I was afraid that maybe my yesterday post on Sarkozy was kind of malicious (actually, I was told it was mean :D). Seems to me I am not the only one fed up with Sarkozy’s desperate need to be the centre of the Universe. Also on 21st of October he decided to rescue the Europe from crisis with an astonishing proposal: partial nationalisation of key European companies.
Several reactions to this odd idea you may find in Cafebabel press review.
Czech president Václav Klaus criticises the ‘crazy’ suggestions:

‘Those who were fortunate enough not to have lived under communism should not succumb to the fatal fallacy that central planning can eliminate crises. This idea is a misconception. Crises were always used by irresponsible politicians as an excuse for massive state intervention in the economy. Popular fear gives politicians a blank cheque. Let us try to revive trust in the banking and financial system. But let us not attempt to erect new, artificial systems that are directed even more than before against a normally functioning market. Sarkozy’s proposals (and also those of German chancellor Angela Merkel) will not lead to a ‘new capitalism.’ What they really represent is a return to ‘old socialism’.’

What a strange and unbelievable situation! West-European countries, the core of democracy on our continent - France and Germany - try to impose communist solutions to the very model of capitalist market, and former communist countries are strongly against this. Unfortunately, state intervention, if will happen, will be a disastrous acceptance of failure, the little trust the citizens might still have will be vanished. And I don’t want to think about long-term effects.

Handelsblatt (Germany) also have nothing but harsh words for the tempestuous French leader:

‘But now success seems once again to have gone to Sarkozy’s head. Sovereign wealth funds with investments in key industries? And that coming from leading conservative politicians of all people. What on earth will come next? How about a central planning authority, preferably one for the whole of Europe. It is high time to bring Super-Sarko back down to earth. The banks are in dire straits, state investments are necessary for a transitional period. But nationalising entire sectors of industry, however ’strategic’ that may be, we’d better leave that to the Russians.’

As I understood, The French president has called another summit for 7th of November, in Brussels and, only a week after, there is an international financial-crisis meeting in the U.S. I wonder - what other surprises does he have in his hat?

P.S. Of course, our very own president, Traian Basescu (’Sarkozy de Bucarest’ - sure, a beta version, little Paris - little Sarkozy) is too busy to inform Romanians on these matters, even though he loves the summits as much as his friend. I bet it is the translator’s fault.

.. according to a live broadcasting of Euronews, it looks like Ireland has just rejected the Lisbon Treaty (they are still waiting for the official result announcement), throwing the EU into a new crisis.

What went wrong? Many things, but no doubt the EU lack of communication is the most important factor. Once again, the European Institutions are rushing in, without trying first to obtain if not the agreement at least the opinion of the ‘masses’. Or making sure they do really know what they are voting for.

Most of the European citizens are not really informed on EU matters, so when they have to make a decision they feel they are pressured to vote according to others’ interests, not to their own, and the natural reaction is ‘NO’, no matter what.

Conclusion - don’t treat them as sheep, if you want them to sing like birds.

Later edit: it’s official, it’s a ‘NO’. I think it was 53% NO and 47% YES (I do not know Irish language;strange that Euronews did not have particularly today an Irish translator. No wonder the small countries feel ignored). I just hope the European Institutions have learned their lesson and try a different approach, like addressing to common people, too, not only to the politicians (who, anyway, are not trusted in their countries).

PS. I tried to see the breaking news on Romanian channels. Fat chance! Nothing beyond the football match with Italy and here and there something about the local elections. Unfortunately, I don’t think Romania is an exception. QED.

Before the end of this year, the European Union should have a President, elected for 2.5 years.
One of the most pronounced names for the job is that of the former British prime minister, Tony Blair, supported by the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy.
But two other French leaders - Edouard Balladur (the former conservative French prime minister, close to Mr Sarkozy) and Valérie Giscard d’Estaing (former French president and the father of the now defunct EU constitutional treaty) expressed their opinion that Europe’s first president must have majority support from his home country, which should be a nation that respects all its European commitments. Something that Britain might not be doing for the time being.

