December 6, 2019
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 06.12.2019, 14:09
GOVERNMENT – The Romanian Government establishes today a responsibility calendar for several bills, including the one on budget caps. The Liberal PM Ludovic Orban has announced that the executive intends to resort to such a procedure next week, in order to pass the amendments brought to the justice law. In turn, president Klaus Iohannis has stated that assuming responsibility for next years budget is strictly a decision of the government. He has stated that, when there is a minority cabinet, this method can work for any type of law.
COMMEMORATION – Events marking the commemoration of 30 years since the anti-communist revolution in Romania start in Timisoara today. Marches along the revolution routes, commemoration masses and wreath laying ceremonies, festive gatherings and concerts will be held these days. The 17th of December will be a mourning day, and on December 20th the events will culminate in grandiose festivities and concerts devoted to the day on which Timisoara became the first city free of communism in Romania. Two book launches are planned for today: the volume “Candle against time”, by Titus Suciu and Vasile Bogdan, and the science review “Memorial 89”, edited by the Writers Union.
MOLDOVA – The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has stated that the foreign support to the Republic of Moldova will have to be reassessed, strictly conditioned and adjusted in keeping with the real commitment demonstrated by the new socialist government of the former soviet republic to continuing the reforms of the justice system and of the administration, also assumed under the Association agreement concluded with the EU and the agreement with the IMF, by observing democratic principles and the rule of law. During the talks held on the sidelines of the OSCE meeting in Bratislava, with the Moldovan foreign affairs and European integration minister Aureliu Ciocoi, Bogdan Aurescu stated that Romanias support, including the financial one, would not be able to continue under the set parameters. The support would be reoriented, depending on the concrete actions taken by the new government, under the bilateral strategic partnership for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova and also strictly conditional on the continuation of projects that are essential for democratic reforms.
VISIT – The German chancellor Angela Merkel is visiting today, for the first time, the former Auschwitz concentration camp, against the background of growing anti-Semitism and the diminishing of the number of witnesses, which makes the passing on of the Holocaust memory difficult, France Presse reports. On the eve of the visit, the first by a German chancellor after some 25 years, Angela Merkel announced the allocation of 60 million Euro for the Auschwitz – Birkenau foundation for the maintenance of the compound where some 1.1 million people were killed between 1940 and 1945. Angela Merkel is paying the visit shortly before the celebration of 75 years since the liberation of the camp by Soviet troops, on January 27th 1945. She is accompanied by the Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki, by a Holocaust survivor and representatives of the Jewish community. More than 3 million of the 3 million Jews in Poland were killed by the Nazis, accounting for half of the Jews killed in the Holocaust.
STRIKE – Transport continues to be seriously hampered in France, for the second day in a row, because of the largest strike action this year. On Thursday, the Eiffel Tower shut down, Frances high speed trains came to a standstill and hundreds of thousands marched nation-wide in a strike over the governments plant to overhaul the retirement system. Police said 65,000 people took to the streets of teh French capital, and over 800,00 nationwide, in demonstrations aimed at forcing president Emmanuel Macron to abandon pension reform. This is the biggest challenge to the current leadership of the country, since the yellow vest movement against economic inequality started a year ago.
HANDBALL – Romanias national womens handball team has today defeated the Hungarian squad, 28-27, after a dramatic match, and has qualified into the main groups of the World Championship in Japan. So far, Romania has also defeated Senegal and Kazakhstan, and has been defeated by Spain and Montenegro. Thus the Romanian team stands good chances of taking part in next years Olympic Games in Japan.
