December 4, 2018

PM Dancila participates in Brussels conference on the future of Europe, British Parliament starts debates on Brexit deal

Newsroom, 04.12.2018, 13:50

Brussels — The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila is today participating in Brussels in a conference on the future of Europe, organized by the Aspen Romania Institute. The meeting is meant to create a regional platform for defending and promoting the European integration project, at a time of intense internal and external pressure. Organizers aim at coming up with new perspectives in preparation for the European Council meeting to be hosted next year by the central Romanian city of Sibiu and at providing answers to the new political context created by Brexit and the upcoming elections for the European Parliament. Also on Tuesday Viorica Dancila is having meeting with Romanian MEPs. On Wednesday the Romanian PM will attend, alongside other members of the cabinet, the joint meeting of the Romanian Government and the European Commission in the run up to Romania’s future presidency of the Council of the EU. Romania’s strategy is based on 4 main themes: the convergence policy, the EU’s internal security, the EU’s foreign policy and common European values.

London — The British Parliament is today starting debates on the Brexit agreement which Brussels has agreed upon with the Conservative PM Theresa May, who cannot count on a majority that should guarantee a positive vote on the deal on December 11. The Brexit deal stipulates the juridical conditions for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the EU on March 29, 2019. The agreement provides for an initial period of transition until the end of 2020, a period of time when nothing will change in the relations between the UK and the EU. Subsequently, if the period of transition is not extended by one year or two at the most, the UK will remain in the EU Customs Union unless another deal is brokered, regarding other types of trade relations.

MAE — The Romanian Foreign Ministry believes that the article carried by the DPA German Press Agency and taken over by the German public television ZDF regarding the anniversary of Romania’s Great Union Centennial does not observe the historical truth, includes serious errors and a tendentious approach. In a communiqué to AGERPRES news agency, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that they took the necessary steps, through the agency of the Romanian Embassy in Berlin, to have the two German institutions provide clarifications for their gesture and make the required corrections. On December 1, 2018 ZDF carried a piece of news about Romania’s National Day, taken over from the DPA, which said that Romania celebrated 100 years since the annexation of the former Hungarian province of Transylvania. The Romanian Foreign Ministry underlines that on December 1, 1918 at the National Assembly in Alba Iulia (in central Romania) 100 thousand people decided upon the union with Romania, with the participation of all parties, religious denominations and social categories. The resolution of the National Assembly in Alba Iulia was first signed by the representatives of the German minority in Transylvania and Bukovina, the MAE recalls in the communiqué.

Corruption — The juridical committee in Romania’s Senate has today postponed the vote on the request made the National Anti-Corruption Directorate to start the criminal prosecution of the speaker of the Senate, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, who is accused of bribe taking. The committee will draft a report after which the request for lifting the official’s immunity will be voted in the plenum of the Senate. In early November, the DNA had asked for the Senate’s approval to begin the criminal investigation of Calin Popescu Tariceanu. Prosecutors claim that the speaker of the Senate indirectly received bribe worth 800 thousand dollars, between 2007 and 2008, when he was prime minister, from an Austrian firm. The money accounted for a 10% commission on the value of the contract addendum and was allegedly used by the dignitary for his own benefit.

Handball — Romania’s national handball team has qualified to the main groups of the European Championship hosted by France, after defeating the German team 29-24 on Monday evening, in Brest. That was the Romanians’ second match in Group D. In the first match, the Romanian handballers defeated the Czech team. They will play their last match in the group, on December 5, against Norway. Romania’s national handball team’s best result so far was the bronze medal at the 2010 European Championship. The leader of Romania’s national team Cristina Neagu scored 5 times in the match against Germany, thus becoming the best goal scorer in the history of the European Championships with 206 goals. (translation by L. Simion)