A vote on new CCR judges expected
Romania’s Senate and Chamber of Deputies are expected to vote new judges of the Constitutional Court (CCR) this week. The vote comes as CCR President Valer Dorneanu and CCR judges Mona Pivniceru and Daniel Morar will end their mandates next month. First Deputy Prosecutor General Bogdan Licu of the governing left-wing Social Democrat Paarty (PSD), Cristi Danileț, a lawyer of the opposition center-right Save Romania Union (USR), and Ioan Sabău Pop, a scholar of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) are expected to run for the job in a vote at Romanian parliament’s lower house. The vote in the Senate for Ms. Pivniceru’s position will include Iulia Scântei of the governing right-wing National Liberal Party (PNL), currently head of the Senate’s Committee on the Judiciary, Péter Eckstein-Kovács, a lawyer of the opposition USR, and Radu Ghidău, an AUR lawyer. Seen as guardian of the constitutional rule, CCR is independent of any other public authority in the country.
Youth Day celebrations in Romania
Romania celebrates its National Youth Day on May 2. The day is marked in cities across the country with sporting, cultural, and art events. In eastern Danube city of Brăila, a park in the city center will host a folklore festival while in Vaslui, a town in the country’s eastern province of Moldova, local authorities organise a concert and several competitions. Youth Day is also marked in the Transylvanian cities of Alba Iulia, and Cluj-Napoca as well as other towns and cities across the country. Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă praised the Romanian youths in a message on Monday while also trying to encourage them to stay and find a future in their own country. Corruption and low living standards have been identified as key reasons why young people left Romania recently.
Expected contract between Romania’s Romgaz and US Exxon
The signing of a contract between Romania’s gas producer Romgaz and US Exxon Mobile is expected this week, according to statements made recently by Energy Minister Virgil Popescu. Romgaz shareholders approved last Thursday a deal to buy a 50% stake in a Black Sea offshore project from Exxon Mobil for $1.06 billion. The other half of the long-delayed Naptune Deep project is owed by Romanian OMV Petrom, majority-controlled by OMV Austria. After repeated delays, Romania’s governing coalition filed changes to the law in parliament earlier this month.
Alexandru Danga, RADOR
