November 26, 2019

Newsroom, 26.11.2019, 19:46

MEETING – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday is
meeting the future president of the European Council, Charles Michel, the
presidency reports. The two will discuss the European Union’s Strategic Agenda
for 2019-2024, as well as negotiations over the 2021-2027 EU budget, Brexit,
migration, the EU’s external relations and combating the effects of climate
change. The visit of the former Belgian Prime Minister is part of his tour in
preparation for taking over the European Council leadership on December 1.
Charles Michel wants to know where EU leaders stand on matters of key interest
to the Union.

DEFICIT – The consolidated budget deficit for 2019 will reach 4.3%
of the GDP, according to the latest budget adjustment published on Tuesday by
the Finance Ministry. Additional funds will go the ministries of Labor,
Healthcare, Regional Development, Finance and the Business Sector. The budgets
of the Education, Interior and Transport ministries will be slashed. Prime
Minister Ludovic Orban said his cabinet will cover all the necessary public
spending and salaries, the payment of various social benefits or operational
costs. Prime Minister Orban said funds will be earmarked for the payment of all
medical certificates and for refunding all VAT-related costs to businesses. The
adjustment proposals referring to defense institutions will be discussed in
Wednesday’s session of the country’s Supreme Defense Council.

SOCIAL-DEMOCRATS – The executive committee of the Social Democratic
Party on Tuesday convened to analyze the results obtained in the recent
presidential election, which the former Prime Minister Viorica Dancila lost
with the lowest percentage in the history of the party. On Sunday, Viorica
Dancila said she was not going to resign but leaders of the Social-Democratic
Party claim the party needs a new vision and a new beginning. According to
political sources, on Monday as many as 35 leaders of Social-Democrat county
organizations had an informal meeting where they decided to ask within the
party’s executive committee for the resignation of the party leadership -
president, executive president, secretary general and vice-presidents. The
Social Democrats also lost the EP elections held in May, obtaining only half of
the 45% they had obtained in the 2016 legislative elections.

DISTINCTION – Ivan Patzaichin, a legend of Romanian and
international sports, on Tuesday was awarded the Romanian Star national order
in Rank of knight by the country’s president, Klaus Iohannis. The award was
bestowed as a sign of recognition and deep gratitude for his exceptional
results in sports and his significant contribution to the development of
Romanian sports at home and abroad. A four-time champion in the summer Olympics
(Mexico 1968, Munich 1972, Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984), Ivan Patzaichin
turned 70 on November 26. As a coach, he won three silver medals in the
European Championships in Poznan and gold and silver at the Olympic Games in
Sydney. Ivan Patzaichin was declared Athlete of the 20th Century by
the International Canoe Federation.

FOOTBALL – The Executive Committee of the Romanian Football
Federation on Tuesday unanimously voted in favor of appointing Mirel Radoi as
coach of the national football team. Mirel Radoi will replace Cosmin Contra,
who stepped down after failing to qualify to the 2020 European Championship. A
former national squad player, Mirel Radoi coached the Under-21 team, with which
he played in the 2019 European Championship semi-finals. His achievement meant
our under-21 team has qualified to the Olympic Games after a break of 56 years.

(Translated by V. Palcu)