Public broadcast fee under debate
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis is expected to host „at least one public debate” concerning a recent decision in parliament aimed at scraping the radio-TV licence fee. Romania’s parliament passed a bill last Tuesday to scrap over 100 small taxes, at an annual cost to the budget estimated at 1.6 billion lei ($387.42 million). „The issue should be carefully considered”, Mr. Iohannis said in a statement on Wednesday. Journalists, media managers, and prestigious opinion leaders are expected to attend such events. The International and European Federations of Journalists, (IFJ and EFJ) were calling on Romanian MPs to reject the draft bill, which would increase the political dependency of the public broadcaster. The journalists’ organisations in Romania insist that the license fee is the best way to guarantee the editorial independence of public service media, reducing the risk of political interference.
75th anniversary of Radio Iassy
Tha local Radio Romania broadcaster in the north-eastern town of Iassy is celebrating its 75th anniversary on Thursday, November 2. It was in 1941, November 2, when the appeal of „Aici, Radio Moldova!” („This is Radio Moldova!”) was heard for the first time. The broadcast was cancelled in 1944 before being resumed on May 1, 1956. The broadcast was cancelled again in 1985 and then resumed on December 22nd, 1989, when the Romanian revolution removed the country’s dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu from office. Radio Iassy (Radio Iaşi) remains the most listened-to local radio in the country with its daily 440,000 listeners and a market share of 2.7 per cent at national level.
Future local officials „go to school”
A new draft-law was put forward by MPs of Romania’s right-wing National Liberal Party (PNL) on Thursday. According to the proposal, the newly elected local offcials should attend public administration courses five months after being elected. Benefit entitlement for council meetings is to be withdrawn in case the new officials fail to attend the training, according to the proposal. The project currently under debate in the House of Deputies, Romanian Parliament’s lower house, would change the existing law concerning the status of elected local officials.
Former local official in jail for eight years
The former president of the County Council in the southern Romanian county of Prahova was given an enforced sentence of eight years jail after being convicted of corruption on Thursday. Mircea Cosma, the former head of Prahova County Council, was found guilty of bribery, abuse of office and influence peddling. His son, Vlad Cosma, a former deputy of the left-wing Social Democratic Party (PSD), received a five-year sentence for his involvement in the case. Assets of the two are expected to be seized along with millions of lei (Romania’s currency). However, the ruling is not final and it can be appealed. In another move, Prahova prosecutors partially seized assets belonging to Vasile Blaga, a former leader of the right-wing National Liberal Party (PNL), accused of influence peddling. Mr. Blaga, who is under judicial surveillance, told reporters he would appeal the decision and prove his innocence.
Alexandru Danga – RADOR
