June 22, 2019 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 22.06.2019, 18:40
COUNCIL OF THE EU – At the end of the 6-month Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, President Klaus Iohannis received congratulations. In a joint press conference on Friday, which ended the summit in Brussels, the EC President Jean-Claude Junker and the President of the European Council Donald Tusk spoke about Romanias remarkable results, in particular the completion of 90 legislative proposals, including the ones regarding external borders, CO2 emissions and digital Europe. President Iohannis said that many had expected a mediocre term, but Romania proved it was better than its image. He voiced satisfaction over the fact that, at his request, the European leaders agreed to strengthen support for the Republic of Moldova through concrete measures. In the second half of the year, Finland will be holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.
VISIT – The new Foreign Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Nicu Popescu, is to pay a visit to Bucharest on July 1st, according to the Romanian Foreign Ministry. On Friday he talked on the phone with his Romanian counterpart Teodor Melescanu, who assured him of Bucharest interest in a close cooperation with Moldova, in the spirit of the bilateral Strategic Partnership for the Republic of Moldovas European integration. The new Government in Chisinau, sworn in on June 8th, and headed by the pro-European Maia Sandu, took over its prerogatives a week ago, after the political deadlock caused by the refusal of the former Government, controlled by the oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, to step down.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS – A communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry reads that any attempt at rewriting the history and bringing to the forefront revisionist views is unacceptable and incongruent with the current European realities and bilateral cooperation ambitions, established under the agreements signed by Romania and Hungary. The communiqué was issued following a decision by the Hungarian National Assembly, which declared the year 2020 a year of national cohesion, celebrating 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Trianon. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Treaty of Trianon, which established, among other things, the border between Romania and Hungary, is neither an issue that needs to be solved, as the authorities in Budapest are constantly stating, nor a tragedy as it is described in the document adopted by the Hungarian Parliament. The Ministry in Bucharest also stresses the fact that Hungary, as signatory to the treaty, has the obligation to observe its provisions in good faith, according to the basic principles of international law.
SABER GUARDIAN – The most important NATO multinational exercise this year in Romania, Saber Guardian 2019, continues until June 24th. The joint training events are being held in five different locations in the country. The events include vehicle road marches, a medical exercise, multiple river crossings and an air assault. The exercise aims to emphasize cohesion, unity and solidarity of the partner and allied states with a view to defending themselves against any type of aggression, especially by a rapid mobilization and concentration of forces in a short time, anywhere in Europe. In order to render training activities more effective against an international background, Saber Guardian 2019 is connected to a number of other national and multinational exercises, so the total number of participants will raise to 13,500, of whom 7,600 Romanian.
FESTIVAL – The 26th Sibiu International Theatre Festival is drawing to an end. The festival kicked off on June 14th and has this year gathered 3300 artists and guests from 73 countries, to participate in 540 events in 75 various locations. The program has included theatre, dance and music performances, film screenings, conferences, book launches, circus performances, exhibitions and many more. According to the organizers, some 500 masterpieces from Frances best known museums have been virtually exhibited in Sibiu, at the first digital museum in Romania, hosted by the House of Arts. The festival is dubbed the biggest and most complex event of its kind in Romania and even in Europe, and Radio Romania is one of its co-producers.
BUCHAREST PRIDE – Thousands of members of the LGBT community and their supporters participated in the Bucharest Pride march organized on Sunday by Accept and Mozaiq associations, with the aim of promoting tolerance towards same-sex couples. Previously, a “Normality March” organized by the New Right Association was also held in Bucharest, attended by several hundreds of people supporting the so-called “traditional family”, made up of a man and a woman.
FOOTBALL – On Friday night, Romanias youth team defeated 4-2 the English squad, at the Under-21 European Football Championship underway in Italy and San Marino. In a match dubbed by the specialized media as sensational, all goals were scored in the last 15 minutes. In the same group C, France defeated Croatia 1-nil. Romania, which defeated Croatia in the début match, 4-1, is leader of the group, with 6 points, followed by France. On Monday, the two teams will fight for the first position, qualification for the semi-finals and, implicitly, for next years Olympic Games in Tokyo.
(translated by M.Ignatescu)
