Freshly sworn-in director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE), Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu said there will be "excellent institutional cooperation" between him and President Iohannis

Asked about the kind of collaboration with President Iohannis, Mr. Ungureanu said the President is also chairman of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) and "there will be excellent institutional collaboration", local Agerpres reports.

As far as his relationship with Prime Minister Victor Ponta is concerned, he said he will have a very good institutional collaboration "with anyone that may be the prime minister because the prime minister is the deputy chair of the CSAT."

Asked whether or not he will resign his senatorial seat, he said he is under an obligation to resign. 

"There are very many procedural things to be solved, and, with the vote and all that means parliamentary procedure, it is normal for my obligation to resign my senatorial seat of Arad".

Mihai Razvan Ungureanu on Tuesday was voted in office by Parliament, 278 to 6, out of 284 valid votes.

PM criticized for spending too much time in Turkey from the inner ranks of his party

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who faces corruption charges in Romania, said he will return to the country in maximum two weeks, local romania-insider.com reports.
He is currently in Turkey, where he had a knee surgery on June 15.

“I will come home on my own feet in maximum two weeks, without a wheelchair or crutches,” Victor Ponta said at local TV station B1TV.

However, Mr. Ponta has been criticized lately for spending too much time in Turkey after the surgery, including by members of his party – the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

PSD Vrancea leader Marian Oprisan, one of the party’s most influential local leaders, said he would have returned faster in the country had he been in Victor Ponta’s place. He added, however, that he understood that Victor Ponta didn’t want to risk his health, reports local Mediafax.

Liviu Dragnea, another important PSD leader, also stated last week that there was “a state of disorientation among the party’s organizations” and Victor Ponta should make an effort to return, even if this was painful for him.

“Victor Ponta should return home to clear and discuss all the political and governmental topics about the coalition and its functioning, about how the Government is led, about the governmental and political offer in the following period,” said Mr. Dragnea, cited by local Mediafax.

Agerpres: Alcoholic Drinks and Tobacco Made Up 7.7 per cent of Total Household Costs in 2014

Foodstuffs and non-alcoholic beverages averaged 40 per cent of the consumption of households in 2014, while spending for alcoholic beverages and tobacco averaged 7.7 per cent, shows information published by the National Statistics Institute (INS) at the request of Agerpres.

Market in Bucharest.

"Costs regarding the household are allotted 21.2 per cent of consumption costs, with the largest part of them being made up of consumption of utilities necessary for the running and heating of the household (water, electric and thermal energy, natural gas and other fuels), which are largely necessary for households (17.2 per cent)", the INS informs.

According to the institution, the costs involved in fitting and maintaining the household make up a far lower amount, namely 4 per cent.

"The next in the order determined by the volume of resources allocated were the costs for alcoholic beverages and tobacco (7.7 per cent) and transportation costs (6.2 per cent). The costs incurred on households for healthcare and especially for education record a low level, especially due to the fact that satisfying these needs of the members of the household is done mainly through public services which they benefit through the social insurance system or for free", the information shows (read more on Agerpres).

Percentage of weekly household expenditure going on alcoholic drink, tobacco and narcotics in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2013, by disposable income decile group, was between 3.6 per cent (the lowest decile) and 1.7 per cent (the highest decile) (source).

Households in New Zealand spent over twice as much of their total expenditure on cigarettes and tobacco 40 years ago as we do today, according to 2013 HES results (source).

RRI's The Week in Review

Fiscal relaxation measures in the new Fiscal Code
Romanian MPs on Wednesday adopted the new Fiscal and Fiscal Procedure Codes, which are to come into force on January 1, 2016. Among the provisions of the new codes is also the VAT cut from 24 to 19% as of next year, the elimination of the tax on special constructions as well as the excise duty on fuel. The IMF and the European Commission have warned on the risks associated with the introduction of these fiscal relaxation measures. The measures will also trigger a temporary budget deficit growth, although no higher than 3% of the GDP, Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has said. After sitting down with European experts in Bucharest, Minister Teodorovici said the authorities failed to reach an agreement with European Commission representatives on the new Fiscal Code.

Romania’s new election law 
The deputies passed a new parliamentary election law which reintroduces the proportional representation system, maintains the 5% election threshold and establishes the rules for the allocation of seats depending on the number of voters. In 2016, Parliament will have 134 senators and 308 deputies as well as 18 representatives of ethnic minorities with the exception of the Hungarian minority and 6 MPs representing the Romanian communities abroad.

The National Defense Strategy
Romania’s Parliament on Tuesday adopted the National Defense Strategy for 2015-2019, previously introduced by president Klaus Iohannis. The president says the strategy is aimed at safeguarding the fundamental rights, liberties and safety of the citizens, in such fields as economy, education, health care or the environment. Also on Tuesday, parliament adopted the setup of two NATO structures in Bucharest – the NATO Force Integration Unit and the NATO Multinational Divisional Command.

