Thursday, January 9th

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has met the President of the European Commission in Brussels

The Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban met in Brussels with European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen on Thursday. Ghe gave assurances to the head of the Romanian government of European Union’s support in areas of common interest, such as the economic development, the European Green Pact, the digital field, the reform of the justice system. Romania is a serious, responsible and determined partner in achieving EU’s objectives and implementing the regulations of the European institutions, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has told the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in Brussels on Thursday. Ursula von der Leyen, has said, after meeting Mr. Orban, that discussions will include issues related to the future of the European project and economic measures pointed out by the Bucharest authorities and the reform of the justice system.
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has also met on Thursday with NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.

A Romanian citizen serving a prison term in China will be transferred to the country

A Romanian citizen, who is serving a prison sentence in China, will be transferred to the country. The Ministry of Justice announced today that the Chinese authorities have approved the transfer and steps are made to bring Marius Balo as soon as possible. The Romanian was a professor at Renmin University in Beijing since 2013, and in 2016 he was sentenced to 8 years in prison on charges of complicity to fraud. It appears that he received $ 80 from Chinese citizens, without being aware that they gained the money unlawfully. He says he is innocent and a victim of the Chinese justice system, and in recent years has demanded to be moved to the country to serve his sentence here.

Romania meets all the criteria for accession to the Schengen area, Prime Minister Orban says

Romania meets all the conditions for accession to Schengen, as well as those regarding the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (MCV), Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said in Brussels today. He underlined that Romanians’ access to the free movement area depends on the determination of the Bucharest authorities to implement the recommendations of the annual report. The prime minister has said that he is sure Romania will comply with all standards and good practices at European level as far as the judiciary is concerned. Mr Orban noted that inside the European Commission and the European Parliament there is suppor for Romania’s accession to Schengen.

Mădălina Brotăcel, RADOR