Archbishop of the Bucharest Roman-Catholic
Bishopric Ioan Robu says Jesus is born even in today’s world, such as it is.
The High Bishop of the Eastern Catholic Church in Romania, Cardinal Lucian,
also says the blood shed in the name of faith and liberty compels us to take a
stand whenever the rights and liberties of the underprivileged are being
discarded. Recalling the words of Pope Francis during his visit to Romania,
Cardinal Lucian has called for fraternity and dialogue among Christians.

(Translated by
V. Palcu)