March 16, 2015
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Mihai Pelin, 16.03.2015, 12:00
The head of the National Integrity Agency in Romania, Horia Georgescu, is being investigated by anti-corruption prosecutors. According to judicial sources, Georgescu is suspected of abuse of office, in a case opened after an official notification from the National Authority for the Restitution of Property regarding restitution of over-evaluated property. This is a completely separate case from that of the head prosecutor with the main national organized crime department, Alina Bica, who was also prosecuted for the illegal restitution of over-evaluated land. Horia Georgescu was until 2010 a member of the central commission that set the damages owed by the state to people who owned property confiscated by the former communist regime. An opposition MP is also being heard today in the case.
Transparency International Romania started today in Bucharest a civic campaign aimed at mobilizing public opinion against corruption to a higher level then before. According to the organization, witnesses and victims of corruption who want to do something about their situation will get free assistance from the Center for Legal Assistance Against Corruption, which will also ensure their confidentiality. Each complaint will be analyzed by experts, who will also provide a plan of action. Radio Romania supports the Transparency International initiative, alongside major institution such as the Higher Council of Magistrates, the General Anti-Corruption Department, the People’s Advocate and the Romanian Association of Magistrates.
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in Brussels in the meeting of his EU counterparts. The agenda of the meeting includes the evolving situation in Libya, migration in the context of the deteriorating security situation in the Mediterranean area, and preparations for the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga in May. European top diplomats will also attend the EU- Moldova Association Council, where Chisinau is represented by a delegation led by the new Moldovan PM, Chiril Gaburici. He will be meeting there with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, but also NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Romania will also organize with France the meeting of the Group for Moldova’s European Action, chaired by the Romanian foreign minister, also attended by the head of Moldovan diplomacy, Natalia Gherman.
Romanian Defense Minister Mircea Dusa attends today Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 exercises in the Black Sea, joined on the Romanian side by two missile boats and the frigate ‘Marasesti’, alongside three airships. The maritime group is made up of four frigates, one each from Canada, Turkey, Italy and the Romanian frigate Queen Marie, which carries a helicopter, alongside an American cruiser and a German support ship. They will be running anti-submarine warfare and anti-ship defense operations, including against fast boats. Also today, the airbase at Campia Turzii hosts until March 26 the joint Dacian Warhawk Romanian-American exercise. Taking part in it are around 200 Romanian troops including pilots and support staff, with six MiG-21 Lancers and four helicopters, while the US side brings in 250 soldiers with six F-16s from the European US contingent. This is a major review of standard air tactics and procedures aimed at increasing interoperability.
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, third in the world, qualified to the eighth finals of the WTA tournament in Indian Wells, California, with prizes totaling 5.3 million USD. To get there she defeated American player Varvara Lepchenko, 26th seed, and in the eighth finals she plays Karolina Pliskova, ranked 14th. Halep and Pliskova have only faced off one other time, this year in the Dubai finals, when Simona Halep had the clear upper hand. In the men’s doubles, the Romanian-UK pair Florin Mergea/ Dominic Inglot qualified to the eighth finals as well, facing off against Colombian pair Sebastian Cabal/ Robert Farah.
74% of Romanians believe that the EU is on the right track, as opposed to the average European percentage, 56, while 34% believe that Romania is not on the right track. This is according to the latest data from the Eurobarometer, which also shows that 53% of Romanians are satisfied with the way in which the EU exercises democracy, while a mere 25% are satisfied with democracy in Romania. This figure, however, is 10% higher than it was in 2013. at the same time, 72% of Romanians support the EU expansion policy, compared to 39% of Europeans. Domestically, Romanians are most worried about unemployment and inflation, as well as by the healthcare system and the social assistance system. The Eurobarometer was run between November 8 and 17, 2014.
Romania’s women’s handball champions, HCM Baia Mare, qualified to the quarterfinals in the Champions League, after defeating on home turf Danish team Viborg HK 32-22. This victory lifted HCM to the third place in its group, behind Larvik of Norway and Gyori ETO of Hungary, the latter being the current champions. In the quarterfinals, HCM meets Russian champion Dinamo Volvograd.
