Thursday, March 23rd

President Klaus Iohannis has talked with British Prime Minister Theresa May after the London attack

The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, has had a phone conversation with the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, after Wednesday’s terrorist attack in London. According to the Presidential Administration, Mr Iohannis has strongly condemned the attack committed near the very symbol of British democracy, the Houses of Parliament, and expressed his full solidarity with the United Kingdom. Klaus Iohannis also expressed condolences to the families of the victims and wishes of good health to the wounded. For his part, the British Ambassador to Romania, Paul Brummel, has posted on Twitter a message of gratitude for Romanians’ reaction to yesterday’s attack. „Thank you, Romania, for the compassionate and supportive messages in the aftermath of the terrible events in London”, the diplomat wrote. Four people died in the attack and 29 were injured, including two Romanian citizens.

Romania maintains its commitment to a special relation with the United States, Foreign Minister says

Romania stands by its commitment to develop the special Romanian-American relation, based on the Strategic Partnership, Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu assured his American counterpart, the UE Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, during the meeting they had in Washington. Teodor Melescanu has expressed Romania’s interest in organizing some high level meetings with representatives of American administration. The Secretary of State has said that there is openness for a follow-up in the bilateral dialogue, including at chiefs of state level, depending on the agenda of the two presidents. Minister Melescanu took part in the ministerial summit of the International Coalition against the terrorist group Islamic State, a meeting that has assessed the military progress, as well as advances in stabilizing and rebuilding the areas that were recaptured from Islamic State.

The Health Ministry tries to forge a new protocol for another year, with the AKH practice in Vienna

The Romanian Health Ministry is trying to conclude a new protocol with the Vienna AKH practice, after the current agreement expires at the end of this month. The announcement was made exclusively for Radio Romania by Minister Florian Bodog. Mr. Bodog is due to have new talks with the administration of the health facility and with the President of Eurotransplant, in order to find solutions for Romanian patients that expect a pulmonary transplant.

Debate on democracy and justice in Romania at the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) in the European Parliament

The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) has on Wednesday organized a debate on democracy and judiciary in Romania. Discussions were triggered by the Government’s Emergency Ordinance no 13, the street protests that it has caused and the reactions from the political class and civil society. The MEPs wanted to learn directly from some representative politicians and also from important leaders of opinion what triggered the protests from several Romanian cities, an unprecedented civil answer, and what the reactions from the political arena were. Journalist Liviu Avram, from „Adevarul”, has spoken about a feeling of insecurity caused by the actions of the political class and the fact that the people governed felt betrayed in the relation with those who were governing them. The Minister of Justice, Tudorel Toader, has spoken on behalf of the Romanian Government, emphasizing that the ordinance itself was not the problem, but it was a procedural issue with the time and manner of its approval. „Society has reacted to the fact that the decree was adopted at 10, 11 pm, which is very true and unusual”, Mr Toader said. The Executive Director of Transparency International Romania, Victor Alistar, has explained that the Romanian society is extremely divided and polarized and a „deaf dialogue” is practiced between conflicting sides. Victor Alistar has insisted that the fight against corruption must be removed from the political battle, and that the inability of the Government to adopt the 13th Ordinance has triggered emotional reactions.

Mădălina Brotăcel – Agenţia de presă RADOR