Press Review - July 5, 2017

07.05.2017 By Oana Gavrila

Anticorruption Chief Gets Two Prosecutors Revoked

The High Council of Magistrates prosecutors' unit has approved the anticorruption chief's request to revoke prosecutors Doru Tulus and Mihaela Iorga.

Chief anticorruption prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi had asked the general prosecutor to revoke two prosecutors working under her, citing tensions within the department.

The meeting was held behind closed doors. (cotidianul.ro)

Housing Prices Seen Growing Below 10% This Year

Housing prices have grown in the first half of the year in Romania, but analysts expect growth will not exceed 10% by the end of the year.

Housing prices were on an upward trend in the first half of the year, and grew as much as 15% in some cities. Countrywide, prices grew 9.8% on average in June 2017 compared with June 2016, according to the Imobiliare.ro index.

In Cluj, asking prices grew 14.3% compared with the same period last year, while asking prices in Bucharest grew an annual 10%  in June.

Analysts say growth will not continue at the same rate until the end of the year and corrections are expected throughout the summer. (adevarul.ro)

Tax Authority Fined Seaside Merchants RON530,000

Tax inspectors fined companies on the Black Sea coast nearly RON530,000 following check-ups on the July 1-2 weekend.

Anti-fraud inspectors checked 155 companies in seaside resorts  and gave 118 fines and dozens of warnings. (cotidianul.ro)

Bucharest To Pay EUR12M for Automated Eco Toilets

The Bucharest city hall, run by social democrat mayor Gabriela Firea, launched a tender to rent automated public toilets and mobile eco toilets.

The contract is estimated at maximum RON56.8 million, or EUR12.5 million, net of VAT.

Th city hall seeks to sign a frame agreement with a single provider for a four-year period. (puterea.ro)

Three Ex-Ministers Get New Jobs in Tudose Government

Former ministers in the Grindeanu Cabinet, Serban-Constantin Valeca and Eugen Teodorovici were appointed honorary advisers to prime minister Mihai Tudose.

The honorary posts are not paid.

Former education minister in the Grindeanu Cabinet, Pavel Nastase, was appointed head of the National Institute for Administration, news.ro reports.

Social democrat senator Valeca, former minister of research in the Nastase and Grindeanu cabinets, was appointed honorary adviser on nuclear matters. Teodorovici was EU funds minister and finance minister in the Ponta Cabinet. (puterea.ro)

Over 100,000 Migrants Crossed The Mediterranean This Year

The UN announced over 100,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea since the beginning of the year, to reach European shores.

Italy cannot continue absorbing the tens of thousands of migrants landing on its shores on its own, the UN refugee agency warned on Monday, urging the creation of a system to share the burden.

The agency, known as the UNHCR, said it planned to push for a "regional disembarkation mechanism" at a meeting in Rome this week, insisting on the need to spread out the responsibility for processing and accommodating the migrants arriving in Italy.

Nearly 85,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Italy by sea since the beginning of the year, often in flimsy dinghies launched by traffickers from the coast of conflict-ravaged Libya, the UNHCR said. More than 2,000 others have died or gone missing trying to make the perilous crossing. (cotidianul.ro)