May 6, 2016

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 06.05.2016, 12:05

LOCAL ELECTIONS The campaign for the June 5th local elections
in Romania saw its official start on Friday. According to President Klaus
Iohannis, these elections are extremely important, and he has urged voters, as
well as authorities and candidates, to show implication and responsibility. In
turn, the Interior Minister Petre Toba has given assurances that preparations
are being made according to the set timetable. More on this after the
news.

LOAN TO MOLDOVA On
Friday, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis signed the decree promulgating the
law on the ratification of the agreement on reimbursable financial assistance
to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova. The agreement, stipulating a 150
million euro loan and aimed to fund Moldova’s budget deficit, was signed in
Chisinau on October 7th, 2015. Klaus Iohannis sent the law back for
review in November 2015. According to the head of state, back than, the
political situation in Chisinau did not favour the approval of the document, as
there was no certainty that reforms would continue in the Republic of Moldova.
We recall that the neighbouring country, which has a predominantly
Romanian-speaking population, was going through some very difficult times, as,
following the disappearance of one billion dollars from the country’s banking
system, the IMF had announced it would not negotiate a fresh loan agreement
with Chisinau.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS The
Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu and his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo
Klimkin are today inaugurating the Romanian Consulate in Solotvino, Ukraine,
which is connected to Sighetul Marmatiei, in northern Romania, through the
historical bridge over the Tisza River. The Romanian Foreign Minister has
stressed that the new consulate will help implement the cross-border petty
trading agreement. The two ministers will also sign an agreement on the
elimination of the fee charged for long-stay visas. Lazar Comanescu has stated
that a new Romanian – Ukrainian
inter-governmental committee for national minorities will start working
soon. There are some 400,000 Romanians living in Ukraine.

REFUGEES The
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Europeans to defend the EU’s external
borders and to prevent a return to nationalist policies. Merkel has had talks
in Rome with the Italian PM Matteo Renzi and the presidents of the European
Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission. The countries on
the border of the EU, such as Greece and Italy, have been many times criticized
for failing to stop the wave of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa.
However, according to the Radio Romania correspondent in Rome, Prime Minister
Matteo Renzi accuses the lack of a long-term European strategy to address the
refugee crisis. Last month, the Italian Government presented an initiative
under which the EU would grant the African countries incentives, hoping that
this way their citizens would be encouraged to no longer migrate to Europe. The
initiative was discussed at the said meeting, but Merkel did not agree with
Renzi’s proposal, according to which the projects for Africa would be funded
through Eurobonds.

BRITISH ELECTIONS The opposition Labour party is losing ground in the
regional and local elections held in Great Britain on Thursday, according to
partial results made public on Friday, Reuters reports. The labour party seems
to have registered a significant drop, 9% in Scotland and 8% in Wales, as
compared to the previous local elections. In Scotland, the pro-independence
Scottish National Party, would hold 56 seats in the regional parliament, the
Conservatives 6 and the Labour Party only 3. There are two favourites in the
race for mayor of London: the Labour Sadiq Khan and the Conservative Zac
Goldsmith.

ROYAL CONCERT The National Radio Orchestra is today giving a royal concert honouring
the day of May 10th, which is Royalty Day in Romania. Conducting will be
Nicolae Moldoveanu, and the soloist is violinist Gabriel Croitoru. The event
will enjoy the attendance of their Royal Highnesses Prince Radu, Princess Elena
and Princess Maria. Before the beginning of the concert, a volume titled the
Royal Year will be launched at the Radio Hall, a journal recollecting the 150
years since the establishment of the Royal House of Romania and the
promulgation of the 1866 Constitution. A number of events dedicated to May 10th
will be held in Bucharest and the mountain resort of Sinaia until next Tuesday.
Before the communists came to power in Romania, in 1947, May 10th was Romania’s
National Day. Later, the celebration was erased from the Romanians’ collective
memory. On May 10th, 1866, Carol 1st became the ruler of Romania. 11 years
later, the Romanian state gained its independence, and on May 10th, 1881,
Romania became a kingdom.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep,
ranked 7th in the WTA classification, is today playing against the 23rd ranked
Australian Samantha Stosur, in the semi-finals of the Madrid tournament, with
4.8 million dollars in prize money. In the quarters, the two players defeated
two Romanian players, Irina Begu and Patricia Tig respectively. Also in the
quarters, another Romanian player, Sorana Carstea, was defeated by the
Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, who will play the semi-final against the American
Louise Chirico. In the men’s doubles, the Romanian – Dutch pair made up of
Horia Tecau and Jean Julien Rojer has qualified for the quarters and will play against
the pair Alexander Peya / Nenad Zimonjici.