May 7, 2017 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 07.05.2017, 18:34
EMPLOYEE RIGHTS The International Trade Union Confederation has called on the Romanian Government, on behalf of the Romanian trade unions affiliated to the Confederation, to amend the legislative framework and thus resume social dialogue. The Confederation has warned that, unless legislation is changed, it will report, by means of the appropriate UN surveillance mechanisms, that fundamental rights have been constantly violated in Romania. A communiqué issued by the National Trade Union Bloc in Romania reads that the changes brought to the relevant legislation in 2011 have significantly affected employees right to collective bargaining as well as their right to set up or be part of a trade union.
EU AFFAIRS On Tuesday, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis will address Parliament on the celebration of 140 years of independence from the Ottoman Empire, proclaimed in May 1877, and also on Europe Day. Against the same background of celebrating Europe Day, 10 years after Romania joined the EU, the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will pay a visit to Bucharest. On Thursday, he will meet with Romanian citizens, in a dialogue on the future of the Union and the way in which EU institutions could better meet European citizens needs. Also, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, the Romanian Corina Cretu, will pay a two day visit to Bucharest, as of Monday. She will launch the 2017 Structural Funds Caravan, a project that includes a string of regional conferences on the management of European money.
WORLD FORUM Romania has attended in Baku the 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, on the theme “Advancing Intercultural Dialogue – New avenues for human security, peace and sustainable development”. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Culture Ministry, the event, organized by the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was held under the patronage of prestigious organisations, such as UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the UN World Tourism Organization (WTO), the Council of Europe, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the North-South Center of the Council of Europe. The State Secretary with the Romanian Culture Ministry Alexandru Oprean attended the meeting and stressed the importance of peace, security and sustainable development. He also held a meeting with his Azeri counterpart Samadov Nazim Adil Oglu, during which the two officials discussed the renewal of the cooperation agreement between the culture ministries of the two countries.
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 On Sunday evening, Romanias womens handball champion CSM Bucharest defeated Buducnost Podgorita of Montenegro 26-20, thus winning the bronze medal at the Champions League Final Four. On Saturday, in the semi-finals, the Romanian squad had been defeated by the Macedonian team HC Vardar Skopje 38-33. Some 1,500 Romanian supporters attended the matches played by Buducnost, whose team included the best handball player in the world, the Romanian Cristina Neagu. As of now, Cristina Neagu will play for CSM Bucharest.
