The Year 2013 in Review

Let's take a look at the some of the highlights of the year 2013 on the Romanian political, social and cultural scene

România Internațional, 05.01.2014, 14:12

The political scene

The agreement known as the “cohabitation pact” signed early in 2013 by President Traian Basescu and PM Victor Ponta failed towards the end of the year over the changes to the Criminal Code. MPs tried to introduce a new provision to the code by which the head of state, MPs and liberal professionals are no longer regarded as public servants, which means that they can no longer be investigated and indicted for corruption-related acts such as abuse of office, bribe taking and peddling in influence, as well as for conflict of interests. The move was criticised by the president, the Higher Council of Magistrates, foreign diplomats and the people, many of whom took to the streets to protest against the changes. The Social Liberal Union, the ruling coalition in Romania, has itself been troubled by internal conflicts. The statements coming from the Union’s two leaders on various subjects, such as the amnesty law, imply that the cracks inside the coalition are becoming wider and more and more visible.

The Schengen entry — a new postponement

Initially scheduled for 2011, Romania’s and Bulgaria’s entry into the passport free Schengen area was again postponed in 2013. The two countries presented the EU Justice and Internal Affairs Council held in Brussels in December with a political statement in which they voice their disappointment and say there is no legal and concrete reason for their entry to be postponed. Romania and Bulgaria again emphasised that they met all Schengen entry requirements. At the meeting in December, EU home affairs and justice ministers did not establish a date for the two countries’ accession to the Schengen area. Germany, Holland, France and Britain are openly opposed to Romania’s and Bulgaria’s entry, saying the two states may become the source of an uncontrollable wave of migration.

Protests over controversial projects in Roşia Montană and Pungeşti

The cyanide-based gold mining project in Roşia Montană was one of the most controversial subjects in 2013. People are concerned that the concentration levels of cyanide may cause irreversible damage to the environment. Other reasons for criticising the project have to do with the low amount of royalties, namely 6%, collected by the state, as well as with the fact that ancient historical traces in the area will de destroyed by the mining works. According to the Canadian company Roşia Montană Gold Corporation which has been trying to start the gold exploitation for the last 15 years, Romania stands to benefit from the project economically, the environment would be cleaner and the archaeological heritage would be better promoted. A parliamentary committee set up to analyse the pros and cons rejected the bill regulating the gold exploitation in Roşia Montană last November. Another controversial project to generate protests in 2013 had to do with the extraction of shale gas by the American company Chevron in Pungeşti, eastern Romania. The critics to the projects denounce the hydraulic fracturing method involved in the project, which can pollute underground water and cause earthquakes. Chevron gave assurances that its exploration would only involve conventional technology, as established with the Romanian authorities in the permit granted in October 2013.

Seeking a vote of confidence for the return of property Law

The Government headed by Victor Ponta, which in December celebrated its first anniversary, asked for parliament’s vote of confidence twice in 2013: once in April, for the law regarding the return of properties seized by the communist regime, and in November, for the decentralization law. In the first case, the Prime Minister apologized, in plenary parliament session, to all those who had suffered as a result of nationalization. Under the law, all applications will be solved by 2017, and priority will be given to those cases where restitution in kind is possible. If this is not the case, damages will be paid, and litigious rights will be taxed. So far, the Romanian state has paid damages to former owners worth over 5 billion Euros and should pay another 8 billion. As regards decentralization, this will affect healthcare, agriculture, culture — except for cinema halls — youth, sports and tourism. According to the draft law, institutions that are now directly administered or financed by the central power shall go to the county or local authorities. The police, the Social Security Authority, cinema halls and ports shall remain under the administration of the central power. The law has been severely criticized by the centre-right opposition.

The Enescu Festival

In the month of September, Bucharest and other cities across Romania hosted the 21st “George Enescu” International Music Festival, one of the most prestigious such events in Europe. For a month, music lovers had the opportunity to go to concerts, recitals, opera and ballet performances, conferences and composition workshops. Besides big European orchestras, the 2013 Enescu Festival also enjoyed the participation of the choirs and orchestras of Radio Romania, which in 2013 celebrated 85 years of existence. The “George Enescu” Festival which is held every two years, was set up in 1958, in sign of recognition of the value of the great Romanian composer.

Awards for “Child’s Pose”

In 2013, the film “Child’s Pose”, by Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer, won the Golden Bear trophy at the Berlin Festival. Also, the film won the “Aleksander Sasa Petrovic” award at the Auteur Film Festival in Belgrade. The film speaks about the traumas suffered by children who are suffocated by parents’ love and how parents influence their children’s personality. Also, the film mirrors the Romanian contemporary high-life and talks about influence peddling and petty institutional corruption, as well as its extensions across the entire social and economic system in Romania. Thanks to the involvement in the production of this film, and not only, Ada Solomon got in December the European Prix — Eurimages award for co-production. The event was held on the occasion of the European Film Academy Awards Gala. One of the most active filmmakers today, producer Ada Solomon is seen as a major figure of Romanian and European cinematography.

2013, a great year for Romanian tennis player Simona Halep

Though the year 2013 was not great for the Romanian sport teams, especially because of the Romanian national football squad’s failure to qualify for the World Championship in Brazil, it was full of accomplishments for the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep. She was designated by the Women’s Tennis Association- WTA the player who made the biggest progress in 2013. She won 6 tournaments and ended the year 11th in the WTA rankings. According to WTA this year Simona Halep stands big chances of becoming the third Romanian among the 10 best tennis players in the world, after Virginia Ruzici (8th in the WTA rankings in 1979) and Irina Sparlea (7th in the WTA rankings in 1997).