Press Review - July 4, 2018

07.04.2018 By Oana Gavrila

Leu Firms Towards 4.65 to the Euro

The Romanian leu firmed to 4.6554 units to the euro on Tuesday, up 0.12% compared with Friday's midday average rate, central bank data showed.

On Monday, the leu stood at 4.6610 units to the euro.

Also, the price of gold reached its lowest level since February.

Orban Calls on Parliament Leaders to Halt Debates on Criminal Code

Liberal Party leader Ludovic Orban urged the two chairmen of Romania's Parliament chambers, Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, to suspend the legislative process amending the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code.

Orban called for a halt in debates until the Venice Commission issues a stance on Romania's proposed changes.

The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill which changes the country’s Criminal Code, with the lower chamber set to vote on the initiative as a deciding body.

The bills have been contested by political opposition and civil activists, who say they weaken the country’s judicial and favor politicians investigated or convicted of corruption charges, including ruling party leader and lower house speaker Liviu Dragnea.

Dragnea was recently sentenced to three and a half years in prison for instigating abuse of office. The ruling may be appealed.

Senate Decides Politicians May Campaign on Election Day

Election campaigns may continue on the day of the vote, the Romanian Senate decided Tuesday.

The bill, initiated by senators of the ruling coalition, targets the organization of presidential elections and elections for the European Parliament. Campaigns start 30 days ahead of the election day but would no longer end the day before the vote.

The bill also makes it possible for voters to support multiple candidates in raising the necessary signatures to take part in the elections. The law maintains a 200,000-signature threshold needed to validate candidates. In the current form of the law, a voter can support only one candidate in reaching the required number of signatures.

Romania will hold presidential elections in 2019 and President Klaus Iohannis has announced he would be running for a second term.

Romanian Man Dies After Waiting Two Years For Lung Transplant

A 29 year-old man from the county of Brasov in central Romania died Monday night, after having waited for more than two years for a vital lung transplant. The procedure had been declined by major European clinics within the Eurotransplant programs.

Calin Farcas had been diagnosed in 2016 with pulmonary hypertension and had raised the money required for the transplant. The surgery could not be performed in Romania, as Farcas was on the wait list for an international transplant, and was refused by most of the clinics in the Eurotransplant program.

Health minister Sorana Pintea said this was because the protocol had not been signed yet by Romania, which had just sent the first organs to be used within the program.

“There is a protocol with Eurotransplant, which had not been signed as Romania had not respected its commitment. This year we started to make organs available for Eurotransplant, and as you well know, two lungs have already been sent for use in the program. The Ministry of Health approved his file, theoretically. Practically, no clinic from the Eurotransplant program accepted him,” Pintea told Mediafax on Tuesday.

The health minister added that only a clinic from India accepted to do the procedure, but his deteriorating health state lowered his chances of surviving transportation.

Former Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu criticized the current management of the ministry, stating that they need to “urgently clean up the mess within the National Transplant Agency”.

Romania has only one clinic equipped for lung transplants, the Sfanta Maria Hospital in Bucharest, which even though was deemed operational for the procedure in 2016, executed the first two transplants this year. 31 people are currently on the wait list for a lung transplant in Romania.