5 January, 2019

A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 05.01.2019, 13:56

Politics. The situation at the ministries of transport and regional development remains
unclear following the resignations of the respective ministers last year.
President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday he would not accept the replacements
proposed by the ruling Social Democratic Party for reasons that have to with
the legality and opportunity of these nominations and requested the Social
Democrats to come up with new proposals. The president has also said he has no
plans to dismiss the prosecutor general Augustin Lazar, as he is pleased with
the latter’s performance, adding that the request of the justice minister does
not satisfy the legal requirements. In response, the Social Democrats have said
the president’s refusal to appoint the ministers for transport and regional
development is an attempt to block the government’s activity and have warned
that Romania is thus forced to take over the presidency of the Council of the
European Union without two cabinet ministers. The Social Democrats also say
that by defying the Constitution and the rule of law, president Klaus Iohannis
has entered into a complicity of a criminal nature with the prosecutor general
Augustin Lazar, who has been proposed for dismissal for serious disciplinary
misconduct and grave violations of fundamental human rights and laws.

Winter holidays. Hotels owners in Romania have earned more than 40
million euros over the end-of-year holidays, according to a report by the
employers associations in tourism. More than 166,000 people have spent New
Year’s Eve in resorts around the country, significantly more than the previous
year. The report also highlights an increase in the purchasing power. Most
people have chosen areas with traditions or picturesque regions, but there are
also many who have spent New Year’s Eve in spa resorts, hotels in the country’s
biggest cities, the Danube Delta and the Black Sea coast. Most Romanians who have
spent the winter holidays abroad have travelled to mountain resorts in Austria,
France, Italy and Bulgaria, European cities or exotic destinations.

Feast days. On the 6th of January, Christians celebrate
the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. This feast day,
which is one of oldest Christian festivals, is also known as Epiphany, because
the baptism of Christ was accompanied by the miraculous manifestation of the
Holy Trinity. On the 7th of January, Christians celebrate the feast
day of St John the Baptist, which marks the end of the winter holidays. However,
for old-style Orthodox Christians, who belong mainly to the Russian, Ukrainian
and Serbian communities, the winter holidays only now begin, as they celebrate
Christmas on the 7th of January. The split in the Orthodox Church
took place at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Ecumenical
Patriarchate in Constantinople decided to abandon the Julian calendar and adopt
the Gregorian calendar, which is 13 days ahead of the former. Many residents of
the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet republic with a majority
Romanian-speaking population, travel to neighbouring Romania at this time of
the year to celebrate Christmas in the old style.

Flu. Romania has reported its first
flu casualty this season, the National Centre for the Supervision and Control
of Communicable Diseases has announced. The person in question is a 53-year-old
man who had not received the flu vaccine and who had health problems. According
to the health authorities, 67 flu cases have been confirmed since the start of
the season. 1.2 million Romanians have received the flu vaccine subsidised by
the health ministry.

Weather. The foreign ministry in Bucharest has warned that Bulgaria, Greece
and Serbia are faced with severe weather. An orange code warning for heavy snow
is in place in Bulgaria in counties in the south-east and a yellow code in the
north. Yellow and orange code warnings for heavy snow are also in place in
Serbia today and tomorrow. Greece is confronted with freezing temperatures,
heavy snow, strong winds of up to 105 km/h and huge waves of more than 12
metres in height in the Aegean Sea. Many villages, especially in the mountains,
are without electricity. Tens of roads and motorways have been blocked in the
mountainous regions, including the Island of Crete. Maritime travel has been
suspended and high-tonnage trucks are also allowed to travel between certain
hours. A Ryanair plane carrying almost 200 passengers and flying from London to
Thessaloniki on Friday night landed on the airport in Timisoara, western
Romania, because of inclement weather at destination.

Volleyball. Romania face Spain today
at home in a decisive Group F match as part of the qualifying games for the
Women’s European Volleyball Championship. The winner of the match will qualify
directly for the championship, which will be held between the 23rd
of August and the 8th of September and will be hosted jointly by
Turkey, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. Latvia and Bosnia Hertegovina are also in
Group F. The two best-ranked sides in each of the six qualifying groups will
make it to the final tournament.