Justice Minister Tudorel Toader declared that starting off procedures to dismiss from office the attorney general and the chief prosecutor with the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) is currently inopportune. "Given the context, and after considering all constitutionality, legality and opportunity factors I have mentioned, (...) I believe that this is not an opportune time to start off the institutional mechanisms to dismiss from office the attorney general and the DNA chief prosecutor," Toader told a news conference quoted by Agerpress.  ...more »

Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi stated on Monday, after the meeting with Justice Minister Tudorel Toader that she wasn't requested to resign and she is not intending to resign.  "I wasn't requested to resign, I don't intend to resign, I don't have any reason to resign, the DNA did its job. It was a discussion about which I don't want to share many details, you will find out after this stage is completed," Laura Codruta Kovesi stated upon exiting the Justice Ministry....more »

The US strongly condemns the detention of the hundreds of peaceful protesters, observers on human rights and journalists in Russia, reads a message published on Monday on the US Embassy in Bucharest Facebook page. The diplomatic mission's messag...more »

Brigadier General Razvan Ionescu is the new first deputy to head of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) Eduard Hellvig. According to SRI, Ionescu will take over beginning 24 March. SRI specifies that Razvan Ionescu is 45 and has a more than two-decade long experience in the SRI's operative work. The new first deputy of SRI is a graduate of the Physics Faculty of the University of Bucharest. ...more »

Minister of Justice Tudorel Toader said that terminating the protocols of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) with the prosecution authorities is not enough, but that they should also be declassified in order to shed light on the prosecutors' collaboration with intelligence services.  "As a principle, intelligence services are structures of the rule of law state. Their powers complement other state competencies. I mean we cannot deny the public utility of these services, but we cannot allow them to interfere with the judicial activities of criminal prosecution or the trial, either....more »

The calendar and guides for seven national programmes, of the 11 that we will have, will be released on 25 March, so that the local public authorities can apply for them, in order to improve the lives of communities that they represent, Environment Minister Daniel Constantin stated.  "Although only two months have passed since the ministries were taken over, we are prepared to launch more programmes, many more compared to the number of programmes that were launched last year, that will be funded by the Environment Fund, from the sources that we have at the Finance Ministry from the the emission of carbon dioxide....more »

President Klaus Iohannis asserts that the political Declaration adopted on Wednesday by the Parliament is a disturbing signal regarding the the outlook the Legislative has got upon the way it relates to the state's authorities and bodies, as well as to the civil society.  "The political declaration adopted today by the Parliament of Romania - whose detailed analysis from the judicial point of view questions the rigor of the concepts and arguments -, although it claims the role of the Parliament in the institutional architecture of the Romanian state, in fact it is a worrisome signal on the outlook the Parliament has upon the way it relates to the other authorities and institutions of the state, as well as to the civil society," says the president, according to a release by the Presidential Administration....more »

Romania's fight against corruption is more and more credible, which strengthened the strategic partnership with the United States of America, on Tuesday asserted the US ambassador in Bucharest, Hans Klemm at a seminar on the anti-corruption practices in businesses.  We cannot stress enough the contribution the more and more credible fight against corruption of Romania has had upon the force of our bilateral strategic partnership...more »

The difference between the European Commission's and Romania's estimates regarding the 2017 budget deficit arise from the use of different estimation methodologies, but the Romanian authorities have pledged a governing program that will meet the deficit target of less than 3 pct of GDP, the Ministry of Public Finance said in a release.  "In its letter the European Commission expresses concerns about Romania possibly overshooting the 2017 deficit target. According to the state budget approved by the Parliament of Romania, the government pledged a budget deficit below 3 percent, under observance of the Maastricht criteria. The difference between the two approaches is the result of different methodologies being used for the estimation," said the Ministry of Finance. ...more »

Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has submitted to President Klaus Iohannis a list of his pick for justice minister - Tudorel Toader; economy minister - Mihai Tudose; business environment, trade and entrepreneurship - Alexandru Petrescu, as well as for minister-delegate for European funds - Rovana Plumb.  The Government says the nomination were made "in accordance with Article 85 (2) and Article 106 in Romania's Constitution as well as under Article 7 and Article 10 in Law 90/2001 concerning the organisation and operation of Romania's Government and ministries, as subsequently amended and supplemented."  ...more »