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| THE WEEK IN REVIEW 19-25/07/2010 |
| (2010-07-23) |
| Last updated: 2010-07-26 14:45 EET |
The latest European Commission report on the reform of judiciary in Romania is the most critical since the country’s accession to the EU. It is the first time that the EC has explicitly stated that Romania is not complying with the commitments it made when it joined the Union. The document is particularly critical of the new form of the law regulating the activity of the National Integrity Agency, a body which was set up to check on the wealth of high ranking officials. According to the Commission, the NIA law, specifically the version adopted by the Romanian Parliament after it was declared unconstitutional by Romania’s Constitutional Court, is a huge step backwards in the fight against corruption. The weakest point of the law is the fact that it eliminates the possibility of penalizing all differences which appear between the wealth declared in documents, that is, the goods and fortunes that have already been identified, and the wealth obtained while being in a high public position. After the report was made public, President Traian Basescu decided to convene Parliament in a special session, for the adoption of the NIA law. Another vulnerability identified by the EC is the fact that the Romanian authorities have hardly identified or penalized any cases of conflict of interest and have annulled very few tenders, where fraud is suspected. The courts are also criticized for lengthy trials. Without contesting the technical correctness of the report, the president was critical of the exaggerated political tone and the formulation, which he deemed unacceptable: “Romania has breached its EU accession commitments”.
The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu has this week raised the alarm with the Bucharest authorities. He has said Romania will escape recession only after implementing tough measures to limit budget spending. Isarescu has explained that although the whole world is facing a so called budget deficit crisis, Romania has a particularity acute one. The budget deficit is a structural one, which is more dangerous, and its correction won’t be achieved through economic growth alone. Isarescu has drawn attention to the fact that problems and even social tension and conflicts might emerge, as a direct consequence of increasing taxes and reducing spending. In another move, representatives of the largest 9 foreign commercial banks which have branches in Romania have reiterated in Brussels, at a meeting with officials of the National Bank of Romania, the IMF and the EC, their support for their subsidiaries in Bucharest. The representative of one of these banks has made public the intention to increase the level of exposure towards Romania in the following months, to help it redress its economy. The participants reiterated how important it is to step up the process of absorbing structural funds and enhance the role of the private sector in this process.
Some 20 years since the execution and burial of the former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena, the mystery veiling those days continues to stir interest. The exhumation of the earthy remains of the dictatorial couple was possible due to a court ruling, which came after a long series of trials. The initiative belonged to members of the Ceausescu family. Forensic experts have taken samples and it is estimated that it could take between 3 weeks and 6 months for the DNA tests to be completed. Speculations according to which Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu are not dead and were not buried in the Ghencea military graveyard were made as early as December 1989, and were fuelled by the administrative chaos existing during that revolutionary period. The Ceausescus were removed from power on December the 22nd 1989, in the wake of the anti-communist protests which started in Timisoara and then extended to Bucharest and other big cities across Romania. The Ceausescus were given a summary trial and sentenced to death, being indicted, among other things, for genocide and crimes against the Romanian people. They were executed by a firing squad, at a military base, located 80 km away from Bucharest.
The medieval citadel of Sighisoara in central Romania, the only citadel in south-eastern Europe to still be inhabited, is hosting the 18th Medieval Festival. For the first time in the history of the festival, this year’s edition brings together 13 different ranks of knights from both Romania and abroad. The “Big Parade” which opened the festival was attended by knights and damsels, minstrels and drummers, flag bearers and clowns. The organizers have put on a wide and varied programme - shows of illusionism, jugglers, fakirs, medieval theatre performances, presentations of arms, games and contests, painting exhibitions, wrestling, tournaments and concerts. The medieval festival is part of a larger series entitled “The most beautiful celebrations in the world”, which will be the subject of a documentary series made by a production company in Brescia, Italy, which sent a film crew to Sighisoara.
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