Raluca Turcan
Raluca Turcan (born Raluca Tatarcan; 2 April 1976) is a Romanian politician. A member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), she has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Sibiu County since 2004. She has been married to Valeriu Turcan, a former adviser to Romanian President Traian Băsescu, since 2004. The couple have a son, Eric, born in 2007.
Biography
She was born in Botoșani to Dumitru and Maria-Margareta Tatarcan her father is a high school principal. She studied in the Faculty of International Economic Relations at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, graduating in 1999. She was also enrolled at Moscow's Pushkin Institute from 1996 to 1999, and earned a degree in business Russian from there. In 2006, she began work on a master's degree in political marketing at the National School of Administration and Political Science of Bucharest, and that year she also began a doctorate at the Transylvania University of Braşov. She has also pursued studies in Austria and in the United States. From 1999 to 2000, she worked as a public relations consultant for Tofan Grup, an automobile tyre distributor. She was then a parliamentary expert at the Romanian Senate from 2000 to 2004, and from 2000 to 2006 was an associated professor at Transylvania University and at the Romanian-German University of Sibiu. Turcan began her political career in 2000, as an adviser to the president of the National Council of the National Liberal Party (PNL). In 2002, she moved on to become an adviser to PNL President Theodor Stolojan, which she remained until 2004. That year, which saw her elected to Parliament, she joined the PNL's national leadership council, remaining until 2006. After being ejected from the PNL, she and fellow party dissidents Valeriu Stoica and Cristian Boureanu joined the Stolojan-founded Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), serving as its vice president from March until December 2007. At that point, the party merged with the Democratic Party and Turcan became vice president of the new formation, the PDL. She was re-elected in 2008. While in the Chamber, she has served on several committees, and has twice been president of the Committee on Culture, Arts and Mass Media (2005–2006; since 2008). At the 2012 election, she placed second in her district, but won another term through the redistribution mechanism specified by the electoral law. Following the PNL's loss in the 2016 election and the resignation of its president Alina Gorghiu, Turcan served as interim party leader, until the election of Ludovic Orban on a permanent basis. In May 2019, following the vacancy left by the incarceration of Liviu Dragnea, she ran for Chamber President, losing to Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).
Controversies
Turcan has worked with civil society groups focusing on mass media, free expression, human rights and health. She has co-authored an English-Russian-Romanian dictionary of economic terms, as well as the book Integrare şi politică fiscală europeană ("Integration and European Fiscal Policy"). Additionally, she has published studies on European integration and public relations. During her career in politics, Turcan has been the subject of some controversy. After Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu became PNL President and Prime Minister of Romania in 2004, her public criticisms of the party began to increase, so that in July 2006, the party gave her a warning, to which she responded that she would continue making similar statements. She kept her word, and the party expelled her that September. Continuing to attack Tăriceanu, she was at the forefront of a group of PD-L deputies who in March 2008 asked prosecutors to investigate the prime minister for abuse of office and corruption in his attempts to impose an automobile tax (he has links to the industry),] and, a year later, before Tăriceanu lost the PNL presidency, declared a united right-wing party encompassing the PD-L and the PNL could be formed if he and a few people around him left the PNL.[14] Shortly after her expulsion, she complained of "a trio monopolising the party, made up of Tăriceanu, Olteanu and Orban, which has practically confiscated it and eliminates anyone who dares share a point of view different from theirs". By contrast, she has been a public supporter of Băsescu, whom she notes shares the PD-L's objectives, and whose suspension she called "a serious abuse". She also predicted that then-PNL leader Crin Antonescu would lose to Băsescu at the 2009 election and noted the party risked marginalisation if it continued its anti-Băsescu strategy. Turcan supports modifying the Constitution in order to enhance presidential powers to those found in a consolidated semi-presidential system.
Romanian government defeats no-confidence vote as thousands protest
Fragmented opposition fails to topple government accused of of weakening criminal laws
Romania’s five-month-old Social Democrat (PSD) government defeated a parliamentary motion of no-confidence on Wednesday while thousands rallied outside to demand its resignation. The centrist opposition called the vote, accusing the cabinet of prime minister Viorica Dancila and the ruling party of trying to weaken anti-corruption laws and institutions. It followed a preliminary jail sentence handed down on PSD chief Liviu Dragnea last week for graft offences. Dragnea holds a tight grip on the party and is seen as the de-facto government head and architect of its policy. The move to topple the government was doomed to fail. Only 166 deputies from the fragmented opposition supported the motion, well short of the 233 votes – 50 per cent of deputies plus one – required under the constitution for no-confidence motions to succeed. The PSD and its small ally Alde – which together hold 249 of the 465 seats in parliament – did not vote, confident that the opposition would fail to reach the threshold. About 4,000 people chanted outside parliament during the debate, blowing whistles and vuvuzela horns. Raluca Turcan, deputy president of the centrist National Liberal Party, accused the PSD of undermining a European Union-backed drive to tackle corruption. “Today’s motion has been about the dismissal of Dragnea’s regime and his declaration of war against the European Union, ” she told parliament.
