December 16, 2016

The law providing for the elimination of the TV-radio fee is constitutional/The Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats continue negotiations on the formation of the Government.

Newsroom, 16.12.2016, 12:02

TV-RADIO FEE Romania’s Constitutional
Court has today ruled that the law
providing for the elimination of 102 fees, proposed by the president of the
Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea, is constitutional. The one who contested the law was Romania’s
President Klaus Iohannis, who believes that the law breaks the principle of the
separation of powers, as well as the regulations concerning the national public
budget. These fees include the consular fee, the environmental fee and the
TV-radio license fee. As regards the TV-radio fee, both president Klaus
Iohannis and media organizations have criticized its potential elimination,
saying that this might generate interpretations as to the status of the employees
of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation and of the Public Television,
and this in turn would affect the autonomy of the public radio and television
services.

NEGOTIATIONS In Bucharest,
representatives of the Social Democratic Party and of the Alliance of Liberals
and Democrats in Romania are holding talks on the harmonization of their
governing programmes, given that the two parties will hold together 54% of the
seats in parliament. The president of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea
has stated he will set forth a proposal for the office of Prime Minister at the
next round of consultations with Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis. As a
result of the elections held on December 11th, 6 political parties
got percentages above the electoral threshold. The Social Democratic Party won
the largest number of seats, but it cannot form a government by itself.

WORLD BANK Romania will
benefit from a 500 million Euro loan from the World Bank, aimed to render
public finances more effective and help reform several institutions, with a
view to supporting a sustainable economic growth and higher standards of
living, the World Bank has announced today. The international institution set
up its office in Romania back in 1991. Since then, the Bank has granted Romania
loans worth over 10.6 billion dollars, benefiting sectors such as education,
health-care, the environment, social security, justice, transportation, etc.
The Bank’s current portfolio includes loans for investments, analytical
activities and technical assistance supporting Romania’s priority reforms.

TIMISOARA Events
commemorating 27 years since the 1989 anti-Communist revolution in Romania have
started in the western city of Timisoara. The Romanian Opera is playing host to
a painting exhibition and the revolutionaries’ associations have participated
in a local administration meeting. This evening, candles will be lit in the
Victory Square in memory of those who died during the Revolution, and the
Martyrs’ Church will hold the holy mass. Started by the opposition of the
citizens of Timisoara to an abusive measure enforced by the local authorities,
the Revolution spread fast throughout Romania, gaining momentum on December 22nd,
when dictator Nicolae Ceausescu lost power and attempted to flee the country.
More than 1000 people died and some 3,400 were wounded between the 16th
and the 25th of December 1989. Romania was the only country in the
eastern block where the regime was changed violently and the communist leaders
were executed.

BREXIT European leaders have
talked in Brussels about Great Britain’s leaving the European Union. They have
decided that the only chief-negotiator
should be Michel Barnier and the negotiating process should be politically
controlled by the European Council. The British PM Theresa May has stated she
wishes for a smooth and well-organized exit. The 27 have stressed again that
they will not accept the free access of British products on the single market
if London decides to confine the free movement of European citizens in the UK.
More on this after the news.

HANDBALL
Romania’s national women’s handball team is today taking on the German squad in
a match counting towards the 5th – 6th places at the
European Championship underway in Sweden. The Romanian handball players have
had good performances so far, but did not manage to qualify for the semifinals,
as they were defeated by Denmark. The Romanians have defeated the Olympic
champion Russia, Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic and have lost to the defending
European and world champion Norway. Romania’s coach is the Spanish Ambros
Martin, who replaced last month the Swedish Tomas Ryde, with whom the team had
won bronze at the 2015 World Championship in Denmark.