February 26, 2018 UPDATE
For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here
Newsroom, 26.02.2018, 19:43
ANTICORRUPTION — The head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, on Tuesday is due to appear before the Superior Council of Magistracy, as a first step in the process Justice Minister Tudorel Toader has started with a view to removing Kovesi from office. The Council’s Prosecutors’ Department is expected to rule on the Justice Minister’s request. Under the law, the Superior Council of Magistracy is due to issue an opinion in this matter and refer it to President Klaus Iohannis, who will make a final decision. In another development, large-scale protests were staged in Bucharest and other large cities across the country against the Social-Democratic Party, the main coalition party in Romania, and against Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. The protests started on Thursday evening, in the wake of a report Toader presented to the media, whereby he started proceedings to having Kovesi removed from office. Toader accused Kovesi of overstepping the bounds of her authority, getting personally involved in some of the pending cases and of not investigating certain prosecutors suspected of having abused their position. The Justice Minister also claimed that the National Anticorruption chief defied Parliament’s authority on numerous occasions and challenged rulings of the Constitutional Court. Backed by the Parliament majority held by the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Toader’s report has been harshly criticized by the right-wing opposition.
FAC – Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Monday took part in Brussels in the monthly meeting of the EUs Foreign Affairs Council, where he discussed with his counterparts the situation in the Republic of Moldova, the crisis in Venezuela, and the Middle East peace process. On this occasion Minister Melescanu hailed the progress Moldova has reported, reiterating Romania’s full support for the EU integration of its neighbor state. On the sidelines of the Council meeting, the Romanian Foreign Minister chaired the meeting of the Group for Moldova’s European Action, with Moldovan Foreign Minister Tudor Ulianovschi as special guest. On Tuesday, Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila will travel to Moldova to discuss with her counterpart Pavel Filip the bolstering of cooperation between the two states.
RULING — The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest Monday ruled against a request from the National Anti-Corruption Directorate to re-open an investigation which may involve Social Democratic Deputy Prime Minister Paul Stanescu. Judicial sources claim that the case started from a memo issued by the Court of Accounts regarding embezzlement involving the county council of Olt county, which Stanescu was head of between 2008 and 2016, with the fraudulently obtained funds allegedly being used to finance a soccer team. The official said he would resign if he is indicted in this case.
WEATHER — Bucharest and 27 counties, mostly in the east and south of Romania, are under extreme cold weather warning until March 1. In these areas, low temperatures will be around the record lows registered in previous years. Maximums will frequently fluctuate between -12 and -8 degrees Celsius, with minimums of -22 and -12 degrees. Thousands of intervention workers have been mobilized in case of emergencies. Traffic has been cut off by snow on two national motorways in the south, and three Black Sea ports have been shut down by strong wind.
VISIT — Romanian Defense Minister Mihai Fifor is on a three-day official visit to Israel, invited by his counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman. The main points on the agenda are defense cooperation and the security situation worldwide. This year, Romania and Israel celebrate 70 years of continuous diplomatic relations.
FLU — The flu has killed 57 people in Romania this season according to the latest toll published by the National Centre for the Supervision and Control of Communicable Diseases. 800 people have the flu virus, mostly in Bucharest and the counties of Constanta, in the south-east, Brasov, in the centre, and Iasi, in the north-east. The authorities advise people to get vaccinated, and the health ministry says around 80,000 vaccine doses are still available. So far 920,000 have received vaccination. The healthcare minister Sorina Pintea says Romania is not faced with a flu epidemic.
TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is back at the top of the WTA standings, published on Sunday, after five weeks of being second to Danish player Caroline Wozniacki. The latter replaced her after winning the finals in the Australian Open. Halep held the first place in the world between October 2017 and January 2018. Five other Romanians are in the top 100 in the world. Sorana Cirstea is up one place, to 35, Irina Begu went up two notches, to 36, and Mihaela Buzarnescu went up one place, to 38. Monica Niculescu went down three places to 72, and Ana Bogdan climbed one step, to 86.
(Translated by C. Cotoiu & V. Palcu)
