October 1, 2018

For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here

Newsroom, 01.10.2018, 13:10

2018-2019 ACADEMIC YEAR – Nearly half a million students in Romania
today are starting a new academic year. President Klaus Iohannis attended the
opening ceremony in Iasi, recalling that the city hosted the first modern
university in Romania in 1860. The President added that the recent decades,
marked by economic and technological advancement, have turned the great
university centers in pillars of economic growth. In turn, Prime Minister
Viorica Dancila attended the opening ceremony at the Faculty of Medicine and
Pharmacy in Craiova, saying that the Romanian medical school is an elite
school, and that healthcare and education should underlie the development of
society. The new academic year starts with the Education Minister position left
vacant, after Valentin Popa resigned last week. Rovana Plumb, Minister of
European Funds, has been nominated as interim Education Minister.

REMARKS – The recent changes to the justice legislation in Romania
risk throwing the country back in the early 2000s, a period marked by deep
corruption, US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm said today at the opening
ceremony of a new academic year at the Law School in Bucharest, also attended
by the French Ambassador to Bucharest, Michele Ramis. Hans Klemm referred to
the amendments brought to the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, the
modifications brought to the Judicial Inspection Corps, and the magistrates’ protests
against the changes, which were unimaginable in the past, Klemm argued. In
their current version, these amendments will hinder or make it utterly
impossible the investigation and prosecution of such crimes as murder and
organized crime, the US official went on to say. According to Ambassador Klemm,
international cooperation in the justice field will be reduced significantly
over worries linked to sharing information with Romania.

DEBATE – The latest developments in Romania related
to the independence of the justice system are today under debate in the
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs at the European
Parliament, in a meeting chaired by European Commission first vice-president
Frans Timmermans. According to the European Parliament, the preliminary opinion
issued by the Venice Commission regarding the three draft laws revising the
status of judges and prosecutors, judicial organization and the functioning of
the Superior Council of Magistracy will be also tackled. The meeting precedes
Wednesday’s scheduled debate in the European Parliament, devoted to the rule of
law in Romania, to be attended by Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila. The
Romanian official discussed the topic earlier this week with the main political
parties in the European Parliament.

PARLIAMENT – Romanian Senators and Deputies will resume session on
Tuesday after today they are attending ceremonies marking the start of a new
academic year across the country. The Chamber of Deputies’ agenda includes the
law regulating the exploitation of natural gas in the Black Sea. The debate and
the vote on this matter was delayed by a week. The bill got Senate’s approval
and has been tabled to the Chamber of Deputies. Members of the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats in Romania have announced they would introduce several
amendments, while Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea wants to delay the vote,
to give MPs enough time to analyze and discuss the offshore bill. Also this
week the ruling coalition faces two simple motions. The Liberal Party in
opposition has filed a simple motion against Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici
in the Chamber of Deputies, while the Save Romania Union and Liberal party have
filed a motion against Transport Minister Lucian Sova in the Senate. Both documents
will be debated and voted on Wednesday. Parliament’s committee investigating
the involvement of the Personal Security Service (SPP) in the activity of
certain political parties and some of their leaders is also scheduled to start
its activity this week. Deputy Prime Minister Paul Stanescu and the former
director of the Service, Dumitru Iliescu, will be the first to be deposed.

VISIT – European Union Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier
on Tuesday is paying an official visit to Bucharest. According to a press
release made public by the European Commission’s Representation in Romania,
Michel Barnier will meet with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Senate Speaker
Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, Chamber of Deputies Speaker Liviu Dragnea, Prime
Minister Viorica Dancila and Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Victor
Negrescu. Additionally, the EU official will hold talks with representatives of
Parliament’s joint committees for European affairs and foreign policy and with
members of Parliament’s special committee for the coordination of actions
connected to the Romanian Presidency of the European Council in the first half
of 2019.

NOBEL PRIZE – Scientists James P. Allison of the United States and
Tasuku Honjo of Japan were today awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2018
for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune
regulation. The Nobel Prize for Literature will be announced next year along
with the recipient selected for 2019, in the wake of wide-ranging sexual
assault allegations targeting members of the Swedish academy, made public by
#MeToo. The Academy has thus decided to postpone the literature prize for next
year, to allow the institution to reform and replace its outgoing members. Five
Nobel prizes were instated by Swedish inventors, industrialist and
philanthropist Alfred Nobel, for medicine, chemistry, physics, literature and
peace. A sixth Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was founded by Bank of
Sweden in 1968.

TSUNAMI – The Government of Indonesia
today called for international aid in the wake of Friday’s earthquake and
ensuing tsunami that hit Sulawesi Island, killing some 830 people. The
Government said 1,200 inmates escaped from three prisons, speculating the chaos
that followed Friday’s catastrophe. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has conveyed
condolences to the families of the victims and expressed its deepest compassion
and solidarity with the Indonesian people and authorities. In another
development, at least two people died and some 120 were wounded after Trami
typhoon swept through southern Japan, disrupting the transport network.

REFERENDUM – 90% of Macedonian voters on Sunday favored the name
changing to North Macedonia in a Government-organized referendum.
Unfortunately, the referendum was invalidated due to low voter turnout. The
name-changing plan is aimed at putting an end to a long-standing spat with
Greece, a country which this summer signed an agreement unlocking Macedonia’s
path to NATO and the EU. To become a member of the North-Atlantic Treaty
Organization, Macedonia needs to ratify the agreement with Greece by referendum
and change its constitutional name. Only then will the Greek Parliament be able
to ratify the agreement. The European Union has urged both parties to respect
the results of Sunday’s referendum, with NATO also hailing what it has termed
a historic decision to put aside all differences with Greece.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is ranked first and
enjoys a considerable lead in WTA standings. Halep is up 2,400 points over
runner-up Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and 2,700 against Germany’s Angelique
Kerber. The gap will shrink starting next week, considering Halep withdrew in
the first round in Beijing this year. Last year the Romanian player reached the
finals. This is Simona’s 48th consecutive week at the top of the
women’s singles rankings. Also the Romanian player is ranked 11th in
an all-time ranking. Other Romanians ranked in the WTA Top 100 are Mihaela
Buzarnescu (24), Irina Begu (53), Sorana Cirstea (61), Ana Bogdan (80) and
Monica Niculescu (82).

(Translated by V. Palcu)