September 22, 2018 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 22.09.2018, 18:34

POLITICS – A
reshuffling of the ministers members of the Social Democratic Party, the main
partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, will take place after the ‘family’
referendum of October 6-7. The Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea has
announced that the reshuffle will be decided at the next meeting of the
executive committee, and one of the skills that a minister must have is good
communication. One of the offices that is likely to see a new occupant is that
of Secretary General of the Government, currently held by Andreea Lambru. She could
be replaced by the former judge with the Constitutional Court Toni Grebla,
acquitted by the High Court of Cassation and Justice in a case of corruption
investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate. We recall that on
Friday night, most leaders of the Social Democratic Party decided to keep
supporting Liviu Dragnea, at the end of a very long meeting of the executive
committee of the party. The meeting was held after a few top-level members signed an open
letter requesting the resignation of Liviu Dragnea as president of the party
and as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The authors of the letter claimed,
among other things, that Dragnea’s legal problems had turned into a major
weakness for the party, particularly considering the forthcoming European
Parliament and presidential elections due in 2019 and the local and legislative
elections scheduled for 2020.

INDICTMENT – The chief of the Romanian Gendarme
Forces, col. Ionuţ Cătălin Sindilie, his Senior Deputy Chief col. Gheorghe
Sebastian Cucoş, Major Laurenţiu Cazan, the chief of the Bucharest Gendarme
Directorate, and Chief Commissioner Mihai Dan Chirică, secretary of state with
the Interior Ministry, have been indicted in relation to the anti-Government
protest of August 10th in Bucharest. They are under investigation, among other
things, for complicity in abuse of
office and abusive behavior. We recall that, during the August 10th protests,
violent clashes took place between the participants and the gendarmes, and the
latter used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. As many as 770
people have filed criminal complaints. The interior minister Carmen Dan has
recently stated that the protest was approached as an event posing risks to
public order, and that the gendarme intervention was lawful.

MEDAL – Princess Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, on
Friday awarded the ‘Nihil Sine Deo’ royal decoration to the US Ambassador to
Bucharest Hans Klemm. Just like the ‘King Michael I Loyalty’ Medal and the ‘Cross
of the Royal House of Romania’, ‘Nihil Sine Deo’ is granted by decision of the
chief of the Royal House. It was introduced in 2009 and it may be granted to
leading social, scientific, educational, cultural, spiritual, economic,
political and military personalities. The medal can also be awarded to Romanian
or foreign current and former ambassadors having made a noteworthy contribution
to Romania’s international relations.

BREXIT – Brexit negotiations
have reached a deadlock, the British PM Theresa May said after the summit in
Salzburg, where no progress was recorded. The Union is not willing to
compromise in any way, that was the conclusion of the summit, which had Theresa
May say that the EU does not treat Great Britain with respect. In a more
optimistic tone, the President of the European Council Donald Tusk has voiced
conviction that a compromise benefiting both parties is still possible and has
recommended that the British should reanalyze their proposals. One of the
thorniest issues is that of the type of border between Northern Ireland, which
is part of the UK, and Ireland, which is a member of the EU. Another source of
tension is economic relations, as the British would like to benefit from at
least part of the advantages provided by the single European market even after
Brexit. The European leaders have decided that Brexit negotiations are due to
end next month and, if real progress is made, a new summit of the heads of
state and government will be held in November, to render the understanding with
the UK official.

BUCHAREST – Events celebrating the City of
Bucharest continued on Saturday, marking
559 years since the Romanian capital was first mentioned in official records,
as well as 100 years since the Union of December 1, 1918, when the Romanian
provinces were united into a nation state. On Friday, the famous Romanian panpipe
player Gheorghe Zamfir gave a memorable show and on Saturday Bucharest hosted one
of the biggest 3D video-mapping shows in the world. The Days of the City of
Bucharest will end on Sunday with an extraordinary concert by the famous Rod
Stewart.

OLYMPIAD – Romanian pupils won
nine prizes at the 4th International French Language Olympiad in
Ohrid, Macedonia, held between the 15th and the 19th of
September. They won four first prizes (two in individual and two in team
events), three second prizes and two third prizes. The International French
Language Olympiad gathered pupils from 6 countries members of the International
Organization of La Francophonie: Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, the
Republic of Moldova and Romania. The competition is enlisted in the program of
the activities carried out by the Regional Office of La Francophonie for
Central and Eastern Europe.