February 24, 2017

Leaders of four countries urge the EU to act against foodmakers who use cheaper ingredients in products for central and Eastern Europe

Newsroom, 24.02.2017, 13:22

BECHTEL – The contract for building the 415-km long Transylvania-Bors highway, awarded by the Romanian Government led by Adrian Nastase to the American group Becthel in 2003, caused the Romanian state budget 526 million euros in damages, according to a Finance Ministry report from December 2016. The contract had an initial value of 2.2 billion euros and the highway should have been completed in 2012. However, works on the highway were delayed and the contract was modified with several addendums. The Romanian Government cancelled the contract in 2013 after paying some 1.2 billion euros to Bechtel. The American group only finalized a 52-km segment of the highway. The Finance Ministry says that the Romanian National Highways Company is to blame for the situation, for having signed the contract, the addendums and for paying penalties of 37 million euros to Bechtel. The National Highways Company disagrees with the Finance Ministry and has taken the case to Court.

DRAGOBETE — Dragobete is the Romanian celebration of love, marked every year on February 24. This special day will be celebrated all over the country with a series of music concerts and theatre performances. Also, the capital city is hosting the first edition of a special event dubbed Bucharest, the capital of love held in the University Square from February 24 to March 8. The event’s programme includes, alongside concerts and shows, a March amulet fair. The March amulet is the central element of a unique Romanian tradition, according to which on March 1st men offer women small items tied with red and white strings, in celebration of spring and love.

LAWS — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday promulgated two laws passed by the Chamber of Deputies early this week, through which the government’s controversial emergency decree 13 was repealed. We remind you that the government’s move to change the criminal law by an emergency ordinance brought hundreds of thousands of Romanians into the streets. The anti-government protests started on January 31, when decree no. 13 was passed, and have continued daily ever since, even after it was repealed by means of decree no. 14.

US – The United States’ commitment to Romania will not change, irrespective of how the relationship between Washington and Moscow unfolds, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Hoyt Brian Yee has recently told the students of the University of Constanta. Hoyt Brian Yee spoke to the students at the university in the Black Sea city of Constanta about the importance of the Romanian-American Strategic Partnership and hailed Romanian troops’ participation in NATO missions across the world. The American official pointed out that the recent deployment of 500 troops at he Mihail Kogalniceanu military base near Constanta is proof of his country’s commitment to maintaining stability in the area.

MOLDOVA – The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, the pro-western Pavel Filip and the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed over the phone about the measures that would facilitate the opening of a NATO liaison office in Chisinau. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Chisianu, Filip gave assurances that his government would grant all its support for the good functioning of the NATO office. In turn, Stoltenberg said that procedures for the accreditation of the head of the NATO office in Chisinau would be initiated the following month. The talks between the Moldovan and NATO officials were held against the background of Moldovan President Igor Dodon’s reluctance to the idea of his country hosting a NATO office.

EU – Leaders of four central European countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, will meet in Warsaw next week to urge the EU to act against food companies which put inferior ingredients in branded products destined for sale in poorer member states, Reuters reports. Consumer groups and governments have complained that some foodmakers use cheaper ingredients in products for central and Eastern Europe than in identically branded goods to be sold in western countries. In Romania, consumer protection associations and several MPs have denounced the lack of EU laws in this respect and filed a complaint with the European Commission.

(Translated by Elena Enache)