September 1, 2023

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 01.09.2023, 13:59

SCHENGEN ‘It is in the national
interest of Hungary that Romania join Schengen as soon as possible’ the
country’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto’ said firmly asking Austria not to
block the accession of Romania to Europe’s border-free area this autumn.
According to the Hungarian news agency MTI, the official in Budapest said the
decision on accession must be based on facts. According to him, Romania is
Hungary’s third export market and an investment place very popular with the Hungarian
investors. The Hungarian Foreign Minister has also mentioned that a minority of
Romanians is living on the Hungarian territory while a Hungarian minority is
living in Romania. In December last year, Austria blocked Romania and
Bulgaria’s access to Schengen invoking that it could not support its enlargement
as long as this area is not functional.

VISIT The first formal
visit, the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has paid to Brussels since he
took office, kicks off today with a meeting with the European Council president
Charles Michel. Ciolacu will also have talks with the head of the European
Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, and with the president of the European
Parliament Roberta Metsola. ‘Romania is stable politically and economically and
has seen the second biggest economic growth among the EU members, strongly
supported by the direct foreign investment. We are going to preserve the
dynamics of the Romanian economy and the investors’ trust through the reform we
have been making in the essential fields’, the Romanian Prime Minister went on
to say. Romania would like to be allowed a budget deficit over 5% and in order
to convince Brussels, the Prime Minister is expected to propose a series of
fiscal measures. These include bringing the number of VAT quotas down to only two
and cancelling a number of facilities. Ciolacu is expected to explain that Romania
needs a budget deficit of 5% because the country has supported the neighboring
Ukraine affected by the war.

DIPLOMACY The
Romanian diplomacy will continue to support and promote solid partnerships and
relationships based on democratic values, respect for fundamental freedoms and
rights, international law and order based on rules – the Romanian Foreign
Minister Luminita Odobescu said on Friday. In her message on the Romanian
Diplomacy Day, Mrs. Odobescu recalls that this day is being celebrated ‘in a
difficult and complex regional context, which jointly with the accelerated
global developments calls more than ever for a predictable foreign policy,
coherent, adjusted, dynamic and anticipating.’ Referring to the priorities of
the Romanian diplomacy, Mrs. Odobescu enumerated the increasing role and
influence of Romania’s inside the EU and NATO as well as the development and
deepening of the country’s Strategic Partnership with the USA. And neither will
the development of the consular services for the Romanian nationals outside the
country be neglected – the Romanian official went on to say.

TEAM A team of the European Commission is to visit Romania on
Friday and Saturday for talks on ways to streamline the local capabilities
handling the Ukrainian grain exports, after Russia has left the initiative
regarding these exports through the Black Sea and is presently threatening
maritime civil transportation. The expert team will be visiting the ports of
Galati, on the Danube and meet representatives of the Lower Danube
Administration, port authorities and pilots. The team will also travel to the
Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta for talks with the representatives of the
operators, transporters and grain traders here, the European Commission has
announced.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea
will be up against fourth seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the third
round of the US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. Cirstea has
never made it through the third round of this famous competition, which she attended
in 2009, 2019 and 2020. Last year Cirstea was eliminated in the second round.
Another Romanian player, Patricia Tig has been eliminated today by the US
challenger Jessica Pagula 6-3, 6-1.

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