July 24, 2018 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 24.07.2018, 19:04

WILDFIRE
– On Tuesday, the Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila conveyed to her Greek
counterpart Alexis Tsipras sincerest condolences for the deaths caused by the
fires that have engulfed the Attica region. Also, she expressed Romania’s
willingness to help the Greek authorities deal with the disaster. The Romanian
Defense Minister Mihai Fifor stays in contact with his counterpart to establish
ways in which Romania can help. At least 60 people have been killed and some 200
wounded in the fires. Athens has also activated the EU Civil Protection
Mechanism, calling for help from the EU member countries. The wildfires were
caused by a heat wave that has hit the country recently, with temperatures of
over 40 degrees Centigrade.

COOPERATION
– Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis received in Bucharest on Tuesday the Irish
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. On the occasion, the two officials stressed the
dynamics of bilateral trade exchanges, which doubled in the past year. Also,
president Iohannis thanked Prime Minister Varadkar for the way in which the
Romanian community was integrated in Ireland. The two officials also discussed
other topics on the European agenda, such as the future of the EU, the Romanian
presidency of the Council of the EU, in the first half of 2019, the Union’s new
budget framework and migration management.

ANTICORRUPTION – The four candidates running for the position
of Head Prosecutor of the Anticorruption Directorate in Romania meet the legal
conditions, according to the Ministry of Justice. The Justice Minister Tudorel
Toader has announced that a decision is scheduled to be made on Friday. The
position has been vacant after the former head prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi
was dismissed by presidential decree on July 9, as a result of a ruling issued
by the Constitutional Court.

VISIT- Romanian PM Viorica Dancila has announced that on
Wednesday she will begin a visit to Montenegro and Macedonia. The political
dialogue will focus on enhancing bilateral relations, support for the two
countries’ bid to join the EU, and ensuring regional stability and security.
The PM specified that the main focus of the visit will be the European agenda
of the two states, which Romania sees as a priority during its future
presidency of the Council of the EU, in the first semester of next year.

DIRECTIVES – Romania still has to transpose
45 European directives, according to the Government spokesperson Nelu Barbu.
After the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, he stated that, in the coming period, all
ministries that have responsibilities in implementing European directives would
make the necessary steps in that direction. The European Commission has been
notified in relation to 13 transposition procedures, and there are already
three infringement procedures against Romania, Nelu Barbu also said.

REFERENDUM – The referendum on changing the
Romanian Constitution, by redefining the concept of family, could be held in
late September or early October, the leader of the Social Democratic Party
Liviu Dragnea announced on Tuesday. Several NGOs, grouped under the so called
‘Coalition for Family’, have gathered three million signatures to organize a
referendum aimed at banning marriages between same sex people. Currently, the
Romanian Constitution stipulates that family is based on the consented marriage
between spouses, and the ‘Coalition for Family’ would like the constitution to
read that marriage is only the union between a man and a woman.