September 1, 2019 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 01.09.2019, 19:09
PARLIAMENT — The Romanian Senate is to elect a new speaker, after the head of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), Calin Popescu Tariceanu, has announced his resignation from this post, following his party’s withdrawal from Government. Tariceanu will officially submit his resignation on Monday. Three Liberal-Democrat ministers from the coalition government in Bucharest submitted their resignations after ALDE decided to break with their ruling allies, PSD, and join the opposition. Foreign Minister Ramona Manescu, promoted by ALDE, will keep her position after having rejected Tariceanus request to step down. President Klaus Iohannis has called on the minority Government to seek Parliament’s reconfirmation. The PM, leader of the Social Democratic Party, Viorica Dancila, said she would seek support in Parliament to be able to implement the governing program while the rightist opposition intends to file a motion of no confidence against the government. The National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union said they were ready to assume governing after holding early elections. The scheduled parliamentary elections are actually due next year.
PENSIONS – Pensions went up by 15% in Romania starting on Saturday, September 1st. Around 5 million pensioners in the public system benefit the increase. The new pension law provides for a gradual increase in the pension point starting September 1st until 2022, and for the recalculation of millions of other pensions. Under the new law, women who have paid their contribution to the pension fund for 15 years and have given birth to three children, will have their retiring age reduced by 6 years. The standard retiring age is 65 for men and 63 for women. The minimum contribution period is 15 years, and the complete stage is 35 years. On Friday, the International Monetary Fund recommended Romanian authorities to start a process of sustainable fiscal consolidation, reassess the new pension law and improve management in state-owned companies. The IMF experts believe the new pension law passed in June 2019 needs to be reassessed as it may jeopardize fiscal sustainability.
BREXIT – The EUs lead Brexit negotiator has rejected the demands of the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the Irish backstop to be scrapped. Michel Barnier said the backstop – intended to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland – was the “maximum flexibility” the EU could offer, the BBC reports. The UK is due to leave the EU on 31 October, with or without a deal. Large-scale protests took place on Saturday in London and other cities against the Government’s decision to suspend Parliament. Boris Johnsons plan to prorogue Parliament prompted an angry backlash from MPs and opponents of a no-deal Brexit . If the prorogation happens as expected, British Parliament will be closed for 23 working days.
ENESCU FESTIVAL — Five events were held on Sunday, the second day of the George Enescu International Festival. The first concert of the 2019 edition was held on Saturday evening at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest by the Berlin Philharmonics, with Kiril Petrenko at the helm. The central theme of this year’s edition of the festival is “World in Harmony”. Vladimir Jurowski is the director of the festival. Until September 22, alongside Bucharest, another 10 cities in Romania, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Moldova will host concerts this year under the festival’s umbrella.
FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football squad convened on Sunday in Bucharest to get in shape for next week’s matches played at home with Spain and Malta, in the European Championship preliminaries. Having played four matches each, Spain is top of the group with 12 points, followed by Sweden and Romania with 7 points each, Norway with 5 points, Malta with 3 points and the Feroe Islands with 0 points.
MEDALS – Romanian boxer Lacramioara Perijoc has reaped the gold medal in the 54-kg category of the European Women Boxing Championship held in Madrid. Perijoc has obtained a win in the final against Russia’s Karina Tazabekova, whom she defeated on points 3-2. Out of the Romanian delegation of seven athletes only Lacramioara Perijoc remained in the competition.
VOLLEYBALL – The Romanian women’s volleyball team was defeated on Sunday in Ankara, Turkey, by world champion Serbia, in the eight-finals of the European Championship. Winning 2 of the 5 matches in Group C, against Estonia and Hungary, and defeated by the Netherlands, Croatia and Azerbaijan, the Romanians did not manage to seize the last ticket for the eighth-finals. Romania’s best performance in a European championship is a bronze medal in 1963. (Translated by Elena Enache)
