What the newspapers say: April 14, 2011

Sources within the Democratic Liberal Party claim that the party plans to reconfigure the National Convention and triple the number of delegates. A painting signed Nicolae Grigorescu was sold at 270,000 euro, a premiere in Romania. The immunity of Romanian MEP Adrian Severin, involved in the laws for money scandal revealed by The Sunday Times might be lifted by the EP. Romanian workers in Cyprus are on strike, dissatisfied of being treated as slaves.

Gandul quotes sources from the Democratic Liberal Party claiming that the party plans to reconfigure the National Convention and triple the number of delegates that would vote. The initiative, the newspaper reads pertains to Vasile Blaga, PM Boc’s main counter candidate who proposed to Boc to resume talks on the organization o the convention on May.

Blaga wants on the one hand to have most local mayors and representatives in the territory vote and on the one hand to have a guarantee that voters will have the liberty to choose without being influenced by the heads of the county organizations. In other words, Blaga demands to have 4000 delegates present at the convention instead of 1400 as the party decided three weeks ago.

To modify the numbers, the party’s leadership needs to call a new national coordination council. Talks were confirmed by the newspapers with Balga who said that a congress with more representatives will reflect a correct election. The more the delegates, the better the representation, Blaga said.

By changing the dimensions of the congress, it is expected for Blaga to have most to gain nu just because most mayors support him but because the distribution rapport of delegates will be changed.

Romania’s art market registered a new record with the sale of the painting singed by famous Romanian painter Nicolae Grigorescu with 270,000 euro, Gandul reads. The painting was sold at the Art Nouveau and Romantics of the Artmark House. The painting exceeded a previous record, owned by a painting of the same painter that was sold by 230,000 euro.

Elsewhere in the news, Romania libera reads that the immunity of Romanian MEP Adrian Severin, involved in a recent scandal laws for money revealed by The Sunday Times who accused three MEPs including Romanian Adrian Severin of accepting money to pass laws, might be lifted in July.

MEP Speroni, raporteur in charge with this matter, of the Judicial Affairs Committee in the EP (JURI) said that the first step is for the committee to hear out the Romanian MEP. Then, the raporteur writes a report on the case and the document will be voted in the committee and then in the EP.

Romania’s Justice Ministry sent an official request on April 5 to the EP President Jerzy Buzek, at the request of the Romanian anti graft prosecutors, to lift parliamentary immunity of MEP Adrian Severin.

Last but not least, several Romanian workers in Cyprus are on strike, claiming that they are treated as slaves by their employee. They claim that Romanian authorities did not offer them any assistance there, Evenimentul Zilei reads. 19 Romanian workers have been on strike for a week accusing the company GAP Vassilopoulos Express Logistics of obliging them to work for 11 hours daily.