January 14, 2018 UPDATE

The leaders of the main party in the ruling coalition in Romania, PSD, will gather in Bucharest on Monday to find a solution to the tense situation within the party/ Japanese PM Shinzo Abe is expected to pay his first visit to Romania on Tuesday

Newsroom, 14.01.2018, 18:43

PSD- The leaders of the main party in the ruling coalition in Romania, PSD, will gather in Bucharest on Monday, in a session requested by several leaders of local PSD organisations, in order to find a solution to the tense situation within the party. The meeting is held against the backdrop of a conflict between PM Mihai Tudose and interior minister, Carmen Dan, backed for this position by the Social-Democrat leader, Liviu Dragnea. The Prime Minister and the PSD leader have taken different stands on the restructuring of the party, desired by the Prime Minister, who-according to some voices- might lose the partys political support.

VISIT – Japanese PM Shinzo Abe is expected to pay his first visit to Romania on Tuesday, as part of a European tour, which will also take him to the Baltic states, Serbia and Bulgaria, in the context in which Japan tries to secure support for its firm policy towards North Korea. PM Abe will have official talks in Bucharest with President Klaus Iohannis, followed by a press conference, a communiqué issued by the Romanian presidency writes. The agenda of talks includes the stage of and prospects for boosting the already very good relations of Renewed Partnership between Romania and Japan, at political, economic and cultural level, as well as in terms of security and inter-human relations, the Presidential Administration has underlined. Japans cooperation with the EU, developments at regional level, laying emphasis on the North Korean file, Romanian-Japanese cooperation at multilateral level will also be high on the agenda of talks. Shinzo Abe will be accompanied by a delegation of business people, coming from various domains, including trade and IT, willing to identify business opportunities in the European countries which are visited by the Japanese prime minister for the first time. This is the first visit by a Japanese PM to Romania and takes place five years after Romania and Japan agreed to strike the Renewed Partnership, in 2013.

PRAGUE – The Czech voters will go again to the polls in two weeks time to vote in the presidential run-off and choose between the incumbent president, pro-Russian Milos Zeman and his pro-European rival, Jiri Drahos. The first round was won by president Zeman with 38.6% of the votes, but, according to FP news agency, the result of the decisive round might be reversed if Drahos manages to win over the electorate of other pro-Western candidates, who ran in the first round. Zeman, 73, is a veteran of the left wing and the one who, in 2016, called for holding a referendum on the presence of the Czech Republic in the EU and NATO, saying however that he supports his countrys membership to the two organisations. Zeman has also promoted a rapprochement towards Russia and China and he has criticised Germanys decision to receive migrants from the Muslim countries. Unlike Zeman, who is a popular figure in rural areas, Drahos is the favourite candidate of intellectuals and of voters in urban areas. He is a supporter of the EU and NATO, but he is opposed to the system of mandatory quotas to relocate migrants. His opponents say he is lacking political experience. In the Czech Republic, the president has a limited authority, although he may have a strong influence on public opinion

FAKE NEWS – The High Level Group set up by the European Commission to advise on policy initiatives to counter fake news and the spread of disinformation will meet in a first session on Monday. The Commission intends to establish mechanisms and responsibilities to counter fake news, at the same time observing freedom of expression and the citizens rights to have access to diverse and trustworthy information. Approximately 40 highly-qualified specialists, experts, representatives of civil society, social platforms, mass media organisations, journalists and professors have been selected to be part of the group who will advise the European authorities, among whom PhD Alina Bârgăoanu, dean of the Faculty of Communication and Public Relations with the National School of Political Science and Public Administration, SNSPA, in Bucharest.

SCHOOL – Over 2.3 million pupils and preschoolers in Romania are resuming classes on Monday, after a three-week holiday. The next holiday is scheduled for February 2, whereas the second school semester will start on February 12 and come to an end on June 15. 12 graders make exception to the rule, as they will end the school year sooner, on May 25, just like 8 graders who end the school year on June 8. A major change for 12 graders is taking place this year. The first session of the school leaving examination, the baccalaureate starts on February 12, with the Romanian language-oral examination being scheduled for two days in a row. The written exams will start in summer, on June 25, with the Romanian language and literature test.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN- Romanian tennis player, Alexandra Dulgheru was defeated by Chinese Lin Zhu, 6-4, 6-4, in Melbourne, on Sunday, in the last qualification round for the main table of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Six Romanians have qualified directly to the main table of the Australian open: first seeded Simona Halep, Sorana Cîrstea, Irina Begu, Mihaela Buzărnescu, Monica Niculescu and Ana Bogdan. On Monday, on the first day of the competition, Mihaela Buzărnescu will face second seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, Irina Begu will meet Russian Ekaterina Makarova (no.31), and Monica Niculescu will play against Germanys Mona Barthel. Marius Copil will meet Frances Gilles Simon.

HANDBALL– Romanias national mens handball team has qualified to the 2019 World Championship play-offs, after ending in a draw the match with Ukraine 26-26, in Bolzano, Italy, on Saturday, in Group 3 of the Men’s World Championship 2019 Qualification Phase 1. Romanias team, coached by Spaniard Xavier Pascual on Friday had defeated the Faeroe Islands, 29-20 and on Thursday it had outperformed Italy, 34-24. Romania ranks first in the group with 5 points. Only the winners of the six groups will qualify for the play-offs of the final tournament hosted by Germany and Denmark. 13 teams from Europe will be competing in the 2019 World Championship.