Moldova and Romania are close to severing relations. Moldova expelled two employees of the Romanian embassy on Wednesday and called its ambassador in Bucharest back for consultations. The Romanian Foreign Ministry intends to take responsive measures. This is the most heated conflict the countries have had in Moldova's 16 years of independence.
The conflict centers around a statement made by Romanian Ambassador to Moldova Filip Teodorescu late last month about the Paris Peace Accord of 1947, between the victor in World War Two and the allies of Nazi Germany. “The 1947 accord is a historical falsification that was signed because Romania was an occupied country,” Teodorescu declared, adding that it should no longer be referred to in support of the legal basis for the demarcation of the Romanian-Moldovan border. That border was the River Prut in Soviet times.
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry summoned Teodorescu for an explanation of his statement and to remind him that the 1969 Vienna Convention and 1978 UN Convention that confirm that there is no time limit on boundaries established by international agreement. Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin stated that he would complain to the European Union about the statements. Romania became an EU member this year.
“I expected many of the problems in our relations to disappear after Romania joined the EU,” said Voronin, “but relations between Moldova and Romania have not changed. All those statements are so stupid they don't deserve criticism. Let Europe judge us.” True to his word, Voronin accused Romania of “continual aggression” while he was visiting Brussels last week.
Moldova and Romania have had conflicts before and, since the Party of the Communists came to power in Moldova in 2001, they have been a common occurrence. Chisinau often accuses Bucharest of funding the opposition and the Romanian Orthodox Church of wanting to set up a bishopric in Moldova, where the Russian Orthodox Church predominates. Most of all, Voronin is annoyed by Romanian President Traian Besescu's claim that there is only one people in the two countries – Romanians. But when relations between Moldova and Russia were cool and Moldova was financially straitened, Besescu came to Voronin's aid. Now that Voronin is once again welcome at the Kremlin, he is freer in expressing his true opinion of Romania.
Misleading advertising takes Romania into new EU infringement procedures
de Radu Big HotNews.ro
Vineri, 14 decembrie 2007, 2:42 English
Romanian problems are far from consisting exclusively in the car first registration tax (car tax, in short) and in the ever-malfunctioning 112 emergency call issues, but also in misleading advertising. The European Commission opened in August 2007 an official community right procedure against Romania, given the fact that authorities failed to align the existing legislation to the EU rules.Responsible authorities claim that the both chambers of the Parliament approved the law and the only thing remaining is for the President to promulgate it. Brussels officials mentioned for Hotnews.ro that they have been informed on the fact that the law will be adopted and there is only a small chance for Romania to receive any penalties on the issue.
A press release on Wednesday informed that the European Commission will see coming into force a series of wide communitarian measures designed to fight the "false free of charge" advertising, aggressive commercial practices and children harassing adds, starting on December 12.
The restrictions are presented in detail in the unfair commercial practice law (the 2005/29/CE directive), which aims at 12 of the most popular abusive advertising practices. At this moment, 14 countries managed to put up and comply with the EU regulations, while 13 states, including Romania, still have to work on it. As a result, the European Commission opened infringement procedures against the remaining 13 states.
Romania to stop sports event violence
BUCHAREST, Romania (UPI) -- The lower house of the Romanian Parliament has approved a law aimed at preventing violence and rioting at sports events, Bucharest media reported.
The bill, already passed by the Senate, includes prison terms of up to four years, fines between $414 and $1,242 and a ban on attending sports events from three months to three years for hooliganism, the Romanian news agency Mediafax said.
The man who initiated the draft law, Dumitru Dragomir, president of the Romanian soccer league and a parliamentary deputy, said violence at sports events is getting out of control and Romania needed punishments that met European Union standards.
The law bans bringing torches and fireworks into stadiums and violators face jail terms up to three years if people are injured.
Special cameras will watch fans in the stands during events.
Fans protested the bill claiming it limits displaying their feelings and threatened to sue Romania in a European court of justice.
The bill, already passed by the Senate, includes prison terms of up to four years, fines between $414 and $1,242 and a ban on attending sports events from three months to three years for hooliganism, the Romanian news agency Mediafax said.
The man who initiated the draft law, Dumitru Dragomir, president of the Romanian soccer league and a parliamentary deputy, said violence at sports events is getting out of control and Romania needed punishments that met European Union standards.
The law bans bringing torches and fireworks into stadiums and violators face jail terms up to three years if people are injured.
Special cameras will watch fans in the stands during events.
Fans protested the bill claiming it limits displaying their feelings and threatened to sue Romania in a European court of justice.
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