Romania to host US heavy weaponry
Romania is on a list of Baltic and Central-European states where the United States will pre-position 250 tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, self-propelled howitzers and armored combat gear. The US State Department says the measure is aimed at supporting training exercises carried out by military units rotating on NATO’s eastern flank. Some 1,000 military from 25 NATO countries have taken part in an over-arching NATO collective defense exercise in Cincu Range in Brasov County.

The case of Prime Minister Victor Ponta
The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on Thursday discussed the case of Romania’s Social Democrat prime minister Victor Ponta, following a Parliament vote in Bucharest to reject a request by the National Anticorruption Directorate to strip him of his parliamentary immunity. At the moment, the prime minister is recovering from a knee surgery, with deputy prime minister Gabriel Oprea acting as the temporary head of government.

President Klaus Iohannis attends the summer meeting of the European Council
After intense talks on urgent community matters, EU leaders agreed to relocate 40,000 immigrants from Greece and Italy to other EU countries over the next two years, with home affairs ministers expected to draw up a final scheme by the end of July. A further 20,000 people will be resettled. This is one of the decisions taken at the summer meeting of the European Council, where Romania was represented by its president Klaus Iohannis.

Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, set to return as head of Foreign Intelligence Service
Before flying to Brussels, he appointed Mihai Razvan Ungureanu as the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. Ungureanu chaired the service before, between 2007 and 2012, and also served as foreign minister between 2004 and 2007 and as a prime minister in the first half of 2012. His nomination needs the Parliament's approval.

See more on RRI. 

"A competent entity" will propose how many migrats Romania can receive

President Klaus Iohannis has stated, on Friday, in Brussels, that EU member states have committed to participate in the relocation of migrants, showing that Romania will propose through its Interior Ministry (MAI) the number of migrants it can receive, local Agerpres reads.

"The Presidency of the Council of the European Union will request proposals from member-states. Each will propose through the competent entity — for us, it is the MAI — how many migrants it can receive. There will be checks to see if these proposals summed up will cover the necessary number between 20,000 and 40,000. If so, the matter is settled and we move on. If not, there will probably be a new discussion to reach the targeted number — we have not yet decided in what format", said Klaus Iohannis after the reunion of the European Summer Council.

According to Mr. Iohannis, the compromise concluded consists of intra-European relocation, showing the fact that all member states have committed to participate in the relocation of the 40,000 migrants in Italy and Greece.

"The process is to take place based on volunteering in regards to the number of persons that each member-state can take over. Everybody participates, only the number can be volunteered", said Iohannis.

He indicated that this mechanism is temporary, its duration being of two years, and is exceptional in nature.

In what regards extra-European relocation, President Iohannis showed that it was agreed to relocate, on the basis of volunteering, a number of 20,000 persons who need international protection.

He mentioned that the topic of migration was approached broadly in the European Council, being an important challenge for the EU.

Read more on Agerpres.

"No Agreement Between Romania and European Comission" on the Fiscal Code

The European Commission and Romanian authorities have failed to reach an agreement on the Fiscal Code, but it would make a decision at the upcoming meeting of the EU’s Finance Ministers of July 14, regarding the status of the financial agreement with Romania, reports RRI. 

Additionally, the IMF will cancel its assessment mission to Romania for next month, given that the Commission will already have presented its conclusions, Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici announced on Thursday on public radio RRA.

According to the Romanian official, the European Commission is concerned regarding the impact of the new fiscal code on the budget as of next year. The new Fiscal and Fiscal Procedure Codes are to come into effect on January 1, 2016.

Among the main provisions is the VAT cut from 24 to 19%, slashing the tax on special constructions as well as the excise duty on fuel.

Additionally the authorities want to eliminate the 16% tax on dividends.

Minister Teodorovici said that Romania stands by its financial commitments, especially regarding structural reforms.

Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, Nominated the New Head of Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service

Former prime minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu is nominated again for the office of director of SIE - Romania's Foreign Intelligence Service, reads a release of the Presidential Administration.

The Presidential Administration points out that, according to the Constitution provisions, the head of state informed the chairs of the two Chambers of Parliament of this nomination and the Legislature is going to adopt a decision in this respect.

Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu. Photo: anchetatorul.ro.

46 yo politician Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu held the same office between 2007 and 2012, under the office tenure of former President Traian Basescu.

Before that, M. R. Ungureanu has held several offices, among them foreign minister (December 2004 — March 2007).

Mr. Ungureanu was prime minister February-May 2012, in April the same year he shortly held the office of interim environment and forestry minister.

In the parliamentary election of December 9, 2012, he became senator on the lists of Right Romania Alliance (ARD) in Arad, western Romania.

After President Klaus Iohannis was elected, Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu became his personal adviser. In the National Liberal Party (PNL) he holds the first vice-president chair.

The VAT Rate Cut From 24% to 19%, "Starting January 1, 2016"

The Budget Commission within Romania’s Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved on June 22 the new Fiscal Code, which includes the VAT rate cut from 24% to 19% starting January 1, 2016.

Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici said that analyses show that such a measure will have good effects in the economy, reports local romania-insider.com.

