June 8, 2018

Bucharest Format meeting in Warsaw, High Court of Cassation and Justice to give verdict in the case of Liviu Dragnea

Newsroom, 08.06.2018, 13:42

Warsaw — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda are today participating in Warsaw in the Bucharest 9 meeting, which includes NATO members from central and Eastern Europe. The participants will tackle ways to consolidate the NATO military presence on the eastern flank of the Alliance, to extend dialogue on security and strengthening cooperation between NATO and the EU, including military mobility. On Thursday, on the first day of his visit to Poland, President Iohannis stated, after talks with his Polish counterpart, that Romania and Poland had a common interest in defending NATO’s eastern flank, given the threats and difficult situation in the region. The two heads of state also talked about the excellent bilateral relations, especially in the economic and military fields.

High Court – The High Court of Cassation and Justice of Romania might give its verdict today in the case in which the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of the Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea is accused of corruption. Last month, the prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate asked the court for a sentence of 7 years and 5 months in prison for abuse of office and of 2 years and 6 months for intellectual forgery. They accuse Liviu Dragnea that, when he held the position of president of the Teleorman county council, he ordered the fictitious employment of two Social Democratic party members at the Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection. The two were paid from public money although they worked exclusively for the Social Democratic Party. Dragnea claimed he was innocent and denied prosecutors’ accusations. In 2016 Dragnea received a definitive, suspended 2-year prison sentence for attempted electoral fraud.

Sibiu — Almost 13 million Euros is the budget of this year’s edition of the Sibiu International Theater Festival, which kicks off today. Until June 17 the participants in the festival will be able to see 524 shows. The 25th edition of the Sibiu festival will bring to Sibiu 3,300 artists from 73 countries. This is the first year when the festival has two honorary patrons: the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, a former mayor of Sibiu and Prince Charles, the Heir to the British Crown, who is famous for his passion for the region of Transylvania, in central Romania.

ASEF — The 38th ASEF Board of Governors’ Meeting continues in Bucharest. ASEF – Asia- Europe Foundation is the only institution within the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) cooperation format and the main platform for the consolidation of inter-human cooperation between Europe and Asia in the fields of culture, education, durable development and good governance. Romania became a member of ASEF and ASEM on January 1, 2007, when it joined the EU. This meeting currently held in Bucharest announces future meetings to be held in Bucharest in the first 6 months of 2019, namely the Forum of Students, the Conference of ASEF rectors and the Meeting of ASEM education ministers. The meetings will unfold under the auspices of the Romanian presidency of the EU.

G 7 — The German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that she expected controversies at the G7 summit to take place on Friday and Saturday in Canada, given the current context of differences between Washington and its partners, France press reports. We’ll have controversies mainly in relation to international trade, environmental protection and development and foreign polices, Mrs. Merkel warned. According to France press, the biggest differences are related to the Iranian nuclear deal, from which Donald Trump has recently withdrawn the US, and to Washington’s decision to impose heavier taxes on aluminum and steel imports for all G7 members.

Brussels — At the defense ministers’ meeting of the NATO member states held in Brussels, the Romanian defense minister Mihai Fifor evoked the importance of the full implementation of decisions adopted at NATO level. He referred mainly to the need for a coherent approach, at strategic level, of an advanced presence on the entire eastern flank, including in the Black Sea region, from the perspective of planning, training, drills as well as command. Minister Fifor also reiterated Romania’s commitment to developing military capabilities necessary for NATO’s missions and operations, and underscored the importance of the allied forces’ interoperability. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)