December 25, 2015 UPDATE

Billions of Christians across the world celebrated on Friday the first day of Christmas.

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Newsroom, 24.12.2015, 12:19

Billions of Christians across the world celebrated on Friday the first day of Christmas, the traditional birthday of Jesus Christ. In his Christmas address, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church urged believers to look for inner peace, which is the key to achieving social peace. Patriarch Daniel also said that the Church must work towards promoting mutual respect and reconciliation, which should replace hatred and violence present in today’s world. In his turn, Pope Francis warned the worlds 1.2 billion Roman Catholics not to be “intoxicated” by possessions in his annual Christmas homily. He called for more sobriety in a world obsessed by “consumerism and hedonism, wealth and extravagance”.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, in a video message posted on his Facebook page, said that the Christmas spirit is about having the loved ones around and celebrating generosity, harmony and peace. President Iohannis also mentioned the Romanians outside the country’s borders, whom he encouraged to be confident that Romania’s situation would further improve. The head of state wished all Romanians a Merry Christmas. Romania’s former sovereign, King Michael I, referred in his Christmas message to both the young generation, expressing his confidence in their future, and to the elderly. The former sovereign conveyed a message of encouragement to and appreciation for those working in hospitals, saving lives, and to those who are in mourning or are worried about the health condition of their loved ones.

The EU – Republic of Moldova Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area will be extended as of January 1st, 2016, to include the country’s whole territory, including the region of Transdniester. Therefore, starting 2016, all economic agents in the Republic of Moldova will export their products to the European Union based on the same free trade principle. Also, in order to benefit from the commercial opportunities offered, the region of Transdniester has committed to ensuring preferential access conditions to the goods and services coming from the EU and to making some adjustments to the commercial, economic and fiscal framework.

In Chisinau, prime minister designate Ion Sturza has announced that he will ask for the Parliament’s vote of confidence on January 4th. In the meantime, he will hold consultations with political parties, civil society, representatives of the international organisations and ambassadors of the Western countries in Moldova. Sturza supports the idea of a technocratic government and says the country’s economic situation is extremely serious. Only one political party, the Liberal Democratic Party, has so far voiced support for the new cabinet that Sturza will propose. According to Radio Chisinau, a new political power was formed in the Moldovan Parliament, made up of 34 MPs out of the total 101. The Social Democratic Parliamentary Platform “For Moldova”, made up of Communist Party members who left their faction and Democratic Party members will make its own nomination for the position of prime minister.

The European Commission calls on EU member states to help Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia overcome the refugee crisis. Brussels has warned that too few member states have responded to the calls for humanitarian assistance to Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia in the current refugee crisis. Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism so as to receive assistance in the refugee crisis, the Commission said in a release, underscoring that a large number of resources must still be provided for them. The Mechanism can mobilize various types of in-kind assistance, including teams and equipment, shelter, medical supplies and other non-food items, as well as expertise. Brussels has announced that 1.7 billion euros have been earmarked from the EU budget for 2015 and 2016 for solving the refugee crisis. Around 1 million people have fled their countries of origin this year, in an attempt to escape war and poverty, heading mostly towards Germany.

(Translated by Elena Enache)