May 16, 2017 UPDATE

Romania has reported the most significant GDP growth of all 28 EU states

Newsroom, 16.05.2017, 18:55

STATISTICS — Romania has reported the most significant growth of all 28 EU states, with a GDP increase of 5.6% in the first quarter of 2017 as compared to the same period of last year- shows the preliminary estimate published on Tuesday by Eurostat. After Romania, the biggest growth rates in the period January — March 2017 were reported by Poland and Lithuania (both with 4.1%). Also in the first quarter of 2017, as compared to the previous 3 months, Romania reported the highest economic growth rate in the EU, namely 1.7%. According to data published on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics, Romania’s economy increased by 5.7% in the first quarter of 2017 as compared to the same period of last year.

PROTEST— As many as 15 thousand employees of the Romanian Ministry of Finance continued, Tuesday, their spontaneous protest against the draft law on the salaries of the public sector employees which could lead to salary cuts. On Monday as many as 22 thousand employees of the institutions subordinated to the Finance Ministry stopped work to start a spontaneous protest both in Bucharest and several counties of Romania. The talks between trade unions’ leaders and the finance ministry’s officials have ended in no result.

GENERAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL — The Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Ana Birchall, participated on Tuesday in the meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels. According to a press communiqué, the European foreign affairs ministers debated the agenda of the future European Council meeting to be held between June 22- 23. High on the agenda were issues such as migration, security and defense, employment, economic growth and competitiveness, and foreign relations. Another issue on the meeting agenda referred to the presentation by the European Commission of the actions taken following the launch of the White Paper on the future of the EU. Minister Ana Birchall said that Romania supports the measures aimed at strengthening the single market, so as to ensure social cohesion, long-term economic growth and higher living standards for the European citizens.

CANNES — Romania director, scriptwriter and producer Cristian Mungiu is head of Cinefondation and of the short-film section at this year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival. The festival’s 70th edition kicks off on Wednesday. As many as 14 Romanian shorts are presented within the Romanian Short Waves programme. Another Romanian director, Alexander Nanau, will be in Cannes as the director of photography of “Nothingwood” by Sonia Kronlund, a film to be screened within the “Quinzaine des réalisateurs” section.

CLIMBING — Romanian Horia Colibăşanu on Tuesday obtained a remarkable sport achievement at international level, which is also a national first, after he climbed on Mount Everest (8,848m), the highest mountain on the planet, without oxygen reserves and without the help of Sherpas. Horia Colibăşanu’s climbing lasted almost 12 hours, his last camp being set up at 8,300 m. He wants to climb the world’s all 14 peaks exceeding 8,000 meters. This has been Horia’s 19th international expedition.

MIGRANTS— As many as 30 foreign citizens, from Iraq and Syria, were caught by the Romanian border police at the border with Serbia while they were trying to illegally enter Romania, according to a release of the Territorial Inspectorate of the Border Police. The migrants that crossed the border between Serbia and Romania illegally, were heading for western Europe.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (44th WTA) was defeated on Tuesday by Latvian Anastasija Sevastova (17th WTA) in the first round of the Rome tennis tournament, with 2.7 million dollars up for grabs. After winning the Madrid tournament for the 2nd consecutive year, Simona Halep (4th WTA), will play on Wednesday, directly in the 2nd round, against the German Laura Siegemund (32nd WTA).

(Translated by Elena Enache)