The Week in Review, September 29 – October 3

A roundup of the week's main stories

România Internațional, 05.10.2014, 12:55

Start of the presidential election campaign in Romania

Friday saw the start of the campaign for the election of Romania’s president due in November. The first round of voting was scheduled on November 2nd and the second one on November 16th. Running for president are 14 candidates- two representing several alliances, eight supported by political parties and four independents. According to opinion polls, the second round will most likely see the Social Democrat PM Victor Ponta pitted against the Liberal Klaus Iohannis, representing the Christian Liberal Alliance made up of the National Liberal Party and the Liberal Democratic Party. Other candidates running for the presidential seat are the president of the Senate, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, the leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, the independent MEP Moncia Macovei and the leader of the opposition, pro-presidential People’s Movement Party, Elena Udrea. 18,550 polling stations have been set up in Romania and aboard.

Romanian Corina Cretu is the new EU Regional Policy Commissioner

The Social Democrat MEP Corina Cretu, Romania’s proposal for European Commissioner, was OK-ed by the European Parliament specialized committee. At the hearings she promised zero tolerance to fraud and pleaded for solidarity with the member states. Corina Cretu was nominated by the new president of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, for the Regional Policy portfolio where she will manage a budget of 350 billion euros between 2014- 2020. A member of the European Parliament since 2007, Corina Cretu is currently vice-president of the European Parliament. The new EC will start its activity on November 1st.

A new academic year started in Romania on October 1st

Over 450,000 Romanian students started a new academic year on Wednesday, October 1st. The number of students is smaller than last year and they complain about higher taxes, a smaller number of faculties and specializations and slashed student transit subsidies. Education Ministry representatives have announced that the additional funds received under the recent budget rectification will cover the students’ internship scholarships, transit costs and some of their research programs. The new academic year brings along some new legal provisions, such as the reintroduction of part-time PhD programs and the possibility, for universities, to offer postgraduate courses.

Kiev hosted the Romania-Ukraine-The Republic of Moldova trilateral

The Romanian and Ukrainian prime ministers Victor Ponta and Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Thursday signed an agreement in Kiev on small-scale border trade between the two countries. Therefore, 2 million people living near the border will be able to travel to the other country without a visa. Kiev also hosted the trilateral of Romania, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Joining the talks between the Romania and Ukrainian prime ministers was also the Moldovan PM Iurie Leanca. Victor Ponta conveyed to his Ukrainian and Moldovan counterparts Romania’s wish for these two countries to join the EU as soon as possible. Victor Ponta and Iurie Leanca also met with the Ukrainian president Petro Porosenko.

The Romanian Government passed a 2nd budget rectification for 2014

The Romanian Government approved the 2nd budget rectification for 2014, which is a positive one, all in all. The local authorities and the Labor Ministry are the main beneficiaries of the budget rectification alongside the education, healthcare, interior, foreign and regional development ministries as well as the special services. The ministries whose budgets were cut are the finance and agriculture ones. On the other hand as of October 1st the social security contributions to be paid by employers dropped by 5%. Also as of October 1st as many as 30 thousand pensioners and 12 thousand mothers will benefit from fiscal amnesty following miscalculations by state employees.

The National Anti-Corruption Directorate started the prosecution of 9 former ministers in the so-called Microsoft file

The National Anti-Corruption Directorate asked for the lifting of immunity of 9 former ministers from different parties and governments with a view to starting their prosecution. They are suspected of influence peddling, bribe taking and giving, money laundering and abuse of office in a file regarding the granting of licenses and products by American giant Microsoft. The accusations in this file were formulated back in 2012 when the Romanian government announced it purchased, through several intermediaries, software for schools at a price 30% up to 40% higher than the average market price.

Two Romanian football teams were defeated in the Europa League

The two Romanian teams playing in the Europe League groups lost the matches played on Thursday. In group J, champion Steaua Bucharest lost 1-3 the away match against the Ukrainians from Dinamo Kiev, while in group D the vice-champions Astra Giurgiu were defeated on home turf 1-2 by Red Bull Salzburg. Steaua ranks 2nd in a group that also includes the Danish team Aalborg and the Portuguese from Rio Ave. Astra is ranked last in its group that also includes Celtic Glasgow from Scotland and Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia.