February 3, 2016 UPDATE

Click here for a round-up of news from Romania

Newsroom, 03.02.2016, 12:25

PROSECUTION – The Romanian Senate has complied with the request of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate regarding the prosecution of the senator of the National Union for the Progress of Romania, Gabriel Oprea, former deputy prime minister for national security and interior minister. The decision was passed with 102 ayes and 31 nays. Oprea is facing two charges of abuse in office and is accused of obtaining undue benefits for himself or for another person during his term in office. One of the offences is the use of the Interior Ministrys human and material resources to illegally ensure the ministers police escort. The second offence is related to the conclusion of an agreement under which the Prosecutor General, Tiberiu Nitu, allegedly benefited from a motorcade. Prosecutors say that Tiberiu Nitu, who resigned on Tuesday, is not under investigation. The law stipulates that only the president, the prime minister and the two speakers of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, respectively, have the right to a motorcade, whereas ministers can use it only in emergencies.

CORRUPTION– The mayor of the south-eastern Romanian city of Braila, Social Democrat Aurel Simionescu, was taken into custody on Wednesday by the anti-corruption prosecutors who accuse him of having favoured a consortium of firms, at a tender to modernize a boulevard. The facts, assimilated to corruption deeds, were reportedly made with the assistance of civil servants subordinated to the mayor, as well as with the complicity of the representatives of the firms interested in getting the public works contracts. According to judicial sources, the prejudice brought to the local administration stands at some 9 million Euros.

JUSTICE– The Romanian government on Wednesday decided to suspend until September 1, 2016, under an emergency ordinance, the enforcement of the legal provision reducing the sentences of detainees publishing alleged scientific works. The decision comes after justice minister, Raluca Pruna, has justified her calls for the repealing of this legal provision, laid down in the Romanian law since 1969, through the fact that in the last couple of years, abuses have been reported entailing intellectual imposture in penitentiaries. The phenomenon has gained momentum: whereas 90 works were written in 2014, as many as 340 works were published in 2015, minister Pruna explained.

SECURITY IN EUROPE–The Romanian Foreign Ministry hails the United States announcement on a four-fold increase in the budget destined for the European Reassurance Initiative/ERI for 2017, as well on its determination to assure a robust American military presence in Europe. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the announcement comes as a confirmation of the United States strong commitment to Europes security, tightening NATOs collective defense measures and discouraging risk factors. The implementation of the measures announced by the US will contribute significantly to consolidating Romanias and the other allies security in the face of security provocations in our region, a press release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday shows. The Pentagon has announced it increases its budget for Europe, up to 3.4 billion dollars, in the new security strategic context, marked by Russias actions and the ascension of the Islamic State terrorist group. Allied within NATO, Bucharest and Washington are tied by a bilateral strategic partnership.

DEFENSE – Romania and France are supporting each others efforts to fight international terrorism, and the Romanian authorities reiterate their solidarity with France, in the difficult context generated by the recent terror attacks in Paris. This was the conclusion of the talks held in Bucharest on Wednesday by Romanian defense minister, Mihnea Motoc, and the Chief of Staff of the French Army, general Pierre de Villiers. A focal point on the agenda of the talks was the future NATO Summit in Warsaw, against the backdrop of the strategic adjustment process carried out by the North Atlantic Alliance. The French military official also met with his Romanian counterpart, general Nicolae Ciuca, together with whom he approached the security development situation in the Black Sea area and the participation of Romanian military in theatres of operations.

ROMANIAN ECONOMY – The French credit insurance company Coface has maintained the B country risk rating for Romania, which is indicative of an unstable macroeconomic environment, the companys 2015 macroeconomic Report says. “Despite the macroeconomic balance, the setback in the transition to the Euro and the compliance with the nominal convergence criteria, Romania is still vulnerable because of the structural character of domestic microeconomic imbalance, the Report shows. According to the Report, the factors of the imbalance are the very high level of the trade credit, the great interdependence between companies, the speedy interruption of the activity of many companies as compared to the recently registered companies and the high level of instruments that were refused upon payment. According to Coface, the strengths are the relatively large domestic market, qualified and cheap work force, a significance currency reserve and the relatively stable national currency as against the Euro, the public debt level below the EU average and a low energy dependence. Coface estimates a 4.2% economic growth for Romania this year.

ADOPTIONS – The Commission for labour and social protection of the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday passed the draft law shortening the adoption time and simplifying the adoption procedures, so that a child could be adopted more quickly. To facilitate a better relationship between children and their new family, the Commission increased the accommodation leave granted to parents from 3 to 12 months. If within a year, parents failed to adopt a child, they are now given one more year to do it.

TOURIST INDUSTRY – According to the National Institute for Statistics, 9.8 million tourists were accommodated in various units in Romania in 2015, by 17.2% more than in 2014. 77.4% of the total number of tourists were Romanian and 22.6% were foreign, the figures being similar to the ones in 2014. Three quarters of the foreign tourists came from Europe. The average stay of Romanian tourists was 2.5 days and that of foreign tourists was 2 days. 36.3% of the tourists stayed in hotels, 21.8% in villas and 20.4% in hostels.

(Translated by Diana Vijeu and Ana-Maria Palcu)