May 7, 2014 UPDATE

For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here.

Bogdan Matei, 07.05.2014, 12:05

ROMANIA TO JOIN THE EUROZONE — The Romanian Government set January 1, 2019 as the deadline for Romania’s joining the Eurozone, as announced by Delegate Minister for Budget Liviu Voinea. At the same time, the new schedule for Romania’s convergence for the 2014-2020 interval was published, a document to be submitted to the European Commission. The program includes measures to grow the economy and encourage job creation by removing reinvested profit taxation and reduced social insurance contributions by July 1, 2014. The Government also wants to boost the minimum wage from 850 lei at present to 1,200 lei by 2016.

DRILLS — 6 Canadian CF-18 Hornet fighters, accompanied by piloting and technical crew will be deployed as of Wednesday at the military base in Campia Turzii. According to the Romanian Ministry of Defence, the Canadian force will take part in joint drills with the Romanian military. On Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that NATO was ready to adopt the new measures to secure collective defence. He reiterated the fact that NATO has already bolstered air patrols over the Baltic States, with surveillance flights over Poland and Romania.

MOLDOVA — Romania will be the first country to ratify Moldova’s Association Agreement with the EU as a clear and unequivocal sign of support for this country’s efforts to join the European Union, Romanian Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu said on Wednesday. The Romanian official met with Prime Minister Iurie Leanca, as well as with the president of the Parliament in Chisinau, Igor Corman. Talks focused on EU integration, bilateral energy projects and the developments in the region. “Moldova is counting on Romania’s support, including for its EU aspirations”, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca said. Calin Popescu Tariceanu is also due to meet with president Nicolae Timofti.

STRIKE — Members of the Romanian Postal Union on Wednesday will stage a strike against the administration of the Romanian Post in the last few years. Protests are scheduled in Bucharest and other cities. Post employees call on the current leadership to step down, in addition to salary hikes, additional hours allowance and better working conditions. Union leaders say a rally will be held on Sunday in Bucharest, with over 5,000 people expected to attend. On Tuesday, May 13, a work-in strike will be held nation-wide. In another development, Bucharest Metro employees continued their protest on Wednesday in front of the Romanian Transport Ministry building. Employees criticize the failure to abide by the provisions of the collective labour agreement in force, as well as the decision of Metrorex to modify the organizational chart.

VISIT — Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean on Wednesday is attending a series of meetings in Athens held under the Greek Presidency of the European Council. Together with his Bulgarian and Greek counterparts, Minister Corlatean will analyse the need to promote the three countries’ joint interests at EU and regional level, as well as prospects of integrating states in the Western Balkans in the EU. Romanian Minister of Transport Dan Sova is also in Athens, attending a meeting on EU maritime policy. On Thursday the Romanian official will join his community counterparts in the informal meeting of transportation ministers. The topics will include developing the infrastructure, with a focus on roads.

UKRAINE — Pro-Russian separatists on Wednesday evening regained control over the city hall of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, several hours after being driven out by Ukrainian government forces. According to the press on the ground, separatists went back to raise flags around the city hall building after Ukrainian forces pulled out. Armed clashes took place on the outskirts of Slavyansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, a stronghold of pro-Russian separatism. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on separatists to delay the so-called referendum for the secession of the mostly Russian-speaking province of Donetsk. Putin added that a delay would facilitate dialogue between Ukrainian authorities in Kiev and the separatists. The Russian president also said Moscow has pulled back all troops on the Ukrainian border, where NATO estimated some 40,000 military were deployed in late April. In another development, the Central Bank in Kiev on Wednesday announced that Ukraine had already received the first instalment of 3.2 billion dollars part of the IMF 17 billion-dollar loan spanning two years with a view to boosting the country’s economy. The loan has been conditioned by severe austerity measures.

CELEBRATION — Special ceremonies marked on Wednesday 28 years since Steaua Bucharest won the European Champions Cup, seen as a landmark in Romanian sports. On May 7, 1986 in Seville, Steaua won a dramatic penalty-shootout against FC Barcelona. The hero of the match was goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam, who saved four of the five Barcelona penalty kicks. Steaua went on to win the European Supercup by defeating Dinamo Kiev, representing the USSR. Steaua, the Romanian team with the most number of wins, holds 24 national championship titles, 21 Romanian cups and 6 Romanian supercups.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has qualified to the eighth-finals of the WTA tournament in Madrid, organized by former Romanian tennis legend Ion Tiriac. Seeded fourth in the competition, Halep brushed aside Lara Arruabarrena of Spain in the last round, 6-4, 6-4, after 1 hour and 22 minutes of play. In the next round Halep will play either Irina Camelia-Begu or Sabine Lisicki of Germany. Her performance so far in the tournament has earned Halep 120 WTA points and a 45,000-dollar check.