Ponta Wants Special Telecom Service Transferred To Interior Ministry
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta has called on Parliament to transfer the Special Telecommunication Service (STS) under the authority of the Interior Ministry after President Traian Basescu refused to dismiss the head of the service Marcel Opris.
Ponta wanted Opris dismissed over the service’s failure to locate the crash site of an airplane on January 20 that left two people dead.
During a defense council meeting Sunday, Basescu said the Special Telecommunication Service, which is currently under the authority of the presidential administration, acted according to the law and refused to dismiss Opris. (Adevarul)
Romania To Hold European Parliament Elections On May 25
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said Sunday the ruling Social Liberal Union decided Romania will hold elections for the European Parliament on Sunday, May 25.
The country will hold presidential elections on either November 2 or November 16.
Asked about the date of a referendum on amending Romania’s Constitution, Ponta said a date would be established by Parliament. The Social Liberal Union had previously announced plans to hold a referendum on the Constitution at the same time as EP elections. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Romanians Indirectly Subsidize Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia
Green certificates have lowered the price on renewable energy, boosting Romanian exports of cheaper electricity to neighboring Hungary, Bulgaria and Serbia.
However, in Romania, energy prices remain unchanged for household and industrial consumers. Romanians have come to indirectly subsidize the economies of the three neighboring countries because of the EUR10 billion scheme encouraging the production of renewable energy. (Adevarul)
Romanian President Conditions Signing IMF Memorandum On Fuel Excise
Romanian President Traian Basescu agreed to sign the memorandum with the International Monetary Fund on condition of postponing by another three months the introduction of a higher excise on fuels.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta agreed to the measure but the Liberal Party did not, saying the move lowers chances for a cut in social security contributions as of July. (Gandul)
Romania’s New Criminal Procedure Code Brings Milder Sentences To Convicts
Romania’s new criminal procedure code has brought advantages not just to politicians and businessmen targeted by prosecutors but also to convicts already behind bars.
The coming into force of the new law has led to the release of 100 convicts, while 176 others have been moved from prisons to detention centers. The new procedure code will benefit around 400 convicts, according to estimates of the National Penitentiary Administration. (Adevarul)
Over 1,500 People Protest Shale Gas Exploration In Western Romania
Over 1,500 people in Curtici and other localities in western Romania protested Saturday afternoon over plans to allow shale gas exploration in the area.
The protest was sparked after Panfora Oil & Gas, a division of oil group MOL, contracted Romania’s Prospectiuni SA to start measurements in a 560-square-kilometer area to identify conventional hydrocarbon resources. (Curentul)