February 25, 2016 UPDATE

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România Internațional, 25.02.2016, 12:15

CORRUPTION – The battle against corruption must continue at full tilt in Romania and the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) should be a fierce player fighting against this plague that continues to scar our society, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday. The head of state attended, alongside PM Dacian Ciolos the presentation of the annual activity report of the DNA. In her turn, the Directorates chief, Laura Codruta Kovesi has said that the institution must continue investigating corruption deeds and putting all efforts into this. The DNA has said in a pres release that its activity was marked by a series of ‘premieres in 2015, such as the investigation and prosecution of a serving prime minister, Victor Ponta, the arrest of a Constitutional Court judge, Toni Grebla, and of the Bucharest mayor, Sorin Oprescu.

ARRESTS – Deputy Nicolae Paun, representing the Roma community in Parliament, was taken into custody by anti-corruption prosecutors on Thursday, in a case where he is accused of multiple crimes. On Wednesday the Chamber of Deputies greenlighted the warrant for his arrest filed by anti-corruption prosecutors. Paun is being accused of having used or delibertately showing forged, inaccurate or incomplete documents or statements with a view to obtaining European funds. Together with Social-Democratic MP Madalin Voicu, Paun allegedly planned to embezzle 6 million euros addressed to the Roma community for personal use. Also on Thursday, Liberal Senator Doina Tudor was arrested in another corruption case where she is being accused of bribe taking. The Senate on Wednesday greenlighted the warrant for her arrest. Her former husband, Daniel Tudor, the former vice-president of the Financial Surveillance Authority, is also on home arrest pending a criminal investigation. Prosecutors claim that in 2013 Doina Tudor helped her husband receive 200,000 euros from a security and protection firm in exchange for helping it with an audit.

AGREEMENT – Romanian Culture Minister Vlad Alexandrescu has signed at the Vatican the first cultural accord between Romania and the Holy See. The document is aimed at stimulating the staging of extensive cultural events particularly for the numerous Romanian community in Italy. The Romanian Ministers visit included, among others, a meeting with the head of the Vatican Museums, professor Antonio Paolucci, with whom he discussed joint cultural projects.

INFLATION – Romania reported the second negative inflation rate at EU level, minus 1.5%, double as compared to December 2015, reads a Eurostat release made public on Thursday. According to Eurostat, the annual inflation rate stood at 0.2%, while the Eurozone inflation rate went up to 0.3% in January, from 0.2% in December. A number of 10 member states reported negative annual inflation rates, the top two countries being Poland and Romania. At the opposite pole Belgium, Austria and Sweden had the highest inflation rates. In another move, the National Bank of Romania has upgraded its inflate rate forecast to 1.4%, as compared to the previous estimate of 1.1%. National Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu said he expected the monetary policy rate to drop earlier than expected, given that inflation has gone up.

INFECTION – An E-coli strain made the children in Arges County sick, the Romanian Health Minister Patriciu Achimas Cadariu has announced, adding that Romanian authorities together with European specialists have identified the cause, although not the source of the virus that has so far killed three babies. Cadariu also said that an investigation of the Health Ministry Control Corps is underway at the Arges County Directorate for Public Health. Previously the Minister has called on the management of the Childrens Hospital in Pitesti to step down after they failed to report a new case of haemolytic-uremic syndrome. The patient is a toddler who had been brought to hospital for severe diarrhoea eleven days ago and has been treated in several hospitals in Arges County and the capital Bucharest ever since. We recall that around 30 small children from Arges have been committed to hospitals in that county and in Bucharest with severe digestive infection. More on this after the news.

MEETING – Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu on Thursday discussed with the ambassadors of Asian states in Bucharest about migration, the European Eastern vicinity and the need for a coordinated response to challenges to global peace and security. According to the Romanian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, talks also tackled concrete ways of diversifying cooperation between Romania, the EU and Asian countries, especially at economic level. Another topic on the agenda was cooperation between European and Asian states in the Asia-Europe format, in the context of marking 20 years since this cooperation process was launched. Romania plays an active role as part of ASEM in such fields as regional cooperation and water management.

PUBLIC TELEVISION – The National Liberal Party does not support the proposal to modify the functioning of the public radio and television stations, which they see as untimely. The party spokesman Ionut Stroe said the initiative provides no technical solutions to the crisis in the public television, and only creates new positions and imposes a mechanism to control the content and finances of the two institutions. Ionut Stroes said the difficulties facing the public television are caused by faulty management, not the current legislation. The future of the station, which has incurred huge amounts of debt, was on the agenda on Tuesdays meeting of the culture and finances committee of Parliament. Legislative proposals were brought forward so that the television station can go insolvent. Political leaders attending the meeting dismissed the proposal to merge the public radio and television station, considering the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation is doing well and is facing no financial problems.

TRAVEL FAIR – Over 280 firms from 15 countries are presenting their offer at Romanias Tourism Fair that opened in Bucharest on Thursday. Until Sunday, agencies, organisers and tourism associations will present their best offers to Romanian and foreign tourists. Sales of domestic holiday packages are expected to grow, competing with offers from Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria.

(Translated by V. Palcu)