Diana Şoşoacă has been blocked from running in the upcoming presidential elections in Romania. The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) accepted a challenge against her candidacy, effectively disqualifying her.

This final decision follows a legal contestation regarding her eligibility based on specific criteria outlined in electoral laws.

The ruling has significant implications for Şoşoacă, who had positioned herself as a prominent candidate representing far-right interests. Her party, SOS Romania, and her supporters will likely respond to this setback amid a politically charged environment as the elections approach.

In her reaction to this announcement on Facebook, she accused the Jews of implication in her rejection from candidating for the presidential elections. She asked the Romanians to take to the streets and protest against this unfair decision.

I wasn’t even quoted. Such a thing is impossible. I don’t even know what the subpoena looks like, meaning all due process rights have been grossly violated. I ask the Romanians to go out into the streets! This is unacceptable. The only nationalists who could win these elections… So this means that the Jews acted against Romania. I accuse the Jews of involvement in the constitutional process. Such a thing is not possible!

MEP Diana Sosoaca reaction on Facebook, cited by Stiripesurse.ro

Further details regarding the legal basis for the court’s decision and potential next steps for Şoşoacă and her party are still unfolding.

Diana Sosoaca is famous in the EU for her appearance with a muzzle in the European Parliament in July this year.

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Nicolae Ștefănuță

Nicolae Ștefănuță, a member of the Greens/European Free Alliance (EFA) group, has been an MEP since 2019. He has significantly contributed to various parliamentary committees, including the Committee on Budgets and the Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety. His election as vice-president reflects his dedication to environmental issues and budgetary oversight, highlighting his influence and the recognition of his work in European politics​.

Victor Negrescu

Victor Negrescu, representing the S&D group, has a robust European politics and governance background. He previously served as Romania’s Minister for European Affairs and has been a vocal advocate for transparency and the enhancement of EU-wide policies. His election as Vice President adds to his distinguished record, which includes significant contributions to budgetary and constitutional affairs within the European Parliament.​

As vice presidents, Stefanuta and Negrescu will undertake several key responsibilities:

1. Presidential Replacement: They will replace the President of the European Parliament when necessary, including chairing plenary sessions.
2. Bureau Membership: They will be part of the Parliament’s Bureau, which manages internal rules, administrative functions, and budgetary matters.
3. Committee Leadership: They will likely assume leadership roles within various parliamentary committees, influencing policy and legislation in their areas of expertise.

Significance for Romania

The election of Nicolae Ștefănuță and Victor Negrescu as vice presidents marks a significant achievement for Romania, reflecting the country’s growing prominence and active participation in European affairs. This development enhances Romania’s representation and strengthens its voice in the EU’s decision-making processes.

The European Parliament’s leadership team is diverse, representing multiple political groups and member states. This diversity ensures a broad representation of interests and perspectives, fostering a more inclusive and democratic decision-making process. The election process for vice-presidents involves rigorous rounds of voting, ensuring that those elected have broad support and legitimacy within the Parliament.

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Thus, this is the distribution of the MEP mandates between the parties:

PSD (Socialists): 11 Mandates

PNL (Liberals): 8 Mandates

AUR (Nationalists): 6 Mandates

USR (Reformists): 2 Mandates

UDMR (Hungarian Minority): 2 Mandates

PMP (Popular Movement): 1 Mandate

SOS (Far right): 2 Mandates

Independent (Nicolae Bogdanel Stefanuta): 1 Mandate

Who Are the Romanian Members of the European Parliament in 2024-2028

Here is the list with all 33 Romanian Members of the European Parliament in 2024-2028:

1. Mihai Tudose (PSD)
2. Rareș Bogdan (PNL)
3. Gabriela Firea (PSD)
4. Dan Motreanu (PNL)
5. Claudiu Manda (PSD)
6. Adina Vălean (PNL)
7. Victor Negrescu (PSD)
8. Daniel Buda (PNL)
9. Vasile Dîncu (PSD)
10. Maria Grapini (PSD)
11. Gheorghe Florin Cîrciu (PSD)
12. Siegfried Mureșan (PNL)
13. Dragoș Benea (PSD)
14. Mircea Hava (PNL)
15. Dan Nica (PSD)
16. Gheorghe Falcă (PNL)
17. Ștefan Mușoiu (PSD)
18. Roxana Mînzatu (PSD)
19. Virgil Popescu (PNL)
20. Vasile Cristian Terheș (AUR)
21. Claudiu Târziu (AUR)
22. Gheorghe Piperea (AUR)
23. Maria Georgiana Teodorescu (AUR)
24. Adrian George Axinia (AUR)
25. Șerban Dimitrie Sturdza (AUR)
26. Dan Barna (USR)
27. Vlad Voiculescu (USR)
28. Eugen Tomac (PMP)
29. Iuliu Winkler (UDMR)
30. Lorant-Gyorgy Wincze (UDMR)
31. Diana Iovanovici Șoșoacă (SOS Romania)
32. Luis Lazarus (SOS Romania)
33. Nicolae Bogdănel Ștefănuță (independent)

The post The List of the Romanian MEPs for 2024-2028 appeared first on Valahia.News.

