March 27, 2023

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 27.03.2023, 13:55

Visit – The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is coming to Bucharest today, where he will meet the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. On Tuesday, according to the official schedule, Charles Michel will go to the neighboring Republic of Moldova, which has a majority Romanian-speaking population. The visit takes place after last weeks summit in Brussels, following which the EU member states’ leaders reiterated their support for the Republic of Moldova, for its security and European path.

Moldova – The interim president of the Romanian Senate, Alina Gorghiu, and the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, are paying a visit to the neighboring Republic of Moldova today. They will participate in cultural events dedicated to the 105thanniversary of the Union of Bessarabia, an eastern province that was, until then, under the occupation of the tsarist empire, with the Kingdom of Romania, on March 27, 1918. In 1940, Bessarabia, as well as the north of Bukovina and Herța Land, were re-annexed, following an ultimatum, by Stalin’s Soviet Union. The current Republic of Moldova, independent since 1991, was established on part of the eastern Romanian territories occupied by Moscow. In Bucharest, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said, on the occasion of the Day of Bessarabia’s Union with Romania, that “history teaches us that military aggression, illegitimate domination and discrimination of nations cannot last. Proof thereof is the aspirations of the peoples, including the Romanian people, to live freely, in a dignified, united and democratic way”.

Pensions – The juridical and labor committees of the Romanian Senate are debating, today, the Governments draft law on the reduction of special pension expenses. The project aims to reduce expenses with special pensions and allowances, a milestone included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The changes proposed by the Government refer at the calculation of special pensions starting from seniority in the respective specialty, the reduction of the calculation percentage relative to the earned income, the minimum contribution period being similar to that applied in the public pension system. The deadline for tacit adoption in the Senate is March 31.

Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea qualified for the round of 16 of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Miami (Florida), which has total prizes worth 8.8 million dollars, after beating the Czech Karolina Muchova, 7-5, 6-1. She had won both previous matches with Cîrstea. Today, in the round of 16, the Romanian player will meet another player from the Czech Republic, Marketa Vondrousova. The score of direct matches between the two is 1-1.

Bystroe – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is expected, today, in the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, for the political debates within the so-called Government Hour. The representatives of the extremist, ultra-nationalist opposition party the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR requested his presence in order to give explanations regarding the file of Romania’s Schengen accession as well as to detail Bucharest’s diplomatic efforts in relation to the situation of the Bystroe canal, on that part of the Danube Delta located in neighboring Ukraine. On Friday, the Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu said that Romania was still waiting for the approval of the Ukrainian authorities to begin depth measurements on the canal with Ukrainian ships. Since 2014, the Ukrainians have wanted the Chilia arm and the Bystroe canal to be included in a European transport corridor, but Bucharest and Brussels are opposed to it, because of the impact the works would have on the ecosystem of the Danube Delta, a unique area in Europe included in the UNESCO world heritage. Last month, the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry announced that, following some alleged dredging works, the depth of the canal increased from 3.9 to 6.5 meters.

Library – The National Museum of Romanian Literature (MNLR), in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Carol I Central University Library in Bucharest, is organizing, today, the first edition of the Day of European Authors. This is an initiative of the European Commission, which is meant to strengthen the relationship between the book and education sectors, aspiring to reconnect European citizens, especially the young generation, to reading and to help them discover European literature, and Europe’s linguistic and cultural diversity. The European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, will officially launch this initiative in Sofia, together with the renowned Bulgarian writer Georgi Bardarov, the winner of the European Union Prize for Literature in 2021. The National Museum of Romanian Literature invites the public to a meeting with two of Romania’s highly appreciated authors, recognized at the European level through numerous awards, the writer and journalist Gabriela Adameșteanu and the Franco-Romanian writer, poet and playwright Matei Vişniec, to discuss the diversity of European literature and the status of the European author. (LS)