March 24, 2019 UPDATE

PM Dancila reiterates intention to move Romanian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

Newsroom, 24.03.2019, 19:17

VISIT The PM of Romania Viorica Dăncilă reiterated on Sunday in Washington her Cabinets intention to relocate the Romanian Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. She said a decision would be made “after thorough analysis by all constitutional decision-makers and if full consensus is reached. The PM made these statements during the conference of the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which invited her to the US. In October 2018, the Foreign Ministry presented the Government with a report on the effects of relocating the Romanian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The report included both the pros and cons to this decision, Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu said, but he would not disclose the ministrys recommendation on the topic. The idea of moving the embassy was first mentioned by the head of the ruling coalition in Romania, the Social Democrat Liviu Dragnea, in a private TV show in late 2017. The plan prompted strong criticism from the right-wing Opposition and President Klaus Iohannis, who, under the Constitution, coordinates the countrys foreign policy. The Palestinian Authority also temporarily recalled its ambassador to Bucharest.

MEETING EU transport ministers and state secretaries are taking part on March 26th and 27th in the informal meeting of EU transport ministers held in Bucharest under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. They will discuss, among other things, the future of mobility in the Union and means to strengthen connectivity and cohesion by means of the TEN-T network. According to the organisers, an enlarged and consolidated trans-European transport network will help improve territorial cohesion, the accessibility and connectivity of all regions in the EU, thus stimulating investments and narrowing development gaps.

TRANSPORT The Romanian Transport Operator Federation (FORT) announces in a news release that on Wednesday, March 27th they will protest in Strasbourg against the EU Mobility Package 1, alongside other employer associations from Romania and Eastern European countries. The Federation is against the obligation for drivers to return home at least every 4 weeks or, if a driver chooses the reduced weekly rest option, every 3 weeks on the road. FORT also demands a review of regular weekly rest rules and is also against applying the rules of posting to road transport.

PROTESTS The weekly “yellow vest protest in France took place on Saturday under strict police control, following the incidents of March 16th in Paris, which had prompted President Emmanuel Macrons criticism of the police force. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Paris, protesters access to certain parts of the city was prohibited, and the police checked thousands of people to identify individuals intent on resorting to violence. Across the country, many individuals were detained while trying to reach Paris equipped with baseball bats, projectiles, gas masks. Significant clashes between the protesters and the police were also reported in Lyon, Lille and Montpellier, but order has been restored. The so-called “yellow vest movement emerged in November as a protest against a rise in fuel prices.

FOOTBALL Romanias Under-21 football team are scheduled to play a friendly against Denmark on Monday, after on Thursday they lost a match against Spain, during a training session in that country. In the 2019 European Youth Championship hosted by Italy and San Marino, Romania plays in Group C, alongside England, France and Croatia. Meanwhile, Romanias national football team was defeated on Saturday night, 2-1, in Sweden, in a EURO 2020 qualifier match held at the Friends Arena in Solna. On Tuesday, Romania is playing at home against Faroe Islands. The group also includes Spain, Norway and Malta, and the top 2 teams in each group qualify into the final tournament. The drawing for Euro 2020 takes place in Bucharest on November 30. The Romanian capital city will also host 4 final tournament games, 3 in the group stage and an 8th-final.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)