Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis endorses 2017 budget bill
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed the country’s budget bill into law at the Presidential Palace of Cotroceni în the capital Bucharest on Thursday. The president made the decision despite his concers the budget was too optimistic. „I say they (the government) are overly optimistic indeed,” Klaus Iohannis said in a televised statement. „The country needs a budget, and the government said it is committed to put it into force. Well, now it has the opportunity to prove how,” he added. The president is most reserved about the projected 14% increase in budget revenues in 2017. The budget was passed through parliament after only 13 hours of debate. The Opposition rejected it as it claimed the budget did not support the market economy and lacked investment funds.
Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu on a visit to Brussels
Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu is in Brussels where he is expected to meet EU high ranking officials on Friday. Mr. Grindeanu will meet European Council President Donald Tusk before meeting European Commission’s chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker later on Friday. The talks will be followed by a joint statement. Also on Friday, the Romanian PM will meet Jirki Katainen, Vicepresident of the European Commission, also commissioner for employment, economic growth, investment and competition. Sorin Grindeanu met European Commission Vicepresindent Frans Timmermans on Thursday when talks focused on recent developments in Romania. Mr. Timmermans praised Grindeanu Cabinet’s decision to scrap the controversial Ordinance 13 that would have shielded officials from prosecution for corruption while insisting on openness and transparency. Also in Brussels, Prime Minister Grideanu said he would appoint a new justice minister who would be „apolitical”.
US-Romania Strategic Partnership praised by American congressman Mac Thornberry
Mac Thornberry, the Republican who heads the Armed Services Committee in the House of Representatives of the US Congress, praised the Strategic Partnership between US and Romania. The statement was made at a meeting on Thursday with George Maior, the Romanian Ambassador to Washington. He told Mr. Maior that the deal was highly important while expressing the hope that Romania would increase its financial contribution to NATO in order to ensure a fair distribution of commitments. Mr. Thornberry and Mr. Maior also focused on a future co-operation in developing cybercapacity. Mac Thornberry previously served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as on the Budget Committee, Resources Committee, and the Select Committee on Homeland Security.
New witnesses before the DNA
A Romanian former culture minister will appear as a witness before prosecutors of the country’s National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) on Friday. Toader Paleologu stopped short from making any comments about the file involved while noting only that he was not supposed to be under stress. The mayor of the Romanian western city of Timişoara was also expected to appear before the country’s anti-corruption watchdog on Friday. Sources say Mayor Nicolae Robu appeared as a suspect in a corruption file while Mr. Robu told reporters the reasons were unknown while denying any wrongdoing.
Alexandru Danga