However, the final data should be analyzed only after the official count of the votes expressed by the Romanian voters for the European elections.

EXIT POLL ROMANIA: European Parliament Elections

PSD-PNL coalition (Socialists and Liberals): 54% of votes. These votes will be allotted to each party in the Alliance

AUR (The Alliance for the Union of Romanians – “The Nationalists”): 14% of votes

ADU (Unified Right Alliance): 11% of votes

UDMR (Hungarian minority): 5% of votes

Independent candidates: 4% of votes

SOS and REPER: 3% of votes each (this score wouldn’t allow these parties to enter the EP)

The final count of the votes expressed will show the 33 European MPs representing Romania in the European Parliament for the next four years.

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The resolution was initiated by Romanian MEP Eugen Tomac, one of the Romanian MEPs, and most European Parliament members voted it.

Huge success in the European Parliament! The resolution regarding the restitution of the Romanian Treasury seized in Russia was voted by a large majority of votes. The resolution we initiated is the first official European document by which we explicitly ask Russia to return the illegally seized Treasury. It is a matter of national dignity. Romania cannot and must not accept anything less than the return of the 91.5 tons of gold and the entire cultural treasure.

MEP Eugen Tomac, initiator of the Resolution on Romania’s National Treasure in Moscow

The story of the Romanian Treasure in Moscow is a tangled tale of war, revolution, and a nation’s struggle to reclaim its heritage. During the tumultuous years of World War I, facing the threat of invasion, the Romanian government made a fateful decision. In 1916, to safeguard the nation’s gold reserves and a collection of priceless artifacts, they were shipped to Russia, then an ally, for safekeeping. The trove included an estimated 120 tonnes of gold and cultural artifacts of immense historical significance, never to be returned.

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The EPP includes 84 parties and partners from 44 countries, the presidents of the European Commission (Ursula von der Leyen) and the European Parliament (Roberta Metsola), heads of state or government from 12 EU member countries, ten members of the European Commission and the most significant political group (178 members) in the European Parliament.

Among the presidents and prime ministers, we mention:

• The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis
• The Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo
• The Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Luc Frieden
• The President of Cyprus, Nikos CHRISTODOULIDES
• Chancellor of Austria, Karl Nehammer
• The Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar
• The Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic
• The Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk
• The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis
• The Prime Minister of Lithuania, Ingrida Simonyte

Approximately 2000 participants from 44 countries have been invited to take part.

The forthcoming 2024 EPP Congress in Bucharest, jointly hosted by the Romanian party PNL, will center on the election of our lead candidate and the unveiling of our electoral manifesto for the European Parliament elections scheduled for June 6-9, 2024. The Congress represents a moment of unity, reflection, and inspiration, allowing us to celebrate achievements and address challenges such as Russia’s war in Ukraine, the increasing cost of living, and the threats posed by populism and extremism. As the EPP stays true to its values, we emphasize empowering the people of Europe, preserving our deep-rooted values, and protecting the Union against internal and external threats.

EPP official communication

EPP CONGRESS IN BUCHAREST PROGRAMME

WEDNESDAY, 6 MARCH 2024

08:00-09:30
EPP Ethics Committee

08:30-12:30
EPP Group Study Days 1st session (including a session with EPP Group CoR)

10:00-12:00
Resolution Committee

14:00
Congress: 1st Plenary Session
Welcome speeches

14:30
Debate focusing on the voice of villages, cities and regions

15:15
Debates and exchanges with Presidents of the Parliamentary Assemblies Council of Europe, NATO, OSCE, Chairpersons of Groups, EPP Associations, WMCES President
• Discussion on defence and security
• Discussion on intergenerational solidarity
• Discussion on the economy and jobs

16:15
Interventions by non-EU Heads of State and Government, non-EU Opposition and Party Leaders

17:15
Presentation and vote on ordinary and emergency Resolutions and Statutory changes

18:15
EPP Electoral Manifesto: Presentation and Vote

19:15
Closing Remarks

EPP reception and family dinner co-hosted by PNL

THURSDAY, 7 MARCH 2024

8:00-09:00
Women Empowering Perspectives for Peace

8:00-09:00
EPP-CoR Group Local Dialogue on Enlargement

8:00-09:00
EPP Group Study Days 2nd session

9:00
Congress: 2nd Plenary Session
Interventions by EU Opposition and Party Leaders

