The Week in Review (15-21.04.2018)

A look back at the main stories this week.

Corina Cristea, 21.04.2018, 14:02

Anti-corruption chief Laura Codruta
Kovesi stays in office

Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis on Monday rejected a request by the justice minister
Tudorel Toader to dismiss the anti-corruption chief Laura Codruta Kovesi. I
wasn’t convinced by the arguments, said Iohannis, whose advisers studied the
request that had previously received a negative opinion from the Superior
Council of Magistracy. Minister Toader first demanded Kovesi’s dismissal in
February, accusing her of abuse of office and damaging the country’s image
abroad. He now says he will refer the president’s decision not to dismiss her
to the Constitutional Court. Toader’s move enjoys the political support of the
Social Democratic Party and of prime minister Viorica Dancila. The Liberals, in
opposition, say the reasons mentioned by the justice minister in his request to
have Kovesi sacked are groundless. Also in opposition, the Save Romania Union
says the president’s decision to reject the proposal is fair and natural.

Protests in hospitals

The SANITAS
healthcare trade union plans to hold a big rally in Bucharest followed by an
all- out strike to protest against a cap on benefits that has led to a drop in incomes
for some employees. The first deputy president of SANITAS, Iulian Pope, has
made public the calendar of protest actions: a rally in Bucharest on the 26th
of April, a one-hour token strike on the 7th of May, and an all-out
strike on the 11th of May. The trade union is unhappy with the
imposition of a 30% cap on benefits in the healthcare and special assistance
sector, a measure that cuts employees’ incomes by as much as 300 euros as of
March. Hospital and sanitary directorate employees have recently taken to the
street every day to protest against the new standardised pay scheme. The
Romanian PM Viorica Dancila has called on the ministers of health, labour and
finance to work out solutions to solve the salary issues in the healthcare
system and to invite hospital managers for talks on Monday. In turn, the health
minister Sorina Pintea claimed, early this week, that almost 10% of the total
number of medical staff reported drops in their salaries. She explained that
the 30% cap on benefits should be respected, and the hospital managers should
do in such a way as to cover the salary differences from the hospitals’ own
funds.

Romanians in Italy

Italy is
interested in investing in Romania in such domains as agriculture,
technological innovation, energy and defence, the outgoing Italian PM Paolo
Gentiloni said in Bucharest on Thursday. He met with President Klaus Iohannis
and the PM Viorica Dancila,
talks focusing on the bilateral relations, which were considered by both sides
as privileged. Italy is a strategic partner for Romania as the volume of
bilateral trade exchanges reached almost 14 billion Euros in 2017, which is a
record level for the past 10 years. According to PM Dancila Romania has been witnessing an extremely diversified
presence of Italian investments. The two prime ministers also talked about the
Romanian community in Italy and the Italian community in Romania. PM Paolo
Gentiloni said that at present the Romanian community in Italy numbers more
than 1,300,000 people, and their integration is getting better by the day.
President Klaus Iohannis also expressed his contentment with the situation of
Romanians in Italy:

We are both very
happy and content that the Italian and Romanian communities alike are not only
accepted but also very well integrated. The Italian citizens are very welcome
to Romania and they have integrated well into the Romanian society. They form a
large business community. The Romanian community in Italy numbers 1,300,000
people, it is an equally well integrated community and very well accepted in
Italy.

The agenda of
talks also included the future of the community space as well as the future
Romanian presidency of the EU Council, as of January 1, 2019.

Razvan Burleanu, a new mandate at the
helm of the Romanian Football Federation

The current president of the Romanian
Football Federation on Wednesday won a new four-year mandate at the helm of the
federation, after being endorsed by 168 of the 254 affiliated members. His main
contender, Ionut Lupescu, a former football player of Romania’s Golden
Generation in the 1990s, got only 78 of the cast votes. Razvan Burleanu secured victory thanks to
the support of representatives of smaller, lower league clubs, of Romanian
women’s football or indoor football. It mattered more that all throughout his
term in office, since 2014 onward, Burleanu has clearly committed himself to
supporting lower league clubs. According to the media, only two First League
clubs endorsed Burleanu: CFR Cluj and FC Botosani. I will be a president who
will do everything for unity, a unity of well-meaning people, Razvan Burleanu
said shortly after the vote count.