February 19, 2019

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 19.02.2019, 13:45

COMPET – The EU Competitiveness Council (COMPET) continues its
agenda today with one its most important innovation and research programmes,
Horizon Europe. The meeting is presided by Romanian Research Minister Nicolae
Hurduc and the program represents one of Romania’s top priorities during its
term at the helm of the Council of the EU. According to the Romanian official,
research and innovation should be the core engine of the European Union, which
has the human resources and necessary infrastructure to maintain its status of
leader in the field of scientific research. Romania wants to ensure the
necessary conditions for the continuation of the Horizon Europe program
starting 2021.

GAC – The General Affairs Council
meeting today in Brussels is expected to decide the work agenda of the European
Council meeting due next month. Presiding is Romanian Minister for European
Affairs, George Ciamba. Talks will focus on the multiannual financial framework
post-2020, considering a political agreement on the future budget of the EU
should be reached as late as this autumn. EU officials will also look at the
status of triggering Article 7 sanctions procedures against Poland for failure
to observe the rule of law, and against Hungary, respectively, for failure to
uphold fundamental European values.

BRANCUSI DAY – Romanians today celebrate Brancusi Day, devoted to
the birth anniversary of famous sculptor Constantin Brancusi. The artist
embodies Romanian identity in its material and spiritual entirety, succeeding
in committing it to the legacy of universal culture, says Ioan-Aurel Pop, the
President of the Romanian Academy. An iconic figure of modernist art,
Constantin Brancusi was born in Romania and moved to Paris. He is recognized as
one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century. The National
Museum of Modern Art in Paris hosts a great number of Brancusi’s works, which
in his will he left to Romania. However, upon the refusal of the communist
authorities in Romania to bring home Brancusi’s works upon the sculptor’s
death, the collection was bequeathed to France along with the contents of his
workshop in Paris. The Romanian Parliament declared February 19 Brancusi Day
in 2015.

FLU – The death toll of the flu epidemic in Romania has reached
138. According to a press release of the National Center for Infectious Disease
Surveillance and Control, the last three victims are a 68-year-old woman
without a previous history of medical diseases who had taken the anti-flu shot
and another two women, aged 64 and 81 respectively, both suffering from other
medical conditions and who had not taken the anti-flu vaccine.

PSD – The Executive Committee of the
Social-Democratic Party (PSD) is today meeting to decide on the new nominations
for the positions of Transport and Regional Development ministers. The
nominations are expected to be discussed later today jointly with coalition parties.
According to Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, the proposals will also be
presented to President Klaus Iohannis before an official announcement is made.
Talks follow after Social-Democrat Mircea Draghici withdrew his candidacy for
the position of Transport Minister. Previously, Lia Olguta Vasilescu also
withdrew her candidacy for the position of Minister of Regional Development.
President Klaus Iohannis has repeatedly refused the nomination of Lia Olguta
Vasilescu, although he made no reference to Mircea Draghici.

RETRIAL – The High Court of Cassation and Justice today admitted
the appeal for annulment filed by former Romanian Senator Dan Sova against his
3-year prison sentence in a case where he was charged with influence peddling.
The National Anticorruption Directorate accused Sova of having received 100,000
euros in exchange for facilitating a judicial assistance contract between a
thermal power plant in Govora and a local law firm. Dan Sova was released from
prison in December last year after having served six months of his detention
time, following a Constitutional Court ruling concerning the illegal structure
of the five-judge panel.

HANDBALL – Romanian handball side CSM
Bucharest will play RK Borac Banja Luka of Bosnia Herzegovina in the
quarterfinals of the men’s Challenge Cup, following a draw hosted today by
Vienna. The first leg will be played on home turf on March 23 or 24 while the
return leg will be played the week thereafter.
A win against the Bosnian side will pit CSM Bucharest against the winner
of the match between HC Vise BM of Belgium and Russia’s HC Neva SPb Sankt
Petersburg.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player world no. 2
Simona Halep is today playing Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in the second round of
the Dubai Duty Free Championships, totaling 2.8 million dollars in prize money.
Halep has played Bouchard four times, the last time winning against her in the
Australian Open last year. Simona Halep has three wins against Eugenie
Bouchard. Also today the pair made up of Raluca Olaru of Romania and Darija
Jurak of Croatia defeated second-seeds Nicole Melichar of the United States and
Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic 7-6, 7-6 and have advanced to the doubles
quarterfinals.

(Translated by V. Palcu)