Already the opposition said it is favorable to the new VAT rate, "unless the budget income do not allow".

Prime Minister Victor Ponta announced on June 21 on his Facebook page that the Government will support the general VAT rate cut from 24% to 19%, and not to 20% like previously announced. He said the cut should be applied before January 1, 2016.

Health Minister Nicolae Banicioiu and Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici visited Mr. Ponta in Turkey, where the Prime Minister went for a knee operation.

They discussed the VAT cut and the drug price reduction, Victor Ponta said.

President Iohannis Appoints Vice PM Gabriel Oprea Interim Prime Minister

President Klaus Iohannis has signed on Monday a decree to designate Vice PM Gabriel Oprea as interim Prime Minister, during the period of impossibility of exercising the prerogatives of Prime Minister by Victor Ponta, the Presidential Administration informs.

Previously, the president had announced he was waiting for medical documents to attest that Prime Minister Victor Ponta was unable to carry on his responsibilities as head of government.

Deputy Prime Minister Oprea (54yo) is the leader of the National Union for the Progress of Romania, the junior partner in the governing coalition head by Ponta’s Social Democrats, and also head of security affairs.

He had already taken over some of the Prime Minister’s responsibilities last week, as Ponta went through surgery in a clinic in Turkey and said he needed a long period of recovery.

Victor Ponta is being prosecuted for corruption, but, invoking his knee surgery, called for a postponement.

A General Turned Successful Politician

Four-star General, multi-minister and interim prime minister
Gabriel Oprea.

Gabriel Oprea graduated from the Active Officers' Military School in Sibiu with a degree in Military administration. He earned too a PhD in Law at the Bucharest University. He is a four-star Lieutenant general (retired) from 2009.

Gabriel Oprea is a constant presence in the Romanian cabinets beginning with 2002.

Between 2001 — 2002, Gabriel Oprea was Secretary of State, president of the National State Reserves Administration; between 2002 and 2003 he was Bucharest Prefect.

He was a PSD member between 2003 — 2009, between June 19, 2003 — July 14, 2004, he served as Minister-delegate for Public Administration in the Ministry of Administration and the Interior.

Ilfov deputy in the Parliament of Romania on behalf of PSD in 2004. He renewed his term of deputy on November 2008.

On December 2008, he was sworn in as Minister of Administration and the Interior in the first government headed by Emil Boc. He held this position until January 13, 2009, when he resigned.

Gabriel Oprea was appointed on December 2009 to take over the portfolio of Minister of National Defence, in the new Boc Government.

As of May 1, 2010 Oprea is the president of the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR).

He held the portfolio of Defence until February 6, 2012.

As of February 9, 2012 and until May 7, 2012 he was Minister of Defence in the Ungureanu Government.

In the December 2012 parliamentary elections he obtained a seat of Senator in Bucharest.

As of December 21, 2012 he is Deputy Prime Minister in the Ponta II Cabinet.

Since January 23, 2014 he serves as acting Minister of Internal Affairs.

Sources: RRI, Agerpres.

PM Ponta Will Resume Its Activity "Within a Maximum of 28 Days"

Prime Minister Victor Ponta is going to resume his activity as head of the Government within maximum 28 days, informs a release of the Government on Sunday sent to Agerpres.

"The doctors decided that the Prime Minister Victor Ponta can be released from hospital today [i.e. Sunday], but he must still see a specialist daily, for the next seven days.

"The complicated recovery process, including treatments and physical therapy, will take at least 14 days, which means that within maximum 28 days the head of the Executive will be able to resume his normal activity at the Victoria Palace [the Government office].

"The Government activity, however, won't be affected until then, as the Prime Minister will transfer all his responsibilities for the needed time of his recovery to the Deputy PM Gabriel Oprea; he reassured the Romanian citizens that he will return to work in the shortest while possible", the Government announced.

The PM will also notify President Klaus Iohannis on Monday with respect to the appointment of Deputy PM Gabriel Oprea as interim PM for a maximum of 45 days, based on the article 107, paragraph (3) of the Romanian Constitution.

Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea has been in charge of Prime Minister's tasks over June 16-19.

The Prime Minister took this decision because of the "knee surgery he underwent in a hospital in Turkey early this week", it is said in the press release cited by Agerpres.

Romania, the Lowest EU Funds Absorption Rate in the Region

Romania had one of the highest contracting rates for EU funds in the region but only managed to get a little over half of the money allotted to it by the European Commission in the 2007-2013 period, according to KPMG, writes romania-insider.com.

Romania had a 106% contracting rate of the EU funds allotted to it, at the end of 2014, the fourth highest of ten countries in the region. However, it only managed to get 52% of the money, its payment ratio being by far the lowest in the region.

Romania had EUR 19.2 billion allotted from the EU budget for the 2007-2013 period, from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Cohesion Fund (CF) and European Social Fund (ESF). The country came up with projects worth a total of EUR 20.3 billion, but managed to get less than EUR 10 billion by the end of 2014.