9:45
Address by EPP President

10:00
Speech(es) by nominee(s) for EPP Lead Candidate

10:15–11:45
Election of the EPP Lead Candidate for President of the European Commission (Secret Ballot)

10:15- 11:45
Interventions by Deputy Prime Ministers and EU Heads of State and Government

11:45-12:10
Address by EU institutions Presidents and President of Romania

12:15-12:30
Announcement of the result of the election of the EPP Lead Candidate
Acceptance Speech of the EPP Lead Candidate
Closing of the Congress

For more details on the Congress, please visit the dedicated website https://www.epp2024.eu/.

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Here is the petition addressed by Agent Green to Roberta Metsola.

Dear Mrs. Roberta Metsola,

We would like to call your attention to the implementation of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (the Habitats Directive) by the Romanian Government concerning one of the protected species from Annex II and IV, Ursus arctos.

The species is endangered by the normative acts passed since 2021, respectively, The Emergency Governmental Ordinance 81/2021 and the Law that approved and modified the Ordinance, no 197/2022. As a result of the government propaganda that brown bears are very dangerous and cold-blooded killers, the Minister of Environment Waters and Forests recently proposed an Order for killing 486 brown bears.

The national action plan for conserving the brown bear population in Romania, approved by the Minister of the Environment no. 625/2018, was never implemented, as the Minister recognized in front of the Court of Justice, as detailed in the annexed report.

The Brown Bears are being sacrificed in Romania because of the lack of conservation measures and to indulge the hunter’s need for trophies. The Arthur Affaire in April 2021 is a perfect example of the illegal hunting parties organized in Romania.

The mentioned legislation allows the killing of Brown Bears by a team composed of a representative of the hunting fund and a gendarme, a representative of the town hall and a veterinarian, who do not have previous expertise, do not possess equipment or substances for veterinary use and are not trained to intervene in such situations where capture is necessary, tranquillizing or possibly euthanizing some bears. They are allowed to kill if the bear seems to be dangerous, both inside the localities and in their natural environment, regardless of the age of the bear. This practice occurs in Natura 2000 sites and violates the Habitats Directive.

The order allowing 486 bears that are neither dangerous nor create any prejudices to anyone is based on only a preliminary study, as it is stated on the first page.

The study only criminalizes bears and categorizes them as dangerous without analyzing prevention and conservation measures. At the same time, this study completely lacks an assessment of the impact of killing the 486 bears; a scientific assessment of the bear population is lacking. Also, an analysis of the causes that lead to human-bear conflicts is missing to determine the most appropriate prevention methods.

As a result, the hunting activities, which are illegal under the current EU legislation, lead to human-bear conflicts, which are provoked by the hunters interfering in the natural habitats of the bears. Therefore, instead of killing bears, Romanian authorities should address the root causes of such encounters, namely illegal hunting in protected areas.

Logging destroys the habitat for bears beyond repair. As a result, they search for shelter and food and are pushed toward human settlements.

We ask you to address this issue in the committee for Petitions and, by doing so, help to protect natural habitats for bears in Romania. We sincerely rely on the understanding of the Members of the European Parliament and their will to address on the EU level the severe issue of hunting, as well as the equally serious issue of the national authorities voluntarily and knowingly going against the EU obligations for nature conservation.

Best regards,

Gabriel Paun, President

The context of the petition to stop the killing of bears in Romania

The bear population in Romania is lower than the official estimates. NGOs conducted extensive research and tracking of bear families and concluded that the bear population is lower than the official figures by at least 25%.

For two years in a row, the volunteers from Conservation Carpathia Foundation collected 1,700 DNA samples from bears and sent them to a laboratory in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The results bluntly contradicted the official figures.

We got a density of 17-18 bears per hundred square kilometers. The official data show around 21 bears per hundred square kilometers. These official data are subjective and shouldn’t be used in the management of this species in Romania.

Ruben Iosif, biologist, Conservation Carpathia Foundation

The fact is that the Romanian authorities seem to have been misusing the data. More precisely, the collection of this data is the problem. The Romanian Ministry of Environment and Forests use the forest rangers’ observations to count the bear population. How precise can they be?

More than that, a recent study published by the same Ministry shows the bear population is close to 8,000. The very minister who signed the order for killing bears in Romania asked, in the past, for the killing of 5,000 bears and estimated, personally, in 2015, that the bear population in Romania is at least 10,000. These bluntly fake numbers made Euronews call the minister “bad news for the bear population in Romania.”

Interestingly, the minister, whose name we prefer not to recall and who has just been ousted from the Ministry after the Hungarian Minority Party entered Opposition, signed the order on his very last day at the office. How cynical is that? What interests can be found behind this sort of order?

