September 16, 2017 UPDATE

Romania will keep the budget deficit below 3%, as was pledged under the Stability and Growth Pact, says finance minister Ionuţ Mişa/ The U.S. ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm has hailed the valor of Romanias soldiers in Afghanistan

România Internațional, 16.09.2017, 19:00

FINANCIAL – Romania will keep the budget deficit below 3%, as was pledged under the Stability and Growth Pact, the finance minister Ionuţ Mişa said in a meeting with Valdis Dombrovskis, EC Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, also in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. The two officials have had a meeting on the sidelines of the informal meeting of the ECOFIN Council organized by the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, on September 15 -16. The Romanian official has also said the 5.6% economic growth rate in 2017 is based on consumption, an increase in the volume of the industrial output and a plummeting unemployment rate. According to a preliminary Autumn 2017 Forecast released on Friday by the National Prognosis Commission, estimates on Romania’s economic growth in 2017 have been revised upward from 5.2% to 5.6%.

VISIT – EU Commissioner for the Security Union, Julian King, will pay an official visit to Bucharest on Monday, for talks with PM Mihai Tudose, justice minister Tudorel Toader and interior minister Carmen Dan. The focal points of the talks, to also be attended by members of the relevant parliamentary committees, will be the fight against terrorism, the exchange of information and the implementation of the recently adopted security legislation. The European Commissioner will also visit the Operational Coordination Centre of the Border Police.

ROMANIAN TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN– Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, has granted corporal Mădălin Stoica the posthumous award “Romanias Star National Order in rank of knight. Mădălin Stoica died in the line of duty in Afghanistan on Friday, in an attack against a Romanian military patrol mission in the area. The award was offered in token of respect and appreciation for the commitment and courage proven in the line of duty, the decree signed by the head of state shows. The U.S. ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, has hailed the valor of Romanias soldiers in Afghanistan, in a message of condolence to the family of the Romanian military who died on Friday. “ I was saddened to hear of the death of Corporal Mădălin Stoica who was killed during an incident in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and of injuries to other two Romanian soldiers. I would like to extend my personal condolences and those of the United States to the family and friends of Corporal Mădălin Stoica, as well as to his fellow soldiers. I also wish a speedy recovery to the injured soldiers. The valor of Romanias soldiers in the NATO mission in Afghanistan continues to demonstrate the highest commitment to defending freedom and democracy, “ ambassador Klemm writes in the message of condolence. Corporal Madalin Stoica was on his first mission on theatres of operations. Two other soldiers were injured in the incident, but they are stable. In 2017, the Romanian Army is contributing over 620 troops to the NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, 300 other military being deployed to other regions of the world as part of NATO, EU, UN and OSCE-led missions. 29 Romanian military have lost their lives and over 180 others got injured so far, on missions abroad. The security situation in Afghanistan is still unstable, most incidents being reported in the east and the south.

LONDON – The British Police make “significant arrest in London subway terror attack, claimed by the Islamic State terrorist group. On Friday morning, an explosion at Parsons Green underground station in the west of London injured tens of passengers and led to a terrorist attack being declared. British Prime Minister Theresa May has raised the UK’s terror threat level to critical, its highest level after London was hit by this new terror attack. Critical means an attack is expected imminently and soldiers will be put on the streets to guard key sites and free up police officers.

MIGRANTS – The Romanian border police has stopped 19 Iraqi nationals, of which 4 minors, asylum seekers in Romania, upon trying to illegally leave Romania, the line authorities have announced. The Iraqis declared their intention to reach a Schengen country and said they made this choice because they were not holding a valid visa. The number of people trying to illegally cross Romanias western border with Hungary, in the west, has been on the rise over the past year. The number of foreigners trying to illegally cross the border into Romania, by boat, on the Black Sea, has also increased.

TENNIS – Austria leads Romania 2-1 in the Davis Cup tennis matches played in Wels, in the first-round playoffs to remain in the Europe/ Africa Group I. On Saturday in the mens doubles, Horia Tecău and Nicolae Frunză defeated Dominic Thiem/Philipp Oswald, 3-1. On Friday in the singles, Gerald Melzer defeated Dragoş Dima and Dominic Thiem outperformed Bogdan Borza. On Sunday, Dominic Thiem will play Dragoş Dima and Gerald Melzer will face Bogdan Borza. In the direct matches, Romania leads Austria 3-2.

RECORD-Romanian swimmer Avram Iancu, a librarian by profession, on Saturday finished the swimming race from Danube’s springs to the Black Sea, thus becoming the first man to ever cross the river from the place where the Danube rises to the place where the river empties into the Black Sea, without any additional equipment. The race ended in Sulina and covered a distance of 2,860 km.

TABLE TENNIS – Romanias table tennis team on Saturday qualified for the European Championship final held in Luxembourg, after having defeated Russia, 3-0. On Sunday, Romania will play Germany, which has outperformed the Netherlands, 3-2, in the other semi-finals. Romanias womens table tennis team is the holder of three European titles, the last one being grabbed 12 years ago. Germanys national team has won the title in the last three editions and boasts an overall number of seven gold medals.