Press Review - December 18, 2018

12.18.2018 By Oana Gavrila

Leu Loses Ground vs Euro

The Romanian leu lost ground to the euro Monday, standing at a midday average of 4.6550 to the euro, down 0.02% on the day.

On Friday, the leu stood at 4.6540 units to the euro.

On the other hand, the Romanian currency gained ground against the US dollar, standing at 4.1067 units Monday compared with Friday's 4.1197 units.

Iliescu Says PSD Going Through Its Worst Political Crisis

Former president and Social Democrat Party founder Ion Iliescu told French newspaper Le Figaro the party is going through its worst political crisis.

Iliescu said Dragnea's personal stand, seeking to fix his own legal problems, has sparked inner tension within the party.

No-Confidence Motion Read Out in Parliament

The no-confidence motion filed by opposition parties against the Viorica Dancila Government had its first reading in Parliament Monday, with a debate and final vote to take place on Thursday.

Romanian parliamentary opposition parties filed on Friday a no-confidence motion against the Government, with the signatures of 163 MPs.

Opposition parties PNL, USR and PMP filed the motion criticizing the government for its recent judicial bills, but also for not respecting its own government program.

The opposition accuses the ruling PSD-ALDE coalition of endangering judicial independence through recent amendments, of postponing all of its commitments in the government program until after 2021 and changing its Cabinet multiple times due to incompetence.

Under Romanian law, one no-confidence motion can be filed per parliamentary session. A previous no-confidence motion against the Viorica Dancila Government failed to gain the necessary support in July.

The motion needs the votes of 233 MPs to pass and overthrow the Cabinet.