March 10, UPDATE

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis says a multi -speed Europe is not a good solution/ Germany and France call on EU countries to accept a multi-speed Europe scenario/ Negotiations on unitary pay law in Romania/ Childhood vaccination schedule under debate

Newsroom, 10.03.2017, 20:00

European Council summit — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said Friday after the European Council meeting that he explained to the EU leaders that a multi -speed Europe was not a good solution and that it could eventually lead to the breaking of the EU. He added that on Friday talks were held on the Declaration to be adopted in Rome on March 25. The EU heads of state and government met in Brussels without Great Britain to discuss the future of the community bloc. The talks were dominated by the ideas of a multi-speed Europe, one of the solutions proposed the President of the European Commission, J. C. Juncker, as a solution to re-launch the EU after Brexit. The vice-president of the EC, Frans Timmermans, told Radio Romania that any member state, Romania included, would be able to enter the so-called “closer cooperation groups” if they wanted so.

Brussels — Germany and France on Friday called on the EU countries to accept the scenario of a multi-speed Europe. At a press conference held after the summit in Brussels the German chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU would show “its unity in diversity” at the Rome summit scheduled for March 25, which will mark 60 years since its setting up. The French President Francois Hollande presented his vision on a European Union in which some states should be able to form groups of enhanced cooperation that should allow them to advance faster than the others in terms of such policies as security and social systems without, however, losing the cohesion of member states.

Constitutional Court — The Constitutional Court of Romania has found that there is conflict of interests between the Public Ministry and the Government, generated by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate’s action to check the legality and opportunity of issuing Government decree no. 13 through which they tried to amend the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes. The Court had been notified about the investigation undertaken by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate by the speaker of the Senate, Calin Popescu Tariceanu. Judges consider that the investigation has disturbed the activity of the Government and that it is only Parliament that can decide on a country’s laws.

Unitary pay law — Negotiations continued at the Labour Ministry in Bucharest between the Government and trade unions regarding the unitary pay law. On Friday, trade unions from the field of culture said they agreed with the new pay scheme, adding there will be pay rises of up to 40%, benefiting especially employees with low salaries. Negotiations on the unitary pay draft law have already been carried out with trade unions in the defense, public order and healthcare sectors. The document is supposed to be adopted by July 1st in order to show effects as of January 1st next year. According to the Labour Minister Olguta Vasilescu, state employees’ salaries will be increased gradually by 2021, and the only ones who will benefit from a full rise in 2018 are the employees in the healthcare sector.

Vaccination schedule — In Romania a new draft law on vaccination will be submitted to public debate in one month at the latest- the new health minister, Florian Bodog announced. Once the law is adopted, parents will be obliged to respect the childhood vaccination schedule. The initiative comes in the context in which Romania has reported an alarming drop in the vaccination rate every year and has been facing many epidemics that made victims among children. The health minister added that, as regards the crisis of the quadrivalent vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and poliomyelitis, the authorities have already started their distribution to family doctors. On Friday he pointed out that over 3,400 cases of measles have been reported in Romania so far, and 17 people have died because of the virus. Health minister Bodog explained that the epidemics started in Romania from a nomadic group, the virus resembling the one that affected Italy an Hungary, although it is not clear if there are common factors involved.

Rugby — Romania’s rugby team is on Saturday taking on the Belgian side away from home in the fourth round of Rugby Europe Championship, the competition replacing the European Nations’ Cup, the second continental rugby competition after the Six Nations’ Tournament. So far, Romania has defeated Russia away from home and Spain on home turf, but lost surprisingly to Germany away from home. Romania is ranked 2nd after Georgia, while Belgium is bottom-of-the-table. Romania is ranked 16th in the world rankings at present. (translation by L. Simion & V. Palcu)