December 16 – 22

A roundup of the week's main stories.

Roxana Vasile, 21.12.2013, 12:11

Romanian has a budget for 2014

Eventually promulgated by President Traian Basescu, the 2014 state budget law has been published in the Official Journal. The head of state endorsed the document after the Government agreed to postpone by three months the introduction of an additional excise duty on fuel, which, under the agreement with the IMF, should have been levied starting January 1st, 2014. President Basescu has expressed confidence that eventually this duty will not have to be applied at all. Traian Basescu:

“There are enough resources to avoid the enforcement of this barbarian duty. My objective was not to cause a confrontation, but to correct a mistake made in the negotiations with the IMF and the EU. In my opinion, the Government, the IMF and the Commission were equally wrong, as they excessively burdened us with a duty on fuel that was not at all necessary.”

Previously, President Basescu had conditioned his signing of the 2014 budget and of the memorandum with the IMF on the elimination of the additional excise duty on fuel. While the ruling Social Democrats have hailed the signing of the budget law, the Liberal-Democrats, in opposition, have criticized it. The first vice-president of the Liberal Democratic Party, Catalin Predoiu has stated:

“This is a budget that has cut investments, a budget based on illusory revenues, a budget that denies Romania’s development, a budget that actually reflects the incapacity of a 70% majority.”

The Romanian budget was built on the basis of a 2.2% economic growth rate, an inflation rate of 2.4% and an exchange rate of 4.45 lei for one Euro.

The amnesty law under public debate

With the attempt to modify the Criminal Code triggering a huge scandal, which ended with serious accusations being brought against parliamentarians, the MPs have this week submitted to the Judicial Committee another controversial law: the one regarding amnesty and the pardoning of certain offences. The law is to be debated until February 1st, 2014. Actually the law was merely the pretext for new disputes between the co-presidents of the ruling Social Liberal Union. Victor Ponta claims that, although Crin Antonescu disavows amnesty in public, he has allegedly asked the Prime Minister, off the record, to adopt the draft law under an emergency ordinance. In turn, Antonescu has warned that if this verbal dispute continues, the alliance is likely to break after the New Year. In another move, the Romanian MPs have passed a new law regarding public-private partnerships. The minister for national projects and infrastructure Dan Sova claims that, under the new law, authorities will be allowed to run several self-financed projects at the same time, without having to wait for approvals of state loans. The document also stipulates that, if the public-private partnership fails to meet all the set requirements, it can be replaced without the obligation of holding another tender. The opposition, which says the law will permit the conclusion of contracts in a non-transparent manner, has called for the draft law to be further debated in the parliamentary committee.

New Government and Constitutional Court appointments

The Romanian Minstry of Culture has a new head, the Liberal Gigel Sorinel Stirbu, who said about his new position:

“I know I am a person who knows the ministry pretty well, I’m convinced that the ministry needs a good manager, somebody who knows very well what’s going on there. It’s a difficult mission, but I am convinced I will manage.”

Gigel Sorinel Stirbu has replaced Daniel Barbu, who resigned after stating that the HIV/AIDS patients benefit from far too much money as compared to culture. In another development, the Social-Democrat senator Toni Grebla has been sworn in judge at the Constitutional Court. Grebla was the Social-Democrats’ second nomination for a seat at the Constitutional Court after Lucian Bolcas, who, accused of anti-Semitism and strongly opposed by many, was forced to step back. Toni Grebla takes the seat left vacant by Iulia Motoc, who is now a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Romanian army missions in 2014

Next year the Romanian army will deploy 1,311 soldiers to foreign missions and operations, 725 less than this year. Also, the Romanian Interior Ministry may participate in 2014 in EU, NATO or OSCE-led missions with 791 soldiers and police, 301 more than in 2013. The plan regarding the deployment of Romanian armed forces abroad was approved by the Supreme Defense Council this week. The main effort will still be Romania’s participation in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and in operations in the Balkans.

24 years since the anti-Communist revolution in Romania

Starting on Monday Timisoara, the city that saw the first sparkle of the anti-Communist revolution, the capital Bucharest and other cities across Romania have hosted events aimed at recalling the sacrifice of those who in 1989 fought for freedom risking their own lives. People have commemorated the victims of the revolution with flags flying at half-mast, floral tributes, masses in church, moments of silence…From Timisoara, where it started on December 20th, 1989, the anti-Communist revolution soon spread across the entire country.