March 6, 2017 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 06.03.2017, 19:52
LABOUR Talks were held on Monday between labour ministry officials and representatives of law enforcement institutions on the unitary pay law in Romania. The police trade union leaders are unhappy with the result of the negotiations and threaten with protests. They say there are more than 80,000 employees of the Interior Ministry who earn less than the national minimum wage, which currently stands at some 320 Euro. The line minister Lia Olguta Vasilescu has stated that the unitary pay system law is to be finalized in July, as provided in the governing program of the Cabinet formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania. She has also stated that by 2020 the salaries of up to 4,000 lei (890 Euro) will double, and those that exceed this cap will benefit from an increase of 45%. Also, as of July 1st the pension point will increase to 1,000 lei (approx. 225 Euro).
EU POLICY Romania now has the historic opportunity to be part of the relaunch of the European Union, affected by Brexit and the rise of nationalism, said on Monday on Radio Romania the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu. She has advised the Romanian authorities to act and make sure Romania gets seriously involved in the reform process recently launched by the EC President Jean-Claude Junker, along with the presentation of the five potential scenarios regarding the future of the Union. Romania stands against the scenario of a multi-speed Europe. In an interview carried by several European newspapers, the French President Francois Hollande has stated that, for many years, the idea of a union with different paces of development has been opposed to, but this solution has now become a must.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs Ana Birchall will attend in Brussels on Tuesday the proceedings of the General Affairs Council. The Councils draft conclusions regarding the report on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism will be presented at the meeting. The draft acknowledges the major progress made by Romania and stresses the Romanian authorities support for achieving the CVM goals. The General Affairs Council meeting will also approach the latest preparation for the European Council meeting due on March 9-10, attended by heads of state and government. The last preparations were also made on Monday at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, where Romania was represented by the Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu and the Defence Minister Gabriel Les. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the meeting was a good opportunity to reconfirm Romanias firm commitment to consolidating the European project on security and defence.
HEXI FARMA The Romanian producer of biocides Hexi Pharma, involved in the scandal of diluted disinfectants used in the Romanian hospitals, was sent to court on Monday by prosecutors of the Court of Cassation and Justice for fraud and use of forgery hampering the fight against diseases. The General Manager of the company Flori Dinu and the Manufacturing Manager Mihai Leva were also sent to court for forgery and actions hampering the fight against diseases. The owner of Hexi Pharma Dan Condrea died in a car crash in 2016, shortly after the it was revealed that his company was delivering diluted disinfectants to hospitals.
NATO EXERCISE The multinational military exercise “Poseidon 2017” organized by the Romanian Navy brought to the Black Sea, on Monday, the NATO Mine Counter Measures Group. The training lasts one week and will be unfolding in the Romanian territorial waters and in the international waters in the west of the Black Sea. Participating are some 1,500 soldiers, military ships from 7 NATO member countries, Romanian and Turkish divers specializing in discovering and neutralizing underwater dangers, chiefs of staff of the Bulgarian and Turkish armies as well as aircraft and a helicopter. This is the 2nd military exercise organized by the Romanian Navy this year.
EUROVISION Ilinca and Alex Florea will represent Romania at the Eurovision 2017 contest with the song “Yodel It” following their victory in Sunday nights national selection. The 62nd edition of Eurovision will be hosted by Kiev, with the semi-finals being scheduled for May 9 and 11 and the final for May 13. Romania will compete in the second semi-final. Another Romanian will participate in this years Eurovision contest, Miruna Mănescu, with the song “Apollo” but she will represent Switzerland. Romania has participated in the Eurovision contest since 1993, its best results being the 3rd place won at two editions and a 4th place.
