March 31, 2019 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 31.03.2019, 19:06

VISIT – EU Commissioner for Climate Action
and Energy, Miguel Arias Canete on Monday and Tuesday is paying an official
visit to Bucharest, the European Commission’s Representative Office in
Bucharest has announced. On April 1, the EU official will attend the meeting
titled The Regional Energy Cooperation Initiative in Central and Eastern
Europe. The event will bring together ministers and high-ranking officials
from member states and contracting parties of the Energy Community. The meeting
will include ceremonies for the signing of energy grants under the European
Interconnection Mechanism. EU officials will also look at progress obtained so
far and will address the priorities for the future of natural gas and energy
markets and the development of infrastructure and sustainable energy sources.
On Tuesday, Miguel Arias Canete will attend the Informal Energy Council, on the
sidelines of which the first meeting of Energy Ministers from EU states and the
Eastern Partnership will be held, with a view to consolidating regional energy
cooperation.

FRONTEX – Over April 1 -
June 30 the Romanian Border Police will take part in the 2019 POSEIDON mission
organized by FRONTEX, providing a maritime patrol ship MAI 1101 as part of the
Coast Guard. The mission will take place in the Aegian Sea. The ship and the
two crews will carry out patrol, surveillance, search and rescue missions
alongside the other participant states. The purpose of the operation is to
provide Greek authorities with support in the surveillance and control at teh
EU’s maritime borders, as well as for the search and rescue of people in
distress on the EU’s external borders.

EARTH HOUR – Romania
joined around 180 other countries in celebrating Earth Hour on Saturday, a
movement that warns about climate change and the loss of biodiversity. Between
8.30 pm and 9.30 pm, lights went out in several towns and cities across the
country, including the capital Bucharest, in a symbolic gesture to raise
awareness about the importance of protecting the planet. Performances, bike races
and other events were also held. According to some estimates, if every person
in Romania took part in Earth Hour by switching off their lights for one hour,
this would save more than 1 million kilowatts, enough to supply the electricity
of a community of 2,200 people for a year. Romania has marked Earth Hour since
2009.

DST – On Saturday night Romanians turned
forward their clocks one hour in observance of Daylight Saving Time. So, three
o’clock became four o’clock with a three hour GMT difference. The switch this
year could be one of the last such changes, as the European Parliament this
week voted a proposal to renounce DST changes at EU level starting 2021. Member
States are free to choose to observe standard time or DST.

TRADE FAIR – Romania is
taking part in the HannoverMesse, one of the biggest industrial technology
fairs in the world, held over April 1-5. The event opens on Sunday under the
slogan The future development of industry. A total of 6,500 exhibitors from
all over the world are expected to take part. This year’s partner country is
Sweden.

ELECTION
IN SLOVAKIA – Liberal Zuzana Caputova
has won the second round of Saturday’s presidential election in Slovakia, thus
becoming the country’s first female head of state. Aged 45, Zuzana Caputova
grabbed 58% of the vote, as compared to 41% obtained by the other candidate,
Maros Sefcovic, an EU Commissioner backed by the left-of-center ruling party.
Shortly after the results were announced, Zuzana Caputova called for unity. She
said the result shows it is possible to fight populism and earn people’s trust
without using aggressive language and personal attacks. Her adversary conceded
defeat. In turn, Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini expressed hope for a positive
cooperation with the new president.

SURVEY – If presidential elections were held tomorrow in Romania,
the incumbent president Klaus Iohannis would grab the majority of the vote, and
would face off Calin Popescu Tariceanu, Senate Speaker and President of the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the second round, reads a recent survey
conducted by the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology. Klaus Iohannis would
grab 36% of the vote, while Calin Popescu Tariceanu would get 23% of the vote,
followed by Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea, with 15% of the vote. Former
Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos would win 9% of the vote, while European
Commissioner Corina Cretu would get 6%. The survey was commissioned by Omnibus
and conducted over March 12-25 with a sample population of 1,067 people and a
margin for error of plus/minus 3%.

(translated
by V. Palcu)