The Week in Review 24-30.04.2016

A roundup of the week's main stories

Daniela Budu, 01.05.2016, 12:29

Local Elections in Romania

May 1 is the deadline for challenging the candidacies for the June 5 local elections in Romania. Political parties, election alliances, ethnic minority organisations and independent runners had until Tuesday to submit their candidacies. After May 4 the lists of candidates will remain final, and the election campaign is scheduled to start on May 6 and end on June 4. This is for the third time in post-communist Romania that elections are organised by a Cabinet of non-affiliated experts, after the governments headed by Theodor Stolojan in 1991-1992 and Mugur Isarescu in 1999-2000.

Augustin Lazar – the New Prosecutor General of Romania

President Klaus Iohannis approved the appointment of Augustin Lazar as Prosecutor General of Romania. Previously endorsed by the Higher Council of Magistrates, the nomination had been sent to the head of state by the Justice Minister, Raluca Pruna. Augustin Lazar said his priorities included fighting crime in vulnerable fields, curbing corruption in local administration, furthering investigations into money laundering, tax evasion and crimes against humanity, as well as the investigation into the circumstances of the anti-communist Revolution of 1989.

Talks at the Labour Ministry

The Romanian Labour Ministry this week had talks with trade union representatives regarding a new government order on salaries in the public sector. The new line minister, Dragos Pislaru, said the authorities were working on several versions of the document, whose core principle is to do away with imbalances in the system. The representatives of major union federations demanded that all public sector salaries be raised, instead of only the smaller ones, as the Government intends, and warned that otherwise protests would be organised. According to Pislaru, the order might be finalised by May 15. The text will be subject to public debate for two weeks, and might be passed by the Government on June 1. Six months before general elections is the deadline by which any government order can be endorsed in Romania.

US Fighters in Bucharest

US F-22 Raptor fighter jets, considered the most advanced in the world and invincible in air-to-air combat missions, have landed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base close to the city of Constanta, in South- Eastern Romania, for the first time in South-Eastern Europe, as part of the Operation Atlantic Resolve. The operation was drawn up by the USA after the conflict had broken out in Ukraine in 2014, with a view to protecting the states on NATOs Eastern flank. F22 Raptor aircraft are fifth-generation, all-weather stealth aircraft, with a speed that can reach two times the speed of sound. Such an aircraft costs 143 million dollars, has a range of 3,000 km and the capacity of fighting even anti-aircraft defence systems. On a visit to Bucharest, where he met with president Klaus Iohannis and Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc, the NATO deputy secretary general Alexander Vershbow commended Romanias active role within the Alliance, pinpointing the significant participation of the Romanian armed forces in the efforts to prevent and combat security risks and challenges. On the day when the two American F-22 Raptor fighter jets landed in Romania, US president Barrack Obama insisted in Hanover on the need for NATO to support its front-line allies, namely Poland, Romania, and the Baltic countries, which are the most exposed to the tensions generated by Russia.

6 months since the Colectiv tragedy

Half a year since the devastating fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, the case has finally reached the court. 139 people, 11 hospitals and 5 institutions have claimed damages in the case. The owners of the club and representatives of the company that organised the fire show, more precisely the owner, the manager and the employee who set up the fireworks show, are charged with manslaughter and bodily harm arising out of negligence. They are also accused of failing to take the necessary health and safety measures. Also on trial are two legal entities, the firm that owns the club and the fireworks company. According to prosecutors, the fire extinguishers had long expired and the materials used to renovate the club were not fireproof. The fire burnt at temperatures of up to 900 degrees centigrade and reached the ceiling in 33 seconds. 64 people died in the fire, and over 100 were injured.