February 2, 2017 UPDATE
Unrest continues in Romania following the Government's decision to amend criminal law under emergency ordinances.
Newsroom, 02.02.2017, 20:11
EMERGENCY ORDINANCE Romanias president Klaus Iohannis announced on Thursday that he had sent a notification to the Constitutional Court concerning the emergency ordinance amending criminal law, which created a conflict between the Government, the judiciary and Parliament. The leader of the governing Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, has stated that the ordinance will not set the corrupt free and will not stop the trial in which he is accused of forgery. He has also stated that any attempt to undermine the activity of the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania is an attempt at destabilizing the rule of law in Romania. In another move, Florin Jianu, the Minister for Business, Trade and Entrepreneurship resigned from Government. Also on Thursday, the National Anticorruption Directorate called on the Justice Ministry to provide the legal documentation regarding the drafting and issuing of the emergency ordinance that amends the criminal codes. The information was carried by a communiqué issued by the Ministry of Justice, in which the said ministry accuses the Anticorruption Directorate of interfering with the governments activity.
PROTESTS President Klaus Iohannis has criticised the Interior Ministry for the way in which it acted on Wednesday night, when, during the peaceful protest rallies held in Bucharest against the Grindeanu ordinances, isolated groups attempted to instigate violence. According to the president, both the Interior Ministry and the Gendarmerie had been warned about potential incidents, aimed to compromise the peaceful protest. In response, the Interior Minister Carmen Dan has stated the ministry did not receive any such information concerning Wednesday nights protests. These are the most serious protests staged in Romania in the past 25 years, held against the Governments decision to amend the criminal codes under an emergency ordinance. Romanians living abroad have too protested against the governments decision.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT The situation created by the Romanian Governments decision to amend criminal law under emergency ordinances was the subject of a heated debate in the European Parliament on Thursday. Romanian MEPs members of the European Peoples Party called for the withdrawal of the ordinance, while the representatives of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and the Social-Democratic Party, claimed the protesters were trying to overthrow a legitimate Government. The European Commission has called on the Romanian Government to re-evaluate the ordinance. In turn, the Embassies of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and the United States in Bucharest have expressed their deep concern over the Governments actions, which they see as undermining Romanias progress regarding the rule of law and the fight against corruption in the last ten years.
REACTIONS The Pro Democratia Association, one of the oldest and most respected NGOs in Romania, has expressed concern with respect to the rapid and serious degradation of democracy in Romania, also in connection with the concerted attack of some political forces against fundamental principles such as the rule of law and human rights. According to Pro Democratia, the systematic campaign against democracy gained momentum with the adoption of the controversial Government emergency ordinance modifying the criminal and criminal procedure codes, which seem to be aimed at preventing certain political leaders and their contributors from facing criminal justice. The Association calls on those responsible to stop all attacks against institutions, organizations and the principles of the rule of law and human rights and the immediate and unrestricted withdrawal of the emergency ordinance criticized by the general public.
2017 STATE BUDGET The specialised budget-finance committees of the Romanian Parliament will convene in joint sessions on Saturday and Sunday to draw up the report on the draft state budget for 2017. On Monday, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies will debate, also in joint session, the bills, and the final voting is to be held on Tuesday. The 2017 draft budget is built on a 5.2% economic growth rate and a deficit of maximum 3% of the GDP. The Government estimates a inflation rate standing under 1.4% and a 4.3% unemployment rate. According to the Finance Minister Viorel Stefan, special attention will be paid, in the coming period, to investments, health-care, education and infrastructure.
TENNIS The best-rated Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, no.4 in the WTA rankings, has qualified to the quarterfinals of the Sankt Petersburg tournament in Russia, totalling over 700,000 dollars in prize money. On Friday, Halep will take on Natalia Vikhlyantseva of Russia, who in the second round ousted her better-seeded co-national Daria Kasatkina. Halep is the tournaments no. 1 seed. In the womens doubles, also in the quarter finals, Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu will take on Daria Gavrilova of Australia and Kristina Mladenovic of France.