Romania can still receive payments from the 2007-2013 funds until the end of this year. By the end of May 2015, the EU fund absorption rate went up to 54% and the Government targeted at the beginning of this year an 80% absorption rate by end-2015. The projects that are not finished by then will lose their EU funding.

Hungary and the Baltic states had the highest EU funds absorption rates at the end of 2014, of over 85%.

Romania’s slow progress was due to the delay in implementing EU-funded programs, as well as the many irregularities and corruption suspicions in the procurement process for the projects implemented by public authorities, which determined the European Commission to suspend payments for some programs at times.

Read more on romania-insider.com.

Bucharest District 1 Mayor Under Arrest for Corruption

Anti-corruption Directorate in Ploiesti held Bucharest District 1 mayor Andrei Chiliman on Thursday night (June 18), after hours of questioning in a corruption case.

They charged him with leading an organized crime group and accessory to influence peddling, according to an official DNA statement, cited by romania-insider.com.

Andrei Chiliman. Photo: enational.ro.

According to the prosecutors, Andrei Chiliman and three other associates used their influence to help some companies get public contracts from the District 1 City Hall in exchange for a fee of 10% to 15% of the contract value.

Some 30% of the money went to Chiliman while his three associates got 15% each and 10% went to Chiliman’s party, according to DNA. The remaining 15% would be used to pay off various other people who had to approve the contracts.

DNA said that Andrei Chiliman and his associates allegedly received some EUR 8.7 million from two companies that got a contract for thermal rehabilitation of blocks in District 1.

Andrei Chiliman is the second district mayor in Bucharest who has been arrested this year, after Marian Vanghelie, the District 5 mayor, who was also charged for corruption.

Read more on romania-insider.com.

Collective Defense Exercise at the Cincu Firing Grounds in Brasov County, Central Romania

Over 1000 soldiers from 25 NATO member countries are participating in a collective defense exercise at the Cincu firing grounds in Brasov County, central Romania.

It is an exercise for which, for the first time in the history of the Alliance, a NATO military command unit has been temporarily deployed in Romania. 

The exercise is due to end in late June and is part of a large-scale NATO operation, mobilizing over 14 thousand soldiers on the eastern border of the Alliance. 

Also, Romanian firing grounds and garrisons in eastern Romania are hosting, until June 26th, multinational drills for special operations under the name of ROUSOFEX 15. 

Participating are soldiers from Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, the US and Turkey. 

Read more news from Romania on the RRI's News Flash.

Dacia Logan no. 1,500,000

Dacia Logan motor vehicle number 1,500,000 was delivered on Wednesday to a customer in Romania, who purchased it through the national car fleet renewal programme, local Agerpres has said.

The motor vehicle, a Logan Laureate 09 TCe, Euro 6 model, of the colour beige, was bought by a woman in Bucharest, the car maker representatives announced. The key of the anniversary vehicle was handed to the owner by Jan Ptacek, Renault Commercial Roumanie CEO, in the newest Dacia show-room in Bucharest.

"Logan represents the pedestal of the Dacia range. It is the model that has managed to impose our car make both in Romania and in the great number of countries where customers are seeking an affordable vehicle, spacious, robust and modern.

"I am delighted to hand today the key to this anniversary model to a customer of Romania — the cradle of the Dacia car make," Ptacek said, according to a release issued by Dacia.

Revamped at the end of 2012, Dacia Logan is currently produced at the plant of Mioveni, as well as at the plant of Casablanca, Morocco.

In 2014, almost 14,000 Logan vehicles were delivered to Romanian customers, which represents 47 per cent of the total sales of the Dacia range.

Read more on agerpres.ro.

Drought Alert in Many Regions of Romania

The drought will affect several areas in Romania this year, due to the low level of precipitations. This phenomenon will mostly appear in Moldova and Banat regions, most of Dobrogea, Crisana and Transylvania, and in Southeastern Oltenia, according to Gratiela Gavrilescu, Minister of Environment, Water and Forests.

“This is triggered by the low level of precipitations recorded recently, especially in May,” said Gavrilescu, cited by local Agerpres.

Moreover, July and August will bring high temperatures and low rainfall, according to weather forecasts.

“If these estimations are confirmed, we can think of an increased and extended draught, especially in July and August, in most of the country. The biggest deficits in soil moisture will be in the South, South-East, East and West regions, where the pedological drought may be extreme,” the minister added.

Read more on romania-insider.com.

President, PM leave the country without talking to each other

On Monday, President Iohannis expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that Premier Victor Ponta left for Baku, Azerbaijan, on his own, but also with the fact that the Premier left for Turkey to undergo surgery, without informing the President prior to that, just like he did in April back when the Prime Minister paid a working visit to Arab states.

“I found out that the Prime Minister went to Baku from sources as you put it, after he had left,” the President told journalists at the Otopeni Airport, before leaving the country for a two-day visit to Croatia.

Asked whether he has talked with Victor Ponta in the last two days, whether Ponta has even called to congratulate him on his birthday, considering that the President turned 56 on Saturday, Iohannis answered negatively: “He has called me neither for Baku, nor for “Happy Birthday,” nor for Turkey.”