“Tony Blair cannot be president of Europe,” writes Edouard Balladur in Le Monde . Despite his declarations of good intent, for 10 years, Mr. Blair did almost nothing to put an end to Britain’s special statu, with its opt-outs in the fields of justice and home affairs, non-membership of the euro - area and of the border-free Schengen zone. Moreover, says he, Mr Blair is far too close to America to build an independent Europe.

I might add that if Tony Blair would accept the post, he will have to give up his job at J. P. Morgan, an US-based investment bank (with a salary of around £2 million per year). He would also have to drop his diplomatic role as a Middle East envoy on behalf of western nations.
Besides, Mr. Blair is the subject of an war crimes investigation on the deaths of Iraqi citizens killed during the armed invasion and occupation of Iraq (strange that the mass media did not cover this issue according to its importance, but that’s my opinion. And an ‘innocent’ question: will Basescu follow? since he is the strongest and most vocal Romanian supporter of the Iraqi invasion. Yeah, let’s move on).
There is also an on-line petition agains Blair’s nominalization at www.stopblair.eu, and if we remember the “cash for honours” scandal, we undestand why Mr. Blair is not suitable to become the first EU president.

Other two possible candidates are the prime minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, a declared believer in a ‘United States of Europe’ and Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister. For now.

Something tells me that the recent outburst of the communications commissioner Margot Wallstrom will have some consequencies, at least the debates regarding the election of an EU president will be a little more transparent than before.

Today French President Sarkozy will arrive in Bucharest and have some meetings with Romanian President, Prime-Minister and Parliament. But no economic agreement will be signed, due to the Romanian corruption problems.
Of course, there were no corruption issues when he made some very important deals with Libya. Must be the uranium, they say it has strange effects.
Two best friends:

The presence was: 22.79% for referendum and 27,29% for European elections (I have my doubts, but close to what I was predicting earlier)
Anyway, I was listening (until I’ve turned off the TV, it was too much for my stomach) the speeches of political leaders: it’s a collective deliria, they really think this was their success (what success?!!) and the other parties’ failure. All of them. Obviously, their mental health should be urgently tested, they’ve lost any contact with reality.
Or they just have lost any form of common sense, the nerve they have is incredible.

The Economist

Corruption scandals hit the headlines, but not the guilty

EVERY man has his price; a minister’s is just higher. Fixing a public tender in Romania may require a few euros. And some sausages.

The government, using an emergency decree that avoids a parliamentary vote, has dissolved an advisory commission on lifting suspects’ immunity. New amendments to the penal code prescribe jail sentences of up to seven years for journalists who publish material showing officials involved in bribe-taking, and also reduce the penalties for actual wrong-doing by raising the financial threshold for corruption charges. As for existing cases, including one involving a former prime minister, Adrian Nastase (who insists he is innocent), most are bogged down in procedural delays.

It was worries over high-level corruption and an ineffective judiciary that preoccupied the European Union in the period before Romania and Bulgaria joined, which they did in January. But since Romania squeezed in, its politicians and top officials have been busily trying to reclaim the privileges and immunities they were forced to give up during the accession negotiations.

Public outrage against corruption is still high, yet the bleak perception is that it flourishes. In the latest survey by Transparency International, a Berlin-based watchdog, Romania is rated the most corrupt country in the EU. Public opinion has yet to make itself felt on the issue. Optimists hope that a bad government will eventually exhaust voters’ patience. Pessimists fear that the sight of a shamelessly corrupt new member may discredit the very notion of the EU’s enlargement.

The News Tribune

ROME — A woman who was raped and beaten near a Gypsy camp allegedly by a Romanian died Thursday night, state radio reported

“Horror in Rome” read the front-page headline Thursday in Il Messaggeroa daily newspaper in the city. “End of tolerance,”..