Judicial overhaul
In a speech frequently interrupted by opposition legislators shouting “Resignation! Resignation!, Ms Dancila, the prime minister, denounced the attempt to topple her government as “lacking rational arguments, logic and any realistic reasoning”. PSD lawmakers have pushed a judicial overhaul through parliament that effectively puts magistrates under political control. It also changes the penal handbook that could affect thousands of criminal cases, risking a deeper rift between eastern and western EU members. Both legal changes are on hold pending challenges filed to the constitutional court, but PSD deputies had said they expected to approve them by mid-July. Arguments about how to fight corruption in one of Europe’s most graft-prone states have dominated Romanian politics since its 2007 EU entry and magistrates have often complained of political pressures. Dragnea, who is also speaker of the lower house of parliament, was found guilty by the supreme court last week of keeping two women on the payroll of a state agency in 2006-2013 even though they were employed by his party. Romania’s most powerful politician, he has repeatedly denied all the charges and is expected to appeal the verdict, which relates to when he was a county council chief. – Reuters
raluca turcan in a sentence
1. He has been married to Raluca Turcan, a member of the Chamber of Deputies, since 2004. 2. The leader of USR, Nicusor Dan, and interim leader of PNL, Raluca Turcan, were also present at the protest in support of the protesters. 3. Attending the pro-B sescu meeting, Raluca Turcan went faint to the end of the meeting and another five people needed medical care after they felt sick to rally in Revolution Square. 4. :Raluca Turcan member of Romanian Chamber of Deputies and the Liberal Democratic Party ( Romania ) stated at a press conference that : " Marriage is between a man and a woman, a thing that ought to be in the Constitution. 5. Speaking to a group of female PNL members in Alba County in March 2006, he drew accusations of sexism for stating, " You need not go through any boss's bed to reach important public positions ", declaring that Raluca Turcan ( then a party colleague ), Mioara Mantale and Elena Udrea had done so, but not Mona Musc or Norica Nicolai. Minister of Labor Raluca Turcan declared that the draft normative act regarding the possibility of people who meet the retirement conditions to continue working was adopted in first reading. "There are some specific regulations for the public sector, namely: when a person opts to extend the activity, then, if he/she meets the retirement conditions, the right to pension is suspended. The option to continue working after reaching the legal retirement age has the consequence, therefore, the suspension of the pension and those who currently accumulate a pension with the state salary have the obligation to voice this option within 30 days from the publication of this normative act. Obviously employers must inform those who are currently in the situation of pension-salary cumulation, and if they do not do this, they will suffer the consequences in the form of a fine," Turcan told a press conference at Victoria Palace of Government. She mentioned that the draft law, as a whole, refers to people who have reached retirement age and who will be able to choose, upon request, to work until the age of 70. Turcan stressed that a continuation of the activity represents "an option, a right and in no case an obligation". Raluca Turcan added that the bill also regulates the situation of people who are currently retired and who can choose to get another job until the age of 70. Turcan stated that currently in the public system there are about 35,000 people who cumulate the pension with the salary, and about 102,000 people over 65 have chosen to cumulate the pension with the salary, both in the public and in the private system
The pandemic brought back years of advances in gender equality! Turcan reveals how much unemployed women have risen in Romania – News by sources
Labor Minister Raluca Turcan claims that women paid higher costs for the Covid crisis than men. The number of unemployed women in Romania increased by 50% due to the pandemic, while the proportion of unemployed men increased by 16%, the minister said. The pandemic has undone years of advances in gender equality, and a realistic post-crisis recovery plan must also aim to reduce gender inequality in the labor market, Labor Minister Raluca Turcan wrote on Facebook on Saturday. She claims that, according to the INS, the number of unemployed women in Romania has increased by 50% due to the pandemic, while the proportion of unemployed men has increased by 16%. “And we can link this data with other tragic data that aims to increase the incidence of domestic violence and violence against women in the first nine months of last year, the period marked by lockdown,” ; Turcan also wrote on the social network . She says the gender gap is not just a matter of theoretical debate, but has concrete economic consequences that cause annual losses in all EU countries. “Covering the cost of unemployment for women costs the EU billions of euros a year. The undisputed reality is that women paid higher costs for the Covid