Deputy Prime Minister Oprea will be in charge of Prime Minister’s tasks over June 16-19, according to a press release. The decision belongs to Victor Ponta and was published on Monday in the Official Journal.

Read more on Nine o'clock on line news portal.

The Week in Review 8-14 June

Prime Minister Victor Ponta retains parliamentary imunity

Although accused of conflict of interests while in office, the Social Democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta has managed to retain his parliamentary immunity. His colleagues in the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday rejected the request of the National Anticorruption Directorate for his prosecution. However, the National Anticorruption Directorate is already prosecuting the PM for another three crimes he allegedly committed as a lawyer.

The Ponta Government and the censure motion

The National Liberal Party, the main opposition party, has introduced a censure motion in Parliament. Quite predicibly, the motion did not pass.  The themes of the motion were the organizational disaster at polls abroad, at the presidential election last November, which disallowed thousands to vote, as well as the failure to pass the law on postal voting, which could have prevented the said situations. The Ponta Government is still in power, but one of its ministers, Ioan Rus, has resigned following his offensive statements, in a TV interview, regarding the Romanians working abroad.

Romania’s Defense Strategy

“A strong Romania in Europe and the world” is the subtitle of Romania’s national defence strategy, which the country’s Supreme Defence Council will send to Parliament for approval. At the end of the council’s meeting on Tuesday, president Klaus Iohannis said that the strategy entailed a new concept, that of ‘extended security’. National security is not only about defence; it also has to do with public order, the economy, infrastructure, education, healthcare, the environment and culture, all of which have an impact on national security, the president said. The new strategy reaffirms the importance of Romania’s strategic partnership with the US and its NATO and European Union membership as pillars of the country’s foreign and security policy.

Positive Economic Forecasts for Romania

The World Bank has revised upwards to 3% its economic growth forecast for Romania this year, as compared to the 2.8% world average. Moreover, Romania is likely to register a 3.2% growth rate in 2016, and 3.5% in 2017, which would be lower by 0.4%, though, than what the international financial institution had forecast in winter.  Romania’s economic performance, alongside that of the Czech Republic, has also been confirmed by the Statistical Office of the European Union – Eurostat- according to which in the first quarter of this year the two countries had the highest economic growth in the EU: 4.2%.

Read more on RRI.

New Romanian Ambassadors

President Klaus Iohannis has signed on Friday ten accreditation decrees of several Romania's ambassadors, according to state-run news agency Agerpres.

A Presidential Administration press release writes that Mr. Iohannis has signed the decrees on the accreditation of Adrian Mihai Cioroianu as ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Romania to the UNESCO, Ion Jinga as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador, Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations Organization in New York, Emilian Horatiu Hurezeanu as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Romania to the Federal Republic of Germany, Bogdan Mazuru as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Austria.

Emil Hurezeanu is a well known
romanian journalist turned ambassador.
Photo Credit: recul.eu

Likewise, president Iohannis has signed the accreditation decrees of Adrian Gabriel Davidoiu as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Romania to the Kingdom of Norway, Iulian Buga as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Romania to the Kingdom of Sweden, Luminita Teodora Odobescu as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador, Chief of Romania's Permanent Representative to the European Union, Adrian Cosmin Vierita as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador, Chief of the Permanent Mission of Romania to the UN Office in Geneva and the International Organizations based in Switzerland, Cristian Tudor as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Romania to the State of Qatar and Liliana Carmen Podgorean as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Romania to the Argentine Republic.

Transport Minister Resigns Amid Controversial "Punks and Whores" Statement

Transport Minister Ioan Rus resigns on Friday after a hot public debate over a comment he did on Wednesday evening on a private television.

He said that children and wives of those who choose to work abroad become back at home "punks and whores".

"Romania has got 3 million nationals, let's say, of the active force, right now in the Western Europe.

"Perhaps they earn 1,500 euros (a month).

Transport Minister Ioan Rus resigns
over a controversial statement
he made on romanians working abroad.
Photo Credit: ziare.com

"I put it very directly. For those money, their children at home become punks and their wives whores.

"For 700 euro, half of them would return home," said Ioan Rus in an interview with Digi 24 TV.

The comment stirred up an uproar on social media and some opposition representatives asked for his resignation.

On Thursday, minister Rus apologised and said the words he had used were "an artistic generalization, a licence".

"I didn't mean to offend anybody's dignity whatsoever through my statements, I only wanted to draw attention on the high price thousands of Romanians do pay when choosing to leave to working abroad", said Mr. Rus.

Nevertheless, the pressure continued and on Friday the prime minister Victor Ponta announced on Facebook he accepted Transports minister's resignation.

The main task during his mandate was the negotiation of the so-called Transport General Master Plan with the Romania's parteners in the EU.

The Master Plan includes the infrastructure projects Romania needs or has to employ in order to integrate itself in the larger european development plans.

Ioan Rus is a member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) since 1994. He had two mandates as Interior Minister (December 2000 - June 2003 and May - August 2012) and he became Transport Minister in June 2014, following the resignation of Dan Sova.

