June 15, 2017
President Iohannis calls on coalition to settle crisis; EU removes roaming charges
Ştefan Stoica, 15.06.2017, 14:07
BUCHAREST — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis called on the ruling coalition in Romania, headed by the Social Democrats, to urgently come to a settlement in the present political crisis to avoid destabilizing the country. The presidential spokesperson today said that the head of state said that the parties in the coalition have an obligation to seek a solution. She specified that the presidency cannot take action if the position of prime minister does not become vacant, which, according to the Constitution, can only happen by the prime minister stepping down, or by censure motion. These observations come after the announcement made Wednesday night that the ruling coalition, the Social Democrats and the Liberal Democratic Alliance, are withdrawing their political support for the government, calling on PM Sorin Grindeanu to give up his premiership. The latter said in response that he would only step down after President Klaus Iohannis appointed a Social Democratic replacement following consultations with political parties.
ROAMING – Starting on June 15, the EU and the European Economic Community, which includes Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein, have adopted the Roam Like at Home area, which removes roaming charges for mobile telephony. Subscribers traveling between countries within this area are now charged the same fees in their country of origin.
SIBIU — A record number of 53 cultural events are being held on Thursday, the seventh day of the International Theater Festival in Sibiu. One of the main attractions is the presence of famous ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, who will put on a one man show based on poems written by Nobel Prize laureate Joseph Brodski. Over 500 shows and events are held over the ten days of the festival in Sibiu, the most important performing arts event in Romania.
HANDBALL — Romanias national mens handball team plays today against Belarus, in the second qualifier group for the Euro 2018 championship in Croatia. Last night, in the same group, Poland and Serbia ended up in a tie. In the last game in the group, on June 18, Romania plays against Poland, which is at this point unable to qualify. Romania is third within the group, following Serbia and Belarus. The winning two teams will be going to the Euro championship.
BERLIN — Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu visited Berlin to meet his counterpart Sigmar Gabriel, and said that cooperation with Germany was essential for Romania. Melescanu emphasized the vital role that the German minority has in the architecture of the relationship between the two countries, and the efforts made to help preserve the identity of ethnic Germans in Romania. Talks centered also on the fact that Germany is the most important trade partner for Romania, as well as one of the most important investors.
BUSINESS — The Start Up Nation program has come into effect in Romania today. Potential beneficiaries can register their business projects on-line for 30 days. It has been allocated about 378 million Euro from domestic and European funds. The maximum amount that can benefit individual applicants is about 45,000 Euro. The main aim of the program is to stimulate the creation of SMEs, improving the efficacy of start-up companies and their access to financing. This year, the Start Up Nation program is estimated to create 10,000 new businesses, which would in turn create at least 10,000 new jobs.
