27 June, 2018

A round-up of some of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 27.06.2018, 13:36

No-confidence vote. The Parliament in Bucharest is today
debating and voting on a no-confidence motion initiated by the National Liberal
Party and entitled The resignation of the Dragnea-Dancila government – a
national emergency! The signatories of the motion, which is supported by the
Save Romania Union and the People’s Movement Party, criticise the government
formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats among others for the changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure,
restricting the president’s powers and the negative economic developments. The
opposition says the inflation rate has reached 5.4%, the highest level in the
last four years, and that the taxation policy has been destroyed by the
frequent changes made to the tax code. In order to pass, the no-confidence motion
needs the votes of at least 233 MPs, several dozens more than the Liberal
Party, the Save Romania Union and the People’s Movement Party have together.
The MPs from the ruling coalition say they will be present but will not vote. The
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania says its MPS are attending the
debates but not the voting.

Protests. More than 1,000 people have
staged a protest near the Parliament building in Bucharest in support of the
no-confidence motion. They demand the resignation of the government and are
chanting anti-coalition slogans. Protesters say they are unhappy with the
government’s lack of interest in securing investments for infrastructure,
healthcare and education, instead concerning itself with the judicial system in
order to solve their problems with the law.

Defence meeting. The members of the Country’s Supreme Defence Council who
met today in Bucharest have approved the number of armed forces that can be
made available by Romania to international missions and operations in 2019.
According to a statement by the president’s office, Romania can deploy 305 more
troops in 2019 than in 2018. The Romanian Army will deploy 2,098 military and
civilian staff to international operations, while the interior ministry will
deploy 932 military and police forces. The first point on the agenda of the
meeting chaired by president Klaus Iohannis was the analysis and approval of
Romania’s objectives for the upcoming NATO summit in Brussels on the 11th
and 12th of July. According to the presidential press release, the
summit has special importance for Romania from the point of view of advancing
the projects for the consolidation of the defence and deterrence posture on
NATO’s eastern flank and the projection of stability in the eastern
neighbourhood, especially in the Black Sea region.

Military exercise.
The 2018 Dacian Eagle exercise is under way in Campia Turzii, at the biggest
NATO air base in Transylvania, central Romania. 200 Romanian and 300 American
military are taking part. The former are operating six MiG-21 Lancer planes and
four IAR-330 Puma helicopters, while the American military are using 12 F-15
planes belonging to the Massachusetts Air National Guard.
The exercise is aimed at developing cooperation between the Romanian and the
American troops.

Employment. In 2015, small companies provided jobs for
about half of all employees in the European Union, with the lowest percentage
being recorded in the UK, Germany, Luxembourg and Romania and the highest in
Italy and Spain, according to figures published on Wednesday by Eurostat, the European
statistical office. Out of the 23.5 million non-financial enterprises existing
in the European Union in 2015, 98.7% were small companies, with up to 49
employees. Only 0.2% are big companies (with 250 or more employees), but they
generate 33% of the number of employees and 44% of the total of added value.
The highest percentage of employees working in big companies is recorded in the
UK, France, Germany and Romania. In 2015, some 44% of all of Romania’s employees
were working in small companies, 21% in medium-sized companies and 35% in big
companies.

Photonics conference. 200 scientists from 20 countries involved
in the
development of ultrahigh intensity lasers and gamma beam systems, nuclear
physics and applications are getting together in Brasov,
central Romania, this week to discuss how to solve problems in the future that
appear impossible today. Answers are being searched for the origin of life on Earth,
the structure and composition of the Universe and finding a cure for diseases
that are as yet untreatable. Solutions may appear through research and Romania,
with the strong laser that will become functional at the beginning of next year
in Magurele, near Bucharest, has potential in this respect, specialists say.
The conference on nuclear photonics in Brasov is the second in a series that
began two years ago in California, the US, while the next will be held in 2020
in Japan.

Weather. Yellow and orange code
alerts for heavy rain are in place in most counties in the eastern half of
Romania today. The amount of precipitation is expected to reach 50 litres per
square metre and even 70 litres in some areas. Torrential rain, thunderstorms,
powerful winds and even hail storms are expected in the east and south-east of
the country. Wind speeds are expected to exceed 70 km per hour at high altitudes.
In terms of temperatures, the highs of the day range from 16 to 26 degrees
Celsius, with 21 degrees in Bucharest at noon. More than 3,200 rescuers and
1,400 pieces of flood equipment are on stand-by, ready to intervene in the
counties where the alerts have been issued.