The Top 5 Leading Brands in Romania in 2015: Ariel, Pampers, Mercedes-Benz, Banca Transilvania and Gillette

Superbrands Romania announces the Top leading brands in 2015. 

Procter & Gamble is the company that provided the top two brands. Ariel rises four places on last year's ranking and dethrones Pampers, another reputable brand of P&G, which ranks second this year.

Banca Transilvania is the first Romanian brand, on the fourth place, after Mercedes-Benz, and before Gillette.

Facebook took the sixth place, stressing the new role of the internet in the consumer behaviour.

"E-commerce brands build a new reality for the Romanian consumer, giving consumers much closer and more personalized experiences in their relationship with brands. 

Top 15 Superbrands 2015 in Romania.

"This increasingly visible trend in Romania has propelled to the Top 15 Superbrands brands such as H&M - by launching the possibility of online shopping, eMag - the famous Romanian player and initiator of Black Friday in Romania, and Dedeman - already "the household name" in the Do-It-Yourself sector in Romania", writes Superbrans Romania in a press release on June, 9th.

Overall, the top 15 leading brands in the 2015 Superbrands programme include: Ariel, Pampers, Mercedes-Benz, Banca Transilvania, Gillette, Facebook, Dr. Oetker, Persil, Milka, BRD Groupe Societe Generale, BMW, H&M, Dedeman, eMAG , Coca Cola.

The Romanian brands considered Superbrands by Romanians include, besides the forementioned ones: Borsec, Catena, Dona, Napolact, PRO TV, Timisoreana, Poiana, Flanco and Radio Zu. 

Top 10 Media Superbrands 2015 in Romania.

In the media sector, the most appreciated brands are PRO TV, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, Radio Zu, HBO, Europa FM, Romantic FM, Discovery World, Digi24 HD and Radio Romania Actualitati.

According to Superbrands Romania, Romanian brands represent approximately 28% of the brands validated as Superbrand 2015 in Romania, "a new performance for Romanian creativity", said the cited press release.

Superbrands in Romania

Superbrands is currently carrying out  programmes for the year 2015 in over 80 markets throughout the world including Australia, Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, China, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, UK, USA. 

The international Superbrands organisation operates in over 150 countries for over 20 years.

Having entered the Romanian market in 2005 via the strategic communication and public relations agency BDR Associates, the Superbrands organisation develops programmes dedicated to the Romanian market and the local branding culture. 

The programmes carried out so far, including three Consumer Superbrands editions (2006, 2010, 2012) and two Business Superbrands editions (2007 and 2008).

RRI Newsflash

President Klaus Iohannis Tuesday criticised the rejection by Parliament of the request filed by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate regarding the start of criminal proceedings against PM Victor Ponta, suspected of conflict of interests while in office.

The co-president of the National Liberal Party, Alina Gorghiu, said Victor Ponta proved his disregard for the law and for Romanians.

Both the President and the Opposition continue to believe that the solution to the current crisis is for Victor Ponta to step down.

Also on Tuesday the US Embassy to Bucharest said in a message that any accusations against government officials must be thoroughly investigated, without interference, and the law should be applied equally to everyone.

___________________________________

The Supreme Defence Council convened on Tuesday in Bucharest, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis.

The agenda included the new National Defence Strategy, which has been submitted to Parliament for approval.

The Supreme Defence Council approved a plan for the restructuring and modernisation of the Romanian Army, as well as the participation of Romanian military forces in foreign missions in 2016.

___________________________________

The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu will have consultations on Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who will be on an official visit to Bucharest.

The agenda of talks will include, apart from bilateral aspects, the relationship between the EU and Turkey, the security and energy security issue, regional cooperation and developments in the eastern neighbourhood.

__________________________________

The leaders of the National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania, had a meeting on Tuesday with representatives of several embassies to Bucharest.

The talks focused on the Liberals’ bill regarding the introduction of voting by mail and on the corresponding election laws in force abroad.

_________________________________

Romania’s women epee team Tuesday won the gold medal at the European Fencing Championship in Montreux, Switzerland. Ana Maria Brânză, Simona Pop, Simona Gherman and Loredana Dinu defeated Estonia in the final, 45-35.

Romania thus defended the title it had won last year in Strasbourg. Wednesday will see the men’s epee games, in which four Romanian athletes take part.

Read more on RRI.

PM Ponta under inquiry: The Chamber of Deputies rejects the prosecutors' request

Chamber of Deputies during the vote
for lifting the PM's immunity, June 2015.
Photo: Video Capture.

The Chamber of Deputies voted on Tuesday over the Anti-corruption Agency's request for criminal prosecution of prime minister Victor Ponta.

Mr. Ponta is a member of the Chamber of Deputies. He has been accused of conflict of interest, but in order to start the inquiry, the prosecutors need the Chamber of Deputies's approval.

231 deputies opposed the prosecutors's request, while 120 deputies favored the lifting of Mr. Ponta's immunity.

