November 21, 2016 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 21.11.2016, 12:30

INVESTIGATION Anti-corruption prosecutors in Romania have placed under criminal investigation former Education Minister Alexandru Athanasiu for abuse of office in the Microsoft 2 file on computer licenses in schools. Also on Monday in the same file, two former directors of Microsoft Romania, Silviu Hotaran and Ovidiu Artopolescu, as well as businessman Claudiu Florica were placed on conditional release for aggravated conspiracy to abuse of office. In the same file, Chief-prosecutor Kovesi has called for notifying the Chamber of Deputies for launching criminal investigation in the case of MP Eugen Bejinariu, minister for the coordination of the government’s secretariat general between 2003 — 2004 for abuse of office in aggravated form during his term in office. In the Microsoft case, in October, a former communications minister Gabriel Sandu, a former mayor of the town of Piatra Neamt, Gheorghe Stefan, and businessmen Dorin Cocoş and Dumitru Nicolae received final prison sentences. The court decided to confiscate more than 17 million euros from the 4 aforementioned persons. The total damage caused to the state budget in the contract for granting IT licenses in 2004 and 2008 rises up to roughly 67 million dollars. The Microsoft case also involves several former ministers from the Social Democratic and Liberal Democratic parties. The total damage in their case has not yet been established, says the chief prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi.

SESSION The European Parliament’s plenary session started on Monday in Strasbourg. The relationship of the EU with Turkey, the EU common security strategy and the trade agreement with Canada are some of the issues to be analysed until November 24. The MEPs will debate and vote on a draft resolution through which they ask for the consolidation of cooperation between the national armed forces. The resolution provides for the allocation by all member states of 2% of the GDP for defence. Another important draft resolution to be voted is related to the aggressive anti-European propaganda fuelled by the Islamic State and Russia. The MEPs also want to ask for the opinion of the European Court of Justice on the trade agreement, which the EU and Canada signed in October in Brussels.

CONDOLENCES The Romanian Foreign Ministry has conveyed sincerest condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic train crash in India also voicing compassion and solidarity with the Indian people and authorities. Over 140 people died in a rail crash on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh. In spite of its serious security flaws India’s rail network remains the main means of transportation in the country. India saw its worst train crash in 1981 when 800 people were killed when their train fell into a river.

APPROVAL The Romanian Government will approve this week the 2nd budget adjustment in 2016. The healthcare, development and agriculture domains will receive more money for funding ongoing projects. Supplementary funds will also be allotted for policies in the education and social welfare fields that will be funded through the local public administration and also for closing down several mines included in the Hunedoara Energy Compound.