July 15, 2016 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 15.07.2016, 12:15
The French President Francois Hollande has declared three days of national mourning, from Saturday through Monday, in memory of the 84 people killed in Nice last night. A French – Tunisian man driving a 25-tonne lorry has ploughed through a crowd gathered on the city’s waterfront during Bastille Day celebrations in the southern French city of Nice. Around 100 people, among whom two Romanian citizens, sustained injuries. The UN Security Council has described the Nice attack as “barbaric”, while US president Barack Obama said his country stands in solidarity with France, its oldest ally. In Bucharest, president Klaus Iohannis sent a message of condolence to the grieving families and said the scourge of terrorism, which seeks to cause fear and despair, will not succeed in dividing Europe in its fight for and belief in freedom and democracy. On Friday President Iohannis signed the Condolence Book at the French Embassy in Bucharest. In a Facebook post, prime minister Dacian Cioloş said that what was to be a day of national celebration became a day of tragedy and that the French people were again put to the test by an attack of extreme violence and barbarity. Romania’s foreign minister Lazăr Comănescu also condemned this new “horrific barbaric terrorist act” which confirms, once again, the need for the international community to boost considerably its efforts to fight terrorism. In another development, security measures have been tightened at all the French official institutions in Romania.
Romania’s prime minister Dacian Ciolos attends the Asia-Europe Summit in the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator. 50 heads of state and government from Europe and Asia are at the summit to discuss the current state of world economy, climate change, the fight against terrorism and migration. Ciolos will state the case for Romania’s becoming a nodal point for the Europe-Asia interconnection projects, including freight transport infrastructure, energy and communications. On the sidelines of the summit, the Romanian prime minister has met some of his counterparts attending the meeting. Earlier, he travelled to Vietnam, where he called for the re-launch of bilateral economic and cultural ties.
The European Investment Bank on Friday signed three contracts with the finance ministry, the ministry for European funds and the National Public Procurement Agency in Bucharest, under which Romania is to receive funding worth 360 million euros for priority projects as part of the European Union’s Operational Programmes in the 2014-2020 period. The money will be used to partly cover investments to boost growth. Since it has started to operate in Romania, the European Investment Bank has granted around 11.4 billion euros in funding, including the loan signed on Friday. The pilot projects funded by the bank in Romania include the Pirelli tyre factory in Slatina, the Bucharest underground, Enel’s green energy project and energy efficiency programmes for apartment buildings in Bucharest.
The new minister delegate for the relation with the Romanians in the Diaspora in the Romanian Government, Maria Ligor, had talks in London with the representatives of the Romanian community about the possible consequences of Brexit. The Romanian citizens who live in Great Britain expressed concern with their jobs and status in the communities they live in, against the backdrop of London officials’ declarations regarding stricter migration regulations to be established following Brexit. The Romanian minister has assured them that these topics will be discussed at the negotiations to be held as part of the process of the UK’s leaving the EU. Minister Ligor told Radio Romania that the signal given by the British officials was a positive one, and that they appreciated the contribution of the Romanian citizens to the British economy and society.
Romania’s women’s handball team won the bronze medal at the Women’s Junior World Championship in Moscow after defeating Germany on Friday 26-25. In the semifinals the Romanians lost to Denmark 25-28. Earlier this month Romania’s national men’s handball team won the World University Championship held in the Spanish city of Malaga and the women’s team won the silver medal.
Romania’s Davis Cup team lost to Spain 0-2 in the games, in the nonwestern Romanian city of Cluj, after the 1st day of the second round of the Europe/Africa Group I. Marius Copil, no. 163 in the world, was defeated 2-3 in the sets by the Spanish player Feliciano Lopez, no. 20 in the world, while Adrian Ungur, world no. 185, lost to world no. 15 Roberto Bautista 0-3 in the sets. On Saturday, the pair Horia Tecau and Florin Mergea face the pair Marc Lopez and Pablo Carreno, while on Sunday, Marius Copil plays Roberto Bautista and Adrian Ungur plays Feliciano Lopez. The winning team advances to the World Group play-offs, while the runner-up continues in Group I.
Romania’s football champions Astra from Giurgiu will meet in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round the winner of the match between FC Copenhagen and Crusaders of Northern Ireland, it was decided Friday following the draws in the Swiss city of Nyon. In the first match counting for the second qualifying round, the Danish defeated the team of Northern Ireland 3-0. Romania’s vice champions Steaua Bucharest will take on the Czech eleven, Sparta Prague.
Liviu Dragnea, the president of the leftist Social Democratic Party in Romania, was sent to court on Friday by the anti-corruption prosecutors. He is accused of influence peddling in the period 2006-2013 when he was president of the Teleorman county council. He allegedly helped two people who were members of the county organization of the Social Democratic Party to be hired, only in documents, by the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection of Teleorman county. In April he received a suspended 2-year sentence for election fraud in the case of the 2012 referendum held for the impeachment of the then rightist president Traian Basescu.
(translation by Lacramioara Simion)
