June 23, 2016 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 23.06.2016, 12:15
The south and southeast of the country are under a code yellow alert against extreme heat, with highs reaching 37 degrees Celsius and the heat index exceeding the threshold of 80 units. The sky will be overcast in the mountains and in the center of the country, with thunderstorms, strong winds and hailstorms to be expected.
The Royal House of Romania pointed out on Thursday that it welcomed with confidence the draft law on the Royal House that was submitted to public debate by the Romanian Government. The law is aimed at consolidating, on long term, the role of Romania’s Royal House in society by recognizing its legal status and acknowledging the position of Head of the Royal House of Romania as a public dignity position. The measures adopted are necessary to carry on the activity of a landmark institution whose leader was the head of state for 81 years in Romania’s constitutional history and who since 1947 until now has been a model of morality, continuity and promotion of the Romanian nation and its values.
The European Commissioner for regional policy, Corina Creţu, has sent a letter to the Romanian transport minister Dan Costescu, asking him to speed up the implementation of funded through structural funds and the European investment projects. Corina Creţu has expressed concern over the delays related to the transport projects for the period 2007-2013 as well as over the lack of new projects for the period 2014-2020. Although the European Commission has approved 30 of the 123 projects for the period 2007-2013, the Romanian authorities have not managed to send to Brussels all the necessary documents, so Romania runs the risk of not being able to use the allotted money and will have to use money from the national budget for completing the projects.
National Bank experts claim the United Kingdom leaving the European Union might destabilize the Romanian economy, although the impact would be relatively small, accounting for 0.5% of the GDP, Digi 24 online writes. Standing at 800 million euros, losses will be incurred over several years by reducing trade with the UK and by means of a weaker absorption of EU funds. Economists have also warned against an immediate effect on the national currency, which will lose ground up to 4.7 lei against the euro. On the other hand, the Brexit could ruin Romanians’ plans to work in the UK, because accessing the labour market there would be more difficult. The National Bank recalls that there are already 180,000 Romanians legally employed in the United Kingdom. The Brexit might instead pave the way for new investment, at a time when foreign direct investment will be sorely needed, economic pundits say.
The Moldovan anti-corruption prosecutors have called for a 19-year prison sentence in the case of the former Prime Minister Vlad Filat, who is being investigated for passive corruption and influence peddling. Filat was arrested in October 2015, on suspicion of accessory to the mysterious disappearance of a billion dollars from the Moldovan banking system, tantamount to 15% of the country’s GDP. Filat’s lawyers claim the case is purely political and is grounded on no evidence, only allegations. One of the richest and most influential people in Moldova, Vlad Filat led the pro-Western Government coalition between 2009-2013.
The Romanian businessman Puiu Popoviciu was sentenced to 9 years in prison in a case in which he is accused of acts of corruption related to the purchase of land. In another development, the former president of the Professional Football League, Dumitru Dragomir, was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment on charges of tax evasion and embezzlement in relation to the sale of TV broadcasting rights. Both sentences are not definitive.
(news translated by Lacramioara Simion)
