February 20, 2015
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România Internațional, 20.02.2015, 12:00
VISIT — Bulgarian president Rosen Plevneliev has expressed hope to strengthen cooperation with Romania in all fields, and that Romania and Bulgaria should become an engine of European integration. In turn, Klaus Iohannis said that a better cooperation at political, geo-strategic and economic level would boost the two countries’ economies. Referring to the security developments in the region, Iohannis said that Romania and Bulgaria had a common objective in consolidating NATO collective defence. The two officials agreed on fostering a dialogue and pro-active dialogue with their European partners regarding Schengen accession. Romania is Bulgaria’s third largest trade partner in the EU and the fourth in the world. Rosen Plevneliev is the first head of state to visit Romania after president Iohannis took office on December 21, 2014.
NOMINATION — Ruling coalition parties are discussing the president’s nomination for the head of the Romanian Intelligence Service. Prime Minister Victor Ponta has said that the nomination of Eduard Hellvig, the acting vice-president of the National Liberal Party as the new head of the Romanian Intelligence Service, would be debated at the level of parliamentary parties. The Conservatives and the National Union for the Progress of Romania in the ruling coalition have not taken a decision yet. Instead, the National Liberal Party has announced its support for the nomination. Parliament is set to vote on this nomination next week.
GREECE — Eurozone Finance Ministers are today meeting in Brussels to hold what everyone sees as a decisive round of talks to come up with a solution to Greece’s huge outstanding foreign debt. The Greek Government on Thursday called on the Eurogroup for a new bailout package that should not involve taking harsh austerity measures. German authorities have warned that unless Greece extends its current bailout programme, it would not extend its loan for another six months. In another development, French Prime Minister Manuel Vals has labelled the recent decisions of his Greek counterpart Alex Tsipras as an encouraging sign, and that a possible solution is in sight. The Greek Government must pay some 10 billion euros in debt by the end of March. The country’s overall debt stands at 315 billion euros, tantamount to some 175% of the country’s GDP.
TENNIS — WTA 4th ranked Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is today playing in the semifinals of the WTA tournament in Dubai, totalling 2.5 million dollars in prize money. Halep is playing third-seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. Halep and Wozniacki were adversaries in 2012 and 2013, each winning one game. Also today WTA 34th ranked Irina Begu is playing Julia Glushko of Israel in the quarterfinals of the tennis tournament in Rio de Janeiro, offering 250,000 dollars in prize money. In the doubles competition, Begu and her teammate Maria Irigoyen of Argentina are seeded first in the competition and have qualified to the semi-finals, where they will play Chieh-Yu Hsu of Taiwan and Elitsa Kostova of Bulgaria.
ENERGY — Romania ranks 3rd in Europe in terms of energy independence, although is lagging behind in terms of energy efficiency. According to the participants to an energy forum held in Bucharest, the effectiveness of centralized heating systems is also a problem in several cities across the country. According to the National Energy Regulation Authority, before drafting the national energy strategy, the Government must be aware of the specific needs of each municipality, so as to avoid taking faulty decisions that do not take into account the specificity of each area.
UKRAINE — The United States has accused pro-Russian rebels in Eastern Ukraine of violating the ceasefire some 250 times after it came into effect on February 15, 2015, France Press news agency reports. The US State Department has harshly condemned the attacks of Russian-backed separatists in Debaltsevo, Mariupol and in the east. In a telephone conversation, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian president Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and French president Francois Hollande condemned the breach of the ceasefire and agreed that any measures under the Minsk agreement should be endorsed firmly and fully. The city of Debaltseve, seen as a key rail hub, was overrun on Thursday. Thousands of Ukrainian military fled the city, 13 being killed and nearly 260 wounded. Some 5,600 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the beginning of the conflict ten months ago.
STRIKE — Trade unions in the public administration earlier today went on a token half-hour strike. Protesters claim, among others, an increase in salaries and meal vouchers or meal allowances. Union leaders have warned that the public administration has the lowest salaries in the public sector, adding that unless their demands are met, they will move to calling an all-out strike.
