The week in review (February 10-16 2020)

A look at the main stories this past week

Roxana Vasile, 15.02.2020, 13:00

Lingering government crisis in Bucharest

Romania’s
Prime Minister designate, liberal Ludovic Orban, in Parliament on Monday
submitted his cabinet members list as well as the slightly changed governing
programme, so that the cabinet may be sworn in in due course, according to
procedure. Orban stated no reshuffle occurred this time around and his cabinet
members were the same as those who last week got the sack through a motion of no
confidence tabled by the Social Democratic Party, in opposition, backed by the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians. The no-confidence vote was a swift
reaction to Orban 1 Government’s taking responsibility for resuming the
procedure of electing mayors in two rounds of voting, only a couple of months ahead
of the upcoming local ballot. According to the set timetable, the hearing of
Orban 2 cabinet ministers in the Parliament’s specialized commissions will take
place over February 17 and 19, while the Romanian Parliament’s session held so
that the government may be sworn in is scheduled for February 24. Ludovic Orban also
stated the National Liberal Party’s set target was to trigger an early election.
Leading members of the National Liberal Party therefore announced they would
abstain from voting their own Government, in the hopes that their action may
lead to snap election. Concurrently, Prime Minister designate Ludovic Orban
approached some of the parliamentary parties, in a bid to get their support for
early election.

How fares Romanian economy?

Romanian
economy in 2019 saw a 4.1% growth, according to data made public by the
National Statistics Institute in Bucharest on Friday, with the aforementioned
percentage exceeding the European Commission’s 3.8% forecast, but also the
estimate made by the National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis, whose
forecast pointed to a 4% growth. However, the economic growth is slower that in
2018 and 2017, when the reported percentages stood at 4.4% and 7.1%,
respectively.

In Brussels, the
European Commission this past Thursday, in turn published its winter economic
forecast. The estimates of the Commission point to a 3.8 % growth for Romania’s
GDP in 2020, and to a growth of 3.5% in 2021. Of the European Union’s 27 member
states, Malta alone will have a higher economic growth than Romania.

A series of measures taken for the
protection of forests

A 30-day
grace time was given Romania by the European Commission to stop illegal logging,
otherwise a new round of sanctions would be imposed. Romania has tens of
thousands of hectares of virgin and quasi-virgin forests which make the perfect
habitat for wild animal such as bears, wolves and lynxes. Large-scale illegal
logging, however, has seriously mutilated vast expands of the country’s
forested surface areas, and it appears that part of such areas has been
purposefully made available to illegal loggers. The outgoing Environment
Minister, the liberal Costel Alexe reminded everybody the European Commission
had issued its illegal logging warnings as early as 2016.

Costel Alexe:

Even at that time the Romanian authorities
were being asked why they didn’t take any action to protect the country’s
forests and prevent thieves from robbing them. Three years have passed since
then, three years during which the Commission showed its patience towards all
those who ran this sector and those who ruled this country. Three years the
European Commission waited for illegal logging to stop in Romania. And you know
what I think? I believe that Europe and the European Commission cared more for
Romania’s forests than the previous governments.

Three
environmental NGOs filed complaints at the European Commission for the
destruction of the Romanian forests. According to these NGOs, authorities in
Romania are approving deforestation in the Natura 2000 areas without analyzing
the impact they might have upon these regions. Furthermore, according to
Forestry Trade Union Silva in the past years, six rangers have been killed,
while 650 others have been beaten, attacked with axes and knives or shot while
trying to prevent illegal logging.

The coronavirus and seasonal flu epidemic

Authorities
in Romania on Thursday announced the first case of infection with the dreadful
coronavirus, which is wreaking havoc in China and is spreading throughout the
world. The Romanian, who was on a cruise liner with other Romanian nationals,
has been admitted to a hospital in Japan. Meanwhile, authorities in Bucharest
have given assurances that there was no case of coronavirus infection in
Romania. The outgoing Health Minister, Victor Costache, says that Romania has
capabilities to diagnose the disease and intends to build another three
laboratories to carry out tests on this disease outside Bucharest. The former
Finance Minister Florin Câţu has announced that money has been earmarked for
the purchase of thermo-scanners to fit Romania’s main airports. In another
development, a seasonal epidemic of influenza has so far killed 30 in Romania.

Campaigns to spur state involvement in
sporting activities

Some of
Romania’s best athletes and champions have this week launched an appeal in the
Senate for the appropriate funding of sporting activities. Romania’s best
gymnast, Nadia Comaneci, tennis player Simona Halep and former athlete Gabriela
Szabo have joined their colleagues pleading for the earmarking of at least 1%
of the country’s GDP for sporting activities.

Nadia
Comăneci: We don’t have the obligation of being here
but our conscience obliges us to make something for this generation, which must
have at least what we used to have, the opportunities that we had. And it is
important for today’s generation to see that it has our support.

Romania’s top
athletes and champions have been invited to join this initiative launched by
two senators from the Social-Democratic opposition, who have kicked off a
legislative project under which, the BNR Arenas sporting facilities can be
taken over the Romanian state. The document, which was endorsed by the Senate
has been sent to the decision-making Chamber of Deputies.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta and bill)