December 1, 2022

Click here for a roundup of local and world news

Newsroom, 01.12.2022, 13:55

NATIONAL DAY Romania celebrates
today 104 years since the Great Union of December 1, 1918. In the capital city
Bucharest, over 1,500 troops and staff of the defence ministry, interior
ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications
Service and the Penitentiary Agency as well as vehicles and 40 aircraft will
take part in a military parade. According to the defence ministry, foreign
troops from Belgium, France, North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Portugal,
USA and the Netherlands, as well as representatives of Allied countries
contributing to NATO structures deployed in Romania will also be attending. All
military institutions in the country and all vessels are flying the national
flag. Ceremonies are also organised abroad, where Romanian troops are deployed.
In the 2 world wars alone, the Romanian Army lost over 1,230,000 troops and
officers. National Day events are also held elsewhere in the country and
abroad. The Romanian Cultural Institute organises 50 events until December 10, to celebrate National
Day in 31 cities in the world. Romania’s national day has been celebrated on December 1 since 1990.
On this day in 1918, the National Assembly in Alba Iulia adopted a resolution
regarding the union of all provinces inhabited by Romanians.

MESSAGES Let us prove
that December 1 is truly the day of our unity, a day of all those whose hearts tremble
before the national colours, the PM Nicolae Ciucă says in a message on National
Day. Today, just like at the end of the First World War, the main topics on
the national agenda are security, stability and the modernisation of Romania.
Unlike in 1918, today we have European funds for reforms and development and
the protection provided by NATO, the most powerful military alliance in
history, the PM posted on Facebook on Thursday. On behalf of the United
States of America, I congratulate the people of Romania as you celebrate Great
Union Day, and I wish them a very happy national day, the US secretary of
state Antony Blinken also says in a message on this occasion. The US official
emphasises that 2022 is a special year, as it marks the 25th
anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the U.S. and Romania. The
Ukrainian foreign ministry also sent a message congratulating the Romanian
people and calling for unity for peace and solidarity in Europe.

SURVEY For 9 out of
10 Romanians in the Diaspora it is important to stay connected to their home
country through Romanian or Romanian-language media, says a survey by Google concerning
the use of technology by the Romanians living abroad. Over 70% of them follow
Romanian content frequently (at least 2 or 3 times a week). According to the
survey, 57% of the Romanians living abroad listen to Romanian music, 56% use
social network, 53% watch Romanian TV channels, 51% read Romanian online
publications and 26% listen to Romanian radio stations. The survey involved
Romanian internet users aged over 18, living in Germany, Spain, Italy and the
UK, between November 11 and 16, 2022.

OSCE The Romanian
foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in a meeting of the
Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
held in Lodz, Poland, the country that holds the rotating presidency of the organisation.
The meeting takes place in the context of the biggest security crisis in Europe
since World War II, caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Romanian
diplomacy chief will condemn in the strongest terms Russia’s unjustified and
unprovoked military aggression, and will highlight Romania’s support for the
international efforts to bring the culprits to justice. Romania’s full
solidarity with Ukraine and its people was also reiterated by Bogdan Aurescu at
the meeting of NATO foreign ministers which concluded in Bucharest on Wednesday.
Aurescu also mentioned Romania’s multidimensional support, with an emphasis on
the humanitarian aid provided to the more than 2.9 million Ukrainian nationals
that crossed Romania’s borders, as well as the facilitation of grain and
foodstuff transit from Ukraine.

ASPEN Romania has all
the resources, particularly the human resources necessary for creating the new
technologies of the future, the Romanian minister for research Sebastian
Burduja said. He added that progress in the right direction depends on
regulation and funding, particularly in early stages, and that many start-ups
fail not because they lack ideas, but access to capital. Minister Sebastian
Burduja Wednesday took part in the Aspen Forum held in Bucharest. The 11th
edition of the event was organised by the Aspen Institute Romania and the
German Marshall Fund, with NATO support and co-financing from the EU and the US
Agency for International Development.

UNESCO The
Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage, convening in Rabat, Morocco, decided to include the file The Art of
the Traditional Blouse with Embroidery on the Shoulder (Altiță) – an Element of
Cultural Identity of Romania and the Republic of Moldova in the UNESCO
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The announcement
was made today by the MP Ana-Maria Cătăuţă, chair of the parliament’s special
committee for UNESCO. The Romanian blouse, as everybody knows it, […] is one
of the identity elements that give us strength and power, the Deputy Ana-Maria
Cătăuţă said in a news release. (AMP)