May 29, 2016 UPDATE

The Diaspora should truly become a “national priority, says President Klaus Iohannis/ Prince Charles starts a visit to Romania/ Romanian gymnast Marian Dragulescu has grabbed two silver medals at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championship

Bogdan Matei, 29.05.2016, 12:20

ROMANIANS AROUND THE WORLD – The Diaspora should truly become a “national priority and therefore Ive asked the government to come up with a Roadmap, Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, said on Sunday, in his message on the Day of the Romanians Around the World. In his opinion, thus, the potential of the Romanians living outside the borders of the country will not be wasted, and these citizens can contribute to developing Romania, either by returning home, or by representing its image abroad. In turn, the minister delegate for the relation with the Romanians around the world, Dan Stoenescu, underlined how important it is for the Romanians living outside the borders of the country to get involved in the countrys development as strategic partners, to always stay connected and united, and be aware of the fact they represent a force for Romania. Celebrated every year on the last Sunday of May, in 2016 the Day of the Romanians Around the World was marked by a series of academic and artistic events held both in the country and abroad.

PRINCE CHARLES – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, on Monday will receive in Bucharest HRH, the Prince of Wales. The British Crown Prince Charles is also due to meet Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos. Last year, Prince Charles launched “The Prince of Waless Foundation Romania, an educational charity which aims to support heritage preservation, agriculture and sustainable development in Romania. In recent years, Prince Charles has frequently visited Romania, where he owns several properties and where he spends some of his vacations. He has a well-known fondness for the medieval Saxon architecture in central Romania- citadels, fortified churches and houses- built by ethnic Germans who settled down in Transylvania, in the Middle Ages.

NEGOTIATIONS– A new round of negotiations will be held in Bucharest on Monday between the Romanian Government and the trade unions in education on the salary scheme in the sector. On Saturday, the government came up with a new proposal, an average 5% increase as of January 1, 2017, but the trade union representatives expressed their discontent over the offer. So far, the trade unionists declined all offers made by the government, deeming the sums allotted to education as too low. They have announced to stage a protest march in Bucharest on June 1.

THE HEXI PHARMA SCANDAL – The director general of Hexi Pharma, Flori Dinu, will be investigated and placed under home arrest, in the case of the diluted biocides, Romanian judges ruled on Saturday evening. She is accused of misrepresentation and preventing the combating of disease. Prosecutors say she coordinated the staff that promoted the Hexi Pharma products and signed contracts with Romanian hospitals while aware that the products have a different composition from the one specified on the label. In the same file, the Romanian General Prosecutors Office has commenced prosecution against the Hexi Pharma production manager, Mihai Leva. The damages caused for the last 4 years alone through the supply of low-quality disinfectants are put at more than 6 million euros. The media quotes judicial sources as saying that Dinu is facing a 30-year prison sentence. We recall that the owner of Hexi Pharma, Dan Condrea, seen as the mastermind of the illegal operation, died last Sunday in a car crash in still unclear circumstances, which are being investigated.

ROMANIAN PEACE KEEPERS – 62 Romanian policemen and gendarmes last month participated in UN peacekeeping missions in dangerous areas around the world. According to the Romanian Interior Ministry, they were dispatched to Haiti, the Central African Republic and Congo. Raluca Domuta has received the title of “International Female Police Peacekeeper 2015, for the special role she played during a search and rescue mission in Haiti. She is the first Romanian policewoman to be granted this award.

GYMNASTICS – Romanian gymnast Marian
Dragulescu grabbed a silver medal in the vault final on Sunday, at the European
Gymnastics Championship held in Berne, Switzerland, just hours after he had won
a silver medal in the floor event. A multiple continental and world champion,
Marian Dragulescu, 35, has qualified for the Olympic Games due in Rio de
Janeiro, in August.

TENNIS – The pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Indian Rohan Bopanna on Sunday defeated the pair Brian Baker/Marcus Daniell (the US/New Zealand) 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-1, in the eighth finals of the Roland Garros tennis tournament. In the quarter-finals, Mergea and Bopanna will meet the winner of the match between Ivan Dodig/Marcelo Melo (Croatia/Brazil) and Chris Guccione/Andre Sa (Australia/Brazil). In the womens simple tennis competition, Romanian Irina Begu (WTAs no. 28) got eliminated by the American Shelby Rogers (WTAs no.108), 3-6, 4-6.

(Translated by Diana Vijeu)