crisis than men. Eurostat statistics show that 84% of those employed in the Age 15 to 64 in the services hardest hit by Covid – HORECA and tourism, childcare, retail – are women. In Romania, the proportion of women in front service activities in human health activities was 80%, compared with 20% for men. In addition, women are more exposed to unemployment, more involved in the informal economy and much more inactive in the labor market due to their responsibility for home care, “said the Labor Minister. Raluca Turcan claims that during the embargo, the Romanian government took measures to support parents who were granted 124 million lei for the days off of parents who were forced to stay with their children. “We have taken measures to protect jobs, which is why we granted 2.21 billion lei to support 41.5% of the salary paid to employees who have returned to work, or 190 million lei for the program flexible working hours (the German short-time working model). ” the minister also pointed this out. Turcan says that the experience of European states in this matter is also worth analyzing, recalling that last year Germany passed a law on the compulsory presence of women on boards of directors, which includes a provision that at least one of the three Members of the board of directors must be a woman. “It’s something worth discussing with us. Romania has made great strides on gender equality, but when we look at the statistics, beyond the general feeling of comfort, we actually see that still there is much to be done and that the gender inequalities in Romanian society are still high. “it is also shown in the office of the Minister of Labor.
Raluca Turcan answers the critics: I am not torn from reality. The phrase “Happy Birthday, Eminescu”, “Happy Birthday, Kant” is used
Labor Minister Raluca Turcan returned with a new clarification after the wave of irony sparked by a message on Facebook saying “Happy Birthday!” wish. Baron Samuel von Brukenthal. She says those who criticized her for the post do not know that this wish is used in the cultural field. Raluca Turcan: “I am neither arrogant nor unrealistic or useless as some have rushed to appreciate a message published with the idea of highlighting a great advantage that the county I represent has, namely the birth of Baron von Brukenthal. From here to the point of ignorance that the expression “Happy Birthday” is used in the cultural field for anniversary years. “Happy birthday, Mihai Eminescu”, “Happy birthday, Kant”, “Happy birthday” to other cultural people, because it celebrates the cultural value that we celebrate, it is a very long way, “he said of the Work. Read also Raluca Turcan explains why she wished Baron von Brukenthal a “Happy Birthday” Context: Minister of Labor Raluca Turcan on Monday wished Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, Governor of Transylvania, born on July 26, 1721 and died in 1803, to give up a message on Facebook wishing “Happy Birthday” on Facebook.
Romania Scraps Former Govt’s Controversial Parole Law
Romania’s parliament on Wednesday repealed a controversial parole law passed by the former Social Democratic government that resulted in the release of more than 22,000 convicted criminals before the end of their prison terms.
A total of 272 MPs voted to repeal the law in a joint session of the Chamber of Deputies, in which the Social Democrats are the largest group but where a minority government led the National Liberal Party, PNL is supported by a fragile majority.
The law was passed in 2017 as part of a series of judicial changes that the European Commission and civil society groups saw as blows to the rule of law and the fight against crime and corruption.
Over 2,400 of those released on parole under the law were convicted of murder and more than 1,000 had been jailed for rape, a PNL MP, Florin Roman, said in a press statement.
Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan deemed the law “aberrant” and said that over 500 of those released under it had since re-offended.
“The most perverse effect of this law is that it opened the prison gates for people who were incarcerated in decent conditions, because the law said that if the conditions in just one cell were sub-standard, all prison detainees should benefit from this law,” Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu said recently.
The PSD government was toppled on 10 October in a no-confidence vote. A minority centre-right government then took over in November after gaining support in parliament.
The new government came in with a reformist agenda, and with a promise to revisit the PSD justice policies and impose fiscal restraint to put down the rising public deficit.
The new government was strengthened on 24 November by the landslide victory of Klaus Iohannis in the run-off presidential election.
Iohannis defeated the PSD candidate and former prime minister Viorica Dancila with 65 per cent of the vote and so got a mandate to push forward his reformist agenda together with his PNL allies.
Romania will hold legislative elections in December next year at the latest. Both the PNL and its centre-right allies in the USR PLUS alliance have expressed an interest in going to the polls early, to change the balance of forces in parliament.
