October 15, 2019
President Iohannis carries on consultations on new PM and new Cabinet
Newsroom, 15.10.2019, 14:00
GOVERNMENT The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, carries on today his consultations with parliamentary parties on the appointment of a new prime minister and the formation of a new Cabinet. The talks began on Friday, one day after Viorica Dancilas government was dismissed through a no-confidence vote in Parliament, and continued on Monday in a narrow format. Today the head of state is discussing with the leaders of Save Romania Union, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians and the National Liberal Party. So far the talks point to a government formed by or around the National Liberal Party, which pleads for a Cabinet of 16 ministries at most. The Liberals announced they are ready to take over power, and the party leader Ludovic Orban is their nomination for prime minister. Save Romania Union spoke in favour of early elections and has several requests in exchange for supporting a new government, including a two-round local election system and a law abolishing compensatory appeals. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians on the other hand wants mayors to continue to be elected in one round, while the ex-PM Victor Pontas Pro Romania party says it would support the good projects initiated by a new cabinet. The Peoples Movement Party is willing to be part of the new government alonside the Liberals, but will not work with ALDE and Pro Romania. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats says they will not be part of a new government, and supports a Liberal Cabinet. The Social Democratic Party turned down the invitation to consultations, and its leader Viorica Dăncilă announced the partys parliamentary group would not vote for the new government.
DEFENCE Representatives of the South-East European defence ministries (SEDM) convene in Bucharest on Wednesday. Romania is represented by the state secretary with the Defence Ministry Doru Claudian Frunzulică. According to a Defence Ministry news release, the meeting is an opportunity for Bucharest to reconfirm its commitment to the projects implemented as part of this initiative, as well as to support proposals for the consolidation of the SEDM as the main cooperation platform in South-East Europe. SEDM is a regional initiative designed to help maintain peace and strengthen neighbourhood and close cooperation among East-European countries, by fostering political-military dialogue and involvement in practical projects in the field of regional security and stability.
PRICES In Romania, the Foodstuff Price Monitor has been launched today. It is a platform designed to help citizens to contrast food prices charged by stores across the country. The users will be able to choose between around 30,000 types of products, accounting for half of the total foodstuffs in the market. The project is similar to the one that compares fuel prices, launched in June. The new platform is available as a mobile phone app and on the internet at monitorulpreţurilor.info.
BREXIT Londons most recent proposals regarding Brexit are not good enough, the EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Tuesday, at the General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, according to diplomatic sources quoted by Reuters. Barnier also said that he needed a legal text by the end of the day, in order to be able to recommend that EU leaders approve an agreement at the European Council due on October 17 and 18. Otherwise, Michel Barnier is likely to suggest additional negotiations with London after the EU summit concluding on Friday. Without an agreement between London and the EU by October 19, a law passed in September forces the British PM Boris Johnson to request a 3-month postponement of UKs exit. London and Brussels are trying to reach common ground on means to prevent a post-Brexit return to a physical border between Northern Ireland, a part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which will still be an EU member.
FOOTBALL Romanias football team plays against Norway in Bucharest today, in Group F of the 2020 European Championship qualifiers. Spain tops the group ranking with 19 points, followed by Sweden with 14, Romania – 13, Norway – 10, Malta – 3 and Faroe Islands with 0 points. The top 2 teams in each group qualify into the final tournament. On Monday night, Romanias Under 21 team defeated Northern Ireland on home turf, 3-0, in Group 8 of the 2021 European Youth Championship. On Thursday, also on home turf, Romania beat Ukraine, 3-0, after last month it had lost to Denmark, 1-2, away from home. In June Romania Under 21 qualified for the first time in the semi-finals of the continental tournament in Italy and San Marino, thus securing their ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.
(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)