A series of violent crimes in the capital has been blamed on Romanians in recent months. Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore was hospitalized over the summer after he was punched in the jaw by one of two muggers in an upscale neighborhood.

In August, three Romanians allegedly mugged a cyclist along the Tiber River. The cyclist died in early October after weeks in a coma.

… I’m too sad and ashamed to even comment. But yes, the two articles are linked: the behavior of some Romanian citizens abroad (in Romania, too) is in many ways a consequence of the lack of respect the Romanian authorities have for the Law, for decades. And no, they will not be punished in elections, because there is no real choice: all Romanian parties, all institutions are corrupted. Since 1989 Romanians are voting against one party, the one they see the most corrupt, not for another party, because it’s not what they want, it just seems, at the elections time, ‘less corrupt’ than the other. But every time is even worse.

Sometimes I feel there is no way out.

Today starts the first campaign for EU Parliament in Romania, but my hopes for real debates on European issues are, once again, ruined.

The elections will be on November 25th. Our President and our Prime-Minister (seems to me that the ‘great’ minds do really meet) decided to have referendum on the uninominal vote at the same date, if possible each of them with his own referendum, because the Prime-Minister announced that the Government intends to assume responsibility for the Uninominal Vote Law, yet the clown at Cotroceni published a decree for the same matter.

They both know this is a useless referendum - the citizens are asking for uninominal vote for years (although I doubt that they really understood what it means).

In consequence, the campaign for the European elections is taking place at the same time with the campaign on the uninominal vote referendum - Guess which of them will attract more political circus? The second, of course. Who cares about our future in Europe? Nor the Romanian President neither the Prime-Minister, for sure.

N.B. When Basescu decided to allow US military bases (US, not NATO, guys!) on Romanian territory, the possibility of organizing a referendum just slipped his mind. Or his mind slipped? I cannot really tell …

Pe 16 octombrie a avut loc un eveniment cu titlul „Teme europene pentru alegeri europene”, organizat de Clubul Romania-UE, Asociatia Pro Democratia,Biroul de Informare al Parlamentului European in Romania, si avand parteneri media Euractiv Romania si Hotnews.
Dezbaterile au pornit de la raspunsurile primite de la cateva partide (PD, PNL, PNTCD, PSD) la chestionarele trimise de Clubul Romania-UE.

Cand sa ma bucur si eu ca in sfarsit au si romanii dezbateri serioase pe teme europene, vad ca acestea au avut loc la Bruxelles. Mda… doar trebuie informati si functionarii romani din institutiile UE …doar si ei voteaza la europarlamentare. Ma rog, mai bine decat nimic. Pacat de efort, daca era macar mediatizat in tara, ar fi fost mai util. Inca o plimbare platita la Bruxelles pentru ‘catindati’

Since more and more Romanians are fighting for their rights in European Courts, after losing any hope in the black hole called ‘Romanian Justice’, I think these links might be useful:

European Court of Human Rights - ECHU (CEDO - for Romanians).

Good luck!

Note: at this hour, Gabriel Stefanescu, who recently won a trial at ECHR, is invited at Victor Ciutacu’s talk show. (Who knows, maybe this is the way to recover the money for the “lost” Romanian fleet :D)

(N.B. ECHR is not an EU institution, it belongs to the Council of Europe - international organization, independent of EU)

Traian Basescu decorated today three Rroma - Dumitru Tranca, Traian Grancea and Ion Minutescu - that, during the second World War, have been deported in Transnistria.
He read few words in their own language, something like this:

Please excuse us, dear brothers and sisters, for what was in the past, and we will build together a beautiful future for Romania.

Oh, yeah, Mr. President, it’s a long way from ’stinky gipsy’ to ‘dear brothers and sisters’.

He also said that Rroma are the most discriminated minority in Europe, asking for an European policy for them.