March 6, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 06.03.2024, 20:00

Congress. On Wednesday and Thursday, Bucharest is hosting  the Congress of the European People’s Party (EPP).  More than 2,000 delegates from 44 countries are attending. The European People’s Party decides the strategy for the European parliamentary elections in June, establish the EPP manifesto and designate the candidate for the head of the European Commission. The incumbent president, Ursula von der Leyen, is the only one officially registered in this competition, and her candidacy was validated last night, by the EPP’s Political Assembly. Nicolae Ciuca, the president of the National Liberal Party, said in his speech that it’s important for the EPP to stay united in the face of extremism. He also stated that the EU is Romanians’ destiny and future. At the end of the Congress, a document will be adopted that will include the request for Romania and Bulgaria to become full members of the Schengen area. The Chancellor of Austria, Karl Nehammer, who is still opposed to this accession, will also attend the meeting. On Wedesday, the president of the EPP, Manfred Weber, said that his party firmly supported the full and immediate accession of the two countries, as both of them had fulfilled all the necessary criteria. Also on Wednesday, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola said that the Schengen Area couldn’t be complete without Romania.  She has given assurances that Bucharest is supported by “numerous friends”, who will help it join Schengen.

Meetings. In parallel with the Congress, hosted by the co-governing National Liberal Party (PNL) President Klaus Iohannis, former leader of the Liberals, and Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu have meetings with the leaders present in Bucharest. On Wednesday, at the meeting with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, they discussed the European Parliament elections, Romania’s European priorities, full accession to the Schengen area and the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Also on Wednesday, the head of the Romanian state met with the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. The topic of the discussions was this year’s European Parliament elections, respectively the importance of keeping Romania’s pro-European voice in Brussels. Klaus Iohannis also met with the Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar. The need to strengthen the EU in the context of current challenges was among the topics addressed. The President of Romania also had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Ingrida Simonyte, with whome he discussed  regional security and continuous support for Ukraine.

ALTHEA. The progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the European path was appreciated, on Wednesday, by the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, during the meeting with the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt. According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Romanian head of diplomacy reiterated Romania’s constant support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European and Euro-Atlantic path, as well as the availability of the Romanian state to provide expertise in fields relevant to European integration. Minister Luminiţa Odobescu highlighted Romania’s firm commitment to contributing to a strong security environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially through the EUFOR Althea Operation. Within it, since May 17th, 2023, Romania has been holding the position of chief of staff and is one of the main contributors with troops and military equipment.

Romanian elections. Romania’s Chamber of Deputies has adopted the bill that allows the organization of the presidential election in September. The  ruling Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party have agreed that the first round of the election should take place on September 15th and the second on the 29th. The law has already been challenged by Save Romania Union – USR and the Force of the Right at the Constitutional Court, which will discuss the notification of the opposition on March 20. For the first time in Romania,  local elections will take place simultaneously with the European Parliament elections, on June 9, and the Romanian Parliament elections are due on December 8.

US elections. The former US president, Donald Trump, won, on Tuesday evening, the Republican primaries in the states of Virginia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Maine, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Alabama, Minnesota, Colorado and Texas, which are at stake in the so-called ‘Super Tuesday’. 15 states are at stake in this electoral battle, and the world media write that Trump hopes to definitively exclude his last rival, Nikki Haley. In the Democratic camp, President Joe Biden, who wants to get a second term in office, does not face serious opposition. The candidacies of two Democrats, the elected representative of the state of Minnesota, Dean Phillips, and the successful author Marianne Williamson, did not really arouse enthusiasm, despite the recurring criticism of the octogenarian president. Biden already won, on Tuesday evening, in 12 states, including Vermont, North Carolina and Virginia.

Drugs. The Romanian Chamber of Deputies adopted, on Tuesday, as a decision-making body, the so-called “May 2” Law, which stipulates that high-risk drug traffickers can no longer receive suspended sentences. At the same time, the bill stipulates that trading products that have psychoactive effects represents a crime and is punishable by imprisonment. The Senate had adopted the bill in November 2023, as the first body notified. The bill is now being promulgated by President Klaus Iohannis.

Tennis. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has confirmed that Romanian Simona Halep can immediately return to the professional circuit, after her four-year suspension was reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. Halep has not played an official match since the defeat registered in the first round at the US Open in 2022. In September 2023, the International Tennis Integrity Agency suspended her for four years for doping. The reduction of the suspension was welcomed by big names in the history of tennis. (MI)