Defense Ministry Files Complaint Against President’s Renewal Of Joint Chief Of Staff’s Term
Romania’s Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that it filed a complaint with the Presidential Administration against the decision made by President Klaus Iohannis to renew the term of current of the current joint chief of staff, General Nicolae Ciuca.
In its complaint, the ministry requests the head of state to cancel the decree extending the general’s term, arguing that it must follow the same procedure as the one appointing a new chief, where the proposal is made by the defense minister.
The ministry also adds that the decree lacks a positive review from the prime-minister, which is also required when appointing a new joint chief of staff.
Ministry sources told MEDIAFAX that if the complaint is not taken into account, the institution will file an administrative litigation challenge against the decision. The administration has 30 days to reply to the complaint.
President Klaus Iohannis issued a decree on December 28 extending the term of Gen. Ciuca for another year, after he refused the nomination made by Defense Minister Gabriel Les for the office. (evz.ro)
Romanian Government Assigns New Interim Bucharest Prefect
The Romanian Government decided on Thursday to assign Romulus Sever Stana as interim Bucharest prefect, two weeks after previous prefect Speranta Cliseru was dismissed, according to Government spokesperson Nelu Barbu.
Romulus Stana previously worked as a counsellor for Bucharest Sector 6 Mayor Gabriel Mutu, and had the same role with the country’s veterinarian and food safety agency ANSVSA. His assignment to the office will be temporary.
According to his wealth statement, Stana owns an apartment in Bucharest purchased with credit in 2016, and last year earned a total salary of approximately RON38,190.
Former prefect Speranta Cliseru was dismissed on December 20, 2018. She was known as an associate of Bucharest Mayor Gabriela Firea, who spent most of the second part of 2018 in open conflict with party leadership over several issues.
Cliseru was also at the center of controversy regarding the violent incidents at the August 10 anti-government rally in Bucharest. While Romanian Gendarmerie officials insisted that its forceful intervention against protesters was made after the prefect signed an order in this regard, Cliseru said that she signed the order after the intervention took place and that her agreement was mostly formal. (romanialibera.ro)
Major Transports Federation Urges Romanian Transporters To Stop Activity Thursday Morning
The Federation of Romanian Transports Operators (FORT) urged all Romanian transports operators to stop their activity on Thursday, between 08.00 and 13.00 local time, in solidarity with a protests in Brussels against the EU’s Mobility Package.
This come after another major transports federation, UNTRR, urged all Romanian road transporters to join the protest in Brussels, scheduled to take place on Thursday in front of the European Parliament.
The protest coincides with a vote in the EU’s Transport and Tourism Commission (TRAN) on three key proposals of the Mobility Package 1, which modifies EU-wide directives regarding transports operators.
The proposals voted on Thursday include new regulations regarding the maximum driving time and mandatory rest time for drivers, applies new conditions for access to the road haulage market and would extend provisions of the 1996 directive regarding rules for posted workers – employees sent out to carry out temporary services in other EU member states – to transport operators.
The protest is authorized for 600 participants and 10 trucks, with operators from Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland confirming their presence. (puterea.ro)
Leu Depreciates Vs Euro
The Romanian leu declined against the euro on Wednesday, standing at a midday average rate of 4.6722 units/euro, down 0.11% from 4.6670 units per euro on Tuesday.
The level reached on Wednesday exceeds the previous record of 4.6695 units per euro set on June 21, 2018.
The leu also lost ground to the US dollar Wednesday, standing at 4.0803 units from 4.0772 units previously.
The price of gold fell to RON168.0226 from RON168.2768 per gram. (romanialibera.ro)