May 13, 2022 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 13.05.2022, 19:50
RULING — Former Bucharest mayor Sorin Oprescu on Friday was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months behind bars for bribe taking, setting up an organised crime group and abuse of office. The decision of the Bucharest Court of Appeal is final. It is also higher than the conviction of 5 years and 4 months initially ruled in May 2019. According to prosecutors Oprescu was caught in 2015 while receiving 25,000 euro, money that came from acts of corruption. He was arrested during his second term as mayor. Prosecutors say that the group created by Oprescu had implemented a system at the City Hall through which businesses seeking contracts with public institutions had to pay a share of their profits in bribes.
TALKS — The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu discussed with his Nigerian counterpart, Geoffrey Onyeama, in Bucharest, the possibility of Romania importing gas and oil from the African country. The Romanian official, who signed together with his counterpart a memorandum of understanding between the foreign ministries in the two countries, said the visit of the Nigerian official is a premiere in the recent bilateral history, being the first time in the last 30 years when a Nigerian foreign minister visits Romania. According to Bogdan Aurescu, there is high potential as regards the export of agricultural products from Romania to Nigeria, including by facilitating exports from Ukraine.
EUROVISION – Romania’s representative in the Eurovision song contest, WRS, qualified on Thursday night to the final of the European competition, with a song called “Llámame”. The final will be hosted by the Italian city of Turin this Saturday night. It is the first time in the last 3 editions of the competition that Romania qualifies to the final. On Tuesday the band Zdob si Zdub and Advahov Brothers, representing the Republic of Moldova, also moved up into the final.
ANNOUNCEMENT — EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday at the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Weissenhaus, northern Germany, that the bloc would provide another 500 millions euros worth of military support to Ukraine. He also said he believed a deal could be reached in the coming days to agree an embargo on Russian oil. In his turn, the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, hailed the very strong unity of the G7 countries in supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
NATO – The US supports the NATO accession of Finland and Sweden, in spite of Moscow’s threat to retaliate over a new enlargement of the Alliance. NATO officials reminded Russia that this is a defensive alliance and that the decision of previously neutral countries to seek protection within the organization has been prompted exclusively by Moscow’s aggression on Ukraine. The Russian foreign ministry said Finland’s accession would severely affect bilateral relations and the stability and security of Northern Europe, forcing Russia to take counter-measures to offset possible threats to its national security. The Russian fleet in the Baltic Sea initiated manoeuvres to survey NATO’s forces in the region on Thursday, the exact day when Finland announced its decision to join NATO. The accession may be announced officially in the Allies’ summit in Madrid this summer.
AUTOMOBILES – Starting on Friday, May 13 until the end of the month the second stage of a car-scrapping programme takes place in Romania, with the government providing substantial bonuses to people who buy new automobiles. The total budget is around EUR 60 million. The programme also covers the purchase of new electronic or hybrid vehicles. The scrapping bonus is EUR 1,200 for petrol-powered car purchases and EUR 10,000 for Electric Vehicles purchases. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, Romania is a European leader in promoting Electric xVehicle sales. In the first quarter of this tear more than 2,000 electric cars were sold, accounting for a 400% increase since the corresponding period of 2021. (EE)