PNL To Sanction Its Members Who Cut The Meeting Of Important Votes In Parliament. Raluca Turcan: It’s Not About Alina Gorghiu
More and more clashes are visible in the National Liberal Party lately, especially between the old Liberal Party members and the one from the former Democrat Liberal Party (PDL).
On Monday, the PNL National Standing Bureau has unanimously decided that the Liberals who stay away from the important votes in Parliament should be gradually sanctioned. The decision comes after the party’s interim chairwoman Raluca Turcan (photo) has previously slammed the former chairwoman Alina Gorghiu for cutting the meeting of the Senate legal committee that debated the controversial amendments for pardoning the corrupt.
However, Turcan said on Monday that the party leadership’s decision doesn’t report to Alina Gorghiu, but to a “healthy principle”.
“The National Standing Bureau has unanimously decided that when our colleagues absent from important votes that prompt high expectations from the public opinions, we shall apply the sanctions stipulated by the party’s statute. The sanctions are gradual ranging from the ban to vote in certain meetings, up to the suspension from the party for certain periods of time,” Turcan announced.
Questioned if she had a discussion with Alina Gorghiu on this topic, Turcan said she would not talk about persons and that she doesn’t refer to Alina Gorghiu.
“Even if there is a huge feast to title
Outstanding Achievements
The events industry in Romania, ready to go back to normal
The Romanian Concerts Organizers’ Association (AROC) is optimistic regarding the restarting of the live medium and big events. Following the productive meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan and Government representatives on September 9th, were put the basis of the relaunch of the live sector in 2021, in maximum safety conditions. During the following period there will be organized work groups, under the coordination of the Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan, between the two parties mentioned above, meant to find solutions for the restarting of the country’s events’ industry. The events’ industry, not only in Romania, but worldwide, is among the sectors that were badly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, being one of the only industries that were stopped almost entirely for at least one year. AROC is happy to have found in the Romanian Government an open and consistent partner in understanding the problems of this sector, being actively involved in finding support solutions for each segment in the events’ industry. The inter-ministerial work groups that will start their activity during the next week (September 14-18) will have the privilege of exploring solutions and create a better understanding over the specific of this sector, offering the authorities knowledge in details and suggestions about a better handling in this moment and in the future. The three work groups will explore three major themes: economic, technic and legislative ones: 1. Support and economic relaunch of the musical and festival cultural sector measures; 2. A plan of relaunching the events that will involve technical and safety measures both for the organizers and the participant public; 3. Legislative measures for the support and the coherent and sustainable regulation of the cultural-musical sector. Admitting the difficulties that the live events’ industry is confronting itself with, the Government proposes the creating of a State help scheme for this industry that contributes in a sustained manner both at Romania’s image as a country brand and from an economic point of view through the cultural tourism.
The festival culture, as an yearly business model, doesn’t benefit of the partial re-opening of the sector and a collapse of this industry will attract after it a series of closing of several production, stage-technique and logistics companies, that will have big effects over the technicians and the workers that activate in these connected industries. The events industry in Romania means thousands of companies and NGOs involved in the organizing of indoor and outdoor events, concerts, festivals, etc., all of these summing up tens of thousands of employees, suppliers and collaborators whose professional activity was badly impacted, in most of the cases completely stopped. In this context, the Government’s support represents a breath of oxygen after many months of suffering, insecurity and immobility. “We are delighted that the Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan had the disponibility to receive AROC in order to discuss the problems this industry is confronting with. I consider that the biggest accomplishment of this meeting is the creating of an inter-ministry work group under the deputy prime minister’s coordination that will analyze the sanitary, fiscal and legal supporting measures of the industry in which would be involved also the entrepreneurial cultural musical scene. The reopening measures need to be corelated with the practical reality that only the AROC members are confronting themselves with. The private sector has all the openness in collaborating with the Government and with the State’s authorities in order to discuss and trace ways in the gradual and in safety reopening of the cultural area. “I believe the involvement of the private sector in these discussion will bring a plus and will lead to the optimizing of the sanitary measures imposed to the cultural sector in this moment that are created most of the times without taking in account the practical reality, due to an insufficient knowledge of the manners in which a concert or an event is organized. The fact that the Government shows that is open and ready for dialogue gives us the safety that we will pass through this difficult period of time. We are convinced that only through this tight collaboration between the State authorities and the private sector Romania will come out stronger from this unprecedented crisis,” said Codruta Vulcu, Deputy President AROC.