Romania’s Corina Cretu Designated EU Commissioner For Regional Policy
Romanian social democrat MEP Corin Cretu has been designated EU Commissioner for Regional Policy in the new European Commission led by Jean-Claude Juncker, the Commission announced Wednesday.
Romania’s previous EU Commissioner was Dacian Ciolos, who was in charge of the Agriculture portfolio. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Court Orders BCR To Pay EUR4.5M To Former Bancorex President
The Bucharest Court has ruled lender Banca Comerciala Romana (BCR) must pay former Bancorex president Razvan Temesan over EUR4.5 million to compensate for his salary since he was fired.
The court decision is not final and may be appealed.
The court ruled BCR must pay Temesan’s EUR70,000 a month salary for the period February 27, 2009 to September 9, 2014, adjusted for inflation. The court also ordered BCR to pay the former bank president moral damages of EUR100,000.
Temesan was president of Romanian lender Bancorex between 1992 and 1997. In 1999, the state took over Bancorex’s non-performing loans and BCR absorbed the rest of the bank’s activity. BCR was bought by Austria’s Erste in 2006. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Ambassador of Israel Goes To Government Following PM’s Nazi-Related Statements
The Ambassador of Israel, Dan Ben-Eliezer, went Wednesday to Victoria Palace, the headquarters of the Romanian government, after Prime Minister Victor Ponta has recently compared the consequences of the ten years of mandate of President Traian Basescu with those of the Nazi regime in Germany.
According to sources, Dan Ben-Eliezer had talks with a counselor of PM Victor Ponta.
Deputy Aurel Vainer, president of the Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, stated that the PM’s comparison between the mandate of President Basescu and the Nazi regime “is a huge, unacceptable political mistake”. (Romania Libera)
Ombudsman Appeals Law On Transfer Of Constanta Harbor Stake To Local Council
Ombudsman Victor Ciorbea appealed Wednesday Law 216/2008 on the transfer of a 20% stake held by the Romanian state in Constanta Harbor to the Local Council of Constanta.
According to the document, sent to the Constitutional Court posted on the ombudsman’s website, the law breaks the provisions of article 136, according to which “the property is either public or private”, and “the public property is guaranteed and protected by law, and belongs either to the state or to the administrative-territorial units”. Thus, the Local Council of Constanta cannot own a stake in National Company “Administratia Porturilor Martitime”. (Adevarul)
Education Ministry OKs College Courses Without High School Graduation Exam
The Romanian Education Ministry approved Tuesday the methodology by which students who did not pass the high school graduation exam can follow certain courses in college.
Thus, the ministry published in the Official Gazette the Order no. 4.542 of September 8, 2014 for approving the Methodology on the organization and activity of tertiary non-university education, in colleges within accredited universities. The order was signed by education minister, Remus Pricopie, and by state secretary for research, Tudor Prisecaru.
According to the methodology, the courses in colleges can last between 1 and 3 years. (Jurnalul National)