Before the vote, Victor Ponta said that the MPs should not accept the situation in which a prosecutor could change a prime minister.

An opposition leader, Ludovic Orban, from conservative-liberal party - PNL, said that the rejection of prosecutors's request means a worse image of the Parliament and of the country.

But Mr. Ponta is already under a criminal prosecution for forgery, complicity in tax evasion and money laundering, allegedly commited between 2007 and 2008, when he was an attorney.

Prosecutors say that after Mr. Ponta became prime minister, he appointed a former business partner of his firm law as a member of his cabinet . This is why the prosecutors suspect that Mr. Ponta is in conflict of interest as prime minister.

After the prosecutor's move, Mr. Ponta came under pressure to resign, but he refused.

PHOTOS: Imposing Cathedral Under Construction in Bucharest

"The Salvation of the Nation" Cathedral is under construction in the Romanian capital Bucharest. It is erected near the Parliament, another iconic building in Bucharest.

It will have 120 meters long, 70 meters wide and 120 meters high, with up to the 5,000 people capacity.

A patriarhal counsellor told the journalists in Bucharest that the new deadline for the construction is 2017. After that, the cathedral will be painted.

According to him, without the paint and the fine finishing, the cost for the construction will be 100 mil. euros.

Overlooking to the shrine (1).

The north apse.

Overlooking from the shrine.

On the background is the Parliament, a huge building
erected under the Ceausescu's regime.

There are 300 workers on the site, in three shifts.

Overlooking to the shrine (2).

 

The Cathedral in June 2015.

The blue line indicates the June's 2015 stage of the construction.

Photo Credit: Remus Radulescu.

André Rieu, seven consecutive shows in Bucharest

André Rieu in concert. Photo Credit: Mediafax Foto.

The dutch violonist André Rieu (66yo) is in a full string of seven successive concerts in Romanian capital, between 5th and 14th of June.

The organisers said this is "one of the biggest musical production ever staged in Bucharest".

The show's scene is set up in front of the second largest building in the world, Palatul Parlamentului, erected during the Ceausescu's regime.

André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu is best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Together they have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act, as successful as some of the biggest global pop and rock music acts.

"Accused of kitsch, but in the same time reccomended as a sensational violonist, André Rieu is one of the today's best paid musicians.

"He stirs strong reactions everywhere he goes", writes Romania Cultural public radio, the organizer of the debate "Pro or against André Rieu?"

The Bears Are "All Over the Place" in Tusnad Resort

The residents from Baile Tusnad in central Romania, cited by the public radio RRA, say they constantly see "at least ten bears" visiting the local garbage bins.

A woman told that last night she saw the bear in her house.

"It has fled with a smoked pork leg and it checked out even my cooler", Aurora Neagoe told the reporters.

"Last night, a mother bear with cubs and other two bears were spotted at the bin, ten meters away from here.

"They were fearless, even when powerfull reflectors were pointed at them", said another local, Kovacs Csaba, a beekeeper in Baile Tusnad.

According to the local authorities, in the surrounding forest live 33 bears.

The bear is a protected species in Romania, one of a few country in Europe with bears in the wild.

Baile Tusnad is 230 km away from Romania capital Bucharest.

Romanian PM Victor Ponta under criminal prosecution

UPDATE 2: In a post on his Facebook account, consisted in four phrases each of them ended in an exclamation mark, PM Victor Ponta said that he met president Iohannis and he respects his standpoint, "but I've been appointed by the Parliament and only the Parliament could sack me!"

"I cannot accept that a DNA prosecutor is above Parliament, government and citizens! That would be a dictatorship and after 25 years from 1989 it would be a big mistake for all of us!", said Mr. Ponta on Facebook.

UPDATE 1: President Klaus Iohannis asked for PM resignation.

In a short declaration, Mr. Iohannis said that "the worse think could happen in Romania is a political crisis".

"A prime minister under investigation is an impossible situation for Romania", said president Iohannis.

The president's declaration has been made after a meeting with Mr. Ponta, at Cotroceni Presidential Palace.
____________________________

Anti-corruption prosecutors in Romania said in a statement that they put prime minister Victor Ponta under criminal prosecution for forgery, complicity in tax evasion, money laundering and conflict of interest.

The prosecutors claim that between 2007 and 2008, Victor Ponta cashed in 181,439 lei (cca 41,000 euros) from the law firm "Sova and Associates".

The money was meant to cover attorney services from Victor Ponta's law firm and it has been paid out in 17 installments, until the month Victor Ponta became prime minister.

PM Victor Ponta is a suspect in an

anti-corruption file from 2007-2008.

But the prosecutors said that the services was never fulfilled, and Victor Ponta and Dan Sova, a former ministry in Mr. Ponta's cabinets and associate in the law firm "Sova and Associates", tried to make up false evidence of their collaboration.

The prosecutors claim, too, that "Sova and Associates" law firm gave for free to Mr. Ponta a Mitsubishi Lancer car.

Mr. Sova is prosecuted too, and his case has been raised in Senate this week, in a controversial vote.

