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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-12-07

The Press Agency of the Romanian Radio (RADOR Society) Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: RADOR Press Agency <http://indis.ici.ro/romania/news/rador.html>

December 7, 1998


CONTENTS

  • [01] Meeting at Cotroceni Between the President and Cabinet Ministers;
  • [02] PNL Believes the Coalition Parties in Parliament Should Support the Government;
  • [03] Nicolae Vacaroiu Says the Governing Programme Is Not Expected to Solve Economic Crisis;
  • [04] Health minister's Press Conference;
  • [05] First Informal Meeting of Integration Ministers in EU Applicant States;
  • [06] Romania's Chances to Join NATO.

  • [01] Meeting at Cotroceni between the president and Cabinet ministers

    The ministers of the main economic ministries and Prime Minister Radu Vasile have asked President Emil Constantinescu to suppoer their short term economic programme. Participants in the meeting at the Cotroceni Palace on Saturday included Prime Minister Radu Vasile, Justice Minister Valeriu Stoica, Transport Minister Traian Basescu, Finance Minister Decebal Traian Remes, Industry and Trade Minister Radu Berceanu, Agriculture Minister Ioan Muresan, Labour Minister Alexandru Athanasiu and the president of the State Ownership Found (FPS) Adminsitration Council Radu Sarbu. They asked the president to call on the parties in the governing coalition to express their support of the short term measures the government was expected to take in its efforts to restore the credibility of the reform. The president was provided with information about the measures agreed by the government on November 5 in its efforts to accelerate the restructuring and privatisation and achieve the economic recovery. Pointing out that such measures should be urgently implemented, the ministers have presented a series of development programmes mainly supporting the SMEs and emerging economic regions. The talks also focused on social measures designed to reintegrate the people set free following the restructuring amnd support the difavoured and poor families having many children. RADOR

    [02] PNL believes the coalition parties in parliament should support the government

    The president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Mircea Ionescu Quintus, said the coalition parties in parliament should support the government's short term economic programme. Consequently, the government should assume before parliament its full resposibility for the anti-crisis programme. Rejecting the request of the Christian Democrat National Peasant Party (PNTCD), the PNL believes however that the government should not assume any responsibility for the laws on returning confisctaed properties. Mr Quintus believes it is too risky to make such demand as long as the commission the coalition appointed to solve the problem did not come to any conclusion. RADOR

    [03] Nicolae Vacaroiu says the governing programme is not expected to solve economic crisis

    The vicepresident of the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), Nicolae Vacaroiu, said the Opposition was not supposed to support the government's pledge before parliament. He believes its programme is not supposed to solve the economic crisis but, on the contrary, it may lead to further deterioration. Mr Vacaroiu added that the Opposition could submit a censure motion following the government's pledge, but a final decision over the issue was still to be made. He announced that, on Monday morning, before the meeting of parliamentary party leaders designed to put an end to the crisis in parliament, the PDSR Executive Bureau is expected to meet and consider the recent developments in the country's politics. RADOR

    [04] Health minister's press conference

    Romanian Health Minister Hajdu Gabor has attended a press conference at his ministry recently. He said the conference was expected to be a response to the communique issued by the National Council of Medical Doctors in Romania who blamed the Health Ministry, and minister Hajdu Gabor personally, for "the collapse and the multi-billion debt with no chance of pay-back as well as for blocking the health reform and destroying the insurance system by dividing it into smaller systems dedicated to privileged social categories". The minister pointed out the finacial, material, technical and moral hardships the health system was facing and mentioned that the Health Commission in the Senate was the only one who made every effort to help. Hajdu Gabor said that, despite difficulties, he was going to take further action to put the government's health programme into practice. RADOR

    [05] First informal meeting of integration ministers in EU Applicant States

    The first informal meeting of integration ministers in EU Applicant States has been taking place at Victoria Palace on Sunday. The meeting was hold a year after the Luxembourg summit and proceded the EU enlarged summit planned in Vienna on December 10-12. Participants included ministers and state secretaries in all the 11 EU Applicant States, representatives of the Austrian EU Presidency and along with officials of the European Commission Delegation to Bucharest. It is for the first time, since the EU enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe began, when all the Applicant States met for mutual information and consultation concerning their future EU membership. The speakers pointed out that the integration process stood open to all EU Applicant States. RADOR

    It is for the first time when representatives of all the 11 EU Applicant States met in Bucharest. The main topics included foreign policy and security issues as well as issues concerning the SMEs, education, research, telecommunications, culture and audiovisuals. The Slovakian representative proposed his country to be the host of the meeting next year. RADOR

    "For the time being, the accession negotiations concern only seven fields, and Romania's position is rather good in six of them. In some of the fields, Romania is getting even better than the countries who already started the negotiations". In a statement on television, Romanian Integration Minister Alexandru Herlea has admitted however that Romania's industrial position was rather difficult and the problem of entry visas was putting the country in a rather embarrassing position. RADOR

    The first informal meeting of EU Applicant States representatives and European integration authorities has ended on Sunday evening. A joint press conference organised by Romania's Integration Minister Alexandru Herlea and the Austrian ambassador to Romania, Karl von der Lillie, also representing the Austrian EU Presidency, pointed out the need to reduce the existing handicap between the candidates by encouraging the progress in the countries left behind. Karl von der Lillie has also mentioned the issue of entry visas for Romanians wishing to visit Austria. He said the problem included two aspects: firstly, the problem of third world citizens crossing Romania on their way to Western Europe - a problem to be solved by the laws the Government in Bucharest was expected to adopt in the attempt to prevent illegal immigration - and secondly, Romania's exclusion from the "black list" following the government efforts to improve the Romanians' standard of living. "When the difference between the standards of living will approximate, the problem will be solved", Mr Lillie assured. The ambassador also announced that his country bought a new building to avoid the queues of people waiting in front of the Austrian consulate. RADOR

    [06] Romania's chances to join NATO

    In an interview shortly before the meeting in Brussels of NATO's Council of Ministers, Wolfgang Ischinger, German Foreign Ministry's State Secretary, has mentioned some issues concerning the future of NATO's expansion. He said that, at the Washington summit in April 1999, Germany was expected to reiterate its wish to co-operate with all the countries wishing to join the Alliance, but one could not expect the Washington summit to make a concrete decision on the matter. Wolfgang Ischinger pointed out that "it would be a terrible mistake to presume that NATO's "open door" policy would depend on Russia's position on the matter" and added that the Alliance developed a multilateral and constructive relationship with Russia. The German official explained that the membership of new candidates depended on their progress in meeting the accession criteria - a stable democratic regime and economic progress. He said "there was no doubt that Romania, along with Slovakia and Bulgaria, were part of the group to consider when a future NATO expansion would be decided. These candidates have the best chances", Mr Ischinger said, "and Romania's chances are good considering the fact that the country was directly mentioned as NATO candidate at the summit in Madrid". However, Mr Ischinger stopped short of making any prediction about the date when the expansion's new round was expected to start. RADOR
    The Press Agency of the Romanian Radio (RADOR Society) Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
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