May 15, 2015
Click here for a round-up of news from Romania
Newsroom, 15.05.2015, 12:30
Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, who is currently on an official visit at the Vatican has today been received by Pope Francis. The talks focused on bilateral, European and international issues. The Romanian president underlined Romania’s interest in boosting cooperation with the Holy See. Also today, Iohannis met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, cardinal Pietro Parolin, whom he awarded the Grand Collar of Romania’s Star National Order. The program also included a visit at the Saint Peter Basilica, where he kept a moment of silence at the tomb of Pope John Paul II. Iohanis will also meet with young Romanians studying at pontifical institutions in Rome. Yesterday, Klaus Iohannis visited Romania’s pavilion at the 2015 Universal Exhibition in Milan, where he met with representatives of the Romanian community in northern Italy.
The High Court in Bucharest has today sentenced development minister, Liviu Dragnea, to a one year suspended jail sentence in the “Referendum” case, but the ruling is not final. After the ruling was issued, Dragnea tendered his resignation from the government and stepped down from all political positions he held in his party. Dragnea was brought to justice by prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, being accused that in his capacity as Secretary General of the ruling Social Democratic Party he used his influence, in other conditions than the legal ones, to influence the referendum of July the 29th 2012, to impeach the then president Traian Băsescu. In the same file, 74 other people, mostly members or former members of the Social Democratic Party, who got involved in the campaign for the referendum, have been either acquitted or received suspended jail sentences. Although 87% of the voters stood for the impeachment of president Basescu, the referendum of 2012 was not validated because of a lack of quorum.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has improved Romania’s economic growth forecast for 2015 up to 3%, from 2.8%, as was forecast in January, a report issued by the aforementioned financial institution shows. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimates that in 2016 the Romanian economy will grow by 3.2%, one of the highest growth rates in the emerging Europe, whereas for the other 35 states included in the report, the EBRD estimates a growth of only 1.4% in 2016. Since the start of its activity, EBRD has invested some 7 billion Euros in 368 projects in Romania.
Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is attending in Bratislava, the meeting of the Vishegrad Group-Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, a meeting that several representatives of the Eastern Partnership and some EU members- Romania, Sweden, Latvia have been invited to attend. Participating are also the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, and the European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn. The focal point on the agenda of the meeting, which has reached its final day, was the situation in the eastern vicinity, in the current geo-political and security context, in the run up to the forth-coming Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga, on May the 21st and 22nd. Minister Bogdan Aurescu presents Romania’s stand on the approached issues, underlining the need to strengthen the Eastern Partnership and to make it a useful instrument to promote stability in the EU’s close vicinity.
The NATO foreign ministers decided at the meeting in Antalya to extend the presence of the alliance in Afghanistan post 2016, when the current mission of training Afghan military and policemen, involving over 12,000 military, comes to an end. The next mission will be civil-led, smaller than the current one and will include the participation of both civilians and military. They will provide counselling and training services for the Afghan security structures. 625 Romanian military are currently deployed in Afghanistan, most of them protecting the base in Kandahar and counselling the Afghan security forces. 23 Romanian military have been killed in the line of duty and over 150 others were injured in Afghanistan so far.
Romanian Simona Halep (2 WTA), on Friday defeated her compatriot Alexandra Dulgheru (72WTA), in the quarterfinals of the Rome tournament with 2.4 million dollars in prize money up for grabs. Also on Friday in the men’s double, the Romanian-Dutch pair made up of Horia Tecau/Jean-Julien Rojer meets Pablo Cuevas/David Marrero (Argentina/Spain).
