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| THE WEEK IN REVIEW 23-29/06/2008 |
| (2008-06-27) |
| Last updated: 2008-07-01 21:05 EET |
This week, two international organizations, Freedom House, and Transparency International, have made public their reports on the reform of the justice system and the fight against corruption in Romania. Both organizations have concluded that Romania took a step backwards in 2007, and that courts continue to be hesitant when dealing with the high level corruption trials. They also said that the legal system continued to be rife with conflicts of interest, and that less than half of Romanian magistrates believed that the new Supreme Council of Magistrates could secure their independence. Here is the executive director of Transparency International in Romania, Victor Alistar, speaking about the Supreme Council of Magistrates:
In 2007 there was a trend towards greater independence, but only towards the law. We also see a trend whereby the Supreme Council covers up for magistrates, giving them independence without responsibility, meaning discretionary powers. Also, in terms of prevention, we see that public institutions do not apply correctly, coherently, and effectively the rules for avoiding conflicts of interest or incompatibilities in exercising public office”.
According to Alistar, corruption was a very politicized topic in 2007, used as a political weapon by various contenders to public office, which led to a loss of credibility and decreased public vigilance. In the recent local elections, for instance, people were elected to office in spite of the fact that they were under investigation for corruption. Transparency International also said that a number of laws were not enforced, or were amended for the worse. Such is the case of the Freedom of Information Law, the Draft Criminal Code, or the Law of Ministerial Responsibility. The latter stipulates that the Parliament has to grant its approval for court proceedings to be initiated in high level corruption cases. Romanian MPs have found a new formula to procrastinate the investigation of former or incumbent ministers or MPs. In their last meeting of the present parliament session, when they had to endorse legal action against two former high dignitaries, the decision was postponed because they didn’t have the quorum.
Bad news has rained this week for Romanians. On July 1st, the price of natural gas is going up by 12.5% on an average, while electricity is to be by 5.3% more expensive. Also, the National Bank has hiked the reference interest rate for the sixth consecutive time, bringing it to 10%. The decision was made to keep inflation, consumption and borrowing under control. The same argument was used by the government in its negotiations with trade unions, who demanded that the minimum wage be brought up to around 150 Euros starting on July the first. Labor minister Paul Pacuraru said that that was not likely to happen before the end of the year, because such a move would increase inflationary pressure and would endanger the country’s economic stability. Angry with the fact that the government broke the promise made last winter, unions announced they would stage protests all across the country.
Romania’s government announced it had passed the rules for the controversial car fee, initially dubbed the ‘first registration tax’, now called a pollution tax. The amount of the fee will now be calculated according to the vehicle’s technical data, the amount of fumes it generates, the vehicle’s age, as well as its cylinder capacity. The government took a lot of heat, both domestically, and abroad, for introducing the tax in the first place. The European Commission last year demanded that the law should be cancelled as it conflicted with European law, but it approves of this new formula. It did not, however, meet with approval from the Romanian Senate, that wants it cancelled. The budget, finance, banking, and public administration committees endorsed the government Ordinance on the fee, but they made major changes to it.
The Supreme Defense Council has decided to reduce by 541 the number of Romanian military personnel that can take part in foreign missions in 2009. Most of these troops are a part of NATO’s Response Force, an elite military unit deployed in hot spots on the globe, for anti-terrorism interventions, and disaster relief. They are also present in small numbers in Iraq. However, this cut will not affect the present Romanian engagement in the present theaters of operation. Right now Romania has around 1,500 soldiers posted in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, and Bosnia. The Supreme Defense Council has also decided that 15 police officers join the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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