May 7, 2017
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 07.05.2017, 14:09
ELECTION 47 and a half million French voters are expected to the polls today to elect their president for the next five years. The French citizens in Romania can vote in Bucharest, Cluj Napoca and Iasi, the cities where voting sections have been set up especially for them. After a tense election campaign, in the second, decisive round, the centrist Emmanuel Macron, a former investment banker and former minister of the economy during the Hollande presidency, is dubbed the favourite and likely to win more than 60% of the votes. His contender is the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, expected to win less than 40%. Its for the first time in decades that neither the conservative right, nor the socialist left have had any candidates in the final of the presidential race. Both finalists have given assurances that they stand for the renewal of the political class, but one defends free exchange and European integration, while the other one condemns the savage globalisation and immigration and stands for a clever protectionism, France Presse reports. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Paris, the ballot, dubbed by the media as historic and unique, will bring not only a winner, but lots of dilemmas on the political scene.
EU VISIT The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, the Romanian Corina Cretu, on Monday starts a two-day formal visit to Romania. The European official will hold talks with the Deputy Prime-Minister Sevil Shhaideh and will take part in several conferences and public events. Corina Cretu will also visit a project funded from European Funds, at the Romanian Patriarchy, and will attend the launch of the Structural Funds Caravan, a project that includes regional conferences on the management of European funds. Her visit to Romania coincides with the celebration of Europe Day, 10 years since Romanias accession to the EU. The European Commissioner has stated that its a time of reflection for both Romania and the EU, now in the focus of a large-scale debate on its future in the 27-member formula.
COOPERATION The governments of Romania and the US respectively will collaborate, through national contact points, to ensure an exchange of information between the bodies in charge of preventing, discovering and investigating serious crimes, including acts of terrorism. According to a bill passed by the Romanian Government, the agreement stipulates the provision, by both parties, of reference data from the national fingerprint and DNA identification systems. The document is the result of political and diplomatic actions carried out by Romania in order to be included in the Visa Waiver programme. In another development, this autumn Romania will host Trade Winds, the largest annual U.S. government-led trade mission, which will lead U.S. companies and organizations to Southeast European markets in 2017, to connect them to promising business opportunities. Some 100 American companies will be present in Romania, interested in the economic opportunities offered by this country and the region.
UNEMPLOYMENT In Romania, the unemployment rate dropped to 4.55% in March, as compared to the previous month, and the number of jobless people stood at approximately 400,000 according to data made public by the National Employment Agency. The biggest share of the unemployed is that of men aged 40 to 49, from the rural environment and with a low education level. The highest unemployment rates were recorded in the counties of Vaslui, Teleorman, Mehedinti and Buzau. The county of Ilfov, near Bucharest, is at the opposite pole.
INNOVA Romania has won the big prize of the INNOVA Barcelona 2017 International Invention, Research and New Technology Fair, thanks to the invention of two scientists with the National Research and Development Centre in Ramnicu Valcea, southern Romania. They developed a process that can control air pollution and solid-gas separation. At the INNOVA Fair, where Romania participated with 30 inventions, our country won 27 gold medals, three silver and 19 special awards. Another four inventions were presented in the environmental protection category, which won two gold and two silver medals. Some 200 innovative projects were presented at this years edition of the Spanish invention fair.
HANDBALL In the Champions League Final Four, Romanias womens handball champion CSM Bucharest is fighting for the third place in Budapest today, in a match against Buducnost Podgorita. On Saturday, in the semi-finals, the Romanian squad was defeated by the Macedonian team HC Vardar Skopje 38-33. In the other semi-final, Gyor defeated Buducnost Podgorica, whose team includes the best Romanian handball player in the world, Cristina Neagu. Gyor and Vardar Skopje will fight for the title of European champion, which last year was won by CSM Bucharest.
