February 24, 2014

PROTESTS – Around 100 people Friday picketed the Government headquarters, protesting against the leftist Social Democratic Party in power and against its Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader. It was the second night of protests since Toader announced he formally asked for the dismissal of the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Directorate, Laura Codruţa Kovesi. In a report covering the activity of the institution between February 2017 and February 2018, Minister Toader criticised Mrs. Kovesi for an excessively authoritarian management style, her involvement in cases investigated by the Directorate and the failure to investigate prosecutors suspected of abuse. The Justice Minister also claimed the DNA chief defied Parliament and challenged rulings made by the Constitutional Court. The request for dismissal has been forwarded to the Superior Council of Magistracy, which must be consulted on the matter, but the decision is in the hands of President Iohannis. On Friday President Klaus Iohannis reiterated his support for Laura Codruţa Kövesi. Backed by the parliamentary majority, made up of the Social Democrats and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, Toaders report was strongly criticised by the right-wing opposition.

Newsroom, 24.02.2018, 13:51

PROTESTS – Around 100 people Friday picketed the Government headquarters, protesting against the leftist Social Democratic Party in power and against its Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader. It was the second night of protests since Toader announced he formally asked for the dismissal of the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Directorate, Laura Codruţa Kovesi. In a report covering the activity of the institution between February 2017 and February 2018, Minister Toader criticised Mrs. Kovesi for an excessively authoritarian management style, her involvement in cases investigated by the Directorate and the failure to investigate prosecutors suspected of abuse. The Justice Minister also claimed the DNA chief defied Parliament and challenged rulings made by the Constitutional Court. The request for dismissal has been forwarded to the Superior Council of Magistracy, which must be consulted on the matter, but the decision is in the hands of President Iohannis. On Friday President Klaus Iohannis reiterated his support for Laura Codruţa Kövesi. Backed by the parliamentary majority, made up of the Social Democrats and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, Toaders report was strongly criticised by the right-wing opposition.

GRECO – The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, this week had a meeting in Bucharest with a delegation of the Group of States against Corruption – GRECO, which traveled to Romania for an emergency assessment of the new justice laws in respect of the fight against corruption. The talks focused on the amendments to the justice laws and the practical consequences that they may have on the judiciary. The GRECO team also had meetings with representatives of other governmental agencies, the legislative power and the judiciary, as well as of relevant NGOs. GRECO said, at the end of the talks in Bucharest, that those in charge of investigating, prosecuting and trying corruption offences should benefit from adequate independence and autonomy, including in terms of disciplinary mechanisms. The delegation recommended that Bucharest requested the opinion of the Venice Commission regarding the planned judicial reform.

EDUCATION – Over 70 foreign education institutions are attending this weekend the 28th World Education Fair in Bucharest. Last year over 6,000 young Romanians chose to further their education abroad. Most of them went to Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Spain.

EU FUNDING – EU funding, particularly the cohesion and the agriculture funds, might be lowered by up to 15% in the next EU multi-annual budget, beginning 2020 when the UK will no longer be a member. The announcement was made by the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday, at the end of an informal meeting of EU leaders. He added that 15 out of 27 member states were willing to raise their national contributions to the common budget. President Klaus Iohannis said at the meeting that Romania was open to the idea of contributing more than 1.1% of the GDP instead of 1%, so that the current levels of the cohesion and Common Agricultural Policy funding be maintained, which countries like Romania need in order to bridge the gaps in social and economic development compared to Western Europe. EU leaders have agreed that the Union must spend more on defence and security, for the Erasmus education programme and for curbing illegal migration. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk has announced that EU leaders are willing to step up negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework, but that an agreement is unlikely to be reached this year.

MILITARY – The Kandahar military base in southern Afghanistan has today hosted a ceremony to transfer authority from the Romanian Battalion 280 Infantry, Fearless Hearts, to Battalion 30 Mountain Troops, the Carpathian Eagles. For one month, the members of the two task forces conducted joint missions to enable the Mountain Troops to take over each segment of the theatre of operations. Among other things, the Romanian military are conducting land patrol missions on an area of 1,200 sq km, assisted by drones operated by the American partners and working together with the Afghan forces. Kandahar is Afghanistans second-largest town after the capital city Kabul. The area managed by the Romanian troops is densely populated, and threats are significant, the Radio Romania envoy reports. Analysts expect this summers parliamentary election to strengthen the Taliban presence in the region. A suicide attack by the Islamic State group in Kabul has killed 3 and wounded 5 people today.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)