September 26, 2017 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news.

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Newsroom, 26.09.2017, 18:56

FUNDS – European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu has approved investment of almost 200 million euros in fast railway connections in Romania, according to a release of the European Commission Office in Bucharest. Some 198.2 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund will be invested in the modernisation of the rail connection between the localities Coslariu and Simeria, in central Romania, thus allowing for trains to circulate at speeds of 120 to 160 km per hour.

UKRAINE — The Romanian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday in a release that it regrets the fact that, in spite of steps taken by the Romanian authorities, who signalled the Ukrainian side that the new education law restricts significantly the rights of the Romanian minority in this country, President Petro Poroshenko has promulgated this law. Earlier of Tuesday Ukraine’s Ambassador to Romania, Oleksandr Bankov said that none of the schools in the language of national minorities would be closed down or their teachers fired but pointed out that the new education law provides for tuition exclusively in the Ukrainian language starting with the 5th grade. Parliament in Romania has unanimously adopted a statement calling for an immediate solution from Kiev, while president Iohannis has cancelled a visit he planned to Kiev in protest against the aforementioned law. The Education Ministers of Romania and Ukraine will hold talks so that the Romanian minority in Ukraine should have access to education in their mother tongue. The Romanian minority in Ukraine numbers almost half a million people.

PARLIAMENT — MPs with the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Save Romanian Union (USR) in opposition, filed a simple motion against the Transport Minister, the Social Democrat Razvan Cuc. The motion’s signatories, entitled Romania’s Transport Infrastructure Serves the Interests of the Social Democratic Party signal the bad management, lack of proffessionalism and the political influence at the Transport Ministry. They also argue that the recent budget revision halved the ministry’s funds and that major infrastructure projects such as the Sibiu-Pitesti, Transylvania and Targu Mures- Iasi-Ungheni motorways have long exceeded their deadline for completion. The simple motion will be discusssed in the Chamber of Deputies next Tuesday with a final vote to be held on Wednesday.

CORRUPTION – The Romanian Senate’s Legal Committee on Tuesday rejected the request of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) to start the prosecution of the Minister for the Relation with Parliament, Viorel Ilie. It is the Senate, however, that will have a final say on the matter. Minister Viorel Ilie, representing the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, together with three employees of the institution, is accused of having “arranged” a contest for hiring public servants on contractual positions. Another two top members of the Government, the deputy Prime Minister Sevil Shhaideh, who is also the Minister of Regional Development, and the Minister Delegate for European Funds Rovana Plumb, both members of the Social Democratic Party are being prosecuted for corruption.

ROMANIANS IN THE UK — Romanians living and working in the UK will preserve their rights and liberties, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu today told Radio Romania. Minister Melescanu discussed this topic with the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson during the latter’s visit to Bucharest on Monday. The two officials also discussed about the new registry system for people who want to travel to the UK, which Minister Melescanu believes should not jeopardize the rights of people living, working or studying in the United Kingdom. In turn, Boris Johnson told AGERPRES news agency that Romanians in the UK should not be concerned about their future after Brexit, as they are valuable members of British society. Boris Johnson went on to say that the UK wants to keep the nearly half a million Romanians living in this country, wants to make them feel safe and to assure them that their rights are being protected.

TRADE UNIONS — One of the largest trade union confederations in Romania, Cartel Alfa, is this week staging a series of protests in several cities across the country. The trade union requests all social security taxes to no longer be passed onto employees and wants to start negotiations over signing collective employment agreements at all levels. Trade unionists say transferring social security contributions to the employees will reduce their net income, liquidate the unemployment fund and lower contributions to the pension fund. The first protests were staged on Monday in several cities. According to Cartel Alfa, a large protest will be staged in Bucharest, on October 4.

LAW ENFORCEMENT — Three Romanian police officers are taking part in an international effort to strengthen and develop the intervention capacity of the local law enforcement authorities in Georgia and Cyprus. Two officers are participating in the EU mission to Georgia and another one is part of the UN mission to Cyprus. The Romanian Police is carrying out crime prevention and combating activities jointly with the local authorities, providing humanitarian aid and taking part in missions aimed at keeping public order. So far 37 Romanian police officers are involved in 10 international missions on four continents under the coordination of the EU, the UN and the OSCE. The first mission they ever took part in was the one in Kosovo in 1998.

(Translated by Elena Enache)