Former Prime Minister Emil Boc and former ministers Ion Ariton and Adrian Videanu cited by the anticorruption prosecutors
The former Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc and former ministers Ion Ariton and Adrian Videanu appeared were heard by the anticorruption prosecutors as witnesses in the case where the former co-president of the National Liberal Party was placed under judicial control for traffic of influence and bribery. After the hearing, Mr. Emil Boc has said that he brought forward to the investigators the organization and running procedures within the party and the government. According to the National Anticorruption Directorate, Vasile Blaga has received 200,000 euros through third parties and 500,000 euros from Gheorghe Stefan. Prosecutors have already seized several buildings that belonged to Mr. Blaga.
International Forum „Digital Romania” has opened in Bucharest
About 250 representatives from Information Technology sector, both private and public, are taking part in the International Forum called „Digital Romania”, at the Victoria Palace in Bucharest. The European Commissioner for Digital Economy Günther Oettinger, the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Dacian Cioloş and the Communication Minister Delia Popescu are attending the event. The European Commissioner Günther Oettinger has warned that the European Union risks to be crushed by the competition with the United States and Asia, if it does not progress quickly towards digitalisation and Internet infrastructure.
Günther Oettinger: Inside the EU there is not a single state that would come first in all classifications. For instance, there is a classification in the IT area that places Romania among the first countries, along with The Baltic States and Denmark, Norway, Sweden. Romania has a very good position due to its IT infrastructure, its skilled physicians and IT specialists. If I go to Silicon Valley, I will always find a lot of Europeans working there, many of them Romanians.
The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, believes that digitalization will make it easier for the state to interact with its citizens and would reduce corruption, while Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has said that there is a major gap between the private and the public sectors, as far as the Information Technology is used.
President Klaus Iohannis will set up a public debate concerning the abolishment of the broadcasting fee
The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, wants to learn the opinion of the civil society and people from the media, before taking a decision to sign or not to sign the bill that will abolish 102 non-fiscal taxes, including the licence fee for public television and radio.
Klaus Iohannis: I intend to set up at least one public debate, with the participation of responsbible people, journalists, managers in the media, civil society representatives, to discuss together and see if it is better to keep the fee – namely the radio-tv fee – or to drop it.
In response, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, has asked the President in a Facebook post not to postpone the signing of the law initiated by his party, in order to allow the Romanian people to pay fewer taxes, starting next year. The Senate Speaker, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu has said that the members of Parliament will vote the bill in the same format, if President Iohannins decides to send it back for reexamination.
Mădălina Brotăcel – Agenţia de presă RADOR
