May 9, 2016 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 09.05.2016, 12:15

Romania’s objective is to
carry on its European integration by joining the Schengen agreement and the
Eurozone, said president Klaus Iohannis at the reception held on Europe Day on
Monday. Our place is in the Schengen area, as a fully fledged member, the president
also said, adding that Romania’s accession would strengthen security in the
area and convey a powerful political message of support for maintaining the
freedom of movement principle. We recall that May 9th has a triple
significance for Romanians. It celebrates the day of independence, proclaimed
in 1877, the allied victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 and Europe day, marking
the historic declaration of the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, who
proposed a plan of economic cooperation between France and Germany, which would lay the foundation for a united Europe.

The Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos
has agreed with President Klaus Iohannis to act as interim health minister,
following the resignation on Monday of minister Patriciu Achimas Cadariu,
against the background of the scandal triggered by the use of diluted
disinfectants in hospitals. The Health Ministry continues its investigation
into the mater and has started to take samples from all hospitals in the
country. The substances will be tested for concentration and effectiveness. The
samples that have already proved non-compliant, discovered in 50 health-care
units, have been sent to a specialized institute for further testing. The
General Prosecutor’s Office too is conducting a parallel investigation.
Hospitals have been searched, as well as the offices and facilities of the
company that has provided the disinfectants. Evidence so far has shown that the
concentration of the tested substances was ten times lower than required.

Military and religious ceremonies
were held in all Romanian military units in the country and abroad on Monday,
to commemorate the two Romanian soldiers killed in Afghanistan on Saturday. The
Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc has announced the two will be promoted
posthumously. They were killed at a camp near Kandahar, where they were
training Afghan police. The attackers, most likely Taliban, were wearing Afghan security forces
uniforms. Another Romanian soldier, wounded in the same attack, was sent to a
hospital in Germany and is now stable. 28 Romanian soldiers have been killed in
Afghanistan since 2002.

The activity of the private paramedic service PULS
has been suspended, following numerous irregularities uncovered by the
investigation into the death of footballer Patrick Ekeng from Dinamo Bucharest.
PULS was under contract with the Dinamo football club when they played the game
in which Ekeng suddenly collapsed on the pitch, even though he had no apparent
health problems. The 26 year-old from Cameroon died on Friday night in intensive
care. Prosecutors have opened an investigation for potential involuntary
manslaughter.

The Champions League trophy
is now in Romania, as the women’s handball team CSM Bucharest came out the
winner of the most important inter-club competition. In the final match held on
Sunday, the Romanians defeated the Hungarian squad Gyor ETO 29 to 26. CSM
Bucharest has thus become the third Romanian club to win Champions League,
after Stiinta Bacau in 1961 and Rapid Bucharest in 1964. In the 2009-2010
season, another Romanian team, Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea, lost the final to Viborg
of Denmark. More on this after the news.

Romanian
tennis player Simona Halep went up two places in the WTA rankings published on
Monday reaching fifth place. Ahead of her are the American player Serena
Williams, the German Angelique Kerber, the Polish Agnieszka Radwanska and the
Spanish player Garbine Muguruza. Romania has four more representatives in the
top 100 rankings: Monica Niculescu, no 34,
Irina Begu, ranked 35th, Alexandra Dulgheru, ranked 98th,
and Sorana Carstea, holding the 99th
position. Simona Halep has recently won the first trophy of the season, in
Madrid, and qualified directly for the tournament in Rome, going straight to
the second round. Two more Romanians will be playing there, namely Irina Begu
and Monica Niculescu.