Press Review - March 28, 2018

03.28.2018 By Oana Gavrila

Romanian Parliament Talks Reunification with Moldova

Lower Chamber speaker and ruling party leader Liviu Dragnea said he wants Romania to unite with the Republic of Moldova.

Romania’s Parliament on Tuesday held a solemn sitting to commemorate 100 years since the province of Bessarabia united with the country. The province of Bessarabia was part of the Greater Romania between 1918 and 1940 and today is mostly part of the Republic of Moldova.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis did not attend the sitting and sent a message instead, in which he argued that the union of Bessarabia and Romania is one of the moments that “forever define history and keeps conscience awake”.

He also emphasized Romania’s support for Moldova’s European road and stressed that Romania offers “permanent and consistent assistance on diplomatic, financial and technical issues”.

 

Romania Justice Minister Meets With Serbian Counterpart, Former MP Extradition On The Agenda

Romanian justice minister Tudorel Toader on Monday met with his Serbian counterpart Nela Kuburovic and the two discussed, among others, the extradition of former Romanian lawmaker Sebastian Ghita.

Ghita is accused of various corruption offenses in Romania and fled to Serbia in December 2016. He was caught in capital Belgrade in April 2017 and was released in May after posting EUR200,000 bail. At the moment he is not allowed to leave the capital. The former lawmaker repeatedly accused Romanian anticorruption prosecutors of falsifying evidence.

Kuburovic said that the procedure regarding the terms of Ghita’s extradition are still being discussed at Serbia’s High Court and that the Serbian justice minister will make a decision as soon as the Court gives a ruling.

 

Debts Derail Romania's CFR Marfa

Romania's rail freight operator CFR Marfa has amassed over EUR100 million debt to rail infrastructure company CFR Infrastructura.

Transport minister Lucian Sova said authorities expect the worst from Brussels over the Romanian government's decision to write off older CFR Marfa debts.

The European Commission is investigating to assess whether debt write-offs by the Romanian state in favor of CFR Marfa and the failure to collect debts from the company have given the company an unfair advantage in breach of EU state aid rules.

 

Hundreds Of Healthcare Unionists Picket Ministry Over Wage Issues

Approximately three hundred Romanian healthcare unionists from Sanitas trade union on Tuesday picketed the Health Ministry over wage issues and demanded higher salaries and an even distribution of bonuses in the system.

Unionists also urged officials to tackle the capping of increases to 30% of base salary, as they argued it is “unjust” and said they wish for an “equitable distribution of bonuses among all employee categories because we all form a care team”. They also asked for the signing of the collective labor contract for healthcare and social assistance workers and to be granted the income they lost following the transfer of social security contributions from employers to employees.

Elena Terentie, a nurse in Harghita county, said that nurses have the lowest wages in the healthcare system and that the only reason she is able to manage is because she lives in the countryside. Ionela Vasiliu, a nurse in Buzau county, added that unionists will initiate a full-blown strike unless officials take measures to solve their demands.

Sanitas unionists announced they will hold a rally in the second half of April.