Romania and Bulgaria once again got sent to the back of the line in their bid to join the free circulation area Schengen. On Thursday in Brussels, at the Justice and Home Affairs Council, European ministers of the interior agreed that the topic should be put on the table again before the year is over. Some countries said they would base their vote on the upcoming report on the judiciary from the European Commission, due out in December. At the Council, Romanian Minister of the Interior Radu Stroe said that Bucharest wants to shift strategy, and together with Bulgaria will start a new initiative by which it will be talking directly both to countries which support its accession, and with those opposing it, such as Germany, Holland and Finland.

Parliament rejects the first simple motion introduced by the opposition

The government led by Victor Ponta faced the first simple motion filed by the opposition in this legislative session, in relation to the situation of the chemical giant Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea. On Tuesday, Deputies rejected the motion, critical of the government’s attitude towards the chemical complex, one of the largest in Eastern Europe. The motion called for the ministers of finance and the economy, Daniel Chitoiu and Varujan Vosganian respectively, to resign, stating that they were responsible for the complex being insolvent, and the process of privatization stagnating. The complex is in debt to the level of hundreds of millions of Euro. The government attempted to sell controlling shares last autumn, but this bid to privatize failed. The government blames the previous cabinets for creating the difficult situation Oltchim finds itself mired in.

The Hungarian foreign minister visits Romania

Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martony was on Monday and Tuesday on an official visit to Romania, on the 10th anniversary of the signing of the strategic partnership between the two countries. According to Martony, it is in the best interest of both states to maintain the partnership, in spite of any tensions that may emerge between Bucharest and Budapest. Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean said:

Titus Corlatean: “From our point of view, the strategic partnership between Romania and Hungary is the natural development of good neighborhood and cooperation between the two states.”

Corlatean and Martony evaluated the partnership, discussed ways of advancing joint projects, including those aimed at promoting the rights of minorities in both countries. The head of Romanian diplomacy emphasized the fact that a national minority should not do anything to violate the laws of their country of residence. Romanian-Hungarian relations lately have grown tense after Budapest declared its support for local authorities in heavily Hungarian areas in three Romanian counties. They are militating for being allowed to fly the ethnic flag of the Szekler minority, a fact currently banned by law.

Legislation on reparations for property confiscated by the communist regime is once again on the agenda

The government in Bucharest is analyzing a new bill to settle the matter of property confiscated by the communist regime, a matter that has been dragging on for two decades now. The European Court of Human Rights has issued a deadline, namely April 12, for Romania to settle the issue. The Court is swamped by cases relating to this problem, and warned that unless legislation is issued soon in Romania, it will rule summarily on this type of litigation, slapping huge fines on the Romanian state. So far, the state has meted out roughly 5 billion Euro in damages, and is estimated to have 16 billion more to pay. PM Victor Ponta said he wants the government to take responsibility in Parliament for the future bill, solving the issue faster. Here is how the prime minister put it:

Victor Ponta: “On March 19th I want to close this chapter in the history of Romania, and I hope we manage to do it as equitably as possible. It is the first time that I use this constitutional tool. I don’t plan to use it again any time soon. I want you to know that I want this to be a decision agreed upon by all political forces.”

According to the new bill, former owners of homes seized by the communist regime abusively, and who cannot have those homes returned to them, would receive points worth one unit of the national currency each, which then can be used to buy real estate and farmland auctioned out by the state.

Romanian top football team Steaua defeats Chelsea in Bucharest

Steaua Bucharest, the only Romanian football team taking part in European competitions this spring, amazed fans and commentators alike by defeating Chelsea London one nil at home, in the first leg of the eighth finals. The famous English team is the current holder of the Champions League title, and emerged as the number one club in the world in February. The return leg is scheduled for March 14th in London.