November 8, 2019 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 08.11.2019, 19:41

INFLATION – Romania in neither in the
precipice, nor on the verge of it, Central Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu has
said upon presenting the quarterly report on inflation. According to the
Romanian official, the country’s main vulnerability is that most of the
economic growth is based on consumption. Mugur Isarescu also said that
Romania’s deficit of 6.1% for 2021, as estimated by the European Commission,
cannot be taken into account, because it would endanger Romania’s position on
the external markets, where it has incurred significant debt. Isarescu has said
that the Central Bank has decreased to 3.8% the inflation forecast for the end
of the year and estimates a 3.1% inflation rate for end-2020. The Central Bank
estimated, in August 2019, a 4.2% inflation rate for the end of 2019 and of
3.4% for December 2020.

ELECTION – The campaign for the first
round of the presidential election comes to an end on Saturday morning. Voters
will hit the polls on Sunday in Romania, but Romanians living abroad will vote
over the course of three days, starting Friday at noon and ending Sunday
evening. Postal voting was for the first time introduced for the voting process
abroad. These measures were taken to avoid the long waiting hours, which were
reported at the last presidential election and the European Parliament
election. A total of 14 candidates have enrolled in the race. The second ballot
is scheduled for November 24.

MEETING – Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
on Friday met US Ambassador Hans Klemm. The parties agreed to deepen and
develop the Strategic Partnership between the two countries in all its aspects,
with a focus on military and security cooperation, reads a Government release.
Ludovic Orban underlined Romania’s openness towards dialogue in order to ensure
a stable and investor-friendly environment.

MOTION – The Socialist Party in the
Republic of Moldova, a ruling coalition party, on Friday filed a no-confidence
motion against Maia Sandu’s Cabinet. The Socialists decided to withdraw their
political support for the government, claiming the Government’s bill on the
regulation of the Prosecutor’s Office is in breach of the Constitution and
international standards. Igor Dodon’s Socialist Party has two representatives
in the Government, the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Vasile Sova,
and Defense Minister Pavel Voicu.

HEARINGS – The hearings of the new
commissioners designated by Romania, Hungary and France will held on November
14, the European Parliament’s leaders decided on Friday. Once the candidates
are greenlit by the JURI Committee on Legal Affairs, which will investigate any
potential conflcits of interest, the three candidates, namely Adina Valean from
Romania, Olivier Varhelyi from Hungary and Thierry Breton from France, will
appear before Parliament’s special committees. Adina Valean will appear before
the Transport and Tourism Committee, Olivier Varhelyi will appear before the
Foreign Affairs Committee, while Thierry Breton will appear before the
Industry, Research and Energy Committee. The European Commission’s President
Elect Ursula von der Leyen will subsequently present her team and governing
program in a joint Parliament session. We recall the nomination of Romanian MEP
Adina Valean for the position of EU Commissioner for Transport was accepted by
Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.

FILM – The film Queen Marie of Romania directed by Alexis Sweet
Cahill is as of Friday screened in cinemas across Romania. Based on true
events, the film follows a landmark of the year 1919, the Paris Peace
Conference. The script relies on excerpts from the Queen’s diary, period press
articles as well as testimonies of politicians at the time. The film was shot
in genuine locations from Bucharest and Paris, recreating the mood of 1919.
Relying on an international cast, the film features Romanian actress Roxana
Lupu in the lead role. The granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England, Queen
Marie (1875-1938) was wife to King Ferdinand I. She constantly sought to
strengthen ties between Romania and the UK. Following the Paris Peace
Conference, she undertook diplomatic efforts for the international recognition
of enlarged Romania.

TABLE TENNIS – The Romanian women’s
table tennis team, the defending European champions, lost nil-3 to Japan in the
quarterfinals of the World Cup venued in Tokyo. In September, Romania won gold
at the European Table Tennis Championships in Nantes, France, after defeating
Portugal in the final.

(Translated by
V. Palcu)