January 3, 2019

New judge panels at the High Court of Cassation and Justice, Dacia cars registered in France, Shenzhen tournament

Newsroom, 03.01.2019, 13:21

Judge panels — The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Thursday designated, following a public drawing of lots, the members of the panels of five judges for 2019. Last year, following a decision of the Constitutional Court which declared illegal the panels of 5 judges set up at the High Court of Cassation, tens of appeals for annulment were filed. Definitive sentences of 3 up to 6 years in prison were suspended and convicts were freed. Released from prison were, among others, the former Social Democratic senator Dan Sova, who received a 3-year definitive sentence for influence peddling, another former Social Democratic minister Constantin Nita who was serving a 4-year sentence for bribe taking, businessman Horia Simu, sentenced to 4-year-imprisonment for buying influence, and the former president of the Romanian Boxing Federation Rudel Obreja, sentenced to 5 years in prison. Also, the sentences of the former minister of the Liberal Democratic Party Elena Udrea and of the former chief of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, Alina Bica, were suspended. In their case, the extradition requests sent to Costa Rica, where the two women had been arrested, were also withdrawn.

EU Council — A Europe of convergence, a Europe of safety, Europe as a global actor and a Europe of common values are the pillars of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council. On January 1, Romania took over the 6-month rotating presidency of the EU Council. During this period it will have to deal with difficult files such as Brexit, the multi-annual budget for the 2021-2027 period and a coherent strategy on migration. Last week, the official site of Romania’s presidency of the EU Council was launched. The webpage românia2019.eu, available in Romanian, English and French, includes useful information for journalists, the public at large and the experts in European affairs.

Paris — Registrations of new Romanian Dacia cars in France increased in 2018 by more than 19% reaching 140,326 cars as compared to 117,865 cars in 2017, show data published by the Committee of French Automobile Producers. France remains the 3rd largest automobile market in the EU, after Germany and Great Britain and ahead of Italy and Spain. Dacia company was taken over by Renault in 1999. Re-launched in 2004 with the Logan model, Dacia company became an important player on the European automobile market.

Tennis — The matches that had to be played by Romanians Sorana Cirstea and Monica Niculescu on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament of Shenzhen, China were postponed due to the rain. Sorana Cirstea (87 WTA) will take on the American player Alison Riske (62 WTA) and Monica Niculescu (99WTA) will play against the Chinese Yafan Wang (70 WTA). The tournament has prizes worth 750,000 dollars.

Orchestras — From January 6 to 16 the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania conducted by Cristian Macelaru will go on their first tour of the US. The program includes 7 concerts to be given in Palm Beach, Miami, Fort Myers, Detroit and New Jersey. The concert at the Lincoln Center in New York will feature, as special guest, the great trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Romania’s National Symphony Orchestra is made up of the most prominent graduates of the National Youth Orchestras. They have given concerts both in Romania and abroad in such cities as Linz, Salzburg, Chisinau, Geneva, Paris, Lyon and Brussels.

Loan — In 2019 Romania needs to pay 1.04 billion Euros to the EU and the WB from a stand-by agreement concluded in 2009, after in 2018 the amount to be reimbursed stood at 1.4 billion Euros, show data published by the Finance Ministry. Romania has to reimburse to the EU and the WB a total amount of more than 2 billion Euros from an aid package worth 19.95 billion Euros agreed upon 10 years ago with the IMF, the EU and the WB. The last installment amounting to 402.9 million Euros will have to be paid out in 2023. (translation by L. Simion)