Mr. Ponta was questioned this morning at DNA's headquarter in Bucharest.

On his way out from the hearings, he said he is "a suspect in Dan Sova's case".

"I am suspect of conflict of interest too, since Dan Sova was member in my cabinets", said the prime minister Victor Ponta.

He didn't answer if he will resign, but he said that the political decisions "are taken in Parliament, not in the DNA headquarter".

DNA - in romanian: Departamentul National Anticoruptie - is a special department of the prosecutors meant to deal with high level corruption in administration.

Adviser to Bucharest Mayor, Arrested for Bribery

An adviser to Bucharest Mayor has been arrested when he got bribed by a denouncer businessman.

According to a judiciary press release, quoted by the news agency Mediafax, Wigler Solomon has been caught taking 25,000 euros on Wednesday evening from a businessman.

The same source said that the businessman claimed that between 2012 and 2015, he paid over 200,000 euros as bribery to Mr. Solomon.

The bribery was supposed to facilitate the local council's approval of the construction of three supermarkets in the Romanian capital Bucharest.

Mr. Solomon couldn't be contacted for comment.

Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu.
Photo Credit: jurnalul.ro

Local media said that the denouncer businessman is associated with a company which develops some projects with the German food chain Kaufland.

In a press release, the Bucharest City Hall said that Mr. Solomon has been suspended from the office.

Wigler Solomon is a "personal adviser" to Mr. Sorin Oprescu, Mayor of Bucharest.

According to Mediafax, Wigler Solomon's wealth statement for the year 2013 stated that the mayor's adviser had 65,000 square meter domain in Popesti-Leordeni, near Bucharest, two houses and an apartment in Bucharest, three BMW and Audi cars, watches, jewelry and works of art worth 1.9 ml. euros.

President Iohannis Says He Is Dissapointed by "This Majority in Parliament"

President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that the Parliament "continues to obstruct the justice".

In a post on his Facebook account, he said "it is harder and harder to work with this Parliament".

The reaction comes after the Parliament opposed to the request by the anti-corruption prosecutors who asked for the arrest of the coalition member senator and former minister Dan Sova.

This is the second time the Senate rejects the same request concernig SDP senator Sova. This time the request has been approved by 66 senators, but rejected by 72 senators.

SDP Senator Dan Sova.

Senator Dan Sova is under prosecution for abuse of office. But he cannot be arrested without the Senate's approval.

The conservative opposition condemned the vote in Parliament.

Before the vote in the Senate, the prime minister Victor Ponta said "it is not about the justice, but a political battle".

The former president Traian Basescu has said that SDP-dominated Parliament's vote was not fair.

"If we are talking about someone who knows certain things about the SDP president Victor Ponta, then we get this kind of result", Basescu has said.

Charles, Prince of Wales, member of the jury in a mowing contest in Romania

Charles, Prince of Wales, visits Romania, May 2015.

Charles, Prince of Wales, was a member of the jury in a mowing contest held on Monday in Valea Zalanului, Covasna County, in Romania, according to the state-run news agency Agerpres.

Charles, Prince of Wales, has arrived on Sunday at the property he bought in Covasna few years ago.

On Monday morning, Charles and his guests took a walk in the forest near the village. He has been accompanied by Earl Kalnoky and his wife. After the walk, they went to the hill where the mowing contest took place.

The contest has been won by a team from Valea Zalanului. The other teams had been from the nearby villages: Valea Crisului, Miclosoara and Ghimes-Faget.

      

Prince of Wales in Romania. Photo Credit: Archive/Mediafax.

Rise In Child Benefit "Starting From July"

Child Benefit in Romania will rise up to 20 euros per month.

The President Klaus Iohannis promulgated a new child benefit law which states the allowance's rise from 42 lei to 84 lei per month (19 euros).

The new payments could be in place from 1st of July, a government representative has told to the Bucharest-based newspaper Evenimentul Zilei.

One of the initiators of the law, Salvati Copiii NGO, said that the rise is "utterly needed" in a country where "the child poverty is 48 per cent, one of the highest in the EU". 

The law has been promoted in Parliament by the conservative opposition and it has been initially accepted by the socialist-lead government coalition "by mistake". 

"We cannot oppose to the child allowance's rise", the prime minister Victor Ponta stated shortly after the opposition's proposal has been adopted. But he said that the initiators did not indicate the source the money will come from.

The socialists said they instead favour an allowance payment according to the parents's income.

3,850,310 children have been entitled to get the allowance in 2012, according to the welfare ministry.

Child benefit in Europe

According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, in 2013 in Germany the child benefit pay was 215 euros per month, one of the highest in the EU, where Romania is a member state.

In Belgium, the child benefit was 160 euros per month. In Ireland was 153 euros per month, Sweden 140 euros, Slovenia 135 euros, Austria 123 euros, Finland 122 euros, Poland 75 euros, Hungary 56 euros, Czech Republic 32 euros, Slovakia 26 euros, Estonia 22 euros and in Latvia - 12 euros per month.