June 16, 2019
PM Dancila sends support message to her Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu
Newsroom, 16.06.2019, 14:01
MOLDOVA The PM of Romania Viorica Dăncilă sent a support message to her counterpart from the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and invited her to Bucharest on her first official visit in this capacity. According to a news release issued on Sunday by the Government, Romania is confident that the new Cabinet in Chisinau will carry on the EU accession efforts and successfully implement the required reforms, the Association Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement with the EU. PM Dăncilă also reiterated Bucharests willingness to carry on the Strategic Partnership for the European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, which is at the core of the two countries bilateral cooperation. Meanwhile, PM Maia Sandu has called for the resignation of the Constitutional Court judges, who Saturday cancelled their previous rulings that dismantled Parliament and invalidated the new government, thus favouring the Democratic Party headed by tycoon Vlad Plahotniuc. On Friday the Democratic Party relinquished power and its leader left the country.
NO-CONFIDENCE A no-confidence motion tabled by the right-of-centre opposition in Romania against the Government made up by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats will be discussed on Tuesday in Parliament. According to the document, Romania immediately needs a government with a pro-European stand and focusing on the countrys development priorities, namely education, healthcare, public investments and attracting European funds. The motion signatories, the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union, Peoples Movement Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, believe Viorica Dăncilăs Cabinet must be dismissed over the repeated attempts at issuing emergency orders in the field of the judiciary and the poor handling of the EP elections. For the motion to pass, it needs 233 votes. PM Dăncilă, who is also the interim president of the Social Democratic Party, has asked the Social Democrat MPs to attend the meeting, but to abstain from voting.
WHITSUNDAY Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians around the world, including in Romania, celebrate today the Pentecost, the event which, 50 days after Easter, marks the establishment of the Christian Church. According to the New Testament, this is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the 12 Apostles. Following a sermon given by St. Peter, 3,000 people were baptised and formed the first ever Christian community. In Romania, 23,000 police, gendarme and other forces are mobilised to ensure public order and safety during the events organised on Whitsunday and Whit Monday.
THEATRE The 26th edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) continues. This years motto is “The Art of Giving. Scheduled for Sunday are a Japanese theatre performance and a concert by the French artist Adam Naas. A total of 540 events are held as part of the Festival until the 23rd of June, bringing to Sibiu more than 3,300 artists and guests from 73 countries. According to the organisers, FITS is a celebration of the performing arts, from theatre to dance and music, but book launches, exhibitions and conferences are also organised on the sidelines of the event. This is the largest and more complex theatre festival in Romania and in Europe, and Radio Romania is one of the co-producers.
MEASLES 207 new cases of measles have been confirmed this week in 19 counties in Romania and in the capital Bucharest, according to data made public by the National Centre for Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control. The largest number of cases was reported in Suceava County – 67, Neamţ County – 42 and Sălaj County – 19, among unvaccinated children. Since the onset of this epidemic, the number of cases has reached 17,340, and 64 people died so far.
FOOTBALL 12 teams, Romania included, are taking part as of today in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship hosted by Italy and San Marino. Romania plays in Group C alongside England, France and Croatia. The first matches in Group A are played on Sunday, with Poland taking on Belgium and Italy facing Spain. Romania will play its first match on Tuesday, against Croatia. This is the second participation in a final tournament for Romania, after the one in 1998. The top ranking team in each of the 3 groups, as well as the best of the second-placed teams in each group, will move forward to the semi-finals. The final is scheduled for June 30.
(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)