Romania

The premier on Saturday called upon MPs to urgently discuss draft laws tabled by executive. Heads of county directorates who delay salary payments to be dismissed.
The government sticks to its decision to increase teachers’ salaries by only 17 per cent under the applicable legislation and to schedule the payment of additional remuneration won in court for later on, as the executive cannot afford renouncing economic stability, PM Emil Boc said, quoted by Mediafax. Boc added that results of future economic growth would be reflected in people’s income but “obviously not today.” Boc also said pay inconsistencies were being caused by both court judgments granting education employees a 50 per cent rise (according to a law passed by Parliament in the autumn of 2008, although the government only accepted to give teachers 17 per cent pay rise in 2008 and has already abrogated the 33 per cent difference by normative acts), and by including bonuses unrecognised by current legislation into collective bargaining agreements.

PSD leader Victor Ponta attacked the education minister and urged him to resign: “Funeriu is plainly incapable of managing Education reform.” Liberals too will file Wednesday a regular motion against the minister.
Attending the debate on the new Education Law yesterday at Parliament Palace, President Traian Basescu said this moment of crisis is favourable to changes, because “education is key to improving Romanians’ living standards” and only with competent people can we prevent entering another crisis.” (...) No change was made in the education system and everything that’s been done so far was patching up the education system. If there is anybody who claims to be the reformer of the system in the last 20 years since the Revolution, I want to invite that person to look at the results,” Basescu said, quoted by Mediafax. During debates, President Basescu added Romania has one of the weakest education systems in Europe and the weakest in the European Union. He said provisions of the new draft law on education do not touch school autonomy, while making it clear that autonomy of interest groups within universities cannot be accepted.

Social Democrats plan to challenge vote with the Constitutional Court.

Parliament’s joint chambers yesterday rejected the public television company’s 2008 activity report, with 195 votes against the document, 78 in favour and three abstentions, Agerpres reported. The move leads to the immediate removal of the state-run television’s Administrative Council and its general director, Alexandru Sassu. MPs also rejected a Social Democrat deputy’s proposal that the current TVR management board’s term be extended until a new leadership is named. The head of the Chamber of Deputies’ culture committee, Democrat Liberal Raluca Turcan, insisted there was no need for a special Parliament vote on the matter, since current legislation allows the board to go on as caretaker for 15 days until its successor is appointed.