Displaying items by tag: Bucharest

The recent Dutch provincial elections revealed a disturbing degree of provincialism and xenophobia; the leader of the winning party had dedicated his university dissertation to the French extreme nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen! The upcoming State of Europe Forum in Bucharest will bring together Pentecostal, Evangelical, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox clergy and lay people from across Europe to explore commonalities and differences in perspectives on the future of Europe. If we all accept that the Jesus story is the defining story of Europe, how do we bring his Lordship (see Ephesians 2: 4,5) to bear on our current challenges of populism, terrorism, corruption, cyberwarfare, nationalism, trafficking, migration, weakened democracy, xenophobia, and much more? God’s people of hope need to point in a different direction. We need to recover the story of Jesus as having ‘broken down every wall’ between race, gender and status, as the defining story of Europe.

Romania’s presidency of the EU Council comes at an awkward time. Brexit looms in a matter of weeks. Populist parties threaten to gain seats in European parliamentary elections in May. Sharp differences separate eastern and western European countries on migration policies. Romania’s justice minister has drafted an emergency decree to allow politicians to overturn corruption convictions, including the head of the country’s biggest political party; none of which contributes to a climate of optimism. Yet there are opportunities for better East-West understanding among Christians concerned with the future of Europe. Preparations are well under way for the State of Europe Forum, to be held in Bucharest on or around Europe Day, 9 May. It will promote biblical perspectives in the discussions among participants representing a broad spectrum of Christian backgrounds and disciplines from across Europe.

Romania's new leadership is facing growing pressure after some 200,000 people took to the streets on Wednesday, over a government decree to free dozens of officials jailed for corruption. The president said he would challenge it in court, while the business minister has resigned over the measure. The justice minister, who introduced the decree, has temporarily stood down. The protest march in Bucharest ended in clashes between alleged football hooligans and the police, leaving eight wounded. The leftist government, led by prime minister Sorin Grindeanu, returned to power last month after protests forced the previous leaders from power in October 2015. The emergency decree, which comes into effect in ten days, decriminalises several offences and makes abuse of power punishable by incarceration only if the sums involved are more than €44,000 (£38,000). The new government says the decree is needed to ease overcrowding in prisons, but Mr Grindeanu's critics say he is trying to release allies convicted of corruption.