May 21, 2015 UPDATE
Click here for a round-up of news from Romania.
Bogdan Matei, 21.05.2015, 12:40
EASTERN PARTNERSHIP SUMMIT – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday expressed hope that the final declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit will contain clear messages of support for the former Soviet countries which are members of the Eastern Partnership, so that their embarkment on the European path be secured to a larger extent. Iohannis added that Romania is directly interested in the European path of the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine and expressed hope that the EU will maintain its binding offer to its best performing partners, also by providing technical and financial assistance. The president underlined that Romania has constantly supported the process of political association and economic integration of the countries in the Eastern Neighbourhood. Iohannis made the statement upon leaving for Latvias capital city, Riga, for the summit which will bring together the leaders of the 28 EU member states and their counterparts from Ukraine, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Belarus. Launched in May 2009, the Eastern Partnership is an integral part of the EU Neighbourhood Policy, involving six countries from the former USSR, in an attempt to bring these countries into the EU family.
VISIT – Romania is capable and has the necessary resources to make investments in the Republic of Moldova, visiting Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said in Chishinau on Thursday. He paid an official visit to the neighbouring country of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, where he discussed, together with his Moldovan counterpart, Chiril Gaburici, projects in the field of infrastructure, education, culture and the interconnection of the energy sectors. The two prime ministers signed a Memorandum of understanding on developing the necessary projects to interconnect their countries natural gas networks and power grids. The Moldovan prime minister said the agreement creates the prerequisites for Moldovas integration into the EUs energy market. Gaburici added that in 2014, Romania became Moldovas main foreign trading partner.
CORRUPTION – Former Finance Minister Darius Valcov has been indicted by anti-corruption prosecutors in a case where he is being investigated for influence peddling. Presently under preventive arrest since April 2, Valcov is accused of awarding preferential contracts years ago, as Mayor of Slatina to a businessman while pocketing 20% of their value. Prosecutors also claim that in the 2010-2013 period Valcov got 2 million euros worth of bribes and another 2 million lei by means of intermediaries.
CELEBRATIONS – Over 1.8 million Romanians celebrated their name day on Thursday, the feast day of Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen. Observed by both Orthodox and Catholic believers, the feast pays homage to the Emperor of Rome and his mother, who are dubbed “the Christians parents. During the rule of Constantine, in the year 313 AD, Christianity became the official religion of the Eastern Roman Empire. Also on Thursday, the majority Orthodox believers in Romania as well as Greek Catholics celebrated the Ascension of Jesus to Heaven, 40 days after Easter. On this occasion, the Romanian Orthodox Church, as well as the lay authorities, paid homage to all heroes who lost their lives on the battlefield, in concentration camps and in prisons, to defend their homeland, their freedom and dignity. Floral tributes were paid and masses were given at memorials and in great mausoleums in Bucharest and other cities.
SURVEY – One third of Romanians see Justice as the most important democratic public institution, according to data included in a recent survey conducted by INSCOP. Ranking second is the presidency, with over 22% of responses, the Government with nearly 20% of responses and Parliament with 15.6%. The barometer also reveals that over 70% of Romanians would sign a petition to support a public cause, with only 22% of respondents saying they would refuse to sign. The survey was commissioned by the paper Adevarul and conducted by INSCOP on a sample population of 1,085 people, with a maximum error margin of plus/minus 3%. Respondents were interviewed at home by survey representatives.
BAN – The Romanian Foreign Ministry says it has received no information concerning the decision to ban entry to the United States to certain Romanian citizens. On Tuesday, a US State Department official said that former and current officials from Romania and Bulgaria have been declared undesirable on US territory as a result of corruption accusations. The US Embassy has confirmed the information, adding that the identity of the people in question has been kept secret under the US law.
TENNIS – Romanian woman tennis player Sorana Carstea on Thursday defeated Mariana Duque-Marino of Columbia (7-5, 2-6, 6-3), and will meet Veronica Cepede Royg, of Paraguay, in the last round of the qualifications for the Roland Garros. Another Romanian, Patricia Maria Tig, has been defeated by Shahar Peer of Israel, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. In the womens singles, Romania will be represented at the French tournament by several players, among whom Simona Halep, who last year lost the final to Russian Maria Sharapova. In the mens singles, Romanian tennis player Marius Copil will meet Dutch Igor Sijsling, in the last qualifying round, after defeating on Thursday John-Patrick Smith of Australia (6-3, 6-4). In exchange, Victor Hanescu lost 6-1, 6-2, to Kyle Edmund of the UK, in the second qualifying round.
