July 26, 2015 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 26.07.2015, 18:55
The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, who is on a two-day visit in Salzburg, had a meeting on Sunday with his Austrian counterpart, Heinz Fischer. The two discussed the latest developments in the EU and the world, emphasising, among other things, the interest to strengthen regional cooperation and coordination, considering that in 2019 Austria and Romania will successively hold the presidency of the EU Council. The two also stressed the interest in closer cooperation within the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and the Western Balkans. Klaus Iohannis and his wife took part in the official opening of the Salzburg Festival.
The Minister Delegate for relations with the Romanian diaspora, Angel Tîlvăr, took part on Sunday, the third day of his official visit to Italy, in the dedication service of the “St. Pantelimon Orthodox Church in Rome. Tîlvăr emphasised the importance of churches in the lives of Romanians abroad, and mentioned that “churches in the diaspora represent places where the Romanian community gathers, where the Romanian identity is preserved, in terms of traditions, of religious service and, not least, of the Romanian language. On Saturday he met with representatives of the Romanian community and mass-media in the central and southern parts of the country. Previously, the Romanian official discussed with representatives of the Rome City Hall. An agreement has been reached, on getting Italian business people operating in Romania involved in programmes aimed at the workplace reintegration of the Romanian workers who wish to return to their home country. The Romanian community in Italy, of nearly one million people, is the largest group of Romanians living abroad.
The budget deficit target for next year, of 1.2% of the GDP, would not be missed by much if the new Fiscal Code took effect in the form endorsed by Parliament, the Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici said. In an interview to a TV station, he explained that after drawing up the 2016 budget bill, the Government could take a number of measures to keep the budget deficit as close to 1.2% as possible. President Klaus Iohannis has recently sent back to Parliament the Fiscal Code bill, on grounds that it was not sustainable and was not approved by the IMF and the European Commission. PM Victor Ponta criticised the Presidents decision. The Cabinet wants the document to come into force early next year at the latest, and announced all lawful means will be used to this end.
In the 23rd Sighisoara Festival, in central Romania, the worlds largest pretzel made in a medieval festival was baked on Sunday. The 20-m diameter pretzel is to be checked for inclusion in the Guiness Book of Records. The largest traditional mask in Romania, measuring 6 m tall and 3 m wide, was also made on this occasion. Since Thursday, for 4 days, under the motto “Minstrels and Troubadours – Five Centuries of medieval music and theatre, the streets and squares in Sighisoara hosted concerts, medieval theatre performances, fine arts exhibitions, book launches and film screenings. Sighişoara is the only inhabited medieval citadel in south-eastern Europe.
Romanias national football team will play its first game in Group E of the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign against Montenegro, on September 4, 2016, the Romanian Football Federation announced on Sunday. According to the results of Saturdays draw in Sankt Petersburg, Group E also includes Denmark, Poland, Montenegro, Armenia and Kazakhstan. Meanwhile in sports, Romania won on Sunday two other medals at the Under-23 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in the mens and womens pair races. On Saturday, the young Romanians raced to gold in the mens coxless four. In Portugal, at Montemor-o-Velho, Romanian athletes also won on Saturday three silver medals at the World Canoe Sprint Junior and U-23 Championships.
