The Week in Review, 6-12 April
A look back at the weeks top stories in politics, economy, society, culture and sports.
Roxana Vasile, 12.04.2014, 13:54
Romania and the Ukrainian crisis
The United States has reiterated its commitment to defending Romania, given the latest events in Crimea, Russia’s aggressive moves and lack of respect for the sovereignty of Ukraine, Duane Butcher, a US charge d’affairs with the American Embassy in Bucharest said on Thursday. His statement came shortly after Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean had said that Romania, as the eastern border of the European Union and NATO, having Ukraine as its northern neighbour, has concrete expectations concerning an eastward shift of NATO’s military capabilities.
The Romanian state secretary Bogdan Aurescu conveyed a similar message in Washington during talks with the assistant US secretary of state for European affairs Victoria Nuland.
In a letter sent to the leaders of 18 European countries, including Romania, Vladimir Putin has called on Europeans to work out actions to stabilise the Ukrainian economy and ensure delivery and transit of Russian natural gas to the West. According to the Kremlin leader, unless Europeans cover Ukraine’s debt, Russia has the right to halt gas deliveries to Kiev, a move that will also bear on gas deliveries to EU countries, because these supply pipelines transit Ukraine.
According to Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, Romania is not likely to face a gas delivery crisis on short term.
“Romania does nor depend much on Russian gas — only 25% of its consumption is imported from Russia. And if we speak in terms of weeks or months, there is no risk, for either the population or the industry. If the crisis drags on, this is all the more reason for Romania to invest more and develop its existing capacities to a maximum level, so that it could have its own internal production.”
High-profile criminal investigations
The Romanian justice seems to be in better shape than ever after many years in which it has taken no action against corrupted political leaders and businesspeople, seen as untouchable.
The current mayor of Constanta, Social-Democrat Radu Mazare, currently at its fourth mandate, has this week been placed under investigation for bribe-taking allegations. The biggest story this week is the investigation of the Social Democrat mayor of Constanta, Radu Mazare, for bribe taking. According to prosecutors, he received 175,000 euros in 2011 from the representatives of a company building social housing.
The suspended chairman of Romania’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mihail Vlasov, has been remanded in custody for influence peddling, while the former president of the National Employment Agency, Silviu Bian, has been given a six-year prison sentence for bribe-taking.
The National Anti-corruption Directorate has called on the Senate to approve the preventive arrest of Social Democrat senator Ovidiu Marius Isaila, who is currently prosecuted for influence peddling.
Romania’s candidates in the European Parliament elections
Less than a month before the EU parliamentary elections, due on May 25th, two of Romania’s candidates brought their cases to court.
Actor Mircea Diaconu, got the green light from a Romanian court to run for a seat in the European parliament, after the National Agency for Integrity and the Public Ministry had contested his candidacy on incompatibility grounds. We recall that in 2011 Diaconu held two public positions at the same time: that of parliamentarian and theatre director. The court explained that Diaconu has the incontestable legal vocation of occupying an MEP seat, as the law on public jobs and positions cannot be associated with criminal laws.
At the same time the court ruled that the list for the EU elections filed by Corneliu Vadim Tudor, under the logo of the extra-parliamentary nationalist Greater Romania Party, PRM, was eligible. The Central Election Bureau had initially refused to validate the list.
The latest amendments to the education law
Teachers having passed their tenure exams in the past 6 years with grades above 7, and who are employed on temporary contracts, may be assigned permanent posts. The decision is to be taken by the relevant county school inspectorate, based on two criteria. The first one is whether the respective post is vacant, and the second has to do with the viability of a post, namely with whether a post will exist throughout a four-year education cycle.
The recent changes to the Education Act were prompted by a complaint filed by a teacher with the Constitutional Court of Romania. According to the plaintiff, Art. 253 in the old text of the law made it possible for teachers to be assigned tenured positions on preferential criteria, based on the connections they had.
Romania takes measures to prevent floods
As 6% out of Romania’s population is living in areas exposed to floods, the “Romanian Waters” National Administration and the National Institute for Hydrology and Water Management drew up some risk maps. The documents, compulsory for an EU member state, include data about 11 hydrographic basins and also estimates about the possible damage and fatalities caused by the flooding. The head of the “Romanian Waters” National Administration, Vasile Pintilie explains:
“We are now able to report, in real time, any phenomenon that may appear and have a destructive effect on human settlements.”
Experts estimate that carrying out flood control works at current standards requires investments of almost 3 billion euros.
