June 14, 2018

Romanian PM Viorica Dancila visits Baltic countries; President Klaus Iohannis nominated the head of national intelligence

Roxana Vasile, 14.06.2018, 14:53

VISIT- Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila today begins an official three-day visit to Lithuania and Estonia. She says the political dialogue with the representatives of these two EU member states will focus on the reconfiguration of close bilateral relations, based on a similar journey and common interests, related to European issues and the security of the eastern flank. A major objective is the European agenda and the preparation of Romania’s rotating presidency of the European Council. In the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, prime minister Dancila will have talks with her counterpart Saulius Skvernelis and the speaker of Parliament Viktoras Pranckietis. As for her trip to Estonia, it’s the first by a Romanian prime minister after the re-establishment of diplomatic ties with this Baltic state in 1991.

INTELLIGENCE – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis has proposed the Social Democratic deputy Petru-Gabriel Vlase for the office of Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, according to a communiqué issued today by the presidential administration. Petru-Gabriel Valse is vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies, member of the defence, public order, and national security committee and member of the Joint Special Parliamentary Committee in charge with security legislation review. He is a graduate of higher education institutions in the field of national security and defence, and he has a PhD degree in military science and intelligence. Vlase would replace Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, who resigned in September 2016.

BANKING – The top management of the National Bank of Romania submits today a new report on financial stability. It comes as the annual rate of inflation in May went above 5.4%, the highest in the last five years, with an exchange rate for the national currency around 4.66 lei per euro, rising deficits and rising public debt. The report analyzes the risks to financial stability and their gravity, as well as the domestic and international economic and financial context, the infrastructure and the regulatory framework. The previous document, issued late last year, revealed that there was no systemic financial risk, but that the plunging confidence of investors in emerging states was deemed a high risk, while rising macroeconomic tensions, personal debt were considered moderate risks.

MOSCOW — The 21st edition of the World Football Championship kicks off in Russia today. It is the first edition of the championship hosted by a former communist bloc country. Proving their mettle in the final tournament are 32 national teams, while 11 cities across Russia will make the venues for the scheduled fixtures. The opening game will see Russia taking on Saudi Arabia. According to the correspondent of Radio Romania’s News and Current Affairs Channel in Moscow, Russia has invested tens of billions of dollars in the championship’s infrastructure, as well as a significant amount of political capital, hoping the event would bolster Russia’s image around the world. We recall Romania’s national team has failed to make it to the current edition of the World Cup. The World Championship held in France in 1998 was the last edition the national squad took part in.

HANDBALL — Romanian national men’s handball team’s head-coach, Spaniard Xavier Pascual Fuertes, has amiably terminated his collaboration wit the Romanian handball federation on Wednesday, in the wake of the national team’s playoff fixture against Macedonia, counting towards the qualification for the 2019 edition of the World Championship. The Spanish coach stated he had taken the decision some time ago. We recall Xavier Pascual Fuertes signed a four-year contract with the Romanian Handball Federation, with the stated aim to have the national team qualify for the 2020 edition of the Olympic Games. We recall Romania has failed to make it to the 2019 edition of the World Championships although on Wednesday in Cluj, Romania defeated Macedonia, 26-25. However, our national squad went eight goals down from Macedonia in the first game, so on aggregate they were eliminated form the competition.