December 1, 2017
Romania celebrates National Day on December 1, Canada lifts visa requirements for Romanians and Bulgarians
Newsroom, 01.12.2017, 14:01
Romania’s National Day — As many as 3,500 military and experts with the National Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Romanian Intelligence Service with more than 350 military equipment, of which 50 airplanes, as well as soldiers from several allied or partner countries have participated today, December 1, in the military parade held in Bucharest on the occasion of Romania’s National Day. The over 300 foreign military come from Bulgaria, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, the US, Turkey and Ukraine. Also in Bucharest, a military and religious ceremony took place, when wreaths of flowers were laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Romania’s national day was also marked in the theaters of operations where Romanian soldiers have been deployed. In Kandahar, Afghanistan, a military and religious ceremony was held and 15 Romanian soldiers in Afghanistan were promoted to a higher rank on the occasion of the national day and another 20 received distinctions from their American partners. Romania’s National Day is also celebrated abroad through cultural events organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute representations in cooperation with Romania’s diplomatic missions. December 1 became Romania’s National Day after the December 1989 anti-Communist revolution and it marks the completion, at the end of WWI, in 1918, of the process of creating the Romanian unitary nation state, when all the provinces included in the neighboring multinational empires, with a majority Romanian-speaking population, came under the authority of Bucharest.
Messages on December 1 — In a video message on Romania’s National Day the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that, ahead of Romania celebrating 100 years since the great union of 1918, Romanians have the opportunity to think of what their country would look like in the future. He underlined that only together, involved and determined, Romanians would manage to build a strong and respected country in Europe and the world. In turn, PM Mihai Tudose said that the centenary of the Great Union represented Romanians’ commitment to redefining the national values. The speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, said that Romania should have an ideal, that of a sovereign and prosperous country, respected in the world, while the speaker of the Senate, Calin Popescu Tariceanu said that we are currently experiencing a period when the rights and freedoms of citizens are threatened, a period when it seems that Romanians cannot decide their future on their own. He expressed his conviction that Romanians would overcome these difficulties as they have done in the past 25 years. On Romania’s National Day, the Royal Family of Romania wished the Romanian people happy anniversary and paid homage to the Romanian nation that made great sacrifices to achieve the great union.
Visa waiver — The European Commission has hailed Canada’s decision to lift visa requirements, as of December 1, for all Romanian and Bulgarian citizens. According to the Commission representatives, this decision is the result of intense diplomatic efforts and of permanent negotiations at political and technical level between the EU, Canada and Romania and Bulgaria. The citizens of the two countries will be able to travel without visas to Canada, as of December 1, for stays of 6 months at the most, for tourist purposes, based on a valid passport. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, those who intend to travel to Canada by plane have to obtain previously, online, an Electronic Travel Authorization, eTA. Those who travel to Canada by sea or land need just a valid passport.
Handball — From December 1st to 17th Germany will be hosting the World Women’s Handball Championship. Romania will play in Group A alongside France, Spain, Slovenia, Angola and Paraguay. In the debut match on December 2, the Romanian handballers will take on the team of Paraguay. Of the 4 groups, the first 4 teams of each group will go to the eighth finals. In the previous World Championship of 2015 Romania won the bronze medal, being the only team to have participated in all the 22 editions of the championship held so far. Romania’s handball team is now being trained by Spanish Ambros Martin.
Brussels — The European Parliament on Thursday passed, in Brussels, the EU budget for 2018, whose rapporteur was the Romanian MEP Siegfrid Mureşan. The EU budget amounts to 160 billion euros. According to Siegfrid Mureşan, the EU allotted for the first time in the annual budget for 2018, 4.9 million euros for fighting disinformation and fake news. He added that the EU would finance, in 2018, a pilot project worth 12 million euros for providing at least 30 thousand free train tickets for the young people of member states who turn 18 in 2018 and who want to visit other EU states. The EU budget provides for an increase in allocations for investments, jobs for the youth, research, innovation, and security as well as in allocations for states in the eastern neighborhood, including the Republic of Moldova. The total value of structural and cohesion funds stands at 46 billion euros, higher by 54% as compared to the 30 billion allotted in 2017. (translated by Lacramioara Simion)
