December 22, 2019 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news.

Newsroom, 22.12.2019, 19:13

DECEMBER 1989 — Events dedicated to the commemoration of the heroes of the 1989 anti-communist revolution continued on Sunday in Bucharest and other Romanian cities. A religious service in memory of the victims was held on Sunday morning at the Patriarchal Cathedral in the capital city and wreaths were laid at the monuments of the victims. Started in Timisoara on December 16, the revolution extended on December 21 to other big cities of Romania, culminating on December 22 with the escape of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu from the headquarters of the Communist Party in a helicopter. The Ceauseascus were captured and tried hastily then shot dead on December 25 in a barracks in Targoviste (south). Romania was the only country in central and eastern Europe where the toppling of the regime turned into bloodshed. On Thursday the EP adopted a Resolution on the commemoration of 30 years since the December 1989 anti-communist revolution, which pays homage to the heroes that died for freedom and democracy. The document mentions that, in the Romanian Revolution, 1,142 people lost their lives, over 3,000 were seriously wounded and several hundreds were illegally arrested and tortured. Through this resolution the EP admits that the sacrifice of the then peaceful protesters opened the path for Romania’s transition to democracy. The EP also called on the Romanian state to intensify efforts to find the truth about the 1989 revolution and on the EU institutions and members to do their best to make sure that the crimes made by the Communist regimes will not be forgotten, and to thus guarantee that such crimes will never be committed again.

MESSAGE – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Sunday, when 30 years since the anti-communist revolution were marked, that the people responsible for the blodshed must be brought to justice. He urged Romanians to speak loud and clear about December 1989 because the best way to never forget is to constantly talk about what happened. In his turn, Liberal PM Ludovic Orban said that the Revolution is part of ourselves, and that the 30 years that have passed did not erase the sufference, the hope and the determination of those days.

HOLIDAYS – Romanians living or working abroad come in large numbers to spend winter holidays at home. According to the Border Police, the check points in western Romania are the most crowded but there is enough staff to make border crossing unfold smoothly. Over 209 thousand people entered the country in the last 24 hours alone. The number of border policemen will be supplemented, if needed.

GOVERNMENT – On Monday the Government is seeking a vote of confidence in Parliament for the state budget and social security budget bills, a first for Romanian politics. The Liberal PM Ludovic Orban said that requesting Parliaments confidence is the only way for the 2020 state budget bill to be endorsed by December 31st. The Social Democrats, on the other hand, say that this is the most anti-democratic measure taken by a government in the last 30 years and plan to notify the Constitutional Court on a possible conflict of interest between Parliament and Government. MPs can make propose amendments to the draft budget until Monday.

MEASLES – The number of cases of measles cases reported so far in Romania exceeded 18,900 after another 76 cases have been reported in several counties. The death toll is 64. Measles is a viral infection that starts in the respiratory system. It still remains a significant cause of death worldwide, despite the availability of a safe, effective vaccine.

SPORTS — Romania will have 35 participants in the Youth Olympic Games to be hosted by Lausanne, Switzerland, between the 9th and 22nd of January 2020. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Olympic and Sport Committee, the Romanian athletes will compete in 10 of the 16 sport events scheduled at the Olympic Games. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Lillehammer – Norway, Eduard Căşăneanu won gold in the ice hockey event and Mihaela Hogaş won bronze in the speed skating event in mixed genre international teams.

(Translated by Elena Enache)