About Agent Green

Agent Green is the NGO that came up, along with Charlie Ottley, with the brilliant idea of involving companies in what they called the “bear rights campaign.” They appealed to the companies using bears in their logos, names or communication and asked them to contribute to protecting this species.

The famous British director Charlie Ottley was thrilled to be the main character in the videos shot for the Bear Rights campaign.

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Also, in one of the other works, military people push a boat with refugees from the shore.

The exhibition is open to people with entry clearance in the European Parliament until Friday, May 5.

Polish and Italian politicians protested against what some call “art”. The exhibition is organized by leftist politicians in Brussels, inside the European Parliament building premises, symbolizing European politics.

If anybody was wondering about the direction the leftists push the European Union, now they have the answer. Whether you admire the exhibition and call it artwork or protest against it, one thing is sure. This vulgar display of pseudo-religious scenes is meant to generate controversy and attract attention.

The Swedish lesbian is not initially attempting to generate controversy around her works. Recently, the Swedish Church removed from a church an altarpiece created by the same lesbian:

It depicts gay people in “Paradise”, but also the snake, depicted as a trans. For fear this would offend trans people, the church removed the painting.

European values or blasphemy? People see the author as an artist; others avoid naming her like that. Either way, Europe enters a new phase of liberalization, progressivism and disregard for national and conservative values.

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The official visit was another opportunity for European officials to try and appease the people. Also, Metsola reassured Romania has the support of the European institutions, including the European Parliament.

During her speech in the Romanian Parliament, she made an emotional appeal. She asked the Romanian people not to give up on Europe:

I am here, in Romania, today, at this deeply symbolic time, with one message, one appeal: do not give up on Europe! Do not give up on us!

Now, when things are not necessarily as clear as they were two weeks ago, when the shine on rhetoric has been shaded by events, when corruption scandals of a few occupy newspaper inches and tv minutes at the expense of the long hard work of the many.

When it seems that promises long ago made are ignored at the expense of narrow, small, national considerations. When those for whom the European Parliament, just by existing, is a threat, will jump on any of these issues to push more and more people to the comfort of the fringes and extremes.

That is when we are called upon to lead. That is when we have to stand up and stand together – when it is hard, when it is easier to sit back down.

Roberta Metsola in the Romanian Parliament

Metsola also mentioned that Romania had been ready to join the Schengen area for more than ten years and would do it soon.

Is Roberta Metsola afraid that the Romanian boycott of Austrian brands is only the spark igniting nationalists and anti-European feelings in Romania? It might be, as sometimes such movements reach tipping points and cannot be reversed anymore if it’s too late.

Her intervention can be watched in the following video from 15:00 onwards:

The emotional appeal of the EP’s President comes at a delicate moment: the Romanian people are utterly disappointed with the denial of entering Schengen, especially when all the technical conditions have been long ago fulfilled. More than that, it was only one country opposing Romania: Austria. This made Romania withdraw its ambassador from Vienna. Also, as retaliation for the negative vote, Romania initiated the so-called #BoycottAustria movement, and Romanians started boycotting the Austrian brands.

This will favour the nationalist and the anti-European movement in Romania, one of the countries which had huge hopes when joining the EU. This is why European officials try to calm down the voices asking for revenge, as this sort of undiplomatic approach to the scandal will only divide Europe even more.

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But this seems to be a generalized behaviour. As unveiled by Romanian journalists from the Romanian tabloid newspaper Libertatea, there is a similar behaviour of one of the Romanian MEPs, Cristian Busoi, who admitted he had travelled to Doha and the Qatari officials paid for these luxurious trips. He defended himself and said it was a common practice among European officials. He also said it didn’t influence his decisions or votes, as he didn’t take any.

Busoi is the President of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy in the European Parliament. Not only that, but he also led the Qatar Friendship Group in the European Parliament. The Romanian journalists found similar public and political opinions expressed by the Qatari officials and Cristian Busoi. Among other ideas, Busoi praised the way Qatar respects human rights but also voiced the Qatari interests in dealing with the European Union for exporting gas.

Meanwhile, Eva Kaili is arrested and seems to be only the tip of the iceberg in Brussels. The Qatargate scandal is only at the beginning, and it is expected for such practices to be unveiled and lots of other European officials to be exposed to the public for their deeds.

Is it politically and morally correct for foreign governments to pay for the trips of European officials? Isn’t the European Union able to cover all the expenses for the MEPs officially travelling to other countries?

If the European institutions cannot stop such practices, there will always be the suspicion that the officials took a certain decision or gave a certain vote in return for the foreign countries’ favours.

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