Tuesday, March 25th

The Venice Commission favours a draft law allowing a review of Romanian Constitution

The Venice Commission welcomed the Romanian initiative designed to launch the revision of the Romanian Constitution, RADIO ROMANIA reported on Tuesday. The Commission acknowledged that efforts have been made, taking into account a number of proposals it made. However, the Venice Commission said that "only a limited part" of its recommendations have been taken into account. In the document published on its site, the Commission pointed out that "additional work was needed and further improvements including a clear definition of the competences of the President and the Prime Minister". The Commission also called on the authorities "to provide a clear and improved legal basis to enable the Superior Council of Magistracy to effectively fulfil its task of guarantor of the independence of the judiciary".

PM Victor Ponta met TVR President - Director General Stelian Tănase

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta met Stelian Tănase, Predisent - Director General of the Romanian Television (TVR), at the Parliament Palace in the capital Bucharest on Tuesday. The talks focused on issues concerning the restructuring process of the country's public television in compliance with Law 85 in 2006, Mr. Tănase told reporters after the meeting. Members of a new TVR Managing Board will be appointed following elections next week, he added. Mr. Tănase said he expected the government would make the necessary steps of consistent reform allowing a BBC-inspired new structure in the next two or three years which would also include the public Radio (SRR). As RADIO ROMANIA reports, the TVR chief also discussed a set of technical measures designed to improve the institution's efficiency. Such measures gained the support of both PM Ponta and Crin Antonescu, leader of the opposition National Liberal Party (PNL), Mr. Tănase said.

Simple motion against Romanian Cabinet

Romania's opposition right-wing National Liberal Party (PNL) filed a simple motion against the country's Cabinet on Tuesday. The announcement was made PNL MP Eugen Nicolăescu, former Romanian Health Minister. The document expressed PNL disapproval of the government's handling of drug-related issues. Mr. Nicolăescu told Parliament his party made the decision because the Cabinet repeatedly delayed a list of drugs subject to compensation despite its previous political pledges, RADIO ROMANIA reported.

INS figures

Romania's unemployment rate hit 7.2 percent in Q4 last year. The employment rate of the working-age population was lower by 1.5 percent as compared to similar figures in Q3 2013, according to a report released by Romania's National Institute of Statistics (INS) on Tuesday. The number of economically inactive people raised by 30 percent by the end of 2013 as compared to people employed while most unemployed were found in rural areas, INS report said as quoted by RADIO ROMANIA.

Alexandru Danga

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